AUGUST 2025

When we shared that we would go on a roadtrip in Norway, lots of people recommended the Flam railway to me. Flamsbana is often named as the most beautiful train ride in the world, so this must be something you cannot miss? It turned out to be the only disappointing activity we did in Norway. In this blogpost I will share why this activity was a letdown, whether you should take the Flam train ride at all and what to do instead.

Why Flamsbana disappointed us

Flamsbana comes at a stellar price, with round trip tickets costing € 50 per person, so is it really worth the price? The trainride takes about 1 hour from Flam to Myrdal, you take the same route back. Tickets often sell out, so we booked them a few days in advance, which meant our schedule wasn’t flexible anymore. The train itself is quite beautiful, with a historical wooden look. However, not all windows open up and the windows were quite dirty. What disappointed us most is that you spend a great part of your time inside tunnels. While it is definitely impressive that these tunnels were built between 1930 and 1940, they really ruined the views along the way. The train does one stop at a beautiful waterfall at which you are allowed to leave the train for a few minutes. However, this means that it is incredibly crowded at the waterfall and not enjoyable at all. On top of this, you are surprised with a weird show of a woman dancing next to the waterfall. After one hour you will arrive at Myrdal, where there is nothing to do or see and you are expected to be back in the train in ten minutes again. Just an incredibly weird experience. You will definitely have some pretty views along they way, but I did find it overrated. 

When should you take the Flam Railway? 

Besides our disappointment, there are some circumstances in which it can be fun to take the Flam Railway: 

• If you do not have a car for your Norway trip and are not spoiled with pretty views every day
• As a combination ticket with the Flam zipline, find information here
• If you are a train or enigineering geek

What to do instead

After our experience at Flamsbana, we stayed an afternoon at a beach just outside of the center of Flam. If you walk in the direction of Flam Marina you will quickly see a little beach, with red cottages in the background. This is a free public beach, which hardly attracts visitors. It offers a private bathing experience with gorgeous views over the Aurlandsfjord. It was very quiet and serene and we loved spending time here! Behind this beach you can find the The Fjord Farm in Flåm, where you can do local food tastings. It seemed like such a hidden gem, you can check the opening hours here.