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We often think it’s too far, but it’s not. When you visit Bergen, you have the chance to visit some of Norway’s most beautiful fjords too.
Okay, it’s not right next door, but you’ve got one of the most beautiful regions in the country: Naeroyfjord and Flam.
The really good news is that to get to Flam, you’ve got plenty of options, even without a car. Flam is only about 3 hours away by train or bus, so you can easily make the round trip in a day. However, it would be a shame to go to Flam without passing through the sumptuous Naeroyfjord. Taking a cruise on this fjord is a must, so I’ll explain how to combine your visit to Flam with the Naeroyfjord.
Let’s get started!
From Bergen to Flam by boat
It’s new, it’s beautiful and it’s great: there’s a boat that links Bergen to Flam (and vice versa, of course). It operates from May 1 to September 30, every day.
- Bergen – Flam departs at 8 a.m.
- Flam – Bergen departs at 3.30pm
- The trip costs around 120€.
That lets you around 2h30 to discover Flam if you want to make the return trip during the day.
Well, I’m not sure that the time between the two boats is enough to make the return trip to Flam (arrival at 1:30 pm, the train leaves at 1:30 pm, a bit too ric rac). On the other hand, what could be really interesting is to sleep in Flam or Aurland, and leave by boat the next day.
Or you could arrive by boat, take the train from Flam to Myrdal and then take the train from Myrdal to Bergen. And off you go! Sounds pretty good!
We’ll take a look at the best options for a day trip below.
Bergen to Flam by train
Now that’s a really nice option. And frankly, it’s not too complicated and not too expensive. The Bergen – Flam train is super interesting:
- the journey takes between 3h15 and 3h45
- there’s a change at Myrdal, the famous Flam train station
- the journey is ultra-impressive
- there are several trains per day
- the first departure is at 7:30 a.m.
- prices start at 75€.
The cool thing is, if you want to make the return trip during the day, you’ve got plenty of options. Once in Flam, you can ..:
- Take the bus to Gudvangen and return by boat from Naeroyfjord (the most beautiful fjord in Norway for me).
- Visit the Viking village of Gudvangen
- Take the boat from Flam to Bergen, starting at 3:30 p.m.
You can book the train on vy.no, the Norwegian railway company’s website.
You can switch to English unless your level of Norwegian allows it, and then select Bergen – Flam. You’ll see all the train options, but also buses, as VY also runs a few bus routes in the area, and you can see that the shortest route is Bergen – Voss (bus) – Flam (train). 2h40 and 50€. Except that this route is less frequent than the train.
Bergen to Flam by bus
It’s not bad either. Practical, fast, not too expensive, but less impressive than the train or boat, it’s possible to connect Bergen and Flam by bus:
- the company running these buses is Nor-Way
- In the Bergen – Flam direction, there are 3 departures a day (8.30 a.m., 9.05 a.m., 3.20 p.m.).
- For Flam – Bergen, there are also 3 departures (9:30am, 3:05pm, 4:10pm).
- Journey time between 2h50 and 3h10
- Prices start at 268 NOK per trip (that’s fine!)
What’s cool about this is that you can take the first bus of the morning, arriving at 11:45am in Flam. Then we have time to take the train from Flam to Myrdal OR take a trip on Naeroyfjord (but not both) and catch the last train back to Bergen.
Bergen – Naeroyfjord – Flam – Back to Bergen
If you’d like to discover Naeroyfjord by taking a cruise on it and in addition doing the Flam train, here are a few possibilities, either booking everything or going through an agency
Option 1:
- Bus from Bergen to Gudvangen with Nor-Way
- departure 8:30 am, arrival 11:06 am
- price: 265 NOK
- Naeroyfjord cruise from Gudvangen to Flam
- departure 12pm, arrival 2pm
- price: 625 NOK
- Book here
- Arrive in Flam and explore the area
- Take the train Flam – Myrdal (change) – Bergen (779 NOK with vy.no)
- Departure 2:55 pm, arrival Myrdal 3:50 pm (9 minutes in Myrdal), arrival Bergen 6:16 pm
- Departure at 17:30, arrival in Myrdal at 18:25, arrival in Bergen at 21:16
- Depends on whether you want to stay in Flam for a long time or not
In the end, this option costs 1670 NOK if you book it yourself
Option 2: It’s a big day with lots of boats and trains. A great trip between fjords and mountains. Unlike the previous trip, you don’t have a bus (except for the 10-minute shuttle), but you do have a 5-hour boat ride. It’s a more expensive trip, but even better!
- Take the 5-hour boat trip from Bergen to Flam
- departure at 8 a.m., arrival in Flam at 1:30 p.m.
- cost €120
- book here
- Take the boat from Flam to Gudvangen (you’ll be repeating a part of the river you know, but continuing on to Naeroyfjord)
- departure at 3pm, arrival in Gudvangen at 5pm
- price from 625 NOK
- book here
- Take the shuttle bus from Gudvangen to Flam
- departure at 5:30pm, arrival at 5:50pm
- fare NOK 150
- book here
- Take the train from Flam – Myrdal – Bergen with vy.no
- departure at 6:45pm, arrival in Myrdal at 7:40pm (1:30am wait), arrival in Bergen at 11:15pm
- price 889 NOK
Option 3: This is the option if you don’t want to bother with reservations. There are agencies that take care of everything for you. Of course, it’s more expensive (about €100 more), but you have a guide and you don’t have to worry about anything. There are also breaks in villages and waterfalls, which can be interesting in themselves, just not cheap.
- Depart Bergen at 8am, return around 8pm.
- Tvindefossen and Kjosfossen waterfalls
- Tickets for the Naeroyfjord cruise
- Tickets for the Flam train
- And tickets for the return train Myrdal – Bergen
- Normally you’ll have some time in Gudvangen to visit the Viking village.
- Price approx. €310
- Information and booking
Well, to be honest, there are quite a few possibilities between the different modes of transport. You just have to pay attention to the timetable. But you can do all these activities on your own or with an agency without difficulty. It comes at a price, but frankly, it’s so beautiful!
4 recommended accomodations around Flam
Conclusion
Now I think you know everything! Getting from Bergen to Flam (and back, of course) is very easy. Train, bus, boat, car, it’s all possible. If you’re planning to make the return trip during the day, just be careful about the timetable if you’re planning to take both the boat and the train from Flam, so you don’t get back too late. But the best option would be to sleep on the spot to enjoy the place in peace and quiet. It’s an all-year-round trip, but especially so if you’re visiting this part of Norway in summer. Because the days are very long and the scenery is incredible (okay, it’s incredible all year round)
Other resources for your stay in Norway
PRACTICAL INFORMATION ABOUT NORWAY
- First of all I’d like to offer you an article on everything you need to know to organize your trip to Norway.
- Here’s all the information you need to pay tolls and boats in Norway.
- If, like many, you’re in doubt, here’s a guide to where to go in Norway in summer
- Beware of unpleasant surprises: check out the closed roads in the fjords and in Norway.
- Further north, here’s a tour between Tromso, Senja and the Lofoten Islands.
- If you leave a little later, you can see the Northern Lights from early September.
TROMSO AND ITS REGION
- Here’s all the information you need to plan your trip to Tromso
- Discover the best things to do in Tromso in winter
- To give you some inspiration, here’s a one-week itinerary for Tromso
- Here are some tips on where to stay in Tromso
- Find out when to go to Tromso
- To help you find your way, here’s a map of Tromso with all the best places to visit.
- How to take the ferry between Tromso and Senja
- Ferry schedules and information between Tromso and Lyngen Alps
- Visit Tromso and the surrounding area on foot or by bus
- Don’t miss the fabulous island of Kvaloya
TROMSO & NORTHERN LIGHTS
TROMSO & ACTIVITIES
- When to go dog sledding in Tromso
- Discover Tromso’s fjords by boat
- The best snowmobiling agencies in Tromso
- When to see whales and orcas in Skervoy
- Where to see reindeer in Tromso
LOFOTEN ISLANDS
- Discover what to do in the Lofoten Islands
- Unusual places to stay in the Lofoten Islands
- When to see the Northern Lights on the Lofoten Islands
- Fares and timetables for the ferry between Bodo and the Lofoten Islands (Moskenes) + Vaeroy
SENJA
- What to see in Senja!
- The most beautiful places in Senja
- How to get from Tromso to Senja by ferry
- Where to sleep in Senja, the best accommodations
- Senja map with all the essentials
- How to get to Senja by car, bus, ferry or plane
BERGEN AND THE FJORDS
OSLO
