Where to stay in Flåm
Beds in Flåm gather around the fjord quay, where hotels and guest houses stand within a short walk of the Flåmsbana station, Flåm kirke and the cruise berth at the head of the Aurlandsfjorden. The quayside suits travellers who want the railway, the boats and the valley walks close at hand. It is the natural base.
Up the Flåmsdalen toward Myrdal, mountain lodges and farm rooms sit along the railway in the high valley, a quieter berth for walkers drawn to the steep country of Aurland. Beds there are few. Down the fjord toward Undredal and its stave church, or across to Aurlandsvangen by Vangen kirke, holiday houses and small inns spread along the shore, a base for travellers touring the inner arms of the Sognefjorden.
Rooms thin between the hamlets. Cruise ships and the express boats to Gudvangen crowd the quay through the season, and the village fills when the ships are in. Book ahead in the bright summer, when the railway and the fjord draw travellers to this corner of Vestlandet.
Things to do in Flåm
Ranked by global recognition; descriptions from Wikidata (CC0).
Churches & Religious Sites
- Undredal stavkirke Heritage-listed
- Flåm kirke Heritage-listed — church building in Aurland
- Vangen kirke — stone church at Aurlandsvangen, Aurland municipality
Stadiums & Sports
- Aurland Stadion — sports venue in Aurland
Landmarks & Notable Places
- Flåmsbana — railway line in Aurland
About Flåm
What is Flåm known for?
Flåm is a village in Aurland, part of Vestland in western Norway, set in the Flåmsdalen valley at the head of the Aurlandsfjorden. The Flåmsbana railway climbs from the fjord quay to the mountains at Myrdal, one of the steepest scenic lines anywhere, and the branch of the Sognefjorden draws the cruise ships up the deep water. Trains and ships meet here.
Tall waterfalls drop into the valley, and the medieval Undredal stavkirke stands down the fjord in this corner of Vestlandet.
What are the main landmarks in Flåm?
The Flåmsbana is the signature landmark of Flåm, a mountain railway that climbs from the fjord quay through the Flåmsdalen to the junction at Myrdal past tall waterfalls. High above the fjord, the Stegastein viewpoint juts out over the Aurlandsfjorden on the road to Aurland. The valley draws the world.
Down the water the medieval Undredal stavkirke stands at Undredal, while Flåm kirke serves the village and Vangen kirke the old seat at Aurlandsvangen in this corner of Vestland.
What is the history of Flåm?
Flåm grew on the flat valley floor of the Flåmsdalen, where the river runs down to the head of the Aurlandsfjorden in the inner fjord country of Vestland. Farms worked the narrow valley and the steep slopes for centuries, and the parish raised Flåm kirke among the fields above the fjord. The mountains hemmed the living.
Old droving tracks climbed from the valley to the high country toward Myrdal, and down the fjord the stave church at Undredal kept the faith of the scattered shore settlements. The railway remade Flåm in the new century. The Flåmsbana was driven up the Flåmsdalen to meet the Bergen line at Myrdal, binding the deep fjord to the mountains and the wider country.
Engines climbed the gorge. Cruise ships followed up the Aurlandsfjorden and the Sognefjorden to the quay, and Flåm became a busy fjord port of Aurland in western Norway beneath the steep walls of the valley.
Where is Flåm?
Flåm lies at the head of the Aurlandsfjorden, in the eastern part of Vestland in western Norway. The village sits on the flat floor of the Flåmsdalen valley, where steep walls rise on either side and tall waterfalls drop from the heights to the river. Mountains close the valley in.
The Aurlandsfjorden runs out to the deep water of the Sognefjorden below the village, and Flåm holds the quay at the meeting of the valley and the fjord in Aurland.
What is the climate of Flåm?
Flåm has the sheltered fjord climate of the inner Sognefjorden, shut in by high mountains. Winters stay grey and damp at the head of the Aurlandsfjorden, while deep snow lies for months on the heights above the Flåmsdalen toward Myrdal. Summers are cool and green.
The deep fjord water holds the warmth along the quay, and the long western daylight keeps the steep valley lush through the high season of this corner of Vestland.
How do you get to Flåm?
Flåm is reached by railway, road and boat at the head of the Aurlandsfjorden. The Flåmsbana climbs to meet the Bergen line at Myrdal, cruise ships and the express boats to Gudvangen call at the quay, and roads thread the valley from Aurland. Trains bring many.
The mountain line and the fjord boats carry travellers up the Flåmsdalen and the deep water, while Bergen and its airport handle the longer journeys of visitors arriving in this corner of western Norway from farther afield.