The Flåm Railway: Scenic Spots & How to Ride It Right

The Flåm Railway drops from a bare mountain plateau at Myrdal to a fjord village at sea level in about an hour — one of the steepest standard-gauge railways in the world, with most of the line on a gradient of 5.5%. It is heavily touristed, unapologetically famous, and still worth it. Here's how to ride it so it feels like a journey rather than a queue.

What the Flåm Railway actually is

Twenty kilometres of engineering audacity, opened in 1940 after nearly two decades of construction: twenty tunnels (most dug by hand), a corkscrew inside the mountain, and views that alternate between river gorge, waterfall and toy-sized farms. It connects Myrdal — a junction on the Oslo–Bergen line with no road access — with Flåm village on the Aurlandsfjord.

That junction is the trick: the Flåm line snaps onto the Bergen Railway, which is why it slots so neatly into Bergen or Oslo itineraries and into the Norway in a Nutshell loop.

The scenic spots, in order (and which side to sit)

• Kjosfossen — the headline: the train stops at a platform beside a 225-metre waterfall so everyone can step out. In summer, watch for the "huldra" — a red-dressed figure dancing beside the falls to folk music. Kitsch, and somehow perfect.
• Descending from Myrdal, the valley opens on the right-hand side (heading down to Flåm) for the first big gorge views; the river then crosses under, and highlights alternate. Truthfully both sides win at different moments — if you can, ride it both directions.
• Nåli and the corkscrew tunnels — feel the train spiral inside the rock; the window goes black, then reopens a hundred metres lower.
• The last kilometres into Flåm — goat farms, orchards and the first flash of fjord water dead ahead.

Doing it from Bergen — three clean routes

1. The DIY loop: Bergen Railway to Myrdal → Flåm Railway down → Nærøyfjord cruise to Gudvangen → bus to Voss → train back to Bergen. This is the classic Nutshell circuit, self-bookable in pieces.
2. The guided day: a tour that bundles the railway with the Nærøyfjord cruise and the Stegastein viewpoint — less flexibility, zero timetable anxiety, and the viewpoint the trains can't reach.
3. The overnight: ride to Flåm in the afternoon, sleep by the fjord, catch the morning cruise before the day-trippers land. Flåm at 7am belongs to you and the goats.

Worth your time in Flåm itself

• The Flåm Railway Museum — free, next to the station, and genuinely good on how the line was carved by hand.
• The Stegastein viewpoint — 650 metres above the Aurlandsfjord, reached by shuttle or tour up the hairpin Aurlandsvegen. Blue hour up there is unforgettable.
• Ægir Brewery — a stave-church-styled brewpub that takes both its beer and its Viking timber seriously.
• The fjord walk to Otternes — an hour's stroll to a huddle of 17th-century farm buildings with the fjord below.

Tickets, timing and honest costs

• Book the railway in advance in summer — seats are reserved and July departures genuinely sell out. Shoulder-season you can wing it.
• Expect roughly 400–650 NOK for the one-way adult fare depending on season — check the current price when you book; it has crept up yearly.
• Luggage: doing the one-way Bergen→Oslo routing with the Nutshell in the middle? Luggage-forwarding services exist seasonally — or pack a day-bag and travel light.
• Winter: the line runs year-round, and the snowed-in version — black river, white walls, lit tunnels — is criminally underrated. Fewer departures; check the timetable.

The verdict

As a standalone attraction, the Flåm Railway is a very good hour. As the connecting spine between the Bergen Railway and a Nærøyfjord cruise, it's one of the world's great transport days. Ride it as part of the loop, take the early train, get off at Kjosfossen ready with your camera — and let the huldra have her moment.

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