Stegastein Viewpoint Guide
The Stegastein Viewpoint (or Stegastein Lookout as some call it) along the Norwegian ‘Snow Road’ is one of Aurland’s most visited tourist attractions. The viewing platform itself has won several architectural awards, and has been built to give you the illusion of floating above the fjord. At 650 metres above sea level, it provides you with a breathtaking panoramic view of the fjords.
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The Viewpoint
From Stegastein you can see the village of Aurland right below you and to the left. You will be able to point out the church, the school and the village hall! If you lift your eyes a bit, you will also be able to see Flåm, the tiny village at the end of the Sognefjord, and the entrance of the fjord on the other side. The panoramic view of the fjord landscape you get from the Stegastein viewing platform is unlike anything else. The fjord below is definitely one of the most beautiful fjords to visit in Norway.
The platform gets busy, especially in the summer months, so prepare yourself for meeting other visitors to the area when you are up there. If you want a photo with no one else in it, we recommend getting there just before sunrise. The Viewpoint is popular (and beautiful) all year round, but is definitely at its busiest from May to August.
If you want information on how to get to Stegastein (from either Flåm or Aurland, for example), keep reading. We cover it all further down in this post.
How to get to Stegastein Viewpoint
As most travellers stay in Flåm for their trip to the fjords, it is only natural that this is their starting point for visiting Stegastein. We travelled from Bergen to Flam, then from Flam to the viewpoint.
There are two main ways to get there…
By Car
Of course, you can also drive to Stegastein yourself. From the bottom of the mountain (the centre of Aurland), it takes approximately 20 minutes – on a good day. Please note that the road from Aurland to Stegasten is very narrow in some places, with very few meeting points along the road, so if you are not 100% comfortable driving in Norway, please do not drive yourself.
I repeat; do not drive to Stegastein unless you know how to (1) manoeuvre the car in tight spaces, (2) reverse without getting stressed at the idea of falling off the side of the mountain if you miss, and (3) stay calm even when there is heavy traffic, a lot of cars behind you, and not enough room to pass the car coming towards you.
This may seem like a joke, but we are quite serious. Every summer, there are delays on the road to Stegastein (sometimes it can take over an hour to make the 20-minute drive). This is largely due to tourists in rental cars who should never have been driving there in the first place.
If you are a little unsure of how comfortable you would be driving, go by tour. Then, you’ll be able to take in the stunning scenery (the drive is almost as beautiful as the viewpoint), and trust that an experienced driver is taking you there safely.
We made it by car and it was well worth it!
By Tour
There is one main tour company that takes you from Flåm (and Aurland) to the Stegastein Viewpoint. There are hourly departures in the high season, and two daily departures in the winter. So, the odds of fitting the Stegastein tour into your schedule is quite high.
The tour takes 1,5 hour total, with the drive from Flåm to Stegastein being 30 minutes each way (allowing for a 30-minute stop at Stegastein). You get your own little audio device and a set of headphones, so you can learn about the area and the history of Norway during the drive!
Final thoughts
Hopefully, you’ll be a little better equipped to visit Stegastein now than you were before reading this post. Stegastein is a viewpoint worth visiting if you are in the area, and whether you decide to join the tour or drive yourself, we know you are going to love it! If you have any questions at all, please leave them in the comment section. Meanwhile, why not keep reading some of my other Norway guides:
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