Features
Fjord and Mountain Line
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Fjord and Mountain Line
Most visitors to Norway go to the western fjords at some time during their stay. Even if your time is limited you can still
make the famous “Norway in a nutshell” journey by train, bus and boat (year-round). The trip takes you from Oslo to the Sognefjord
via the well-known Flåmsbana (Flåm Railway). Some people make the round trip from Oslo in a day, but an alternative is to
take an early train from Oslo to Bergen, from where you can catch the fast coastal ferry into the Sognefjord.
From Balestrand, a final boat trip takes you to the very end of Sognefjord. Flåm (pronounced Flum) is not a traditional fjord
village, but it caters to bus and car parking, and the many traveling tourists. The famous Flåm to Myrdal railroad is the
reason for it all. The stylish train, with its comfortable quarters, takes 50 minutes to travel 121/2 miles along the valley
floor behind Flåm. It climbs steadily through spectacular scenery to the head of the valley, where the track rises through
a series of S-bends, protected in places by snow shelters. Finally, the train reaches the plateau and the Myrdal railroad
station, where you connect with the Oslo train for the last leg (5 hours) of one of the world's great round trips.
You can arrange this tour yourself through Norwegian State Railways, NSB (PHONE: 81 50 08 88, then dial 4 for an English-speaking
operator URL: www.nsb.no), or in the United States. through Rail Europe (PHONE: 800 438-7245), or contact Fjord Tours (PHONE:
81 56 82 22 URL: www.fjordtours.no) for details about organized tours.
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