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Flaam Train- Book through Ship or On Own?

Rbel4

By Rbel4,
in Northern Europe & Baltic Sea

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TLCOhio "Live from...." Rare

TLCOhio

Posted
Posted
Has anyone heard of the ship prebuying all the tickets? A search on http://www.flambooking.com/booking.aspx for our date show that the 11.00 and the 12.20 have no availablity (we don't arrive until 10.30) and also for the return journey down at 14.43 and 15.59. Fishy?

 

It might not be "fishy" as you are correct that a large chunk of seats could have been pre-booked for the already-scheduled ships in port that day. That's part of the challenge for this small port with only one key attraction/activity.

 

As noted earlier, that's why we booked through the ship. It cost us a little more, but then we didn't have to worry, deal with any lines waiting to get tickets, take any risks if the ship got in later than scheduled, etc.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 55,869 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 56,331 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

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gosport11

gosport11

Posted
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We got our tickets at Stavanger station a few days before for the 1st train out,that way we were one of the 1st on board so securing the window seats,we made a possible mistake by getting of at the top and catching the next train back it was full with very few seats if we had stayed on we would have kept our seats

 

There were 2 carriages at least for tours ,also a lot of coaches turned up

The little musem is worth a look at if you get time

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sddsddean

sddsddean

Posted
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We got our tickets at Stavanger station a few days before for the 1st train out,that way we were one of the 1st on board so securing the window seats,we made a possible mistake by getting of at the top and catching the next train back it was full with very few seats if we had stayed on we would have kept our seats

 

There were 2 carriages at least for tours ,also a lot of coaches turned up

The little musem is worth a look at if you get time

 

Are you implying then that a lot of people come up on the train, stay on it and go straight back down again?

 

Simon

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gosport11

gosport11

Posted
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Yes they do,the station at the top is not that attractive its an interchange with the normal trains to the rest of norway,it has a small cafe and some loos,if you want you can walk all the way back down but its a serious hike,some of the ships tours will get off before the top and have coffee n waffles at a hotel

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TLCOhio "Live from...." Rare

TLCOhio

Posted
Posted
some of the ships tours will get off before the top and have coffee n waffles at a hotel

 

YES! On our cruise ship trip up, we stopped, got off at the hotel, spent time there, had waffles and coffee, etc. It's not "super great" up there, but nice enough. We hike around in several directions, had some very nice views, saw a pleasant hotel, etc. Below are a couple more photos to give folks a better idea for their options there.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 56,048 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 56,331 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

Appreciate those who have “tuned in” for these two posts. Don’t be shy and feel free to comment and/or ask any questions of interest.

 

 

Here’s the Vatnahalsen Hotell that we did during our morning visit to Flam, riding the railroad there, etc. Note their spelling for Hotell. Below is the interior for the small, charming hotel and dining place.:

 

FlamMainVatHotelBldg.jpg

 

 

FlamHotelInside.jpg

 

 

This is the Flam railroad car with information on its twenty tunnels. The second picture is where the train stops inside a tunnel to see a nearby, spectacular waterfall along the rail tracks.:

 

FlamTrainCars.jpg

 

 

FlamTrainInTunnel.jpg

 

 

After visiting Flam, here are some more samples of the spectacular Sognerfjord as sailed to our afternoon in nearby Gudvangen.:

 

FjordMntskyView.jpg

 

 

FjordMntWfallFarmView.jpg

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TLCOhio "Live from...." Rare

TLCOhio

Posted
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A real train trip to nowhere then! I think I'd still get out and stretch my legs though. Simon

 

I know, Simon, you're kind of kidding, but that "NOWHERE" is far from being that. It's like being up in "HEAVEN"!! There are some super great view up at the top around near the hotel. Walking around really gives you a chance to "soak it up" and capture the great sights. Really wonderful!! Can share more of my photo evidence for any doubters, if needed.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 56,048 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 56,331 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

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little britain "Live from...." Rare

little britain

Posted
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Sorry to resurrect such an old thread but it has some great discussion on the Flam railroad. I have been agonizing over some of the same issues discussed above. We arrive at 7:00 and it will be a tender port, 30 minutes later the Crown Princess will arrive with over 3,600 passengers :eek:. Based on my research I have multiple options

 

1. Just get off the ship and get in line and assuming we get a ticket it cost about $49/pp (two adults, one child).

2. Purchase the HAL excursion @ $144/pp

3. Pre-purchase the tickets via Rail Europe at $90/pp and have tickets in hand when we get off the ship.

4. Pre-purchase via NSB @ $71/pp but still have the line to pick them up at the station.

5. Purchase the tickets in Bergen where we will stop a few days before, not sure which price this would be, either the NSB or the Flamsbana price.

 

So by bringing this thread back to life I was wondering if anyone had any updated info that will help in my decision. The reason Rail Europe and NSB are so much more is that Rail Europe does not give the child or round trip discount (it wants to book two one way tickets even though I select RT) and NSB also does not give the RT discount (but does give the child discount). #1, 2 and 4 are not any good so I am down to #3 or 5. My fear with #5 is that with so many people there that there might not be any tickets to get in the time slot we want by the time we get to Bergen.

 

Thoughts?

 

Kirk

If you go for opt #3 and have tickets in hand, are they for a certain train time? If not how do you guarantee you are going to get on and get a seat?

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andersj

andersj

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I have looked at their webside, and it says that there are no seat reservations.

 

I work at the danish national railway company, and i can check out our prices for the Flam-Myrdal train in one of the upcoming days. Maby it's cheeper to buy them in Denmark/Copenhagen than in Norway :)

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KirkNC

KirkNC

Posted
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If you go for opt #3 and have tickets in hand, are they for a certain train time? If not how do you guarantee you are going to get on and get a seat?

 

We did do #3, we were the first in line for the first train. There is no assigned seating, the only restriction was some cars were reserved for the ships tour. If you have your tickets you do not need to wait in the line inside the station, just go get in line at the train. One thing I was nervous about with RailEurope tickets were they gave a one month time period that they were good for but no problem, the conductor just stamped them and we were off. Too bad it was somewhat over cast:mad:.

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  • 11 months later...
PC168

PC168

Posted
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If we don't join the ship's tour (kinda expensive) and hoping that we can get the train tickets our own at the station. What if we can't get the tickets and they all sold out when we get there. What can we do in Flaam? Is there any trials that we can hike? Is there any map that are available? Trying to prepare plan B.

 

Thanks.

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Mairnealach

Mairnealach

Posted
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If we don't join the ship's tour (kinda expensive) and hoping that we can get the train tickets our own at the station. What if we can't get the tickets and they all sold out when we get there. What can we do in Flaam? Is there any trials that we can hike? Is there any map that are available? Trying to prepare plan B.

 

Hi,

 

The Visit Flåm website has details of walking trails:

 

http://www.visitflam.com/media/brochures-publications/

 

Even if a train is shown as fully booked on the railway's website, there are always some tickets kept back for purchase at the booking office in Flåm on the day of travel. The booking office opens at 08:15 and is 100 metres from the berth. Get there early as the queue grows rapidly when a ship is in port.

 

The railway museum (free admission) is worth a visit:

 

http://www.visitflam.com/flam-railway-museum/

 

as is the Ǽgir Brewery:

 

http://www.flamsbrygga.no/en/aegir-brewery/

 

Their prices, as is true for alcohol everywhere in Norway, will ensure that you do not over-indulge in the product.

 

The scenery on the approach to Flåm is awe inspiring, so do try to be up early to appreciate it. Enjoy your visit.

 

Dermot

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Mairnealach

Mairnealach

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Should we spend time at the top or just come right back down?

 

When we took the train last July, and we bought our tickets at the booking office on the day, we stayed on the train at the summit and came down on the next departure. We then returned to the ship and had lunch on board; a sensible decision given the price of food and drink in Norway. Then we rambled around Flåm and visited the railway museum before ending up in the Ǽgir Brewery. The price of a large glass of beer (the equivalent of a pint) and a half glass came to €23! We did not order refills.

 

Dermot

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Mairnealach

Mairnealach

Posted
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Do you think it matters what side of the train you sit on?

 

Based on advice given in this forum, we sat on the right hand side facing the direction of travel going up. We then crossed over to the opposite side for the descent. Try to get to the platform entrance as early as possible in order to snag a window seat.

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aussie cruzer

aussie cruzer

Posted
Posted
If we don't join the ship's tour (kinda expensive) and hoping that we can get the train tickets our own at the station. What if we can't get the tickets and they all sold out when we get there. What can we do in Flaam? Is there any trials that we can hike? Is there any map that are available? Trying to prepare plan B.

 

Thanks.

 

 

You can pre book on your own three months before.

 

http://www.nsb.no/frontpage/

 

Or you can get a group discount of 10 % if you book minimum 10 seats....ideal if you have large roll call.

 

Pay on the day of arrival

 

https://www.flambooking.com/booking.aspx

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