Lærdalsøyri is a small, perfectly preserved wooden town on the shore of the Sognefjord, and it feels as if the twentieth century only partly arrived. The old town, with its white clapboard houses from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, is a protected area, and the streets are narrow and quiet. About a thousand people live here. The Lærdal river, famous for its salmon, flows into the fjord beside the village, and a salmon centre tells the story of the fish and the people who have fished for them for centuries. Årdalstangen and Sogndal are the nearest larger towns, so this is a good spot to buy fuel and food.
The old road from Aurland ends here after descending from the plateau, and the last section is a long, winding descent through forest and farmland, with views of the fjord. The surface is good, the curves are gentle and the gradient steady, and you drop from bare rock to birch forest and then to orchards. The Lærdal tunnel, which opened in 2000, is the longest road tunnel in the world at about 24.5 kilometres, and it bypasses the mountain pass for most traffic. It has blue-lit caverns to break the monotony, and riders can choose between the tunnel and the old road.
Lærdalsøyri was an important trading post, where goods were exchanged between the fjord and the mountains, and the old customs house and warehouses recall that role. The Norwegian Wild Salmon Centre is a modern museum with an aquarium, and the nearby Borgund stave church, one of the best preserved in Norway, dates from around 1180. Its dragon heads and shingled roofs look like something from a Viking tale. It is a short ride up the valley and well worth the detour.
For food, try smoked or grilled salmon, local cheese and lefse, a thin flatbread. The old town has a few cafes and a small hotel, and there is a fuel station by the main road. The best time is summer, when the days are long and warm, but the village is attractive in autumn, with golden leaves. Take a walk through the old quarter in the evening, when the light falls softly on the white boards, and listen to the quiet.