On the western shore of the Aurlandsfjord is Undredal, a tiny village with around 60-80 permanent residents, depending on who you ask. What makes Undredal unusual is that there are more goats than people here - around 400-500 of them roaming the steep slopes around the village.
Until 1988, Undredal could only be reached by boat. For centuries it was completely isolated, surrounded by steep mountains on three sides and the fjord on the fourth. The road tunnel changed everything, and now it's just a 10-minute drive from Flåm.
Undredal is famous for two things. First is the goat cheese. They make both brunost, the brown caramelised cheese, and hvitost, the white variety. The white cheese has won awards at the World Cheese Awards. You can taste and buy both at Underdalsbui, the local shop which also serves as the post office and general store. During summer you can visit the Eldhuset Museum to learn about the cheese-making process and history.
The second attraction is the stave church, which dates from 1147 and is Northern Europe's smallest, seating only 40 people. Unlike most stave churches, the exterior has white clapboard siding rather than dark wood. The original medieval murals inside were covered with white paint for centuries but were uncovered during restoration in the 1960s. The church can be visited during summer season.
Some tourism websites claim Undredal inspired the village of Arendelle in Disney's Frozen. This is debatable - Disney's creative team visited various places across Norway, and Bergen, Nærøyfjord and even an Austrian village have all been cited as inspiration. But the steep mountains rising straight from the fjord do have that dramatic quality you see in the film.
There is accommodation in the village, including apartments and the traditional Hansagarden farm. If you want somewhere quiet to escape for a few days, this is it.