Stave churches are well known in Norway and though the country used to be filled with them there are now only 28 of them left. Summer of 2024, I had the great pleasure of seeing 13 of the churches and one of the lots where there once used to be a stavechurch. The lot is registered weirdly enough registered as a stavechurch and so is the museum across from it, but it is well kept and still a couple of graves at the site. Though I would not say it should be registered as a stave church.
The great thing about stave churches is that a lot of them are gathered around the same area in Norway. Namely in the middle of the country.
The sad part however is if you do not have a car it is difficult to reach them. Of course there goes buses to some of the locations such as Lom. But most of the churches are a bit secluded from where the buses stops and you will need a car.
Though the exterior of the stave churches are vastly different, it all comes down to how they were built on the inside. They are built using wooden posts or rather staves which will be were the name came from.
Some of the churches have wood carvings that can show a mix of Norse mythology and Christianity. The churches started being built in the 12th and 13th century, which is when Christianity was spreading in Norway.
The largest stave church left standing is Heddal Stave Church (pictures above) and it is also the last of the churches to be registered as privately owned. My only regret with visiting this church is that I did not pay to enter it. Because the church I had highest expectations for was very small on the inside compared to what I thought, it would have been a great comparison.
One of the more famous churches are probably Borgund Stave Church and it is as gorgeous as one would imagine. It was the one I was looking the most forward to seeing. I did however expected the wood to be a bit darker and the church itself to be bigger. But it was still as stunning as I pictured. Close by is Kongeveien or kingsroad that has been on my list to walk since I discovered it during the Corona time.
Kongevegen or Kingsroad
This was the biggest bonus on the whole trip. During Corona I looked at places to go in Norway, in the end I did not go far, but I came across this beautiful winding road with a lot of history. It was a five days walk and I am not the biggest on long walks, but if I get the chance I would love to go on that trip in the future. But Borgund Stave Church and the Kingsroad would have been the highlights of that trip and I have now crossed both of them out.
The walk itself was a bit steeper than I expected, but not bad at all. But I left my camera in the car, so my phone had to do all the picture taking. My one regret about the this part of the trip, but it gives me a reason to go back.
The road itself is one of the earliest official roads in Norway and even had the first tourist that came to Norway in a car cross it. That same tourist later stayed at a hotel in Lærdal before continuing on his journey.
Day 1
The first day definitly had the most Stave churches among the days. From there on it was just going down. As long as you are on the east coast you can drive this route easily and if you have a day more than me there are more churches close by that you can add in.
First stop was Flesberg Stave Church followed closely by Rollag Stave Church. These two were barely 20 minutes apart from easchother. Nore Stave Church and Uvdal Stave Church were next, but to even get close to Uvdal you had to pay entrance which I did not do. Ål Stave Church lot was also stopped at, even though there is no church there any more. The day ended with Torpo Stave Church.
Gol stave Church that once stood in the small town has been moved to Oslo and can now be seen at Norwegian Museum of Cultural History. So if you are only visiting Oslo, you can still be able to see one of the Stave Churches if that is in your interest. Gol has however made a replica of it in 1980 that is still standing in the spot that the original church once stood.
Day 2
After staying the night in Gol above the tree limit and in the clear fresh at Storefjell Hotel, the drive started. First stop was Lomen Stave Church followed by Høre Stave Church which was a 30 minute detour. One more small detour was taken to Hegge Stave Church before heading to Lom where also Lom Stave Church is.
My best tip is to stay at Nordal Turistsenter (Nordal tourist center) in the hopes to get this amazing window view:
Day 3
The third day was a lot of driving up the mountain over narrow roads where there is a length limit for vehicles. In other words no tour buses can fir over the smaller roads. The day started with a 20 minute detour to Øye Stave Church and it is such a cute church and totally worth the detour before heading to Borgund Stave Church.
Day 4
After staying at Lærdal, sadly not the same hotel as the first tourist by car, but that is okay. We drove through Geilo on the way back as we did on day one and the only church stop on the way back left was Heddal Stave Church.
More Stave Churches nearby
On day 2 if you have time, there is a 1,5-2 hours detour you can take to see Reinli Stave Church and Hedalen Stave Church. For day 3 there is a different route you can take to see Urnes Stave Church and Kaupanger Stave Church. However to see these you have to be very aware of the ferry times, if not you will get a 1,5 hours drive back. If you are aiming to go to Lærdal, it is actually two ferries you will have to be aware of. Close to Lærdal is also Undredal Stave Church and Hopperstad Stave Church that you can go to if you have time.
Rover Saga 