Flamsbana, Norway's Flam Railway - A Scenic Journey

How to explore the Norwegian fjords is the post where we briefly described exploring the fjords with the Flamsbana train; in this post we'll go into detail. We'll share our experience on how to ride the Flam train, how to buy tickets, what the journey is like, and what to do in the town of Flam. And there's more: the Flam travel guide is a real dream route! Let's go!!

The main starting point of our route is a wonderful place built at the end of an arm of Sognefjord, the Aurlandsfjord : the town of Flam. This sweet town in the valley was a farming town in the 1980s. But thanks to us travellers its touristic side came to the fore, and with the demand for Norwegian fish it managed to bring fishing to the fore as well. When we heard that about 400 people live permanently in Flam, we paused for a moment. What's more, almost everyone living in the town works in fishing or on the Flam train.

The Flam train, which we'll talk about at length in this post, opened in 1909. Ever since, trains and ferries have carried passengers and freight on the Bergen - Flam route. Today the town of Flam, now a tourist spot, gets more than half a million visitors a year. Almost all the houses in the town are one- or two-storey wooden houses. Throughout the journey, everyone has a camera in hand! It's impossible to forget the middle-aged-and-over gentlemen on our trip. Because the view looked better from our window, they almost climbed over us trying to take photos :) And at every waterfall, every bridge, every corner! Whatever you do, don't forget to live the moment and store the photos you'll remember from the train in your memory!

How Many Days for the Town of Flam?

Don't think to yourself, "how many days for such a small town?" It's in a wonderful location and offers a lot of options to those who want to explore the Norwegian fjords. Later in the post we'll tell you what you can do in and around Flam.

Our advice is to set aside at least 1 day for it. If time and budget allow, stay 2 days and you won't ask why 2 days. There are plenty of activities! But we did the things to do in Flam in 1 full day, then set off towards Trondheim.

When to Go to the Town of Flam?

In Norway, the rainy weather that starts in Bergen continues all the way to Tromsø. Even if you go in summer, you can't predict when it will rain. One moment it's sunny, the next it's raining. Always have a raincoat and umbrella with you and dress in layers; definitely wear a thin cardigan and a raincoat. Our visit to Flam was around mid-June. The temperature varied between 15-20 degrees during the day and 5-10 in the evening. If you're lucky, sunny weather may keep you company.

For those who go in winter, travelling while watching the snowy scenery will be a special pleasure. If you say you love snowy views, you should choose it. There may be disruptions and fewer activities. But if you've come in winter for the northern lights season or for Lapland, you can see this place too.

Where to Stay in the Town of Flam?

Staying in Flam burns a hole in your pocket, friends! Since the town is small, naturally there aren't many places to stay. Norway is an expensive country anyway, so Airbnb options are in the range of 1600-2400 NOK. Hotels you'll find on Booking are in the same price range. If you're thinking of staying in a hostel, prices start at a minimum of 700 NOK.

Because of the prices, and because we were going on to Trondheim, we hit the road at night. Roads that look short in distance take 2-3 times longer than normal in Norway because of the beautiful fjords.

How to Get to the Town of Flam? How to Buy Tickets for the Flam Train?

As we said above, more than 500,000 tourists come to this town every year. There's no way to bring that many people here by a single means of transport. So the Norwegians have been quite generous on this :) After all, they earn good money..

You can come to Flam by train, by bus, by ferry, or if you like by rental car. There were lots of campervans too. Why not have a campervan holiday here!

So where can we come from, and how? I'll start with the train and then give information about the other kinds of transport.

Flam Train - The Flamsbana Journey

As you can tell from the title of the post, the Flam train to the town of Flam, this journey, ranks second on LonelyPlanet 's list of Europe's most scenic train journeys. Whether you come from Bergen or from Oslo, you can get off at the charming station in the town of Myrdal and board the Flamsbana train. Myrdal is at an altitude of 867 metres, and with the Flamsbana - Flam train journey you reach the town of Flam, 2 metres above sea level. In a way rarely seen anywhere in the world, 80% of the journey offers you a steep descent and climb at a 5.5% gradient. And the best part of the journey is that you travel watching the legendary scenery of Western Norway as if it were passing on a film reel.

This journey from 2 metres to 867 metres, or the other way round, runs on a 20-kilometre railway line. The journey takes about 1 hour in either direction. You can't rush through so much scenery. During the train journey you pass through 20 tunnels, big and small. Of these, 18 were made entirely by hand, which is why this railway route is even called an engineering marvel.

For such a wonderful journey, you can buy train tickets in advance. We made all the bookings and ticket purchases needed for our Scandinavia tour on the ACP Rail website. If you prefer, you can also buy them on the website of NSB, run by the Norwegian Railways. You can also buy tickets at any train station in Norway with cash or a credit card.

Normally with an Interrail ticket we could board trains without paying when a reservation wasn't required, but because the Flamsbana train is run by a private operator, the Interrail ticket only gave us a 30% discount.

As for 2018 ticket prices: one person one way 390 NOK, return 550 NOK. With the Interrail discount, a one-way ticket is 273 NOK, but there's no discount on the return option. In fact, if you're buying a return, the Interrail ticket makes no difference. If 2 people go return, you pay €115 in total for tickets. If you ask whether it's worth it, we think that having come all that way, you shouldn't miss this view, this journey!

You can check the train timetables here.

Ferry Journey

Passenger ferries run all year between Flam - Aurland - Gudvangen, passing through the UNESCO-protected Nærøyfjord to reach Flam. If you like, you can come to Flam from Bergen on the fast ferries that run from May to September. Boats on this route stop along the way at places where you can take photos, letting you enjoy the view. The journey takes 6-7 hours and the ferries make 2 trips a day. A one-way ticket is 865 NOK for 1 person and 1300 NOK for 2 people. If you want to check tickets and ferry departure times, you can find them here.

Bus Journey

Just as by train, you can also come to the town of Flam by bus from Oslo and Bergen. There is 1 trip a day between Oslo and Flam; the journey takes 7 hours and a ticket costs 435 NOK per person. If you want to come to Flam from Bergen, there is again 1 trip a day; the journey takes 3 hours and a ticket costs 280 NOK per person. In case you want to check times and bus ticket prices in Norway, I'm leaving the link here.

Car Journey

To come to the town of Flam by car, you'll probably have rented a car in Oslo or Bergen. If you're coming from Bergen, you reach Flam after 166 kilometres on the E16. From Oslo, a 354-kilometre journey awaits you. Those who want to rent a car can head here. Before going I thought I'd check car rental prices: an economy car for 3 days is 1600 NOK.

Things to Do and Places to See in the Town of Flam

In such a small town, naturally there aren't many places to see. But there are plenty of things to do, and very nice ones. Those coming to Flam can expect 4 main activities and one museum to visit. We were only able to do one of these activities.

Flam Train - The Flamsbana Journey

The journey we described in detail above is both a way of getting to Flam and an activity for those who come to Flam by bus, ferry or car. Whether to get to Flam or just to experience the journey, the Flam train ride is a must. The tour, which you can do as Flam - Myrdal - Flam or Myrdal - Flam - Myrdal, takes 2 hours in total. Since it's a tourist train, the first departure of the day is from Myrdal at 08.26.

With a total of 10 departures a day, early booking is a must to get a seat on the Flam train. Otherwise you may find the train full at the time you want, and your plans go awry. You can book through ACP.

If you ask which side of the Flam train has the better view, going in the Myrdal - Flam direction, sitting on the left felt better to us. Of course tastes differ, but the view on the left side is a notch better.

Kjosfossen Waterfall

The train set off and we're looking around with amazed, curious eyes. Then information started scrolling on the screens. Information about the train and how it was built is given in three languages. Announcements alert you to photo-worthy views. Then they said we'd stop for about 10 minutes for a photo break! And what's this! Carriages full of tourists, all suddenly on the platform above the waterfall! The view is perfect; defying the warm weather, the waterfall with its ice-cold water offers us the finest of its droplets!

And as part of the show, the dance of a girl in a red dress at the top of the waterfall, with music! While we're taking photos of this view we'd have liked to watch for many more minutes, it's time for the train to leave. At some point you want peace, you want to break away from this crowd of tourists, but there's nothing to be done :) The time to enjoy these views is very limited; when the season is this short, you have to put up with the crowd.

Fyord Safari & Fyord Cruise

Here's another activity to do in Flam. We're going on a fjord trip, travelling on the water. Here you have two options: the first is the boutique and somewhat more expensive Fyord Safari, the second is the Fyord Cruise on ships for 50-100 people, relatively cheaper than the safari. The main aim of both tours is to see and explore the Nærøyfjord, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List..

Both tours follow the same route, as follows: Flam, Aurland, Undredal & Gudvangen. There are other, shorter tours too; if you like you can look at all the tours here .

As with the Flam train, there's heavy demand for these tours, and when places fill up no extra trips are added.

Fyord Cruise: if you're thinking of doing it, it starts from 335 NOK per person, but prices rise as places run out. The price also changes depending on the ship you choose. If the ship type is classic it's 335 NOK, premium it's 390 NOK. There was a classic at a time that suited us, so we chose that. The last point of the tour is the town of Gudvangen. If you like, you can return to Flam from here by cruise again or by bus. To make the times work, we did the route we just described in reverse.

We went from Flam to Gudvangen by bus, and then reached Flam on the Gudvangen - Flam boat. For the bus the two of us paid 190 NOK, for the classic boat we paid 670 NOK. The boat journey takes 2 hours, the bus 20 minutes.

Fyord Safari: since we've mentioned it, let's give its details too. The 2-hour trip has a boutique tour concept, so you get the chance to see the fjords up close. And since it isn't crowded, it seems better. Prices are 660 NOK per person, and the price can go up depending on the time and availability.

The tour, which takes about 2 hours, lets you see breathtaking views. It's an unusual landscape, and they've protected it very well and show tourists around without harming it, so the Norwegian authorities really deserve congratulations.

Stegastein Viewpoint

Who wants to look at the fjords from the top of a mountain?! This place is just for you!

Stegastein is located on the mountain road between Aurland and Laerdal. The view from the structure, which extends 30 metres out from the mountain and sits exactly 650m above Aurland, is magnificent!

Breathtaking for photographers, perfect for catching wonderful shots! It's hardly possible to get here without a vehicle. You can get here on the buses that leave from right next to the Tourist Info in Flam. The bus trip takes 1.5 hours including the tour, and the price per person is 325 NOK.

We really wanted to go here, but instead of buying the ticket in advance we thought we'd buy it in Flam. Honestly, everything I arranged in advance on the trip went smoothly, but where I let things go with the flow we ran into 1-2 problems. One of them was Stegastein. When I saw the crowd at the Flam Tourist Office I got worried, and as I feared, by the time our turn came there were no seats left on the bus at the time we wanted. If your plan is certain, I recommend buying tickets in advance.

Exploring Flam - Myrdal by Bike

If anyone's confident, step this way. :D Going to Flam by bike and, on the way back, climbing to Myrdal by Flam train is one of the activities to do in Flam. It must be a fun ride of 20 kilometres past valleys and waterfalls. You can rent an MTB-type bike for 380 NOK a day, and an electric bike for 800 NOK.

For bike and hiking route details, click the link.

Flamsbana Museum

We could say this is the only place to visit in the town of Flam! The museum has detailed information about the Myrdal - Flam train and the railway construction that played an important part in getting the Flam train running. Materials such as the vehicles and equipment used during construction are on display. The museum is quite small; you finish the visit in 30 minutes. Entry to the museum is free.

In the evening, at last, we went back to Myrdal on the Flam train. After exploring Myrdal we caught the train to Oslo at 01.05 at night. Now it's time to rest! We hope you enjoyed reading...