Things To Do In Flåm

Flåm is a small place where Flåm river (Flåmselvi) meets with the end of Aurlands Fjord. Mountains are all around the town and fjord on one side and a river valley on the other.

Although small, Flåm is a buzzy town during the summer. It is a hub for cruise passengers, campers, bikers, and all different kinds of tourists. All of them come with common goals. They want to wander, explore and see what this area offers.

Oh boy, Flåm is up to its reputation and has so much to offer that we will describe in the following chapters.

1 – Flåm Railway (Flåmsbana)

Flåm railway was a highlight of our visit to Flåm. Why does it so attractive?

Flåm Railway Challange & Solution

If the challenge is to make a transport solution that solves high altitude differences in a short distance, then the result must be exciting and worth visiting.

It is attractive since it provides an engineering railway construction solution to overcome the high altitude of 866 meters (2841 ft.) in a short distance of only 20.2 km (12.6 mi).

Such railways mean fantastic views, extraordinary nature, mountains, rivers, streams, waterfalls, tunnels, bridges, and long-lasting memories. In addition, you can combine a railway tour with zip line adventure, biking, and hiking at your own pace and discover this fantastic natural scenery yourself.

Just look at this beautiful photo by © Sverre Hjørnevik and you will be more than hooked to come and visit this extraordinary place.

Flåm Railway Tour Description

The ride starts in the valley next to the Flåm river. Nothing suggests a thrilling ride into the mountains, but this will drastically change soon.

The rail separates from the river and goes higher to give a better perspective of the valley and blue-white river colors. Rjoandefossen (Rjoandefossen) waterfall is one of the attractions that catch our attention in this section. It is just one of the many waterfalls on the Flåm railway.

Flåm river and railway make their dance by twisting and switching the sides. The sharp screeching sounds of the train brakes block us from hearing nature sounds.

Berekvam station is at an altitude of 344 meters (1129 ft.), and it is the station where two trains meet.

As the train climbs higher, excitement rises. At the same time, the number of tunnels increases by altitude. Some of the tunnels provide a view through holes on the side.

Kjos waterfall (Kjosfossen) is the jewelry of this railway attraction. It is between two tunnels at 670 meters (2200 ft.) above sea level. The train stopped for several minutes, and we could enjoy this wonderful and powerful waterfall. In addition, we could hear the music and huldra dance on the cliff. We will tell you more about huldra soon.

Finally, we reached the top at Myrdal station (866 meters, 2841 ft.). It took us around one hour one way to arrive at the final station. The train stops for a few minutes, and the ride back to Flåm goes on.

Huldra

The roaring sound of the waterfall’s wild water combines with the melodic female sound. On the right-hand side of the waterfall, on the cliff, suddenly appears a beautiful woman who dances, disappears, and suddenly appears on the other side of the cliff. Maybe you wonder who she is.

She is a seductive forest creature found in Scandinavian folklore. Norwegian folklore knows her as huldra.

It is a fantastic example of combining tourist & nature attractions with national folklore.

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2 – Flåm Railway Museum (Flåmsbana Museet)

Flåm Railway Museum is not just a museum but additionally a documentation center. It informs us about Flåm railway history, engineering challenges in solving the high altitude difference, technology development, etc.

Many artifacts document the railway’s rich history in the museum. Documents, old photos, exhibition pieces, and even Flåm’s old locomotive are some of them.

The museum is in the building of the old railway station. It is an option to visit before taking the train to warm up for the real thing. Another option is to come after experiencing Flåmsbana as we did and get additional historical info from documents, photos, and exhibition pieces.

3 – Aurlandsfjord

Aurlandsfjord fjord is just an arm of a much larger labyrinth that makes up the largest fjord in Norway, the mighty Sognefjord. This fjord arm is 29 kilometers (18 miles) long, deep, and narrow.

Please, look at the photo below. If you drive to the Stegastein viewpoint platform, you can enjoy this magnificent view over the fjord. We will describe the drive to the viewpoint shortly.

There are several ways to enjoy, experience, and further explore Aurlandsfjord.

The first is relaxing by the sea on the Fjord Cruise Nærøyfjord tour on electrical cruise ships.

The second is more adrenalin kick on the RIB boats by taking Aurlandsfjord Fjordsafari.

Finally, drive to the Stegastein viewpoint and have an aerial bird’s eye view as a fantastic panorama.

4 – Aurlandsfjord Fjordsafari

Jump into a safari suit if you feel a bit cold. Put on goggles to protect yourself from wind, and splashes of water, or if you want to be different and “cool”. Do not forget your cap or let your hair flutter in the wind. Now you are ready for a one and half hour waves ride.

The ride starts slowly, but you should expect the twist soon. As soon as a boat is away from the shore, the skipper puts the pedal to the metal. The RIB boat is in no second cutting and jumping the waves surrounded by the beautiful nature of Aurlandsfjord.

RIB Boats Features

The RIB boats (short name) or Rigid Inflatable Boats (expended name) are lightweight, high-performance powerboats. A solid hull at the bottom and inflatable tubes around the outer edges construct the RIB boats. Skippers driving seat is usually at the back and elevated for a better overview. The passengers sit on the rubbery tube between their legs, holding their hands on the handles for safety and more stability. The small backrest is for your back.

Thanks to the photo from © Fred Jonny Hammerø / Møre og Romsdal fylke, we can see how big a thrill for the passengers the ride is.

There are several stops while on the ride. Each stop is an opportunity to hear some history, fjord stories, and typical touristy myths as you can imagine.

The fjord safari will surely be a long-lasting memory and fun adventure. There is no doubt that you will tell your friends about this experience when you return home. Even better, you can share it on social networks.

We decided to wait for the fjord safari ride until Geiranger and instead drive to Stegastein viewpoint.

5 – Fjord Cruise Nærøyfjord

Slowly glide the waters of beautiful Aurlands & Nærøy Fjords in hybrid or electrical cruise ships from Flåm to Gudvangen. Take the bus ride on your way back to round up the trip.

The ships have large windows and walkways in the shape of the final parts of the winding trails of the Flåm railway, so you can find a spot to enjoy the view.

Did we mention that both Aurlands & Nærøy Fjords are just small arms of the longest Norwegian fjord, Sognefjord? Well, if not, now you know it.

As you can see in the photo below, from Myrdal train station down to the valley is a zig-zag path and inspiration for the cruise ship design lines.

Other attractive spots in Norway have similar zig-zag patterns used as architectural design ideas.

Look at the photo below from Trollstigen mountain road. It is a unique discovery only available during the summer months.

Another photo below is a view from our rented cabin. It is a view over the zig-zag Ørnesvingen viewpoint road near Geiranger.

All these attractive and inspiring roads were part of our 3-Week Norway Epic Road Trip.

6 – Enjoy Flåm River – Flåmselvi

Maybe non of the above offers pleases you. Maybe, you want to avoid the crowd (kind of). Finally, you want to gather your overwhelmed thoughts from previous scenic trips. If you are on any of these modes, then relax.

Enjoy the calm, emerald green, and sky blue mixture of colors with the refreshing air of the sunny day near the Flåm River (Flåmselvi).

You could jump into freezing water for ultimate refreshment providing you dare.

We pulled out the chairs and table from our car. We made a mini picnic quickly. It was a nice break before continuing with our escapades.

Flåm – Future Visits Wish List

We will come back but combine train experience with rent of the bicycles from the top. So we can explore this wonderful nature at our own pace.

The Flåm River is so beautiful that we want to stop wherever we want to further explore and enjoy.

Places Nearby Flåm

We knew that there were so many wonderful and scenic places to visit around Flåm. So, we decided to continue our escapades and exploration of this beautiful region. Here are our top picks.

Stegastein Viewpoint

Stegastain viewpoint provides a panoramic and magnificent view over Aurlands Fjord on the platform constructed in a challenging way.

The platform is at a height of 650m (2 130 ft) above sea level. Such extreme height adds to the atmosphere of anticipation to look over the glassy wall and enjoy the panorama to the full extent.

As you can see in this beautiful photo from the © Sverre Hjørnevik, the platform, and the view are magnificent.

Building materials (wood, metal, and glass) blend the platform into the natural surroundings. Please, do not be scared, but the platform vibrates a little when someone walks on it.

This fantastic photo from Paul Edmundson (Fjord Norge) gives us just a glimpse of what we can see over the glass.

Maybe you wonder what the view looks and feels like. It is almost like getting a bird’s view over this beautiful natural ambiance. Deep blue fjord water mirrors the blue sky, green mountains, and clouds, so these natural beauties can make photos even more pleasing.

How To Reach Stegastein Viewpoint

You can reach it in one of two ways.

The first is to drive from Lærdalsøyri over the mountains on the unique Aurlandsfjellet Scenic Route (The snow road).

The second is to exit road E16 after getting out of the long Lærdal’s Tunnel (provided you come from Oslo). Next, drive through Aurlandsvangen village and further up on the narrow, winding road to the mountains.

The Stegastein Viewpoint is half an hour’s drive from Flåm and around 17 km (10.5 mi) away.

Our strong suggestion is if you plan a visit to Stegastein Viewpoint, combine it with Aurlandsfjellet Scenic Route (The snow road) drive. Instead of driving through the 24.5 km (15 mi) long Laerdal Tunnel, a better suggestion is to drive the snow road over the mountains (open only during summer months).

Aurlandsfjellet Scenic Route (The snow road)

Aurlandsfjellet Scenic Route (the snow road) season is only in the summer months.

The road is 47 km (29 miles) long. At some points, it goes just over 1 300 m (4 265 feet) above sea level. It is probably one of the best locations to get the sense of winter during the summer.

Look at the photo below from Fjord Norge / Visit Norway. It was the image we were imagining before driving the road, but…

When the season is open, usually the snow is very high, so car drives between the walls of snow on the roadsides.

We were not that lucky, and most of the snow melted in the mid of July. Only the short sections were still with pockets of snow. We need to come back earlier in the season to experience the real snow road.

As we have already mentioned our strong suggestion is to combine the snow road drive with a visit to the Stegastein viewpoint platform.

Instead of driving through Lærdal Tunnel to reach Flåm, in our opinion, the snow road is a much-exiting alternative. You can pass by Lærdalsøyri, drive over the mountains (the snow road), visit Stegastein Viewpoint, and finally reach Flåm as the end destination.

We must mention annoying bugs and mosquito encounters around ponds or cow cattle areas. So bring insect repellent if you are sensitive to these bloodthirsty vampires.

Kjel Falls – Waterfall (Kjelfossen)

As soon as we passed Flåm, we entered only the 5 km (3.1 mi) long Flenja tunnel. Next, we drove through the much longer 12 km (7.45 mi) Gudvanga tunnel. Finally, on the tunnel’s exit is Gudvangan village on the right-hand side.

On the other side are the world’s 18th tallest waterfall drops (Kjelfossen). A total fall height is around 705 meters (2 313 ft).

There are six drops in the falls. The tallest single drop is 198 meters (650 ft).

Gudvangen Village – Viking Vallley

Gudvangen village is at the end of Nærøy fjord, and many tourists come on cruise tours here. Besides the waterfall drops, the beautiful Nærøydalselvi River runs into the fjord.

In addition, it provides a taste of Viking life in the Viking Valley that will bring you back to the Viking age.

Nærøyfjord

Nærøyfjord ends up at Gudvangen village. From Gudvangen village is possible to take Fjord Cruise Nærøyfjord to Flåm and experience this beautiful fjord. One option is to take a bus from Bergen to Gudvangen, switch to cruise, experience the fjord, and finish in Flåm for further exploration.

In the opposite direction, you can take the same cruise from Flåm and end up at Gudvangen. You can take the bus back to (to Flåm) round up the trip. However, if you really want to be active you can take the Flåm train to Myrdal and connect to the train from Oslo back to Bergen.

The Nærøyfjord arm (part of the Sognefjord) is 19 Km (11.8 mi) long and only 250 meters (820 ft) wide in some places.

As you can see in the photo below, the surrounding mountains are steep, allowing many waterfalls to perform their crash dance into the fjord below. The green vegetation and blue sky reflect these colors into the fjord’s watercolor. Nature worked for millions of years to make this majestically beautiful landscape.

Stalheimskleiva

For two consecutive years, we tried to “slide down” this 13 hairpin bends only downhill driven road, but without any luck yet. It is currently closed due to maintenance work. So it is still on our wishing list for visits in the future.

To reach it, exit E16 at the Stalheim sign and drive up the narrow road to the Stalheim Hotel. The hotel was the furthest we could drive to on our first attempt to experience the road. While you “slalom” drive, please do not forget the magnificent views of the beautiful waterfalls Stalheimfossen and Sivlefossen.

Lærdal Tunnel

Have we already told you that Norwegians like to drill holes? The verticle ones to find the oil and the horizontal ones for traffic. Well, this is one of the engineering examples that prove the point. Lærdal Tunnel is 24.5 km (around 15 miles) long. The tunnel is on the  E16 Oslo–Bergen “highway” near Flåm.

We believe it was, at one point, the longest tunnel in the world, but we are not quite sure. However, to make driving through the Laerdal tunnel less boring, in several places, caves with blue lights on the walls and yellow ones on the edges were built to give the impression of the rising sun. The blue color of the tunnel walls symbolizes the glacier.

Lærdalsøyri

Lærdalsøyri is a small place tucked between steep knife-cut mountains. Læerdals River (Lærdalselvi) on one side of the valley slowly runs into the mirror-calm bay water. The bay is part of the much bigger fjord. Our hotel location is at the edges of the bay. It is popular among campers as overnighting place.

The sunsets are fantastic here. The setting sun hides behind the mountains on the left. Suddenly it appears and warms the bay for some time. Like a shy guy disappears behind the steep mountain edge on the right.

The bay has very pronounced high and low tides, but only if you notice them. We walked along a long sandbar to get closer to the water. While I tried to take sunset photos, I didn’t even notice that the water had covered the sandbars.

The girl on the SUP paddle board effortlessly glided over the water’s surface. Half an hour ago, that section was sand and pebbles.

In our opinion, Lærdalsøyri is a fantastic location for exploring the Flåm area. It is cheaper than Flåm, less buzzy, has grocery shops, and provides good connections to all our sightseeing destinations in the next two days. We stayed at Lærdal Ferie- og Fritidspark hotel near the auto camp.

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Borgund Stave Church

Nearby is a Borgund Stave Church. It is the best preserved medieval black wooden church with a Viking dragon’s motives and an important historical monument.

The church has a unique smell due to the tar used to preserve the timber. So we can visit and see this piece of Norwegian history for many years.

55 km (34 miles) from Flåm to Borgund Stave Church is a fifty-minute drive.

Vindhella Road (Vindhellavegen)

We strongly recommend you hike the Vindhellavegen road together with the Borgund Stave Church tour. Both attractions are practically next to each other.

Vindhellavegen winding pathway is the best part of King’s Road (Kongevegen).

Getting Around in Flåm

Many different means of transportation connects Flåm. Generally speaking, it would not be a hassle to navigate the place and drive in and out. However, the city can become overcrowded if many cruise ships arrive simultaneously during the high season.

By foot: Flåm is small, so most attractions are reachable by foot.

By bicycle: Bicycles are fantastic options for coming back from Myrdal, the final (upper) station of the Flåm Railway.

We plan to take a train to Myrdal, rent bicycles, and ride back to Flåm. On the way, we can stop as much as we please since the valley and the river are magnificent.

By bus: Vy Bus operates intercity buses in Flåm, and you can check current fares information here.

By railway: Flåm railway is not just a tourist attraction. It is a connection to Oslo – Bergen trains too.

By airplane: The nearest airport is Sogndal Airport, a 90-minute drive by car from Flåm. Widerøe operates several daily flights to both Oslo and Bergen.

The closest international airport is Bergen Airport, a two-and-a-half-hour drive by car and 165 km (102 mi.) from Flåm. Both SAS and Norwegian operate several daily flights to/from major Norwegian and European cities.

By cruise ship, boat, or yacht: Flåm’s port welcomes cruiser tourists every day during the summer season. The port is also starting point for Aurlandsfjord Fjordsafari. Many tourists prefer to take the bus from Bergen or Voss and come to Gudvangen. In Gudvangen they hop on Fjord Cruise Nærøyfjord and experience beautiful Aurlands & Nærøy Fjords while reaching the Flåm’s port.

By car or camper: Flåm is just a few minutes from the E16 highway between Oslo and Bergen. So Flåm is easily accessible by both cars and campers with plenty of parking spaces to continue with the full-day program.

Where To Park In Flåm

There are several parking spaces in Flåm’s center near the railway station if you come by car. There are dedicated parking spaces for campers, busses, and longer vehicles as well.

Where to stay in Flåm?

Several accommodation options are available to make your stay in Flåm pleasant. Some offers are hotels, hostels, camping grounds, AirBnB apartments & holiday cottages.

However, we decided to book our stay at Lærdal Ferie- og Fritidspark, a small budget hotel in Lærdalsøyri on the shores of Sognefjord. It is near camping and has amazing sunsets. We bought food in the nearby grocery shops and prepared it in the hotel’s common kitchen facilities.

As we have already mentioned, this was a cheaper option than booking accommodation in Flåm. The location was great to explore the Sognefjord area in all directions.

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Flåm’s Restaurants and Cafes you have to see!

There are several restaurants, bakeries, and hotel restaurants in the Flåm center. The bakery was a good enough option for us. As a budget option, there is a grocery shop. We traveled by car. So we had snacks, fruit, and goodies in the vehicle as “Alamo” supplies.

Best time to visit Flåm

Summer is the most popular period to visit Flåm. In our opinion, the best period is between May and September. Norwegians take a vacation in July, so expect more tourists than usual.

Last April, we stopped by for a short break at Flåm. It was a lot fewer visitors than during summer in mid-July on our previous visit.

Please do not forget the Norwegian saying:

“There is no such a thing as bad weather only bad clothing.”

There are several events in Norway worth mentioning. One of the important dates that you might pay attention to would be the 17th of May.

17th of May – Constitution Day (Syttende Mai)

The 17th of May is a national holiday in Norway (Constitution Day). It is a day when Norwegians celebrate in national costumes and wave the Norwegian flags.

The celebration is popular among children who march in bands. The music orchestras play the music in the parade. Marching children and/or music orchestra represents a school or local community.

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Costs of traveling in Flåm

We have set a budget estimate that might be helpful while planning your own trip to Flåm. In addition, we have a few tips for you that might save your wallet or cards from going in the red.

USD ($) – Budget

EUR (€) – Budget

GBP (£) – Budget

Tips: How To Lower Travel Costs In Norway

Here are some helpful tips for you:

Accommodation: Consider looking for accommodation outside of Flåm and in its proximity like we booked the accommodation in Lærdalsøyri. Flåm is small but very popular with limited accommodation capacities, so it drives prices to be very high.

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Meals: Grocery shops (Joker, Bunnpris, Meny, Spar) have salad bars, barbeque, and hot food sections which are a lot cheaper meal options compared with restaurants.

Drinks: Tap water in Norway is drinkable, of excellent quality, and free compared with highly-priced soft drinks, beer, or wine. Bring a bottle, refill it whenever you find the chance, and save lots of money for other activities.

Snacks: We always have small packages of raisins that are very cheap and eat them when we need an energy boost.

We wish you an epic trip!