Stave churches
Norway has a total of 28 stave churches, and you will find 6 of them here in Valdres. The stave churches were built in the years between 1100 – 1200 and each one is unique. Guided tours are available during the summer season.
Valdres Folk Museum
The Valdres Folk Museum was founded in 1901 and is one of Norway's largest open air museums with close to 100 buildings and 20,000 objects from all over Valdres. It is situated on a stunning peninsula, a 10-minute walk from Fagernes town centre.
During the high season (30 June - 3 August) there are many different activities to enjoy: Exhibitions, handicrafts, tasting of traditional Valdres meals and live folk music and dance. Guided tours are available in different languages.
Bagn Bygdesamling (open air museum)
Bagn Bygdesamling is an open air museum with 17 buildings, situated 5 kilometres south of Bagn, in the municipality of Sør-Aurdal.
It was originally a private farm museum in the 1920s with houses and articles from the people of the Islandmoen Farm. However, they eventually began to collect articles from other areas of Bagn and when the collection was given to the village, the name changed to Bagn Bygdesamling ("Bagn village collection").
The Bautahaugen Collections in Hedalen
Bautahaugen was founded in 1902. At first, it was a meeting place for people in Hedalen. Later it has developed into a comprehensive collection of old houses. It includes a summer farm, a storehouse on pillars from 1650, a classroom from the old days and a shop.
Bautahaugen has a large collection of valuable articles from the areas of Hedalen and Vassfaret. They also have art exhibitions during the summer.
Guided tours are available in the high season (from the end of June until mid-August), but if you call in advance, it is possible to book a tour in the lower seasons as well.
Mountain flag tours
Painting the Norwegian flag on the side of mountains is a phenomenon you problabley only will see in Valdres. There are a total of five mountain flags in different locations, and some of them are believed to have been originally painted as far back as 1897.
The mountains are easly accessible for hikers and have become popular tours. Some of the flags can also be seen from the main road.