Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
club. An extensive buffet is served every night; lunches are less elaborate, with
brasserie-style meals. Sports such as water-skiing, windsurfing, and fjord fishing
can be arranged, as can helicopter flights to the Jostedal Glacier, for a fee of
700NOK to 800NOK ($100-$114).
Balholm, N-6898 Balestrand.
&
57-69-42-00.
Fax 57-69-42-01. www.kviknes.no. 210 units. 1,360NOK
($193) double; 1,560NOK ($222) suite. Rates include breakfast. AE, DC, MC, V. Free parking. Closed Oct-Apr.
Amenities:
Restaurant; bar; fitness center; Jacuzzi; sauna; 24-hr. room service; babysitting; laundry serv-
ice/dry cleaning; nonsmoking rooms; rooms for those w/limited mobility. In room: TV, hair dryer.
8 Flåm: Stopover on Europe's Most Scenic Train Ride
¡
96km (60 miles) SE of Balestrand; 165km (103 miles) E of Bergen; 131km (81 miles) E of Voss
Flåm (pronounced “Flawm”) lies on the Aurlandsfjord, a tip of the more famous
Sognefjord. In the village you can visit the old church (1667), with painted walls
done in typical Norwegian country style.
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE
By
car
from Balestrand, take Route 55 east along the
Sognefjord, crossing the fjord by ferry at Dragsvik and by bridge at Sogndal. At
Sogndal, drive east to Kaupanger, where you'll cross the Ardalsfjord by ferry, and
head south to Revsnes. In Revsnes, pick up Route 11 heading southeast. Drive
east until you connect with a secondary road heading southwest through Kvigno
and Aurland. From Aurland, take Route 601 southwest to Flåm. The whole trip
takes 2 to 3 hours, depending on weather and road conditions.
The best and most exciting way to approach Flåm is aboard the
electric train
from Myrdal
, which connects with trains from Bergen and Oslo. There
are no railway lines of this adhesion type anywhere in the world steeper than the
Flåm Railway. The gradient is 55/1,000 on almost 80% of the line (i.e., a gra-
dient of 1 in 18). The twisting tunnels that spiral in and out of the mountain
are manifestations of the most daring and skillful engineering in Norwegian rail-
way history. The electric train follows a 19km (12-mile) route overlooking an
883m (2,900-ft.) drop, stopping occasionally for passengers to photograph spec-
tacular waterfalls. The trip takes 50 minutes. In winter about four or five trains
a day make the run to Flåm. In summer, depending on business, service begins
at 7:40am and runs throughout the day. Tickets must be purchased in advance.
The one-way fare from Myrdal to Flåm is 125NOK ($18).
Bus travel is less convenient. One
bus
a day Monday to Saturday runs
between Aurland and Flåm. The trip takes 30 minutes.
From May to September, two
ferries
per day cross the fjord between Aurland
and Flåm. The trip takes 30 minutes.
Flåm can also be reached by high-speed
express boats
from Bergen,
Balestrand (p. 309), and Leikanger. The boats carry passengers only. In Bergen,
call
Fylkesbaatane
(
&
55-90-70-70;
www.fjord1.no/fylkesbaatane); the one-
way trip costs 550NOK ($78).
VISITOR INFORMATION
The
tourist office
(
&
57-63-21-06
), near the
railroad station, will rent bikes for 100NOK ($14). It's open May to September
daily from 8:30am to 8:30pm. Also click on www.visitflam.com for information.
SEEING THE SIGHTS
Flåm is an excellent starting point for car or boat excursions to other well-known
centers on the
Sognefjord,
Europe's longest and deepest fjord. Worth exploring
are two of the wildest and most beautiful fingers of the Sognefjord: the
