AUGUST 2025

Visiting a Stave Church is not a very original thing to do on a Norway trip, however it is a must to visit at least one. The Borgund Stave Church is a popular stave church, because of its ideal location close to other activities and easy accessibility. If you are looking for a more adventurous way to visit it, I have the perfect recommendation for you. You can visit it at the end of a gorgeous hike, making it a great reward for putting in the effort. The Vindhellavegen is a scenic old postal route and still quite a hidden gem!

Where we stayed

We visited Borgund Stave Church as a part of our Norway campervan trip. We stayed at Steinklepp Camping, which was a 15 minute drive from the church. Steinklepp Camping is a relatively small campsite, which also has hytter/cottages. We stayed during the high season and did not find it necessary to book a camping spot in advance. The price for a camping spot is about € 26 per night. The Hytter seem to be about € 50 per night. Hugo loved taking a dip in the little stream next to the campsite. 

Vindhellavegen hike

The Vindhellavegen hike is a real hidden gem and it was not busy despite being a beautiful hike. This route has come into existence as an old postal route, which was used by horses with a carriage. It was only used for a short period at the end of the 18^th Century and now is a hiking route. We parked at the free Vindhellavegen parking and hiked to the Borgund Stave Church. Despite this being quite steep, it took us about 45 minutes to reach the Borgund Stave Church. Once you reach the top you get a beautiful view over the hairpin bends.  You do not need to finish the full Vindhella hike to reach the church, but we noted a sign telling us to turn right in the forest to find the church. You will pass through a field of sheep before you arrive, making this a great entrance. 

Borgund Stave Church

The Stave Church is located in a walled area and if you want to get closer,  you have to buy a ticket at the museum. Tickets are about € 10 per adult and it also includes entrance to the museum. I would recommend to do this as the history and the architecture of the Stave Churches are very well explained. The Stave Church is very small, but interesting and we found the way the roof is being held together fascinating. The church is built around 1180 and it is very impressive that it is still in a good condition today. 

Sverrestigen

We discovered that we did not have to hike back to the van the same way we arrived, but could also take a different route: the Sverrestigen hike. This is a hike around the hill, through the forest. I did not expect that it would take us over 1,5 hours to finish, but it went up and down quite a lot. I definitely do not recommend to take the Sverrestigen hike in the direction of Borgund Stave Church, as people were seriously sweating going up the hill. It was a moderate intensive hike, which our 4-year old son was able to finish with a bit of complaining.

Laerdal

If you are looking for a nice village in the area of Borgund Stave Church, I can also recommend Laerdalsøyri. It is a super cute colorful town, that has boutique shops and lots of bakeries. I specifically recommend the cinnamon buns at Fredag & Fretland Bakeri. Laerdal also has a nice little beach at the fjord, which is located next to Laerdal Holiday and Leisure Park. We even found a go-karting park, which you can use if you pay a small fee.