Flam: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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The Flåm Railway climbs from the fjord to the high plateau in less than an hour, and it is one of the steepest standard-gauge railways in the world. It was built to link Flåm to the Oslo-Bergen line, and much of it was cut through the rock by hand. This route rides the train up, stops at the waterfall and the top station, and comes back down on foot or by bike along the old construction road. A half day to a full day, depending on how much of the way down you walk.

A short history of Flam

Flåm is a small village at the end of the Aurlandsfjord, an arm of the Sognefjord. Its wooden church was built in 1667. Between 1923 and 1940 a railway was built from here to Myrdal station on the Oslo–Bergen line, about 20 kilometres long with a difference in height of 866 metres, one of the steepest railways in the world. Most of the line runs through tunnels cut by hand. In 2005 the nearby Nærøyfjord was declared a World Heritage Site, and today hundreds of cruise ships a year call at the small village.

The ten best sights in Flam

1
Flåm Railway Museum
In the old station building; see it before the ride, it takes 20 minutes
2
Kjosfossen
The train stops here for five minutes; sit on the right going up for the first look
3
Vatnahalsen
Get off here to walk or cycle down the old navvies' road instead of riding all the way
4
Stegastein viewpoint
20 minutes up a narrow road from Aurland; early morning, before the tour buses
5
Nærøyfjord
Take the boat, not the road, to see it; the fjord has no road along it
6
Brekkefossen
A steep hour's climb from the valley floor for the view down on Flåm
7
Undredal
A goat-cheese village 15 minutes away; buy the cheese where it is made
8
Undredal Stave Church
The tiny white church above the harbour; it seats about 40
9
Flåm Church
Up the valley, 3 km from the harbour; an easy walk or bike ride
10
Otternes Farm
Old farm buildings on the hillside between Flåm and Aurland; summer only

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What is an audio walk?

Tours in Flam →

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 Flam:

Free walking tours in Flam

Up the Flåm Railway

Flåm station · The line is about 20 km long and climbs some 860 metres, and for most of its length the gradient is 1 in 18. Work began in 1923, and the first trains ran in 1940.
Flåm Railway Museum · The museum tells how the line was built: of its 20 tunnels, 18 were dug by hand, at the rate of about a metre a month in the hardest rock.
Flåm Church · The little wooden church up the valley was built in 1670, and the train passes right by it on its way up. Its walls are painted inside with simple folk decoration.
Kjosfossen · The train stops at a platform built only for this waterfall. In summer a dancer dressed as the huldra, the seductive forest spirit of Norwegian folklore, appears on the rocks to music.
Myrdal station · Myrdal stands 866 metres above sea level on the Bergen Line, with no road access at all. Passengers change here between the mountain railway and the main line to Oslo or Bergen.
Rallarvegen · The navvies' road was built around 1900 to carry men and materials for the Bergen Line. Today it is a famous bike route, and the stretch from Vatnahalsen down to Flåm drops through a ladder of tight hairpins.

The fjord from the water and from above

Flåm sits at the head of the Aurlandsfjord, an arm of the Sognefjord, the longest fjord in Norway. Around the corner opens the Nærøyfjord, narrow and walled by cliffs, which is on the UNESCO list. This route sees the fjords from both levels: from a platform hanging over the water, and from a boat between the walls. A full day; the boat to Gudvangen takes about two hours, so arrange how you get back to the car.

Otternes Farm · The farm cluster on the old road between Flåm and Aurland has more than 20 buildings, the oldest from the 1600s. Until the road below was built, this was how people travelled along the fjord.
Vangen Church · The stone church of Aurland was built around 1202 in an early Gothic style, at a time when almost every church in Norway was still built of wood, and it is still the parish church of the village.
Stegastein · The wooden platform, opened in 2006, juts about 30 metres out from the mountainside some 650 metres above the Aurlandsfjord, and ends in a sheet of glass with nothing below it.
Undredal · Undredal is famous for having more goats than people, and the goats' milk makes its brown and white cheeses. Its stave church, from the 12th century, is the smallest in Scandinavia still in use.
Nærøyfjord · The Nærøyfjord became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005 together with the Geirangerfjord, and at its narrowest it is only about 250 metres wide. Some of the boats on it are fully electric, gliding without engine noise between the cliffs.
Njardarheimr · At Gudvangen, where the boat lands, a Viking village has been rebuilt with wooden halls and boathouses, and the people who work there live the Viking crafts, from smithing to archery.

Through the mountain to Lærdal

North of Flåm the mountains stand between the fjord and the next valley, and since 2000 the road has gone straight through them. On the far side lies Lærdal, a salmon river valley with a preserved wooden village and the most famous stave church in Norway. This drive goes there through the tunnel and can come back over the mountain on the summer 'snow road'. About 120 km round trip; the snow road is open only from about June to October.

Lærdal Tunnel · At 24.5 km, opened in 2000, it is the longest road tunnel in the world. To keep drivers alert it has three large caves along the way, lit in blue and yellow to suggest a sunrise.
Lærdalsøyri · The village at the mouth of the river kept around 160 wooden houses from the 18th and 19th centuries, when it was a market and trading place on the route between east and west Norway.
Borgund Stave Church · Built around 1180 and dedicated to St Andrew, it is the best preserved of Norway's stave churches and has hardly changed since the Middle Ages. Its roofs are guarded by carved dragon heads, as on a Viking ship.
Aurlandsdalen · The deep valley east of Aurland was for centuries the main path between east and west Norway, and its old track is now one of the country's classic hikes, dropping from the mountains down to the fjord.
Aurlandsvegen, the snow road · The old road from Lærdal to Aurland climbs above the tree line to about 1,300 metres, between walls of snow in early summer. It is a National Tourist Route, and on the way down it passes the Stegastein platform.
Aurlandsvangen · Aurland was where the hydroelectric works of the valley were built from the 1960s, and much of the power from the stations inside the mountains has gone to Oslo.

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Getting to Flam and getting around

Flåm station · The Flåm Railway leaves from here; in summer book seats a few days ahead
Myrdal station · Top of the line and a stop on the Oslo-Bergen railway; nothing else up here
Gudvangen ferry quay · Fjord boats from Flåm end here; buses or a driver bring you back through the tunnel

Cheap eats in Flam

Flåm is tiny, and almost everything to eat is around the harbour and the station. The local tastes are brown goat cheese from Undredal, smoked salmon, cured meats and the beer brewed in Flåm itself. Prices are Norwegian and the cruise days are busy, so buy bread and cheese for a picnic on the fjord shore.

Flåm Bakeri · Bread, buns and coffee, about 50-110 kr
Furukroa Café · Self-service café by the harbour; soup or a burger about 150-250 kr
Flåm Marina · Fish soup or a burger on the water, about 180-280 kr
Marianne Bakeri & Kafe · Bakery-café in Aurland on the way to Stegastein, about 60-150 kr
Laksen bakeri & kafé · Coffee and lunch in old Lærdalsøyri, about 80-200 kr
Ægir BryggeriPub · Lunch plate or a beer tasting, about 150-300 kr
Gudvangen Fjordtell café · Coffee and a sandwich at the end of the boat trip, about 80-150 kr

Museums in Flam

Flåm Railway Museum · Free; how the railway was built, 20 minutes
Otternes Farm · Old farmhouses with a view of the fjord; guided in summer
Njardarheimr · Living Viking village at Gudvangen
Borgund Stave Church and visitor centre · Stave church exhibition, 45 minutes through the tunnel

Nature and day trips near Flam

Brekkefossen · Waterfall hike with a view down the valley
Kjosfossen · Thundering waterfall by the railway
Nærøyfjord · UNESCO fjord by boat from Flåm
Aurlandsdalen · The classic valley hike down to the fjord
Rallarvegen · Bike down from Myrdal, about 20 km downhill

Things to do in Flam with kids

The Flåm Railway · An hour up the mountain by train
Njardarheimr · Archery and Viking crafts at Gudvangen
Undredal goats · Goats on the hillsides and cheese to taste
Kjosfossen huldra · The forest spirit dances by the waterfall in summer

Where to eat in Flam

Ægir BryggeriPub · Viking-style dinner with beer pairing
Fretheim Hotel · Local lamb and fish facing the fjord
Flåmsbrygga Hotel · Harbour hotel restaurant next to the brewery
Heimly · Small lodge restaurant on the shore, quieter than the harbour

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Frequently asked questions about Flam

What is there to see in Flam?

The top sights in Flam are Flåm Railway Museum, Kjosfossen and Vatnahalsen. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Flam?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Flam without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Flam?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Flam, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: Up the Flåm Railway.

How do you get to Flam and get around?

The main ways are Flåm station, Myrdal station and Gudvangen ferry quay. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Flam, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Flam 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.

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