This is one of the most important ferry crossings in western Norway, connecting the north and south shores of the inner Sognefjord. It runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year round. The crossing takes about 15 minutes.
The ferry history here is a story of routes being shuffled, shortened, and killed off. The original crossing was Kaupanger to Årdalstangen. That was replaced by Kaupanger–Lærdal, which ran alongside a separate route from Lærdal to Gudvangen. The Gudvangen route started in 1934 with a bizarre arrangement where passengers changed ferries mid-fjord at Solsnes. In 1939, a proper car ferry finally ran Lærdal–Gudvangen directly. That crossing was a lifeline for 60 years. Then two things happened in quick succession. In 1995, the Fodnes and Amla tunnels opened on the same day as this ferry route, making the Kaupanger–Lærdal crossing redundant. In November 2000, the 24.5-kilometre Lærdal tunnel opened and killed the year-round Lærdal–Gudvangen ferry too. Today the only survivor is the summer tourist car ferry from Kaupanger through the Nærøyfjord to Gudvangen, running May to September.
Do not expect a bridge or tunnel to replace this crossing anytime soon. The fjord here is 1,300 metres deep, and the engineering required for a fixed crossing at this depth is beyond current technology at any reasonable cost. For comparison, the Rogfast tunnel under the Boknafjord reaches 392 metres and is already the world's deepest undersea road tunnel.
In summer the queue can build up, especially around Friday and Sunday afternoons. There is no booking system. Just drive up and wait.
The ferry history here is a story of routes being shuffled, shortened, and killed off. The original crossing was Kaupanger to Årdalstangen. That was replaced by Kaupanger–Lærdal, which ran alongside a separate route from Lærdal to Gudvangen. The Gudvangen route started in 1934 with a bizarre arrangement where passengers changed ferries mid-fjord at Solsnes. In 1939, a proper car ferry finally ran Lærdal–Gudvangen directly. That crossing was a lifeline for 60 years. Then two things happened in quick succession. In 1995, the Fodnes and Amla tunnels opened on the same day as this ferry route, making the Kaupanger–Lærdal crossing redundant. In November 2000, the 24.5-kilometre Lærdal tunnel opened and killed the year-round Lærdal–Gudvangen ferry too. Today the only survivor is the summer tourist car ferry from Kaupanger through the Nærøyfjord to Gudvangen, running May to September.
Do not expect a bridge or tunnel to replace this crossing anytime soon. The fjord here is 1,300 metres deep, and the engineering required for a fixed crossing at this depth is beyond current technology at any reasonable cost. For comparison, the Rogfast tunnel under the Boknafjord reaches 392 metres and is already the world's deepest undersea road tunnel.
In summer the queue can build up, especially around Friday and Sunday afternoons. There is no booking system. Just drive up and wait.