Lærdalsøyri is one of the best-preserved wooden towns in western Norway, a village of white and painted timber houses at the mouth of the Lærdal river, where it meets the inner Sognefjord. Its old quarter, known as Gamle Lærdalsøyri, has more than a hundred and fifty old buildings, from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, with narrow lanes between them, and it has been protected for its value. On a quiet evening it is one of the loveliest small places in the fjord country.
The town owes its life to its position. It sat at the western end of the old route over the mountains from eastern Norway, and goods travelling between Bergen and Oslo came down the Lærdal valley to the fjord here, where boats took them on. Markets were held here, and the town grew prosperous on trade. Today the same role is played by the E16, which comes through the long Lærdal Tunnel to the south and runs up the valley toward Filefjell and Oslo. The valley also holds the Borgund stave church, one of the finest medieval wooden churches in Norway, about half an hour up the road, and it is well worth the detour.
The river is famous for salmon. The Lærdalselva was once one of the most celebrated salmon rivers in Europe, visited by British anglers in the nineteenth century, and the Norwegian Wild Salmon Centre, in the village, tells that story with a window into the river. The valley is also unusually dry for western Norway, lying in the rain shadow of the mountains, and the fields are often green with irrigation in summer.
For riders, Lærdalsøyri is the hinge between two very different roads: the Snow Road over Aurlandsfjellet, which climbs straight out of the village to the south, and the E16 through the valley. It is also near the ferry from Fodnes to Mannheller, which crosses the Sognefjord toward Sogndal. The village has fuel, shops, cafes and places to stay, so it is a natural place to stop before or after the mountain. Wander through the old town, look at the carved doorways and the details on the houses, and sit for a moment by the river.