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visiting the Borgund Stave Church

Posted by (Pacific Northwest, US) on

Hello. I have been grateful for all the excellent advice provided on this forum. We'll be going go Norway in June (me, my 18-yr old daughter, my sister, and our 79-yr-old mom). We'll be taking the Norway in a Nutshell tour from Bergen back to Oslo, and will do one overnight along the way in Aurland. We'd like to see the Borgund Stave Church, but are unsure if our mom could do the walking required. I'm not seeing anything about how to get there once the bus drops you off. Is it a long walk? Steep or uneven terrain? Mom uses a cane, but even with that, I don't want to put her a situation where she has to walk for more than 15 min or on uneven terrain. She is not in great shape.

I was also thinking of just visiting the stave church in Oslo as an alternative, although I know that won't be anywhere near as special to see.

Thanks for any advice you can offer.

Posted by
1895 posts

Kathy, take a look at Google Maps using satellite view and street view to see the walkways.

It shows an average 3 minute walk (210 meters/688feet) from the public bus stop to the Visitor Center and a similar distance from the Visitor Center to the Church.

Are you taking the regular bus or tour minibus or some type of shuttle?

I suggest you contact the Borgund Stave Church Visitor Center when they reopen in the spring for more information.

We visited the Gol Stave Church at the Folksmuseum in Oslo. There is a lot of walking involved at the park. Perhaps inquire if they have wheelchairs for rent or loan. I do remember the church had some high thresholds to step over and it was very dark inside.

Posted by
38 posts

It is the 4-hour Minibus tour from Flam, purchased with Norway in a Nutshell through Fjordtours.com. Described as:
"Experience Borgund Stave Church, Stegastein Viewpoint, and the Scenic Route Aurlandsfjellet - all in one unforgettable day."

But these are great ideas, thank you so much! I peeked at the Google Earth images and it looks nicely paved all the way around the church. I'll reach out to the services you suggested as well. Thanks again.

Posted by
956 posts

We drove there before we continued on the Aurlandsvegen (mountain road) to the overlook and our lodging in Aurland. By that point I had already seen other stave churches, so it wasn't as special as I was expecting, but it is in a nice setting. It's a 2+ block walk to the churches from the parking lot, and there's a short incline up to the buildings. She could stay by the visitor center and still enjoy the view of the church from there.

Stegastein was a bit chaotic when we were there (September). Lots of vehicles coming and going. She might want to just get out and see the view from next to the bus instead of trying to get to the overlook which might be crowded.

Posted by
1895 posts

Kathy, we did the FjordTours minibus tour to Stegastein Viewpoint only in 2023. Our driver was very accommodating. Perhaps he could drop your mother off closer to the the Stegastein viewing platform and the visitor center at Borgund before he parks the minibus to save a few steps.

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