Flåm Railway

Ideal stay

A day, or a night in Flåm

The vibe

Vertical, green, engineered spectacle

From our guides

1. 01

   Kjosfossen waterfall stop

   The train pauses on a platform beside the falls in summer, close enough for spray, with a staged folklore performance on the rocks above.

2. 02

   Nærøyfjord cruise

   A narrow UNESCO-listed arm of the Sognefjord runs from Flåm to Gudvangen, with walls rising more than a kilometre on either side.

3. 03

   Cycling down from Myrdal

   Take a hire bike up on the train and ride the gravel Rallarvegen back down the valley, which takes two to three hours of hairpins.

4. 04

   Stegastein viewpoint

   A timber platform jutting out 650 metres above the Aurlandsfjord, reached by a steep road climbing away from Aurland.

5. 05

   Undredal

   A fjord-side hamlet of goat farmers with one of Scandinavia's smallest stave churches, reached by boat or a narrow side road.

6. 06

   Bergen

   Norway's second city, with the Bryggen wharf, a working fish market and the mountain railway, sits at the western end of the classic route.

1. Fly to

   Bergen (BGO)

   Nearest airport to Flåm Railway, about 121km away as the crow flies.

2. Then

   To Flåm

   Sogndal (SOG) is a small regional airport around two hours from Flåm by road and ferry. Most visitors instead arrive by train from Bergen or Oslo to Myrdal and ride the Flåmsbana down.

3. On the ground

   Getting around

   The railway runs down to the village several times a day, and the fjord cruise to Gudvangen leaves from the same quay.

Public transport: Excellent by Norwegian standards: trains, buses and fjord boats connect at Flåm and Myrdal on one timetable.

A few fjord-side hotels and guesthouses, camping cabins and apartments. Supply in Flåm is small, and prices reflect the cruise and coach traffic.

• Best base overall

  Flåm

  At the bottom of the line, on the fjord, with the railway, the ferries and the visitor centre together. It is tiny and swamped when cruise ships call, then dead by evening.

  Find stays in Flåm →
• Best value

  Aurland

  Ten minutes along the fjord, a real village with cheaper rooms, a shop and the Stegastein viewpoint above. Fewer restaurants, and the last bus back is early.

  Find stays in Aurland →
• Quietest

  Myrdal and Vatnahalsen

  Up on the plateau at the top of the line, where a single mountain hotel sits with no road access. Snowbound much of the year, and there is nothing else there.

  Find stays in Myrdal and Vatnahalsen →
• Best with children

  Voss

  An hour away on the Bergen line, with a lake, activities, hotels and supermarkets. You lose the fjord-side setting and gain a functioning town.

  Find stays in Voss →

Worth knowing before you book: July and August book out months ahead and railway seats sell separately, so reserve the train as soon as the timetable opens. Winter cuts the ferry sailings sharply.

Book ahead

Summer departures sell out weeks in advance, particularly when cruise ships are in port. Reserve seats rather than turning up hopefully.

Timing

The Kjosfossen stop only happens in the warmer months. Riding uphill from the fjord gives the better build of the scenery.

Pack this

A windproof layer. Myrdal is a high, bare plateau station and can be near freezing even when the fjord below is warm.

Getting there

The Bergen to Oslo main line serves Myrdal, where the branch begins. Flåm is also reached by express boat and by road from Bergen.

Crowds

The harbour is at its worst mid-morning when ships dock. Early or late departures are noticeably calmer.