Stegastein is a spectacular viewpoint in the county Sogn og Fjordane overlooking the Aurland fjord, a sidearm of the Sognefjord. As you walk out on the viewpoint standing 650 meters on top of the fjord, the platform curves down in a continuous flow. It resembles a waterfall and at an angle, you can lean on the glass panes looking straight down into the deep blue fjord.
Dark clouds and dramatic fjord landscape
We visited on a windy day in October and the dark clouds actually made the scenery look even more dramatic. Sognefjorden, which Aurlandsfjorden is a part of is the longest fjord in Norway and also considered the most spectacular one. The fjord landscape is also UNESCO listed, and this is probably the most accessible place to get a good sense of the scale of the fjords. Unless you want to hike up a mountain of course, which will probably give you the best overall experience.
The drive up to Stegastein is quite spectacular on its own. As you drive up, the road becomes more and more narrow allowing only one car to pass at a time between meeting-points. There are viewpoints along the road as well, with plenty of amazing photo opportunities. Luckily we didn’t experience much traffic, so the drive up and down from Flam was fairly straight forward. With all the tourists during summer, I would probably have found the drive very stressful if having to frequently reverse back to meeting-points to allow cars to pass.
Stegastein viewpoint summary
We can definitely recommend Stegastein, but keep in mind that the drive up and down can be stressful. Also, it’s probably not the most amazing child-friendly attraction around, at least not for smaller kids. Our kids liked it, but viewpoints and heights don’t seem to either bother them or impress them. And if your kids get car-sick make sure to keep a bag close by. In any case, these potential negatives are completely overshadowed by the immensely powerful landscape that greets you on top of this free of charge viewpoint. There are also many other great activities for kids in the same area, such as the Viking Valley in Gudvangen and taking the mountain railway from Flåm.
Getting to Stegastein
Address: Bjørgavegen 83, 5745 Aurland, Norway
Web: https://www.nasjonaleturistveger.no/en/routes/aurlandsfjellet?attraction=stegastein