If you would like to go to a lovely little village where you can sit in the balcony of your hotel room sipping a drink watching the ever-so-slowly unfolding colors of a fjord and the hills, well….Flåm is the place for you!
Flåm hugs the edge of a steep cliff bordering the Aurlandsfjord. It’s quite a small place with just a few hotels and a couple of places to eat. It is in Southwest Norway, near Aurland. Here’s what we did there:
1. Take the ride on the scenic Flam Railway
First, a ride on the Flam Railway to view deep ravines, waterfalls, valleys and mountain farms on sheer slopes. The journey takes you from the beautiful Aurlandsfjord at Flåm to the Myrdal mountain top – nearly 900 meters above sea level. The ride includes a stop to view the popular Kjosfossen waterfall.
2. Visit the interesting Flam Railway Museum and quaint shops
Flam Railway Museum located on the Flam station is worth taking a look. It is truly fascinating to learn about the history and construction of the railway.
We also found interesting shops with local items and a unique Norwegian troll displayed outside the shops.
3. Enjoy the Fjord Cruise
Next, the fjord cruise (one way or return) from Flåm to Gudvangen or the other way around, through Aurlandfjord and then through the narrow Nærøyfjord (on the UNESCO World Heritage list) to reach Gudvangen. The Nærøyfjord is 17 km long and the narrowest point is only 250 m wide. This passage is one of the most dramatic fjord trips in Europe.
We started in the late afternoon so that it was just getting dark by the time we got back. Amazing shadows, colors and reflections from the light bouncing off the huge towering cliffs on the rippling water!
The cruise was special due to the modern hybrid ferry called the Vision of the Fjords built to allow plenty of unobstructed deck views and large viewing windows inside. It was one amazing experience!
4. Visit the picturesque village of Undredal
Next, we visited the tiny village of Undredal, just a twenty minute drive from Flåm. Norway is famous for its yummy goat cheese and Undredal happens to be a place where they produce this goat cheese! There is a museum called “Eldhuset” where we saw displays centred on the art of cheese making and the process of maturing the cheese. The local white and brown cheese, cured goat sausages and souvenirs are sold in a local shop ‘Undredalsbui‘ next door.
In addition to this cheese making museum, Undredal also boasts of a cute Stave Church – the smallest in Scandinavia.
5. Drive the challenging road to Stegastein Viewpoint
Finally, the scary drive to Stegastein, a magnificent viewpoint high up on the cliff. It is a 15-minute drive on E16 from Aurland and half hour from Flåm. Start early before 9 am so that there is less traffic on this mountain road. Beware, the road is narrow and winding with plenty of blind turns and a sheer cliff on one side with nothing much by way of a crash barrier! Once you reach the top, there are breathtaking views of the fjords!
Plus, lovely walks along the fjord-side.
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I have heard so much about the scenery in Norway and especially the Flam Railway. Lovely photos. One day I hope to see it for myself.
This looks like our kind of place!
Sold! The first sentence was enough. And the photos are incredible
Lovely! I feel more relaxed just reading about it!
Great pictures; the first one is amazing. Was it taken from a ship? We are going on our second cruise to Norway this year — but still not been to Flam. The photos make me want to go there ….
Yes, Anke. The first picture was taken from the catamaran/ ship during our fjord cruise.
Good inspiration for our next trip to Norway…
The norwegian nature is so stunning!
And even though I am from Stockholm, Sweden – I have never been to Norway 🙁
You had me at ‘cheese making’!! That village looks like a fabulous place to sit and relax and watch the changing colors of the landscape throughout the day.
I visited Flåm in 2018 when we did Norway in a Nutshell from Bergen to Oslo. We only had a couple of hours in Flåm but it was lovely sitting beside the fjord to eat our lunch and watching the ships coming and going. I think we must’ve travelled on the same fjord cruise boat as you, isn’t it amazingly quiet!
Lovely nature and views! Norway is high up on my travel list. Thanks for the inspiration and another trip idea.
Amazing photographs. We’ve been wanting to visit Norway and I recently started researching for the trip. Definitely want to take the Norway in a Nutshell tour but instead of doing that in one day, I had been thinking of staying overnight in Flam. So I am glad to come across your post and learn more about the nearby area – I didn’t know that Norway’s famous goat cheese is produced in nearby Undredal – adding that to our bucket list. Since we’ll be relying on public transportation for our trip, I wonder if there is bus service between Flam and Undredal.
Thanks Aditi! Not sure if there is any public transportation from Flam to Undredal, but maybe you can rent a taxi. Hope this helps! 🙂
Two years ago my parents spent several weeks in Norway and absolutely loved it! In fact my mom’s family is from Norway, so they were able to visit some distant cousins. Norway is definitely on my to-do list, including Flam. I’ve read about this city the incredible fjords that can be seen and I am eager to see them myself. I also want to see a real Stave Church–I’ve seen replicas in the U.S.
This looks gorgeous. I will be here in August, assuming the world has returned to some sort of normality.
Didn’t know that Norway was famous for its goat cheese. Makes me more excited about my visit than before.
All of this looks amazing! I can’t wait until I can visit Norway to experience this.
Thanks for this tip. It looks amazing and should be easy enough for me to reach from Stockholm (once we can travel freely again). I have seen too little of this neighbouring country.
I just love the fjords, they are so dramatic. Where would you say was your favourite area on your visit?
Your photos are fabulous! Norway has been on my travel bucket list for quite some time, and Flåm sounds like the place for me. We love small towns that aren’t overly touristy, and we also love walking to get to know an area.
Very beautiful place! Great photos! I’m not sure about the scary road with a crash barrier? I need to add this to my bucket list! Thanks
We were glad that our Norway Fjord cruise took us to Flam. It was fun to do the Flam Railway and see the sights along the way. It looks like there are some other great spots to visit if you are there travelling around on your own and not constrained by the cruise ship. We would not pass on goat cheese in Undredal. Or that crazy viewpoint in Stegastein.