Bergen is called the gateway to the fjords. The Norwegian Fjords are one the worlds most spectacular natural attractions. There are many fjords you can choose from but we chose the deepest and biggest fjord Sognefjord. You can club the fjord cruise with your day trip to Flåm – a small village at the end of Aurlandsfjord.
If you have the time and you love seclusion and mountains then you should stay for a night or two in Flåm. But obviously due to time constraints we did a day trip from Bergen. So, the onward trip from Bergen to Myrdal started at 8.38 AM from Bergen train station.
The train ride from Bergen to Flåm inolves a change of train at Myrdal station. The journey was absolutely fantastic, running through stunning landscapes, vertiginous mountainsides, foaming waterfalls and 20 tunnels. As we climbed higher into the mountains (by the way, the Flåm Railway is one of the steepest railway lines in the world,), we passed a number of tiny, snow-covered Norwegian villages – a sight to remember forever!
Myrdal mountain station is 867 metres above sea level and home to some of the most spectacular natural scenery you will ever see. If you want to disembark at one of the smaller stations between Bergen and Myrdal, such as Kolve or Upsete, you have to request the conductor to stop the train, otherwise you’ll miss your stop!
We arrived in Myrdal, the upper point of the Flåm railway (it is inaccessible by road) at 10.51 AM. In less than 6 minutes, we changed trains and took the Flåmsbana Railway (Flåm Line), probably the world’s most beautiful train journey, to go to Flåm. The Flåm Line train is just on the opposite platform so the transit time is absolutely perfect.
From Myrdal, the train descends into the valley of Flåmsdalen. It stops for about 5 minutes at the waterfall Kjosfossen. However the waterfall was obviously frozen in April.
The journey was so spectacular. The view of Myrdal mountain station and tunnels from the train as the train descends in the valley.
Finally we reached Flåm at the scheduled time of 11.55 AM (these Norwegians are super-punctual I tell you!). The railway station, boat deck and bus stand are right next to each other.
The boat we had booked at Sognefjord to take us back to Bergen was only at 3.30 in the afternoon, so we had some 3.5 hours to spend. However we decided to just spend time in Flåm because we had already soaked in lots of amazing views on the train ride and wanted to rest for a while. You can do the same or you can take the noon bus to Stegastien Viewpoint, an unforgettable sightseeing trip that juts out 30 metres from the mountainside and hangs 650 metres above the fjord.
Flåm is small village surrounded by tall mountains and there a 3 restaurants, 4 souvenir stores and 4-5 hotels.
When we left the train station in Flåm, I saw a bench nearby that was calling my name. Come, rest awhile, it seemed to say. So I did! I did some seated and standing Yoga asanas as well! ☺
We then stepped into Furukoa Cafe for a leisurely lunch. The chef there, was used to requests for vegetarian pizza, nonetheless accommodated us and made us a wonderful vegetarian pizza with tomatoes and onions 🙂
After lunch we visited a few souvenir shops where I stocked up on I love Norway fridge magnets.
Finally we were ready to board the Norled AS ferry back to Bergen. This was an express boat that stops at many places including Leikanger, Balestrand and Larvik, gorgeous small villages on the Sognefjord, Norway’s longest and deepest fjord (aka The King of the Fjords).
The views as we leave the tiny village behind us . The city dweller that I was got very upset as I left the place.
The cruise is an extensive cruise on the Sognefjord with stops at small fjord villages of Balestrand, Leikanger. It has amazing mountain scenery.
The cutely tucked Balestrand
The famous statue of Fridtjov, Vangsnes
We were scheduled to reach Bergen at 8.45 PM but another Norled ferry broke down nearby and all of its passengers were transferred to our boat, which delayed us by 30 minutes.
We disembarked at Bergen and went straight to our hotel where we crashed for the night without even eating dinner. We were so tired but a day worth all the fatigue.
Good job documenting the trip. Would be useful when planning a tei