One of many issues we had been actually trying ahead to on our motorhome vacation in Norway was using on the Flamsbana railway, a prepare trip up into the Norwegian mountains, which in 2014 was voted probably the most stunning prepare trip on the earth! Can it reside as much as the hype? We determined to seek out out for ourselves.
Firstly, an necessary point- it’s pronounced FlOm, not FlAm- the little å makes it into an ‘O’ sound- though the Norwegian girl was very well mannered when she corrected us! 🙂
Watch the video of us using the Flam Railway- probably the most stunning prepare journey on the earth!!
See for your self the great thing about the Flam railway, the waterfall, and what we REALLY thought of probably the most stunning prepare journey on the earth! Don’t overlook to comply with us on Youtube!
Are you able to go to the Flamsbana Railway in a Motorhome?
Completely! There’s a giant automotive park a few 3-minute stroll away with a great deal of parking for motorhomes and automobiles. We parked a motorhome & trailer with none subject. It’s fairly nicely signed as you drive in and there’s room to reverse into areas and many others. We arrived within the afternoon after spending the morning on the waterfall you may stroll behind and there was loads of room, which actually we had been stunned at.
You can’t keep in a single day on the parking space, however there’s a motorhome campsite proper subsequent to it, which we thought of staying at. The campsite is tiered, so that you get a view from just about each pitch. Nevertheless, we went into the campsite and politely requested if we might purchase some water as there are only a few Motorhome service factors alongside this stretch of highway. The person on the desk was extremely rude- informing us we might solely get water if “we paid for the night time; whether or not we selected to remain there or not was as much as us” – his phrases, not mine!
I don’t know what number of occasions they get requested the identical query, but it surely was the primary and solely impolite Norwegian we discovered. Unusually sufficient, we determined to not stay- and as a substitute discovered presumably the BEST campsite in Norway about an hour down the road- nicely well worth the drive!
The handle for Flam is: A-Feltvegen 11, 5742 FLAM, Norway
E-book tickets for Flamsbana Railway- How a lot are tickets?
We didn’t guide our tickets prematurely as we weren’t certain once we had been going to get to the Flåm railway. 30 miles in Norway can take 2 hours relying on the highway and the ferries you want to take to get there. With this in thoughts, we turned up undecided if we’d be capable to get tickets or not- taking into account it’s August, proper in the course of the Faculty Holidays and peak vacationer season.
Because it occurred, we walked into the ticket workplace and straight as much as the desk- no queue in any respect. There was a prepare leaving in 5 minutes which we had been in a position to get tickets for- how fortunate was that!
Tickets value 550NOK (about £55) per grownup and 274 NOK (£27) for youngsters as much as 15. Yep- Norway is pricey to go to and this attraction isn’t low-cost!
I consider kids beneath 4 are free. Canines are allowed on leads. You too can get a single ticket up, rent mountain bikes on the prime and cycle again down, which we noticed many individuals doing. It regarded like fun- besides the final time I obtained on a mountain bike I broke my arm…!! You’ll be able to take your individual bicycles on the prepare after which trip again down when you desire.
Trains go roughly each 90 minutes and so they run precisely on time as they should depart on the similar time the opposite prepare leaves from the highest. Updated ticket costs and timetable will be discovered HERE
Flam railway tickets- what to do subsequent!
After you have your tickets, proceed to the railway station, the place a guard will verify them and allow you to on to the platform. There are two ready areas if you want to anticipate a train- one is a tour space and one is for everybody else. When the prepare arrives and you’re allowed on, decide your seats. As we had been late, most seats had already gone and we struggled to seek out two collectively. We walked the size of the train- so far as we might. The entrance finish of the prepare is reserved for tour teams, so you may’t go all the way in which ahead.
We ended up sitting as near a door as doable and standing within the entrance space for a lot of the journey, which labored very well as we might transfer back and forth and take pictures by the partly opening window within the door.
Is there actually preventing over seats?
There are tales on-line of fights taking place within the prepare over seats. We didn’t see any of this at all- however we did see a tour group working down the platform. I feel they had been late and had been instructed to rush up, however maybe they had been racing to get the very best seats?!?!
Which aspect is best?
In my view, the aspect with the higher views is the aspect closest to the platform as you enter the prepare in Flåm. Ideally, you wish to sit subsequent to an OPENING window- they don’t all open, however your pictures will look loads higher when you don’t take them by glass. Count on folks to face up and lean over you to take photos- it’s all a part of the trip!
Folks do get off on the prime, so it’s doable to do one aspect up and the opposite aspect down… however folks seize seats on the prime VERY quickly- so be ready to maneuver quick.
The prepare goes from Flåm as much as Myrdal and again down once more. It rises 865m and the gradient averages 5.5% by 20 tunnels- a few of which final a minute or two. It runs just about day by day of the 12 months – within the snow it seems very fairly however there’s no heating on board so wrap warmly!! The whole journey up and again lasts about 2 hours, with a 15 minute (ish) cease on the prime in Myrdal.
Driving the Flåm railway
Okay, unhealthy information for all tinnitus victims (like Mr WB sadly)- this prepare is loud! And the brakes screech at simply the unsuitable pitch to set off the tinnitus. It did get higher as we went additional up the mountain (which is bizarre; certainly they’d use the brakes extra???) however the first 5 minutes had been fairly robust for him.
It’s crowded, however not unbearably so. There was room to sit down and have a sandwich- I might extremely advocate taking your individual meals with you as there are not any refreshments onboard. There are bathrooms, which had been extremely clear, regardless of it being on the finish of the afternoon.
Preserve your tickets handy because the guard does come to examine them. Additionally, regulate the display above and the audio commentary, which is in English. The commentary solely performs on the way in which up and is filled with helpful details about what you’re seeing and which aspect of the prepare to look.
The Flamsbana Railway Waterfall- Kjosfossen
On the way in which up (and down!) you cross Kjosfossen Waterfall, which is a ravishing waterfall midway up the mountain. Prime tip- the waterfall is on the OPPOSITE aspect from the Flåm platform, and the prepare stops for about 5 minutes so everybody can get off and benefit from the waterfall. Because the prepare involves a cease, head for the door and when you’re actually fast, you may get a photograph of you and the waterfall with out anybody else there!
In any other case it seems like this:
Kjosfossen is among the most visited vacationer points of interest in Norway and falls about 225m (738ft.) This waterfall truly runs an influence station which is what powers the Flåm railway.
In the course of the cease, you’ll hear music enjoying. Look to the precise of Kjosfossen waterfall and also you’ll see a lady dancing- making an attempt to lure the lads into the mountain to their sure doom. It was enjoyable to look at this- definitely completely different from the opposite prepare journeys we’ve loved! Watch the video if you wish to hear/ see the loopy girl dancing!!
Is it probably the most stunning prepare journey on the earth?
In 2014, Lonely Planet journal named this prepare journey the very best prepare journey on the earth! It’s definitely fairly, there’s no denying that. However is it probably the most stunning prepare trip on the earth? I feel it relies upon fully on the way you’re travelling round Norway.
Should you’re on a cruise or simply flying into the nation for just a few days, we’d advocate the journey as you get to see the great thing about the Norwegian mountains and a really spectacular waterfall. Having stated that, if it’s raining, I wouldn’t hassle as you received’t see a lot.
Should you’re travelling by van/ bike/ every other automobile and have due to this fact seen many unbelievable views alongside the roads, you received’t discover the prepare journey as spectacular as marketed. Heck, we expect the highway to get to Flam had simply as many unbelievable views- and so they had been free! So for us, it wasn’t well worth the £55/ per individual payment.
However we did get to see Kjosfossen, which was positively spectacular and we did get to benefit from the surroundings from a unique viewpoint apart from the motorhome, so there are positively professionals and cons to the journey. However once more, I wouldn’t hassle doing it within the rain- save your cash. We had sunshine on the way in which up and rain on the way in which down- the distinction was startling!
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I hope that’s given you an excellent perception into the Flamsbana railway and our expertise of using it. Have you ever ever ridden the Flåm railway? Do you wish to? Let me know what you assume within the remark beneath.
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