Flåm Railway · self-organisedOn your own

Can you do the Flåm Railway on your own? Yes – on one condition

The condition is: you have to book a specific train. Flåm Railway tickets are valid only for the departure printed on them. An earlier or later train is not possible, and if the train you want is sold out, there is neither a waiting list nor extra tickets. So if you organise it yourself, plan backwards from the train – not forwards from breakfast.

Everything else is simple. Tickets normally go on sale 120 days before the journey, and up to 24 hours ahead you can cancel free of charge with Norway’s best. The details on prices and sales channels are on the Flåm Railway tickets page.

From the cruise ship in Flåm to the Flåm Railway

Whether it is AIDA, Mein Schiff or any other ship: according to the operator it is about 250 metres from the port to Flåm station. The station is in the middle of the village, next to the old station building, which now houses the Flåm Railway Museum.

Port – station

250 m

Round trip

around 2 hrs

Trains May–Sept

10 a day

October

6

The round trip Flåm–Myrdal–Flåm takes around two hours: just under an hour up, between 12 and 19 minutes at the top in the summer timetable, just under an hour down. The operator expressly recommends going back on the first train – Myrdal has a waiting room and, in summer, a café, nothing more.

This is how you go about it:

1. Look up your time in port. Arrival and “all aboard” are in your travel documents.
2. Choose a train that fits with a margin. In summer the trains leave Flåm at 08:20, 09:35, 10:50, 12:10, 13:30, 14:45, 16:00, 17:10 and 18:25, plus 07:20 Monday to Friday. You are back around two hours later in each case.
3. Book online, at norwaysbest.com, as soon as your date has been released.

Rule of thumb: Never take the last train that still fits on paper. Whether your ship waits for independent travellers is up to the cruise line – ask on board before you cut it fine.

What the cruise lines charge for their own Flåm Railway excursions, and whether they hold fixed allocations on the trains, we could not verify first-hand. Compare your ship’s excursion price yourself with the NOK 675 to 900 that the round trip costs with the operator.

Honestly: The train ride is the same whoever sells it to you – same train, same carriages, same stop at the waterfall. The ship’s excursion takes the booking and the worry about time off your hands. If the suitable trains are already sold out with the operator, it may be your only way on board. If you have a whole day and a train with seats free, you do not need it.

Flåm Railway from Bergen: on the Bergen Line to Myrdal

There is no direct train from Bergen to Flåm. You take the Bergen Line – the line to Oslo – as far as Myrdal and change onto the Flåm Railway there. According to Vy, Bergen–Myrdal usually takes around two hours, and the Flåm Railway down to the fjord another hour.

You get both trains on one ticket at vy.no or entur.no. The price is not fixed: according to Vy it depends on the ticket type, the day of travel and how early you book. Children aged 6 to 17 get a discount. That is why we do not name a specific sum – enter your dates in the journey planner; it takes a minute.

There are two things you should know about Myrdal: no road leads there, and there is neither a ticket counter nor a machine. So your ticket has to be bought before you leave Bergen.

As a day trip there and back

Vy’s view: possible, but a lot of travelling for one day. Do the sums yourself – around three hours there, around three hours back, Flåm in between. If you return the same way, you see the Flåm Railway twice. If you want variety, do one direction by boat: according to Vy a ferry runs once a day between Flåm and Bergen and takes around 5 hours 15 minutes. Whether it runs on your travel date is something to check with the provider.

Better: as a leg of a longer journey

Myrdal is on the Bergen Line, the route between Bergen and Oslo. If you are travelling from one city to the other anyway, get off at Myrdal, ride down, spend the night by the fjord and carry on the next day. From Oslo to Flåm the journey takes around six to eight hours according to Vy. For this option you pay two single journeys on the Flåm Railway instead of the round-trip fare – that only exists from Flåm.

Self-organised or a guided tour from Bergen?

The tours from Bergen usually combine three components: train, fjord boat, coach. You can do exactly that yourself with separate tickets. The difference is not the route, but who is responsible for the connections.

“I have exactly one day in Bergen and don’t want to miss a connection.”

Bergen: Legendary Flåm Railway & UNESCO Fjord Cruise

10.5 hours · day tour · ★ 4.6 from 133 reviews

from, per person€324.79

Check what’s included on GetYourGuide

Honestly: That is a lot of money for something you can do yourself with three tickets. It is worth it if changing trains in a foreign country stresses you. It is not worth it if you like to stay sitting by the fjord for as long as you please.

“I’m arriving by ship and want to see more than the village – but not the cruise line’s excursion.”

Flam: The Wonders of Flam Guided Half-Day Shore Excursion

5 hours · pick-up near the cruise ship · ★ 4.8 from 1,051 reviews

from, per person€119

Check the itinerary on GetYourGuide

Honestly: Read the itinerary carefully. This is an excursion into the area around Flåm, not a train ride – you still book the Flåm Railway separately with the operator. And the two together only fit into a long stay in port.

What you easily forget when travelling on your own

• Food. There is nothing to buy on the train. In Myrdal the Café Rallaren is open in summer; otherwise there are vending machines.
• Luggage. Suitcases are allowed. In Flåm there are lockers at the customer centre next to the station.
• The stop at Kjosfossen. Five minutes, getting off allowed. Which stations come before and after it is shown on the page about the Flåm Railway route.
• Plan B. From Myrdal you can also go down on foot or by bike: the operator reckons on four to six hours on foot and two to three hours by bike.

Timetable, prices and the question of whether the trip is worth it at all are on the main Flåm Railway page.