flåm

  • Bergen, European Highways, Flåm, Road-trips, Voss

    Drive it Yourself: Flåm to Bergen on the E16

    Drive it Yourself: Flåm to Bergen on the E16

    The E16 (European Highway 16) is the main highway that runs between Bergen and Oslo. The stretch of the E16 that you are likely to do is the part between Bergen and Flåm. It’s a fairly easy drive – just 2.5 hours – and you pass through some incredible scenery (and lots of tunnels).

    While there aren’t too many places to stop at, it is likely you are doing this drive to get from A to B. Here’s an overview of what you see along the way. 

    In this article...

    Download this Guide

    All of our guides can be downloaded via our online store. 

    We offer downloadable versions of our self-guided drives on our online store. 

     

    View on Store

    Watch on Youtube

    All of our roadtrips are available on YouTube to watch. They include information about the area provided in text and voiceover form, plus they show the drive in full (sped up in some spots!) so you can get an idea what the drive is like. 

    Visit Our YouTube Channel

    The drive: Flåm to Bergen

    Flåm

    This drive begins in Flåm. You can find a detailed guide to Flåm below. 

    Flåm Travel Guide

    Undredal

    Village

    Undredal is a small village located along the Aurlandsfjord. It is famous for its goats cheese production and tiny stave church. It is about a 20 minute drive from the E16. 

    Gudvangen

    Village

    Gudvangen is a small village with a population of around 120. It is a popular tourist destination due to its proximity at the end of the Nærøyfjord. The popular Gudvangen – Flåm cruise stops here, and many people also come to visit the Viking Village in Gudvangen.

    Nærøydalen

    Natural Attraction

    The Nærøydalen is a valley that runs from Stalheim near Voss down to Gudvangen. The Nærøydalen River runs through the valley and empties into the Nærøyfjord. The entire area is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List because it is one of the best examples of a fjord system in the world.

    The valley is rich in a mineral called anorthosite, which is mined in the area. Because it is reflective, it is primarily used on the roads.

    Stalheim Hotel

    Hotel

    Straight ahead we can see the Stalheim Hotel (red building on the hill). The hotel first opened in 1885 on the historic postal route between Oslo and Bergen. A lodging had been here long before then, and it was a place where the travellers could get food and supplies for themselves and their horses.

    The hotel has been rebuilt a couple times due to fire. The current building is from 1960 and has 124 rooms for 218 guests. It is a lovely hotel to stay at and provides the best views over the valley. Across the street from the hotel is an open-air museum that explains the history of farming and life high in the mountains.

    You pass the turn-off to the hotel after going through two tunnels. 

    Tvindefossen

    Natural Attraction

    Tvindefossen is a popular waterfall in Norway. It is 116m (381ft) high and is famous for its beauty – it was painted in 1830 by Johan Christian Dahl. In the late 1990s, the waterfall got a reputation for rejuvenation and revival of sexual potency, and that made it one of the most visited waterfalls in Norway. Over 200,000 people visit the waterfall every year.

    Voss

    Voss has a population of around 15,000 people and is a key town between the fjords of Norway. The town is known today for its wide variety of adventure sports, and many come here to hike, kayak, paraglide, and ski. The E16 doesn’t run through Voss, but rather cuts through via a tunnel.

    Voss Travel Guide

    Evanger

    Village

    Evanger is a small village that has some well-preserved wooden houses and a classic 19th century church. There is also a sausage factory and some other small industries in the village.

    Dale

    Village

    Dale is a small town with a population of around 1,139. The town is a well-known industrial site that was built around the Dale Power Plant. The factory for Dale of Norway, a famous knitwear brand, is located here. Dale of Norway was founded by Peter Jebsen in 1879 when he discovered the rivers large source of power. The machines for the knitwear came from England.

    When the factory was built, there was one farm here, but within 20 years the population grew to 1000 employees. Most people in the village still work at Dale of Norway. The factory has an outlet store that you can visit.

    Osterøy

    Island

    We are driving along the 27km (17 mi) long Osterfjord. On the other side of the fjord is the island of Osterøy. The island is 328km (127 sq mi), making it the largest inland island in Norway.

    Vaksdal

    Town

    Vaksdal is a small town loaded along the Osterfjord. The main building in the town is the Vaksdal Mill, a historic mill used to make flour. 20% of the population work in the local industry, while 26% of the population commute to Bergen.

    Bergen

    You have made it to Bergen! You can read about Bergen in detail on the Bergen Travel Guide page. 

    Bergen Travel Guide

    Previous Drive

    The Hardangervidda Tourist Road

    Take the very scenic drive from Eidfjord to Flåm via the Hardangervidda Plateau and Aurlandsdalen valley. 

    Hardangervidda Tourist Road

    If you liked this drive, or if you have any travel tips, please leave a comment in the section below!

  • Bergen, Eidfjord, Flåm, Geilo, Hardangerfjord, National Tourist Roads, Road-trips, Voss

    Drive it Yourself: the Hardangervidda Tourist Road

    Drive it Yourself: Hardangervidda Tourist Road

    In this article...

    Watch on Youtube

    All of our roadtrips are available on YouTube to watch. They include information about the area provided in text and voiceover form, plus they show the drive in full (sped up in some spots!) so you can get an idea what the drive is like. 

    Visit Our YouTube Channel

    The drive: Hardangervidda Tourist Road

    Eidfjord

    This drive begins in Eidfjord. You can find a detailed guide to Eidford below. 

    Eidfjord Travel Guide

    Eio River & Eidfjord Lake

    Natural Attraction

    The river is 2.1km (1.3 mi) long and runs from lake Eidfjord down into the Eid Fjord. We’ll see the Eidfjord Lake soon; it’s a moraine-dammed lake located just outside the village of Eidfjord.

    Øvre Eidfjord

    Village

    Øvre Eidfjord is a small village on the southern end of the Eidfjord Lake. The town has a population of around 200 and it serves as the last major stop before crossing the Hardangervidda Plateau.

    Norsk Natursenter

    Museum

    Øvre Eidfjord is home to the Norsk Natursenter, which is where you can learn about the nature in the area. Technology is used to allow for interactive experiences and learn about the flora and fauna of the area. There’s also a lovely film about the plateau made by Ivo Caprino. If you have the time, I recommend stopping here to learn a little more about Hardangervidda.

    Måbødalen

    Natural Attraction

    Måbødalen is a unique and narrow valley that will take you from Øvre Eidfjord to Hardangervidda. The deep and steep valley is the result of ice and water having cut into the slacker and more open valleys. The valley is studied with regards to its geological process and the interaction between ice and rivers.

    The valley was almost impassable before 1790, when bridges were built, and a stairway was completed. The first road was built here in the early 20th century; it opened in 1916 and included three bridges. The road is known for its hairpin turns, and today is only for cyclists and pedestrians. The original road through the valley was the first road between east and west Norway over Hardangervidda.

    Luckily for us there is now a new road; the new road is from 1986 and is wider and has many more tunnels.

    Johan Christian Dahl painted Måbødalen, a landscape painting that is on display at the KODE art museum in Bergen. It’s pictured above. 

    Before you get to the more dramatic part of the valley, you’ll pass a small museum about the cultural landscape of Måbødalen.

    Vøringsfossen

    Natural Attraction

    Vøringsfossen is the 83rd highest waterfall in Norway, which itself isn’t an impressive statistic. Rather, it is the setting that makes Vøringsfossen worth seeing. The waterfall has a total drop of 182m (597ft) and is perhaps the most famous waterfall in the country.

    The waterfall was hardly known to anyone besides the locals until 1821, when professor Christopher Hansteen estimated the height of the waterfall. He was on his way to Hardangervidda to make astronomical observations at the time. The way he estimated the height was by throwing stones down the edge and measuring the time they took to fall with his pocket watch. He estimated the height to be 280m (920ft); in 1893 the real height was realised by using string.

    In 2020, a new pedestrian bridge opened across Vøringsfossen; it was placed in sections by helicopter. The pedestrian bridge has received a lot of criticism, which many describing it as quite ugly.

    Fossli Hotel

    Hotel

    Fossli Hotel is a historic hotel overlooking the Måbø Valley and Vøringsfossen waterfall. The hotel was built by Ola L. Garen (1857 – 1915), who saw the potential of the area and the slow introduction of tourists. Before the hotel, there was only a walking path up the valley with 1,500 stairs. Thanks to the hotel, a new road was built through the valley instead. All the materials to build the hotel had to be carried on horseback from Eidfjord up to the top of the hill. Today the hotel is run by Erik Garen, the great grandson of Ola Garen.

    Fossli Hotel is built in the art nouveau style.

    The hotel owns a Zimmerman piano where Edvard Grieg composed Norwegian Folk Songs, Opus 66.

    Room rates

    Hardangervidda Plateau

    Scenic Area

    Hardangervidda is a well-known mountain plateau that spreads across parts of western, central, eastern, and southern Norway. It is the largest plateau of its kind (peneplain, or eroded plain) in Europe, and it has a cold year-round alpine climate. The highest point is the Sandfloegga, which reaches a height of 1,721m (5,646ft).

    The landscape is characterised by barren, treeless, moorland with lakes, rivers, and streams. The western side is rockier, while the eastern side is flatter and more heavily vegetated. The geology is extremely ancient; the rolling fells are remnants of mountains that were worn down by glaciers during the ice ages.

    Settlements from the Stone Age have been found in the area. The people who lived here were likely linked to the reindeer migration. Additionally, there are ancient trails across the plateau. Hardangervidda is still a key route between east and west; highway 7 being the way across.

    The Hardangervidda Plateau is above the tree line. The alpine climate means that there are arctic animals and plants here further south than anywhere else in Europe. There is a large wild reindeer herd here; it is believed to be the largest in the world with up to 10,000 reindeer.

    In 1981 much of Hardangervidda was designated a national park. The Norwegian Mountain Touring Association (DNT) has a network of huts and paths across the plateau. There are two visitor centres: the Norsk Natursenter in Øvre Eidfjord and the Hardanger Nasjonalparksenter, close to Rjukan.

    The Star Wars movie, The Empire Strikes Back, was shot on Hardangervidda; the plateau provided the basis for the Hoth sequences.

    Sysendammen

    Dam

    Sysendammen (Sysen Dam) is a rock-filled embankment dam. It holds back Lake Sysen, which is the main reservoir for the Sy-Sima Hydroelectric Power Station. The water supply to Vøringsfossen is regulated by the dam, and there is a requirement for a minimum water supply during the summer.

    The dam is 81m (266 ft) high, 1,157m (3,796ft) long and 248m (814ft) wide.

    Buskerud (Formerly known as Viken) County

    We have crossed into the county that from 2020 – 2022 was known as Viken. At time of writing, the Viken sign was still by the road. This sign may not be up when you drive through; the county was established in 2020 with the merging of three separate counties. However, the three counties were not happy with the decision and in 2021 a parliamentary election saw the parties wanting to dissolve Viken win. On the 23rd of February 2022, a vote of 49 against 38 saw the decision to split Viken finalised. So, in the near future, Viken will be split up again. For purposes of this video, I’ll talk about the county that used to be here and will likely come back: Buskerud.

    Buskerud county is a historically important county in Norway. The area around Ringerike was likely a small kingdom and Norway’s kings Olav Tryggvason and Olav Haraldsson grew up in Ringerike.

    The first element of the name, buske, refers to ‘bishop’, while the last element means ‘clearing, farm’. Historically, the bishop’s farm was one of the largest in Buskerud and was important during the Reformation. The farm became property of the Danish Crown and served as the residence for the king’s bailiffs until 1668.

    Agriculture, lumber, wood-pulp mills, and other related industries are the county’s main economic activities. There is a lot of hydropower thanks to the rivers Begna and Rands. Buskerud also has a large, forested area.

    Hol Municipality

    Hol is a mountainous municipality that sees 90% of the area over 900m above sea level. The coat-of-arms depicts three silver anvils on a blue background. The anvil was chosen to symbolise the former smithies in the municipality. The municipality was famous for the production of axes, blades and knives, and iron mining took place here in the Viking Age.

    Samegammene

    Souvenir Shop

    Samegammene is a small shop and fur company that began sixty years ago, when Amund Johansen from Northern Norway was forced to sell his reindeer herd after World War II and move south. He took his family with him and settled in Hardangervidda, where he was given the job as a reindeer herder. However, he sustained an injury from that work and decided to focus on tourism instead.

    Several ‘gamme’ have been bult around Hardangervidda. A ‘gamme’ is an ancient form of an earth hut, and from these they sell Sami products and souvenirs. Here you will find souvenirs but also handmade fur mittens and hats. The building was owned by the daughter of Amund Johansen until 2017, when she sold it out of the family. The current owners keep the gamme in memory of Amund Johansen.  

    Haugastøl

    Ski Town

    Haugastøl is the first town you’ll visit after a while. It is primarily a ski resort with various hotels and cabins. There is also a train station here, Haugastøl station, which is on the Bergen – Oslo Railway.

    Haugastøl is one end of the popular Rallarvegen cycling route – it’s an 83km track from Haugastøl to Finse (a town not accessible by road, just train). The road was originally a service road used by workers building the Flåm Railway, but now it is one of the most famous cycling tracks in the country. 

    Ustaoset

    Ski Town

    Ustaoset is a small village located on the Bergen to Oslo Railway. The village came to prominence when the railway opened in 1909 as it was a good spot for people to visit to go skiing. Families from Bergen and Oslo built cabins in Ustaoset and used the train as a way to get there. Due to Norway’s strict laws, it is now very difficult to build a new cabin in Ustaoset. Whenever one is up for sale, it is very popular and is often sold very quickly and for a high price.

    Ustaoset is mentioned in Jo Nesbø’s book The Leopard; the mountain resort cabins play a key role in the murder mystery.

    Geilo

    Ski Town

    Geilo is the main town in Hol municipality and is one of the most well-known ski resorts in the country. The town is in the Hallingdal valley at roughly the halfway point on the Bergen to Oslo railway.

    Geilo is noted for being the first ski resort in Norway and it was built up after the opening of the railway in 1909. The ski season lasts from late October until late April, and there are numerous small ski centres that make up one resort: Geilo Skiheiser. In addition to 39 downhill slopes, there are 220km of cross-country ski tracks.

    In the town centre you’ll find some shops, a supermarket, and a few restaurants. Around 2,500 people live in Geilo all year round, so there is a school, cinema, library and police station.

    Hagafoss

    Village

    Hagafoss is a small village in the upper part of the Hallingdal valley. It is located on the main highway between Bergen and Oslo, but here we take the Fv50 (Norwegian county road 50) towards Aurland.

    Hol Gamle Kyrkje

    Historic Site

    Hol Gamle Kyrkje is a 13th century church in Hol municipality. The church was originally a small stave church but has been rebuilt multiple times. The last time it was rebuilt was in 1939, and today it doesn’t have the design that makes it a stave church. It’s believed the floors of the church are the original staves from the stave church. The church is also known for the fact that it has a gutter in the apse.

    Vestland County

    We have crossed back into Western Norway!

    Aurland Municipality

    Aurland is a municipality in Western Norway that includes the popular villages of Aurland, Flåm, Undredal and Gudvangen. It is also home to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Naerøyfjord.

    People settled here around 2,000 years ago to farm the area, and agriculture is still important in Aurland. Tourism began coming here in the mid-19th century, primarily from England. They took part in sport fishing and hunting.

    The coat-of-arms depict a goat’s head; a goat is a symbol of the municipality because of their historic production and importance of goats cheese and goat farming.

    Aurland Valley

    Natural Attraction

    Aurlandsdalen is a 40km (25 mi) long valley that was carved out by glaciers.

    Aurlandsdalen represents some of the most beautiful and magnificent in Norwegian nature. The valley has been an important trade and traffic road from the ancient times and was probably in use from the early Viking Age. The route was the shortest route between western and eastern Norway in pre-historic times. There are a number of very old farms in the valley that were permanently inhabited until the turn of the 20th century. There are also mountain dairy farms here (called ‘støls’) that can be spotted high on the mountains.

    The rare mountain flower “mountain queen” can be found in the valley. There are almost 500 plant varieties here. The soil is very rich in minerals formed from phyllitt in the rocks.

    Today many use Aurlandsdalen as a popular day hike (6-7 hours), or you can hike all the way to Finse in 3-4 days. It is one of the best-known tourist tracks in Norway

    As we went down, you saw the huge powerlines. The Aurland river system was developed in the 1970s for power production. The environmental impacts of hydroelectric development are notable; the great waterfalls have been substantially reduced. With the introduction of the tunnels, the water level in the river gorges has been drastically reduced. The Aurlands River is now no longer one of the finest salmon rivers in Norway. Farmers no longer drive cattle, pigs and goats to spend the summer at the old farms. The valley has been characterised, like many other valleys, by gradual urbanisation.

    Aurland

    Village

    Aurland is a small village with a population of around 800. The village is the location of the Aurland Shoe Factory, where the famous penny loafers were first made. Another interesting place to visit in Aurland is the Vangen Church, a historic stone church from 1202.

    Aurlandsfjord

    Fjord

    The Aurlandsfjord is a 29km (18 mi) long fjord and is a branch of the Sognefjord, the longest fjord in Norway. The fjord is deep and narrow, generally reaching less than 2km (1.2 mi) wide. Most of the mountains are up to 1800m (5,900ft) tall.

    Flåm

    We have arrived at Flåm, our final destination for this drive. Flåm is a small population with around 300 people, but is one of the most visited places in Norway thanks to the Flåm Railway. 

    You can read the Flåm travel guide below. 

    Flåm Travel Guide

    Next Drive

    Flåm to Bergen

    Flåm to Bergen on the E16

    Follow the next drive as we make our way back to Bergen on the E16. 

    Flåm to Bergen

    Previous Drive

    Voss to Eidfjord

    Making a day trip out of Hardanger? Read about the stretch of road between Voss and Eidfjord. 

    Voss to Eidfjord

    If you liked this drive, or if you have any travel tips, please leave a comment in the section below!

  • Bergen, Ulvik

    How to Get to the Fjords from Bergen

    How to Get to the Fjords from Bergen

    When visiting Bergen, you’ll see all of these flyers and ferries promoting day trips to the fjords. There are so many ways to get to the fjords from Bergen, and there are so many different place-names that are unfamiliar to visitors. I decided to write an overview of which areas are the best places if you want to take a day-trip from Bergen to get to the fjords. There are better tours than others, and there are more scenic places than others, but it depends on how much time you have, your budget, and your own personal interests. Here’s how to get to the fjords from Bergen!

    In this article...

    Bergen Travel Guide
    Norway Travel Guide

    What to consider

    How much time do you have?

    How much time do you have? From Bergen, you can either take a half-day trip or a full-day trip. The half-day trips take 3-4 hours, while the full-day trips take up to 12 hours. The more time you have, the more flexibility and chance you have to see the dramatic fjords. Half-day trips do not take you to the most dramatic places.

    What is your budget?

    Any tour from Bergen is expensive, often costing between 1000 and 2000 NOK. The half-day trips are of course cheaper, varying from 450 to 700 NOK. The more money you spend, the more you’ll see. The cheaper tours may not be worth your money as they don’t take you out to the most dramatic areas.

    Can you do it yourself?

    The ‘in a nutshell’ options are not guided and use public transport, which you can book yourself. In some cases, it works out to be cheaper.

    Do you need a guide? Possibly. It depends on your interests. I’m working on writing guides to all these places, but hiring a guide in some cases is really well worth it. You want to make sure the guide knows the areas, though. If you end up with a new guide who lives in Bergen, chances are they’ve been to the fjords just a couple times.

    The reality of seeing the fjords

    Bergen is on the coast, while the most dramatic scenery is found inland. You don’t get dramatic fjords along the coastline; instead you get rocky islands and a very flat landscape. If you want to see the most dramatic bits of nature, you have to head inland. This is when a half-day becomes a full-day.

    Spending the night

    If you get the chance, opt to spend a night in one of the small villages to break up your trip. It gives you more time to see things and enjoy the nature. Try to spend a night in places like Flåm, Balestrand, Ulvik, Eidfjord, or even Voss.

    Full day trips: The Sognefjord

    The Sognefjord is the longest fjord in Norway and the second longest in the world. You won’t have time to see the whole fjord in a day, and you don’t need to. Towards the sea, it’s quite flat and rocky (and maybe a little dull). Further inland you do get the more dramatic scenery. However, visiting the Sognefjord is perhaps best when you visit the small fjord branches off it, namely the Naeroyfjord (UNESCO World Heritage listed) and the Aurlandsfjord (where Flåm is). These are the two ‘must-see’ fjords on the Sognefjord and where most tours will take you.

    Flåm Railway

    Norway in a Nutshell

    Norway in a Nutshell (NiN) is the famous day trip that will take you to some of the most beautiful places in Western Norway. It comprises of a series of public transport routes that will take you on trains, ferries and buses past dramatic scenery. It’s a great option if you really want ‘Norway in a nutshell’, but keep in mind it’s incredibly popular in summer.

    What You Do:

    • Train from Bergen to Voss
    • Bus from Voss to Gudvangen (note – you don’t stop at Tvindefossen or Stalheim Hotel)
    • Ferry from Gudvangen – Flåm on the Naeroyfjord (the true highlight!)
    • Train from Flåm to Myrdal (the famous Flåm Railway)
    • Train from Myrdal to Bergen

    The Good Bits:

    • The Gudvangen to Flåm Ferry is incredible and is the absolute best of the best when it comes to getting a true feel for the fjords. I can’t recommend it enough
    • The Flåm Railway is incredibly famous and well worth it. You see the typical West Norwegian landscape on a 55-minute train ride!

    Things to Consider:

    • The trip takes 10-12 hours and has little time to stop and relax. You are constantly on the move, and photo-stops on the trains and buses aren’t possible.
    • Besides the Gudvangen – Flåm ferry, you don’t see fjords. You’re up in the mountains
    • Consider spending a night in Flåm to make the trip more relaxing

    Balestrand

    Sognefjord in a Nutshell

    The Sognefjord in a Nutshell is run by the same team as Norway in a Nutshell (NiN from here on in), but you take a 5.5 hour ferry cruise from Flåm to Bergen instead of taking a train back. Is the Flåm – Bergen Sognefjord cruise worth it? Maybe for the first couple hours. I find long parts of it to be a little boring, and the ferry is a little basic for such a long trip. Still, though, you see most of the Sognefjord and the coast around Bergen.

    Click here to see their website.

    What You Do:

    • Train from Bergen to Myrdal
    • Train from Myrdal to Flåm (the famous Flåm Railway)
    • Ferry cruise from Flåm – Bergen

    The Good Bits:

    • Taking the Flåm Railway, of course
    • You get some time in Flåm before the afternoon cruise
    • The Flåm to Bergen cruise often has commentary and you do pass some genuinely pretty places

    Things to Consider:

    • While it’s not that much longer than NiN, it can feel it. The train from Bergen to Myrdal is long, and the ferry is even longer.
    • Consider breaking up the trip with a night in Flåm or Balestrand

    Hopperstad Stave Church in Vik

    Day cruise to Vik

    If you want to see the fjords but feel Flåm is a little too far away or crowded, you can book a day cruise to Vik, a small village on the Sognefjord. You take the Bergen – Flåm ferry but get off in Vik, and get five hours in the village to taste cheese, have soup for lunch, and have a guided tour of the Hopperstad Stave Church, possibly the oldest of the stave churches. This is all included in your ticket.

    Click here to see their website.

    What You Do:

    • Morning ferry Bergen – Vik (same ferry that goes to Flåm)
    • Lunch in Vik followed by cheese tasting
    • Guided tour of Hopperstad Stave Church
    • Ferry back to Bergen

    The Good Bits:

    • Hopperstad Stave Church is really worth seeing!

    Things to Consider:

    • You won’t see the dramatic scenery you think of when you hear ‘fjord’. The Sognefjord is wide and the mountains in this area aren’t as steep as what you’d see towards Flåm
    • It’s the same ferry and the same views back and forth
    • You can take a train to Voss and then a bus to Vik and save time and money if you want to see the stave church.

    Round trip cruise to Flåm

    Want to see Flåm and nothing else? Take that 5.5 hour ferry from Bergen to Flåm! You get 2 hours to explore Flåm before turning around and going back.

    Honestly? Taking that 5.5 hour ferry two times in one way sounds tedious to me. If you’re thinking about doing this one, spend the night in Flåm or do NiN.

    Click here to visit their website.

    Gudvangen

    Guided bus tour to Flåm

    What You Do:

    • Drive Bergen to Voss and then to Gudvangen via Stalheim Hotel. Then you head from Gudvangen to Flåm
    • Drive Flåm – Aurland and up to the famous Stegastein Viewpoint
    • Lunch in Flåm
    • Ferry Flåm – Gudvangen (the same very scenic ferry I mentioned above)
    • Get picked up in Gudvangen and drive back to Bergen

    The Good Bits

    • Stalheim Hotel and the view from it is INCREDIBLE. And the road down from Stalheim to Gudvangen, Stalheimskleiva, is a terrifying but excellent highlight
    • Stegastein Viewpoint is incredible
    • Lunch in Flåm!
    • The ferry cruise on the fjords is included

    Things to Consider

    • There’s no Flåm Railway included
    • Almost all of the driving is inland. You see the fjords on the cruise and at Stegastein

    Full day trips: The Hardangerfjord

    The Hardangerfjord is the second-longest fjord in Norway and is often regarded as the most beautiful fjord. It’s a popular place in the summer but generally less crowded than the Flåm area, so it’s a good alternative if you want a little more peace and quiet.

    Hardangerfjord in a Nutshell

    This is the Hardanger equivalent of NiN. While I haven’t done the program, I have been to all these places, and to be honest it looks lovely and more scenic than NiN. You take a fjord cruise that isn’t as famous as the UNESCO Gudvangen-Flåm cruise, but it is still incredibly breathtaking. Also, the scenery here is a little more varied than what you get on NiN.

    Visit their website here.

    What You Do:

    • Train from Bergen to Voss
    • Bus from Voss to Eidford via Ulvik
    • Visit the famous Vøringsfossen
    • Ferry from Eidfjord to Norheimsund
    • Bus from Norheimsund to Eidfjord

    The Good Bits:

    • Vøringsfossen is incredible
    • Cruising on the Hardangerfjord

    Things to Consider:

    • Much like NiN, it’s a lot of being shuffled around with little time to stop and appreciate nature
    • Seriously consider breaking the trip up with a night in Eidfjord
    • NiN operates all year round; Hardangerfjord in a Nutshell only operates during the summer months. There is a winter version of the tour that doesn’t have the Eidfjord – Norheimsund cruise but instead you drive from Eidfjord to Odda (this is a gorgeous drive!) and then to Rosendal, where you take the ferry back to Bergen. This ferry isn’t as scenic. See below. Click here to see the winter program.

    Kvinnherad church in Rosendal

    Boat cruise Bergen to Rosendal

    If you want to see the Hardangerfjord but save some money, you can visit Rosendal with the public ferry for a day. You get 3.5 hours in Rosendal, which has a famous manor house (Barony Rosendal) and the Folgefonna Centre which is a museum about the nearby national park. Still, 3.5 hours is a lot of time and you don’t get to see the park.

    What You Do:

    • 2 hour ferry from Bergen to Rosendal
    • 3.5 hours in Rosendal
    • 2 hour ferry back to Bergen

    The Good Bits:

    • The Folgefonna Centre is a great museum about the nature of the region

    Things to Consider:

    You don’t really see the Hardangerfjord; most of the cruise is along the coast

    There isn’t so much to do in Rosendal

    Hardanger apple farms

    Guided Bus Tour to Hardanger + Lunch and Cider Tasting

    Here’s the non-public transport option. You can join a guided bus tour from Bergen to the Hardanger region and get a chance to taste some apple cider. I wouldn’t miss this chance; the region is famous for it. And I personally love it. Bring me back a bottle, please? The bus tours from Bergen have great schedules, but it’s still a lot of driving and being shuffled about.

    What You Do:

    • Drive from Bergen to Norheimsund, stopping at Steindalsfossen on the way
    • Take a ferry from Tørvikbygd to Jondal
    • Visit some apple cider farms
    • Take the ferry back to Tørvikbygd
    • Drive back to Bergen

    Shorter Fjord Tours

    If you don’t have the time or funds to take a full-day trip from Bergen, there are some wonderful half-day options available.

    Mostraumen

    Bergen - Mostraumen Cruise

    This is a very popular tour from Bergen. You go along the coast and then through the Osterfjord towards the Mostraumen Strait. Once there, you turn around and come back to Bergen. They have two departures a day in the summer and also operate in winter. The area is scenic and gives you a glimpse into the Norwegian fjords.

    Visit their website here

    Bergen - Modalen Cruise

    This is a different company than the one mentioned above, but it seems like they go to the same place. This tour promotes itself as going all the day to Modalen, a tiny village at the end of the Mofjord (where the Mostraumen Strait is). The area around Modalen was a Viking settlement area and there is a church from 1024 located in the village (though it was rebuilt in 1622)

    Visit their website here

    Bergen RIB Boat Safari

    You can book a RIB boat safari from Bergen, which would be a lot of fun. You don’t see the fjords really; you’re more zig-zagging between islands and skerries on the coast. Still, it sounds like a good tour!

    Visit their website here.

    Half-day tour to Skjerjehamn

    The half-day tour to Skjerjehamn is a nice and popular half-day trip for those with little time, but again it doesn’t take you to the steep fjords. You take a scenic cruise along the coast to Skjerjehamn harbour, where you get to spend a little under an hour walking around before taking the same cruise back to Bergen.

    Visit their website here.

    Enjoy the fjords!

    I hope my overview has been of some use to you. I know there are so many companies offering so many variations of trips to places with strange names, but hopefully this makes it a little easier for you.

    If you’ve done one of these tours, write what you thought of it in the comments. Similarly, if you know of a great tour I haven’t mentioned please write it below.

    I hope you enjoyed my guide on how to get to the fjords from Bergen!

    Bergen Travel Guide
    Norway Travel Guide
  • Flåm

    The Flåm Railway

    The Flåm Railway

    The Flåm Railway is one of the ‘musts’ when you come to Norway, and it’s easy to see why. It has repeatedly been named the “most beautiful train journey” in the world by travel magazines and appears on endless lists of Norway’s highlights.

    Information on the Flåm Railway is mixed and oftentimes confusing. Norway in a Nutshell? Cruise ships? Which side is best? And when you see the price tag for a ticket, you want to make sure you’re doing it right.

    Fear not! I’ve done the Flåm Railway dozens of times in my four years of guiding in Norway, so I’ve put together an overview of what exactly the Flåm Railway is and how it works.

    In this article...

    Flåm Travel Guide
    Norway Travel Guide

    What is the Flåm Railway?

    The Flåm Railway is a train journey between the villages of Flåm and Myrdal in Western Norway. It is one of the steepest railways in Europe, rising from 2m above sea level to 864m above sea level over a distance of 20.2km (12 miles). It has a gradient of 1 in 18 (5.5%) throughout 80% of the trip.

    The journey takes 55 minutes, starting by the fjord and travelling through the valley towards the top of the mountains. As you can imagine, it’s incredibly scenic.

    National Geographic Traveller Magazine called the Flåm Railway one of the top 10 train journeys in Europe, while in 2014 Lonely Planet went further and named it the best train journey in the world.

    Brief history of the Flåm Railway

    Planning

    In the early 20th century, as the Bergen to Oslo Railway (or Bergensbanen) was being built, it was decided that a railway was needed to connect Norway’s two largest fjords – the Sognefjord and the Hardangerfjord – to the Bergen Line to help with the transportation of goods from the farms to the big cities.

    The train link to the Hardangerfjord was completed first and then work began on the Flåm Railway. At the time, Flåm was a tiny farming village that had an occasional cruise ship but wasn’t the popular attraction it is today. it was just conveniently located for the building of a train line.

    Construction 1938 (Source Digitaltmuseum.no)

    Construction

    Work on the Flåm Railway began in 1923, and as you can imagine it was a major challenge for the workers. To start there were 120 men working on the construction, though the number generally fluctuated between 80 and 280 people. Barracks were constructed to house the employees.

    The local economy was stimulated by farmers being paid for transport. Using horses, they transported tourists by day and materials by night.

    18 of the 20 tunnels were carved out by hand. On average, it took between 116 and 180 man hours per metre (35-55 hours by foot).

    By the time Norway was invaded by Germany in April 1940, the railway wasn’t complete. It was the Germans who expedited the completion of the railway. It opened for steam trains on the 1st of August 1940 purely for cargo. The line opened for passenger trains in February 1941. In November, regular operation began.

    Electric Locomotive 1968 (source Digitaltmuseum.no)

    Shift to Tourism

    After the war, the tourism potential of the Flåm Railway was soon realised. With the construction of roads, the train was no longer needed to transport cargo. The Flåm Railway was transformed for tourists, with the Kjosfossen Waterfall stop opening in 1951. At that time, the Flåm Railway was taking 115,000 passengers per year.

    Kjosfossen stop in 1971

    Flåm Today

    The Flåm Railway has since earned a reputation as a ‘must-do’ when in Norway. In 2007, it was the third-most visited attraction in Norway, carrying 547,000 passengers in 2010. That number has ridden considerably since then.

    Flåm has transformed itself from a small farming village to one of the busiest tourist areas in the country. As late as the 1980s almost all of the residents were farmers. Today, almost all of the 400 people who call Flåm home work in tourism. Flåm is one of the busiest cruise ports in Norway, receiving 150+ cruise ships in the summer months.

    If you want to learn more about the history of the Flåm Railway, there’s an excellent museum in the old station that’s free to visit and open all year.

    What time of year is best?

    The Flåm Railway runs all year, and it is completely different depending on the season. If you travel in the early months of the year, you’ll see lots of snow. With May comes bright green trees and plants, and there are large waterfalls from the melting snow. In October you get the lovely autumn colours. There is no right time of year to do the train – it’ll fit in with your travel plans whenever. The only thing to consider is the high season.

    If you are travelling in the high season, which lasts from May to September, you are going to encounter many other visitors. Flåm is one of the busiest cruise ports in Norway, and there are cruise ships almost every day in the summer. As you can imagine, almost everyone on a cruise ship wants to do the Flåm Railway. If there’s a cruise ship with 3,000 people in, you can expect the train to be busy that day. That doesn’t even include visitors travelling through Flåm by coach. In 2019, there were 159 cruise ships between April and October, carrying 297,673 passengers.

    If you have the flexibility, try to do the Flåm Railway either as the first thing in the morning or as the last thing in the evening. Most cruise ship passengers and tour groups go in the middle of the day.

    You can check the cruise ship schedule here: https://www.aurlandhavn.no/ (select cruise and click on the year you are visiting – it only shows the current year).

    Norway in a Nutshell vs. Doing it Yourself

    Norway in a Nutshell

    Norway in a Nutshell is a package of tickets for commuter transport in Norway. You customise your trip, pay for it, and then pick up a booklet of tickets at the train station before starting your trip. There is no guide – it is a self-guided tour. You also don’t do it with a group, but you will be travelling with many people doing the exact same tour.

    Norway in a Nutshell provides you with the convenience of organising all the public transport for you.

    Norway in a Nutshell is done in two ways: either a round trip from Bergen or as part of a Bergen – Oslo (or vice versa) journey.

    The day trip from Bergen starts with a train to Voss, then a public bus at Gudvangen. At Gudvangen you board a two-hour ferry cruise on the fjords to Flåm. At Flåm, you take the Flåm Railway up to Myrdal, where you then board the train back to Bergen. The trip generally takes around 10 hours.

    The Bergen – Oslo trip is similar, except at Myrdal instead of taking the train back to Bergen you take it to Oslo. If you’re doing the trip from Oslo to Bergen, you get off at Myrdal, take the train down to Flåm, the ferry to Gudvangen, the bus to Voss, and then the train to Bergen. The journey takes a little over 12 hours.

    There is no right direction or way to do Norway in a Nutshell. You see the same things. The only suggestion I have is that the Bergen – Oslo trip is very long, and I’d recommend breaking it up with a night in Flåm.

    Doing it Yourself

    Doing it yourself simply means booking all the tickets individually. You do the exact same thing as the Norway in a Nutshell people; you ride the same public transport at the same time, and the Norway in a Nutshell people do not get priority or anything like that.

    The only difference between the two is the convenience of booking all the tickets and working out the itinerary.

    You do have to book well in advance. In the summer season, parts of the trip may be sold out – especially the Flåm Railway.

    How it works

    Boarding the train

    If the train is leaving Flåm, you can typically start boarding the train 10-15 minutes before departure. If you are taking the train from Myrdal, sometimes you only have minutes.

    Your ticket will either be free seating or assigned seating. Pay close attention to this – if you have free seating, make sure you don’t sit in someone else’s seat. They don’t put stickers on the actual seats that are reserved, so it can be tricky to work out. To know what’s a reserved seat, there’s an A4-sized sticker on the door you enter through. It says which seats are taken by groups. Pay attention to it, because if you sit where a group is supposed to sit, the trip leader will tell you to move. I’ve had to do it so many times!

    From experience, the individual travellers sit towards the front of the train and the groups sit towards the back.

    Information on board

    Television screens are in each carriage providing images and general information about the train. The languages depend on who is in the carriage, and that’s another reason to make sure you sit in the right spot. For example, if you somehow end up in a seat reserved for a Chinese group, you will get all the information in Mandarin.

    In the general seating area they have the information in German, Norwegian and English. There are speakers that announce the information, but they can be very quiet.

    If you look up and down the carriage, there are cardboard boxes with maps you can take for free – you can also get them from the information centre in Flåm. It’s not always guaranteed that the maps will be onboard, so it’s best to get one beforehand.

    The noise in the tunnels

    There are some small windows on the train that can be opened (though half the time I find them stuck!), and it’s great if you want to take photos, but bad if you don’t like the screeching of the train. And who doesn’t? The sound can be pretty unbearable.

    You also need to be very quick with the photo taking. A good portion of the journey takes place in tunnels – after all, there are 20 of them on a 55 minute trip. The television screen will announce a point of interest, what side it’s on, and then you have seconds to get the photo!

    Highlights on the train

     

    Flåm Church

    After leaving the station in Flåm, you make your way through the valley and pass the original Flåm village. You will see farms with sheep and goats as well as the Flåm Church, which was built in the mid-17th century. If you are staying in Flåm, it’s easy to walk here – it takes around 40 minutes from the town centre.

     

    The river that runs through the Flåm Valley. The red building to the right is the school.

    You will be alongside the river for the first part of the journey. This was a famous salmon river, and you can still see all the platforms the fishermen built for optimal salmon fishing (again, you can walk back here on your own – they have signboards along the river with historical photos and information). The Flåm Railway crosses the river three times. Instead of building bridges for the train, the engineers opted to run the river through tunnels under the railway line.

    At Berekvam station your train may stop and wait for the train coming in the other direction to pass. This is a great time to open a window and take a photo of your train against the landscape – you can also get a good photo of the train coming in the other direction.

    Along the trip, you see traces in the mountainside left by avalanches and rockfalls that show the forces of nature. The landscape shows boulders that have been pushed down by glaciers, as well as rocks that have broken away from the mountainside. You can also see green pastures and historic traces of rock fences and cabins.

    A popular photo opportunity is the hairpin road that the railway workers used. The old transport route has 21 hairpin turns. it’s also a great viewpoint to see how the Flåm valley is a classic U-shaped valley formed by glaciers, ending at the steep mountain where Myrdal is. This photo opportunity allows you to see the tunnels in the mountainside, the hairpin road, and then Myrdal station at the top. But you have to be quick – it’s only visible for around 20 seconds.

    Some tunnels are open so you can see out the side. You’ll be able to see the tunnels where the train turns 180 degrees in the mountainside. It’s very impressive.

    Towards Myrdal you pass Vatnahalsen Station – a popular stop for many people. It is a unique hotel with old cabin-style rooms and a cosy setting. It’s popular for those who want to take part in outdoor activities because that’s practically all there is to do there!

    Kjosfossen has a drop of 225m (738 ft) and is being fed by the Reinunga Lake (Reinungavatnet), which you can see if you spend time at Vatnahalsen. In the winter, the waterfall freezes. It is strongest in spring and early summer when the snow is melting.

    The train makes a brief stop at Kjosfossen waterfall and you have a chance to leave and take photos. The best way to handle this is to be ready ahead of time – this can be tricky if you haven’t done it before, but use the map they have on the train. They also announce that the train will be stopping soon.

     

    Kjosfossen platform in winter

     

    Kjosfossen frozen in the winter

    It’s often a mad rush to the waterfall, so that’s why it’s good to be one of the first. Position yourself where you can see the ruined stone cabin – in the summer months they have a short performance there with a Huldra and you don’t want to miss it – many of the famous photos of Flåm are of the Huldra dancing with the waterfall.

    Once the performance is over, I recommend heading straight back to the train. When they blow the whistle, it’s time to go. Just as everyone rushed off the train, everyone is going to rush back on. Again, it’s good to be first

    Practical information

    Is there Wifi on board?

    There is no WiFi; for most of the trip you don’t even get a mobile signal.

    Can I buy food on board?

    No – there are no options for food. Buy some at Flåm or Myrdal before boarding.

    Are there toilets?

    Yes, but I would recommend going in Flåm or Myrdal instead of onboard. The toilets can be quite far from where you are setting and they sometimes may even be locked. Considering how short and scenic the train ride is, you don’t want to waste time pushing through crowds to find a toilet.

    Are some seats backwards facing?

    Yes. If the train is fully booked and you get a backwards facing seat, there’s little to do about it. If you notice spare seats after leaving, you can move – the staff don’t really mind.

    Is it accessible?

    To get on the train, the stairs are very narrow and steep, with a bit of a jump between the last stair and the ground.

    Can I store luggage on board?

    Many people staying overnight in Flåm (which I highly recommend) will bring luggage on the train. This is a slight nightmare, especially in summer when you’re not only pushing through crowds but fighting for very limited luggage space onboard. You have to get luggage in and out of the train as well, which is also a problem.

    I recommend using Porter Service. It picks up your luggage at your hotel (in Bergen or Oslo) and then delivers it to your next hotel after Flåm (Bergen or Oslo). The luggage is left in the hotel’s luggage room for you to collect. The service is excellent and takes out a lot of the stress of moving your own luggage. Simply pack an overnight bag for Flåm and you don’t have to deal with the hassle of suitcases.

    Can I get off at stations along the way?

    Yes, but this has to be requested beforehand. The train doesn’t stop at every platform unless it knows someone wants to get off there. This is usually done when you book your ticket.

    Which side is best?

    Well both sides are best, but there are better sides at certain points on the trip. If you are riding the train from Flåm to Myrdal, the best views are on the right for the first third of the trip. For the middle third, the best views are on the left. Then it switches back to the right for the last third.

    Flåm Travel Guide
    Norway Travel Guide