Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
or bus, or 20 minutes by boat), I've also listed attractions “Near Aurland,” be-
low.
▲▲▲Cruising Nærøyfjord
The most scenic fjord I've seen anywhere in Norway is about an hour from
Flåm (basically the last half of the 2-hour Flåm-Gudvangen trip). There are
several ways to cruise it: You can take the state-run ferry, described earlier as
part of the Norway in a Nutshell trip (4.5-hour round-trips departing Flåm in
peak season at 9:00, 11:00, and 13:20, 390 kr; these should also stop in Aur-
land—make sure the crew knows if you want to get off, and that the cruise
ends in Gudvangen). Or you can consider two other Flåm-based options:
Sognefjorden Sightseeing & Tours
—This private company runs trips from
Flåm toGudvangen andback toFlåm, usingtheir ownboats andbuses(rather
than the public ones on the “official” Nutshell route). If the Nutshell depar-
tures don't work for you, consider these trips as an alternative. Their main
offering, the World Heritage Cruise, is a boat trip up the Nærøyfjord with a
return by bus (335 kr, 2.5-3 hours, multiple departures daily mid-May-mid-
Sept). They also doavariation onthis trip with a45-minute stopinthe village
of Undredal for lunch and a goat-cheese tasting (630 kr, June-Aug only); a
bustripuptotheStalheimHotelfortheview(290kr,orcombinedwithreturn
from Gudvangen by boat for 510 kr); a bus ride up to the thrilling Stegastein
viewpoint (otherwise impossible to reach without a car, 190 kr, mid-May-
mid-Sept); and more. For details, drop by their office inside the Flåm train
station, call 57 66 00 55, or visit
www.visitflam.com/sognefjorden
.
▲▲FjordSafari to Nærøyfjord
—FjordSafari takes little groups out onto
the fjord in small, open Zodiac-type boats with an English-speaking guide.
Participants wear full-body weather suits, furry hats, and spacey goggles
(making everyone on the boat look like crash-test dummies). As the boat
rockets across the water, you'll be thankful for the gear, no matter what the
weather. You'll get the same scant information and stops as on the slow ferry,
except that Safari boats stop right under a towering rock cliff—a magnifi-
cent experience. Their two-hour Flåm-Gudvangen-Flåm tour focuses on the
Nærøyfjord,andgetsyouallthefjordmagnificenceyoucanimagine(590kr).
Their three-hour tour (700 kr) is the same as the two-hour tour, except that it
