Andalsnes: what to see, where to stay and how to get around
Trollstigen means the trolls' ladder, and from the valley floor that is exactly how it looks: a road stacked up a cliff in eleven hairpins. It took eight years to build and opened in 1936, and at the top a plateau of lakes and bare rock leads over to the Valldal side. The road is open only in the snow-free months, roughly late May to October. Drive it early in the morning or late in the afternoon, when the coaches are gone, and give the car time to cool on the way down.
A short history of Andalsnes
Åndalsnes sits at the head of the Romsdalsfjord, surrounded by steep mountains. It grew thanks to the Rauma Line, which opened in 1924 and linked it to the Gudbrandsdalen valley and Oslo. In April 1940 British forces landed here to halt the German invasion, and Luftwaffe bombing destroyed most of the town. In 1936 the Trollstigen road opened nearby, with its 11 hairpin bends on the mountain wall. Today the town is a centre for climbing and mountain walking in Norway.
The ten best sights in Andalsnes
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1Romsdalen Gondola
Opened in 2021, it lifts you from the town centre to the 708 m top of Nesaksla in a few minutes
2RampestrekenA steel platform sticking out over the cliff above town; walk up, or ride the gondola and walk down
3TrollstigenEleven hairpins up a sheer valley wall; open only from about late May to October
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4Stigfossen
The waterfall the Trollstigen road crosses on a stone bridge halfway up the bends
5TrollveggenEurope's tallest vertical rock face, about a kilometre of rock; best seen from the E136 in Romsdalen
6RomsdalshornetThe 1,550 m horn that dominates the valley; climbers only, but everyone photographs it
7Norwegian Mountaineering CentreMuseum of Norwegian climbing with an indoor climbing wall, next to the station
8Kylling BridgeThe stone arch that carries the Rauma line high over the river; the summer tourist train stops here
9MongefossenA long ribbon of water on the valley wall, seen from the road and the train up Romsdalen
10GudbrandsjuvetA narrow gorge with walkways over the rushing river, on the far side of Trollstigen towards Valldal
Scan with your phone camera to open the map there
What is an audio walk?
Tours in Andalsnes →A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Andalsnes:
Free walking tours in Andalsnes
Up the trolls' ladder
Trollstigen means the trolls' ladder, and from the valley floor that is exactly how it looks: a road stacked up a cliff in eleven hairpins. It took eight years to build and opened in 1936, and at the top a plateau of lakes and bare rock leads over to the Valldal side. The road is open only in the snow-free months, roughly late May to October. Drive it early in the morning or late in the afternoon, when the coaches are gone, and give the car time to cool on the way down.
- Isterdalen · Here the road leaves Romsdalen and the valley narrows under the peaks called the King, the Queen and the Bishop; its flat floor gives the classic view of the whole ladder in one frame. The road was built by hand and with explosives between 1928 and 1936, much of it by men working on ropes.
- Stigfossen · The waterfall drops down the same wall as the road, and one hairpin crosses it on a narrow stone bridge. In early summer, with the snow melting above, the spray reaches the car windows.
- Trollstigen plateau · At the top, viewing platforms of steel and concrete hang over the edge, part of the national tourist route between Geiranger and Trollstigen. Look straight down the eleven bends you just climbed, about 850 metres above sea level.
- Bispevatnet · A cold lake on the plateau beneath the peak called Bispen, the Bishop. Snow often lies on its banks into July, a few minutes' drive from the busy viewpoint.
- Gudbrandsjuvet · On the far side of the pass the Valldøla river forces itself through a gorge only a few metres wide. Walkways and a platform hang right over the water, and the noise alone is worth the stop.
- Valldal · The road ends at a fjord village known across Norway for its strawberries, which ripen late in the long light of the north. From here the ferry and the Eagle Road lead on to Geiranger.
The Rauma valley
Romsdalen is a deep glacial trench, with the Rauma river and the railway running along its floor and walls rising more than a kilometre on either side. The Rauma line, opened in 1924, climbs it from Åndalsnes towards Dombås, and the E136 follows the same course. This drive goes up the valley to the stone bridge at Kylling and back, about 70 km each way to Bjorli. Look up often: the best of it is above you.
- Romsdalshornet · The horn is 1,550 metres high, and the first recorded climb was made in 1827 by two local farmers, Hans Bjermeland and Christen Smed. They are said to have built a cairn on top to prove it.
- Trollveggen · The Troll Wall is Europe's tallest vertical rock face, about a kilometre high and overhanging in places. BASE jumping from it was banned in 1986 after a series of deaths, and today it is the domain of climbers on routes that take days.
- Mongefossen · This long waterfall was once counted among the highest in the world, before its river was tapped for hydropower. On days when water is released it is still a long white thread down the cliff.
- Vermafossen · Here the railway and the river pass a waterfall that tumbles in steps down the valley side, with an old hydropower station at its foot. The tourist train slows down so passengers can photograph it.
- Kylling Bridge · The stone arch carries the Rauma line high above the river gorge, and it was finished in the early 1920s, just before the line opened. Walk onto the road bridge nearby to see the train cross it.
- Bjorli · At the head of the valley the land opens into high moorland, and the village is a ski resort in winter. The summer tourist train from Åndalsnes turns back here, so it is the natural place to swap car and rail.
The town that climbers built
Åndalsnes is a small town that lives off the mountains around it. In April 1940 British troops landed here, and German bombing destroyed much of the old centre, so most of what you see is post-war. What draws people is the climbing: the peaks rise straight from the edge of town, and since 2021 a gondola has made the view from the top an easy afternoon. This walk takes about three hours, with one steep descent.
- Åndalsnes Station · The Rauma line opened in 1924 and ends here, at the head of the fjord. Before the road through the valley was improved, this was how most travellers reached Romsdal from the east.
- Norwegian Mountaineering Centre · The centre opened in 2016 to tell the story of Norwegian climbing, much of which happened on the walls around this valley. Inside there is a high indoor climbing wall you can try with an instructor.
- Romsdalen Gondola · The gondola opened in 2021 and climbs from the town centre almost straight up the face of Nesaksla. The ride is short, and the cabins have windows on all sides.
- Nesaksla · The summit is 708 metres high, and from it you look down on the town, the fjord and up Romsdalen to the Troll Wall. The restaurant at the top station is called Eggen, after the ridge that runs behind it.
- Rampestreken · Partway down, a steel platform sticks out over the drop, with nothing but air beneath it. The name means roughly 'the prank', and the view of the town far below explains the joke.
- Romsdalstrappa · The path down is a staircase of stone slabs laid by Sherpas from Nepal, who build trails like this across Norway's mountains. It is steep, but every step is solid.
Getting to Andalsnes and getting around
- Åndalsnes Station · End of the Rauma line from Dombås; the 114 km ride down the valley is one of Norway's great train trips
- Åndalsnes bus terminal · Buses meet the trains here, and in summer the Trollstigen bus leaves from the same square
- Molde Airport · The nearest airport, with flights from Oslo; about an hour's drive from town
Cheap eats in Andalsnes
Norway is expensive, and a small town like Åndalsnes is no exception: a coffee and a cake cost what a meal does elsewhere. The answer is to eat the way Norwegians do, with a big breakfast, a packed lunch from the supermarket and one hot meal. Bakeries and cafés sell skillingsboller, cinnamon buns, and waffles with brown cheese. Most cafés close by late afternoon.
- Sødahlhuset · Café in the centre for coffee, cakes and a light lunch, about 80-180 NOK
- Vollan Cafe · Small café near the harbour; coffee and a bun about 70-100 NOK
- Mama Rosa · Pizza by the station, the easy family lunch; a pizza about 200-300 NOK
- Bakgården Thai · Thai dishes in a back courtyard off the main street, about 180-250 NOK
- Eggen · Lunch with the view at the gondola top; soup or a light dish about 200-350 NOK
- Extra Åndalsnes · Picnic supplies for the road; bread, brown cheese and fruit for two about 120-180 NOK
Museums in Andalsnes
- Norwegian Mountaineering Centre · Climbing history and an indoor wall by the station; give it an hour
- Romsdal Museum · Old farm buildings and a town street in Molde; about 1 hour's drive
- Rødven Stave Church · Medieval wooden church on a fjord arm, open in summer; a new church stands beside it
- Rauma line memorial · Marks the railway at its terminus; the start point for the train up the valley
- Kylling Bridge · The railway's stone arch over the Rauma gorge, 30 minutes' drive up the valley
Nature and day trips near Andalsnes
- Trollveggen · View it from the roadside area in Romsdalen, 10 minutes from town
- Romsdalshornet · The 1,550 m horn over the valley; for photographs, not for walking
- Mongefossen · Long waterfall on the valley wall, seen from the E136 on the way up Romsdalen
- Bispevatnet · Cold mountain lake on the Trollstigen plateau, snow on its banks into July
- Innfjorden · A quiet fjord village west of town, under steep walls; a short evening drive
Things to do in Andalsnes with kids
- Trollstigen plateau · Platforms over the bends, a café and troll signs; summer only
- Romsdalen Gondola · A few minutes to 708 m; family tickets, check times out of season
- Norwegian Mountaineering Centre · Indoor climbing wall with instructors, good on a rainy day
- Rampestreken · The platform over the drop; reach it downhill from the gondola with older children
- Isfjorden · Flat shore at the end of the fjord for skimming stones on a calm evening
Where to eat in Andalsnes
- Spiret · Restaurant by the station, mains about 300-400 NOK
- Restaurant La Vue · Hotel restaurant above the centre, dinner mains about 300-450 NOK
- Hvelvet Bistro · Bistro on the main road south of the centre, dishes about 250-350 NOK
- Eggen · Dinner at the gondola top in summer; check the last cabin, mains about 300-450 NOK
- Nabo'n Pub · The town pub in the centre; a large beer about 120-150 NOK
- Mama Rosa · Pizza and pasta for a simple dinner, about 200-300 NOK
Frequently asked questions about Andalsnes
What is there to see in Andalsnes?
The top sights in Andalsnes are Romsdalen Gondola, Rampestreken and Trollstigen. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.
How many days do you need in Andalsnes?
Three to four days are enough to see the best of Andalsnes without rushing, including at least one walking tour.
Is there a free walking tour in Andalsnes?
Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Andalsnes, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Up the trolls' ladder.
How do you get to Andalsnes and get around?
The main ways are Åndalsnes Station, Åndalsnes bus terminal and Molde Airport. Full details are in the transport section on this page.
Where to stay in Andalsnes, and for how much?
sleepntrip shows only rooms in Andalsnes that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.
Looking for a hotel in Andalsnes for your dates?
Only rooms that meet nine conditions, up to $80 a night.