Norway Road Trip Photo Gallery - Aurlandsfjellet

The E16 turns into a tunnel across the mountains at Laerdal. For a more scenic way through the topography, head uphill along the Aurlandsfjellet, which opened as a construction access road in 1967. Reaching 1306m above the sea level, this road has various viewpoints along the way, and is a major reason why an Oslo-Bergen trip should be split over 2 days. After a number of sharp bends, you reach above the tree line and the Vedahaugane look-out point is a good place to take a break. Continuing, the next stop would be the summit at Flotane, whose facilities are powered by solar panels. Up here, it is cold enough for glaciers and snow to still survive into the summer. Despite the narrow road and many bends, I was surprised a tour bus could make it up here. Although most of this road is closed for the winter, the section from Stegastein is open year-round. This viewpoint juts out 30m from the cliffside, 650m above the Aurlandsfjord. Then it is downhill back to the town of Aurlandscangen and the E16 tunnel's exit. Further down the fjord at Flam, there is a busier beach with very calm waters. The best time to visit is during the summer, with midnight sun and the long hours of daylight making the journey far more enjoyable. This is certainly a long day after many stops. From Flam, keep on the E16 all the way to Bergen.