The Longest Tunnel in the World
Norway is the longest country in Europe — nearly every Norwegian I meet proudly boasts that if Norway were a long wooden board and Oslo the nail it hinged on, you could swing the country around and it would reach all the way to Sicily in southern Italy.
But that’s not nearly the half of it. Norway’s length comes nowhere close to the country’s complexity — especially the way that fjords, glaciers, and very steep mountains create a kind of beautiful topographical maze that travelers must carefully navigate in order to get from A to B.
In other words, Norway is not Kansas —you can’t just drive across it. Some days, roads are closed by four-story-high snowdrifts, and on most days, there’s a mountain in the way or a fjord to cross or go around. If you were to unravel Norway’s bundled-up coastline, it would reach more than 25,000 km (15,625 miles) in length.
For a very long time, the reality of Norway’s intricate geography meant a life of isolation for so many Norwegians — during the long winter months, farmers and fisherman were cut off from the world by snow and ice. Neighbors may live less than a mile from one another, but on opposite sides of the fjord or mountain, that’s a world apart. In some ways, before Norway’s extensive network of roads, bridges, and tunnels was completed, the west coast of Norway (namely Bergen) had closer ties with the outside world than their own capital, Oslo.
This “isolation nation” is one major reason why Norway has so many distinct dialects. People living in different valleys and fjords were sequestered long enough to develop their own way of speaking. It also contributed to Norway’s tunnel-digging craze.
Nobody builds tunnels the way the Norwegians do. If there’s a rock they can dig through, they will, and it makes driving through the country much more exciting than simply rounding a bend. Once while driving through the western fjords of Norway, I counted myself driving through 39 tunnels in the space of 90 minutes. Seriously.
The longest of these engineering phenomena is the Lærdal Tunnel (Lærdalstunnelen), spanning the mountain between the tiny villages of Lærdal and Aurland but fundamentally linking Bergen and Oslo.
At 24.5 km (15.23 miles) long, the Lærdal Tunnel is the longest road tunnel in the world, meaning it’s the longest tunnel that you can drive through. At 57 km (35.4 miles), the Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland now holds the title for longest tunnel in the world (used only by trains), and last September, I rode through the Seikan Tunnel in Japan, which is the longest undersea tunnel in the world.
It took me over twenty minutes to drive from one end of the Lærdal Tunnel to the other, and traveling through it evoked a strange emotion to know that I was zipping beneath one of Norway’s massive stone mountains.
Speeding through the dark for such a long time might be unnerving for some travelers, but rest assured, the Lærdal Tunnel is one of the safest in the world, with a high-tech ventilation system, safety stations with emergency equipment and call boxes, and several man-made caves that are lit with colored lights. There are even regular parking bays inside the tunnel where you can pull over should you need to.
I shot this video from the hood of my car in order to show you the full length of the tunnel, but for the sake of your time, I’ve sped it up by 800%.
That way you can experience the longest tunnel in the world in the longest country in Europe in the shortest amount of time.
Related Topics
Go Further
Animals
- These 'trash fish' are among Earth's most primitive animalsThese 'trash fish' are among Earth's most primitive animals
- These photos are works of art—and the artists are bugsThese photos are works of art—and the artists are bugs
- The epic migration of a 6-foot long, 200-pound catfishThe epic migration of a 6-foot long, 200-pound catfish
- Frans de Waal, biologist who studied animal emotion, dies at 75Frans de Waal, biologist who studied animal emotion, dies at 75
Environment
- Are synthetic diamonds really better for the planet? The answer isn't clear-cut.Are synthetic diamonds really better for the planet? The answer isn't clear-cut.
- This year's cherry blossom peak bloom was a warning signThis year's cherry blossom peak bloom was a warning sign
- The U.S. just announced an asbestos ban. What took so long?The U.S. just announced an asbestos ban. What took so long?
- The most dangerous job? Inside the world of underwater weldersThe most dangerous job? Inside the world of underwater welders
- The harrowing flight that wild whooping cranes make to surviveThe harrowing flight that wild whooping cranes make to survive
History & Culture
- Meet the powerful yokai that inspired the demon king in ‘Demon Slayer’Meet the powerful yokai that inspired the demon king in ‘Demon Slayer’
- A surprising must-wear for European monarchs? Weasels.A surprising must-wear for European monarchs? Weasels.
- Meet the woman who made Polaroid into a cultural iconMeet the woman who made Polaroid into a cultural icon
- Inside the observatory that birthed modern astrophysicsInside the observatory that birthed modern astrophysics
Science
- LED light treatments for skin are trendy—but do they actually work?LED light treatments for skin are trendy—but do they actually work?
- NASA smashed an asteroid. The debris could hit Mars.NASA smashed an asteroid. The debris could hit Mars.
- Humans really can have superpowers—scientists are studying themHumans really can have superpowers—scientists are studying them
- Why engineers are concerned about aging infrastructureWhy engineers are concerned about aging infrastructure
Travel
- Play and stay in the mountains of eastern Nevada
- Paid Content
Play and stay in the mountains of eastern Nevada - This couple quit the city to grow wasabi in Japan's mountainsThis couple quit the city to grow wasabi in Japan's mountains