Urnes Stave Church

While you are in Solvorn you must visit the Urnes Stave Church. This excursion is easy to arrange - there are ferries which make the 15-minute run across the channel of the fjord to URNES. Or, if you miss the ferry, you can arrange for a boat taxi to pick you up at the pier and bring you home again. As you ride across the fjord you can see the tiny spire of the church pointing up between the trees on the hillside. After docking, it is about a 20 ­minute walk up the hillside, through farms and apple trees, to the church. This tiny jewel of a church is very interesting, not only because of its intricate engravings, but also because it is one of the oldest stave churches in Norway.