Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Flam Railroad

HermmyGranger
 Share

Recommended Posts

  • 2 months later...
averyjenn

averyjenn

Posted
Posted
On 9/17/2023 at 2:57 PM, fabnfortysomething said:

I have copied and pasted our privately organised train trip in Flam a few years ago

 

we had from meet and greet had put together 2 private groups for 12.20 and 1.35pm Flam railway -29 people on each and at a cost of $59each. In contrast the NCL excursion on the same train was $169!

OK now lets be fair about this the NCL tour also offered coffee/tea and homemade Norwegian waffles with sour cream and jam at the hotel Vatnahalsen which is the penultimate stop-all I can say is expensive waffles-more on that later.

We were on the 1.35 train and due to meet   at 1pm outside the train station.

We had a leisurely morning and lunch then armed with waterproofs and umbrella we set off the ship and explored all the town had to offer.

2 minutes later we found the train station and found an overhang to keep dry until the rest of our party turned up.

A large group  wearing NCL stickers were herded past us and lined up on the platform to await the train and their reserved carriages. In contrast we stayed dry until time to board.

 

 

The train pulled up and disgorged its previous passengers and we boarded as a group our reserved carriage. There were 12 carriages altogether and we were in coach 8-this turned out to be a brilliant coach as will be described later.

 

The audioguide on the train described the history of the Flam railway and its construction as we wound our way up the mountain with some spectacular views. From 0m to 866m over a distance of 20 kilometres and 7 stations.

The line is single track apart from a siding at a short stretch mid way at Berekvam where we had to wait for the downhill train so points could be changed-we were waiting 10 minutes which would have an unfortunate consequence for the NCL group who’d been on the earlier train.

There was a 5 minute stop at Kjos-fossen waterfall at 670m where you could get off the train to take photos from the viewing platform-we pulled up directly opposite the falls . I got off  and realised how ideally placed carriage 8 was as the viewing platform was only 2 carriageways wide.Most of the train would be in blackout in the tunnel

 

We set off again and were now definitely at snow level ie lumps of ice.

Through some tunnels the audioguide promised spectacular views through a gap in the tunnel. There were groans and then laughter as we realised we were in thick cloud and couldn’t see a thing!

At Vatnahalsen we paused and saw a large group of wet and cold looking people with NCL stickers huddling around the station platform hardly visible for cloud/fog and with piles of snow and ice everywhere. The people on the 1.35 excursion got off to get their waffles ,look around at the scenery[what scenery] and would get the next train back in an hour. So these people on the platform were those from the 12.20 train who would catch our train on the return.

The operative word being the return! The conductor wouldn’t allow them to board saying we had to complete journey to the top and would pick them up as we were coming back down. The 10 minutes we had to wait for the downhill train meant we were running 10 minutes late.

 

We set off for the final stop at Myrdal 866m above sea level. As the train was running late the usual 10 minute stopover was being reduced and anyway it was still cold and foggy out there. A few hardy souls jumped off to get a couple of lungfuls of nicotine before the return journey to pick up those frozen miserable NCL excursionists!

 

Back at the waterfall we again pulled up directly opposite the falls and this time I caught the dancing “maiden” Again conjecture was is it male or female? .

We had a group photo taken outside the train which was a bit hurried as was still raining but we all agreed a fantastic day .

 

 

Could you tell me what the private tour was - the name of the company. That sounds amazing!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
hallasm

hallasm

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, averyjenn said:

Could you tell me what the private tour was - the name of the company. That sounds amazing!

They are the same trains and the same tour whether you buy tickets yourself or buy an excursion from the cruise ship. The only difference is that certain cruise excursions include waffles at the Hotel Vatnahalsen. Waffles are also available at the café in Flåm.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
gnome12 Excellent Advice! Rare

gnome12

Posted
Posted
On 9/13/2023 at 11:59 AM, cruisemom42 said:

 

Does anyone know when the schedule (and tickets) for 2024 become available?

@cruisemom42 Return tickets are now available on norwaysbest.com through to December 14 2024. (Norway's best only sells return tickets; one way tickets are available from vy.no but only 120 days out.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mikamarii

Mikamarii

Posted
Posted

Has anyone done the zipline/bikeride back?

 

We are in Flåm in August from 1030am to 830pm as part of our arctic circle cruise. Timeline looks very doable if we book a train ticket for about 1130-1230. 

 

Does the bike ride include a helmet? Website doesnt say. Do they allow you to bring a small backpack with a waterbottle or something. 18km is a long time without proper hydration!

 

Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
Shiba_Lover Great Review Rare

Shiba_Lover

Posted
Posted

I am planning to book tickets myself rather than a ship excursion.  We are going in July.  It looks like I can book roundtrip from Flam to Myrdal or I could also go from Flam to Vatnahalsen.  I would like to get out of the train and have a bit of a walk around, then get back on the train and head back to Flam.  Does anyone know which is better?  I am thinking Vatnahalsen.  It seems that Myrdal is just an out/back without time to get out of the train.  And if correct, then I am thinking I purchase on vy.no and I can do so about 60 days in advance???  Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
hallasm

hallasm

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Shiba_Lover said:

I am planning to book tickets myself rather than a ship excursion.  We are going in July.  It looks like I can book roundtrip from Flam to Myrdal or I could also go from Flam to Vatnahalsen.  I would like to get out of the train and have a bit of a walk around, then get back on the train and head back to Flam.  Does anyone know which is better?  I am thinking Vatnahalsen.  It seems that Myrdal is just an out/back without time to get out of the train.  And if correct, then I am thinking I purchase on vy.no and I can do so about 60 days in advance???  Thanks!

Booking at Vy.no will likely be more expensive than Norways Best.

Myrdal is only a station located in the mountains.

You can book one way to Vatnahalsen and walk back to Flåm  - 20 km and 4 to 5 hours. If you buy a return to Flåm you can leave the train in Vatnahalsen and enter again when it’s returning to Flåm 20 minutes later.

take the train to Myrdal and back and plan for hiking in Flåm - Link to hiking map

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Shiba_Lover Great Review Rare

Shiba_Lover

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, hallasm said:

Booking at Vy.no will likely be more expensive than Norways Best.

Myrdal is only a station located in the mountains.

You can book one way to Vatnahalsen and walk back to Flåm  - 20 km and 4 to 5 hours. If you buy a return to Flåm you can leave the train in Vatnahalsen and enter again when it’s returning to Flåm 20 minutes later.

take the train to Myrdal and back and plan for hiking in Flåm - Link to hiking map

Thank you.  I have also seen a post where you (I think it was you) suggested biking down.  We may opt for that.  My husband is a big mountain bike rider, and I think he would enjoy that as well.  I think we rent the bikes in Myrdal???  This is the last stop to figure out 🙂  We have sea kayaking, a bird safari and so much else planned.  Only this one stop remains!  We have 2 back to back Norway cruises, and the only overlap stop is Flam.  First time in Flam, we do the sea kayaking around Naerøyfjord, then we will do the railway on the second cruise when we stop in Flam. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 3 months later...
mkaalong

mkaalong

Posted
Posted
On 8/29/2023 at 3:23 AM, hallasm said:

It is a perfect excursion for someone with walking difficulties.
Book a departure so you have plenty of time - check whether it's a tender or dock.Be at the train half an hour before departure.
Some ship's excursions involve an additional walking- book a round trip from Flåm to Myrdal at Norways Best. Book well in advance as the trains sell out. 

Hello!  This might seem like a silly question, but how can you tell if you will be a tender or a dock port?  I've looked on our cruise info and can't find it  🙂

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kaisatsu

kaisatsu

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, mkaalong said:

Hello!  This might seem like a silly question, but how can you tell if you will be a tender or a dock port?  I've looked on our cruise info and can't find it  🙂

It’s on the port schedule (but is subject to change):
https://www.flamport.no/ship-arrivals2021
“Kai” = docked

”Anker” = tender

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
hallasm

hallasm

Posted
Posted
20 minutes ago, kaisatsu said:

It’s on the port schedule (but is subject to change):
https://www.flamport.no/ship-arrivals2021
“Kai” = docked

”Anker” = tender

Yes, that information was previously available in the Flåm port of call list, as was the case in 2023 - however, I cannot find that information in the port of call list for 2024.
 

some Cruise Lines will include the information in The Cruise docs

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Hezu

Hezu

Posted
Posted
12 hours ago, hallasm said:

Yes, that information was previously available in the Flåm port of call list, as was the case in 2023 - however, I cannot find that information in the port of call list for 2024.
 

some Cruise Lines will include the information in The Cruise docs

Flåm port cruise ship arrivals list for 2024-2025 indeed does not seem to include the information whether ships dock or anchor, but I presume that the list could at least help to determine if there is more than one cruise in port and I presume that tendering is only needed when there is more than one ship in port on same day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
kaisatsu

kaisatsu

Posted
Posted (edited)

Sorry about that! I didn't realize that I'd copied an old link! 🤦‍♀️

 

I took a look at the website, and it looks like it still has the problem that the dates and times get converted to your local time zone instead of showing the actual port times. They told me they'd fixed that, but I think they just made the problem worse (i.e. now it changes the times, not just the dates).

 

However, poking around a bit, it seems you can actually access the full port schedule from https://api.flamport.no/Open/  Unfortunately they show all the ships as tendering, so I guess that data is still missing.

Edited by kaisatsu
Link to comment
Share on other sites
gnome12 Excellent Advice! Rare

gnome12

Posted
Posted
14 minutes ago, kaisatsu said:

Sorry about that! I didn't realize that I'd copied an old link! 🤦‍♀️

 

I took a look at the website, and it looks like it still has the problem that the dates and times get converted to your local time zone instead of showing the actual port times. They told me they'd fixed that, but I think they just made the problem worse (i.e. now it changes the times, not just the dates).

 

However, poking around a bit, it seems you can actually access the full port schedule from https://api.flamport.no/Open/  Unfortunately they show all the ships as tendering, so I guess that data is still missing.

We will be the smallest of 3 ships in port on arrival in Flåm on June 26. Does anyone have any guess which one might be docked?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
cruz.n.carebear

cruz.n.carebear

Posted
Posted

We are a group of 12 (11 adults and 1 4-yr old) going to Flam in August.  I just checked the day that we will be there, and on Norways Best all time slots are sold out except for an 8:25am departure.  We are on the MSC Euribia, and our arrival time is 8am.  Do you think that's possible to make?  If not, are there any other suggestions for our group?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
BuckeyeMark

BuckeyeMark

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, cruz.n.carebear said:

We are a group of 12 (11 adults and 1 4-yr old) going to Flam in August.  I just checked the day that we will be there, and on Norways Best all time slots are sold out except for an 8:25am departure.  We are on the MSC Euribia, and our arrival time is 8am.  Do you think that's possible to make?  If not, are there any other suggestions for our group?

I'll be there in May and can give you a report but my guess is no. Keep checking - slots will open up. I don't know if they add more cars or people on the cruise excursions cancel when their final payment is due and they decide not to go on the cruise but keep trying.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ericosmith

ericosmith

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, cruz.n.carebear said:

We are a group of 12 (11 adults and 1 4-yr old) going to Flam in August.  I just checked the day that we will be there, and on Norways Best all time slots are sold out except for an 8:25am departure.  We are on the MSC Euribia, and our arrival time is 8am.  Do you think that's possible to make?  If not, are there any other suggestions for our group?

At 90 days prior to your port arrival go to vy.no and see what's available there.  They had tickets available for my booking when Norway's Best was sold out except for that 8:25.  You'll likely have to buy two one way tickets.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites
kaisatsu

kaisatsu

Posted
Posted
18 hours ago, ericosmith said:

At 90 days prior to your port arrival go to vy.no and see what's available there.  They had tickets available for my booking when Norway's Best was sold out except for that 8:25.  You'll likely have to buy two one way tickets.

This is spot on. The Vy tickets are only available 90 days in advance, so set a reminder and check again at/around the 90-day mark. Note that some people have reported issues buying tickets on vy.no with a foreign bank card, and paying via PayPal is the typical alternative.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...