You can get from Bergen to Flåm and up to Myrdal in three unhurried days without a car. The trip uses four kinds of transport over about 200 kilometres, and its slowest part, two hours by ferry on the Nærøyfjord, is the one you will remember.
- Start
- Bergen
- Destination
- Myrdal
- Stages
- 4
- Days
- 3
- Countries
- 1
At a glance
| Start and end | Bergen to Myrdal, with trains from Myrdal to Oslo and back to Bergen |
|---|---|
| Days | 3, with two nights in Voss and Flåm |
| Transport | Train, bus, ferry and the Flåm Railway, no car |
| Best season | May to September, when the fjord ferry sails several times a day |
| Book ahead | The Flåm Railway and the ferry in July and August |
Day 1: Bergen to Voss on the Bergen Line
The Bergen Line leaves from the station at the edge of the old town and takes a little over an hour to Voss. Sit on the left side: the line follows the water for long stretches and then climbs into a valley of birch trees and small farms.
Voss is a sports town, busy in winter and calm in early summer. I arrived at noon, left my bag at the guesthouse and walked the path around the lake in the afternoon. It is flat, about six kilometres, and you have the mountains in front of you the whole way.
My tip
Buy your train ticket on the website of the Norwegian railway and choose a seat. On summer weekends the trains from Bergen are full by Friday.
Tilda Brennick
Day 2: down to Gudvangen
From Voss a bus runs to Gudvangen in about an hour. The road drops through the Nærøy valley, and on some departures the bus takes the old road past the Stalheim hotel with its view down the valley. Ask the driver which way he goes; it depends on the season.
Gudvangen is a ferry pier, a few houses and a waterfall. Arrive early enough to buy a coffee and find a place on the open deck before the ferry fills up.
Day 2: the ferry through the Nærøyfjord
The ferry from Gudvangen to Flåm takes about two hours. For the first hour it passes through the Nærøyfjord, which is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site together with the Geirangerfjord. In places the walls are so close that you can hear the waterfalls over the engine.
Most ferries on this route are now electric, so the boat is quiet enough to hear the gulls. Bring a warm layer even in July: on the water it is several degrees cooler than on land.
The route in four pictures
Fjord, ferry, mountain railway and the Bergen Line: the four views I would come back for.
- About 200 kilometres from Bergen to Myrdal
- Four kinds of transport, no car
- Two nights, in Voss and in Flåm
Day 3: the Flåm Railway up to Myrdal
The Flåm Railway climbs 866 metres over 20 kilometres to Myrdal, one of the steepest standard gauge lines in the world. The ride takes about an hour and stops at the Kjosfossen waterfall for a few minutes, long enough to step out onto the platform.
At Myrdal you change to the Bergen Line, east to Oslo or west back to Bergen. There is nothing at Myrdal but the station and the view, so check the connection before you board in Flåm.
What I would do differently
I would stay two nights in Flåm. The village is crowded around noon, when the cruise passengers come ashore, and empty in the evening, which is the best time to walk up the valley.
The full route with alternatives for a rainy day is a chapter of The Slow Coast Handbook.
