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Guide · Flåm
A day trip from Bergen to Flåm: cruise, railway and viewpoint
A day trip from Bergen to Flåm can mean the mountain railway, a World Heritage fjord, a viewpoint high above the water, or all three. Here is how the day works, how long each part takes and which tour fits.
Check availabilityfrom $422 · cancellation is free
Editorial team, daytripfrombergen.comUpdated October 19, 2026Reading time about 6 minutes28 sources
Quick answer
Flåm, the Nærøyfjord and Stegastein in one picture
Flåm is a small village at the head of the Aurlandsfjord, an inner arm of the Sognefjord system, and several famous sights meet there. The Flåm Railway comes down from the mountains to the village, the Nærøyfjord cruise leaves from its pier, and the Stegastein viewpoint sits on the hillside above Aurland next door. Each of them can fill a morning on its own, so the art of the day is choosing which ones to combine and in which direction to travel.
The Nærøyfjord is the reason most people make the trip. UNESCO listed it in 2005 jointly with the Geirangerfjord, and it runs about 18 km with steep mountains on both sides.78 At its narrowest the water is only 250 m wide.9
By road from Bergen, the route planner of the Norwegian Public Roads Administration gives 169 km and 2 hours 27 minutes of driving to Flåm on the E16.10 That is why a day trip from Bergen to Flåm works best as a loop: one way by rail or road, the other by boat, so you never cover the same ground twice.
The day, step by step
The railway and fjord loop from Bergen
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Morning
Coach to Voss
About 1.5 hours east from the Guided Fjord Tours office.
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Late morning
Up on the Bergen Railway
About 1 hour by train into the mountains.
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Midday
Down on the Flåm Railway
1 hour from Myrdal to Flåm, with a stop at Kjosfossen.11
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Afternoon
Nærøyfjord cruise
2 hours by electric boat from Flåm to Gudvangen.
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Late afternoon
Viking village
A guided hour in Njardarheimr at Gudvangen.
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Evening
Back to Bergen
By coach, with a stop at Tvindefossen in summer.
The Flåm Railway: 20 km from the mountains to the fjord
The railway starts at Myrdal, a station 867 m above sea level on the Bergen Line, and ends at Flåm, 2 m above sea level.12 Most of the line runs at a gradient of 5.5 per cent, and its tightest curves have a radius of only 130 m.1314 The whole ride takes about an hour and stops at 8 stations.2
The train halts at Kjosfossen for about 5 minutes so you can step out onto the platform beside the falls.11 There are 20 tunnels on the line, and 18 of them were built by hand during the 17 years of construction from 1923 to 1940.1516 All seats are in one class, so there is nothing to upgrade.17
If the railway is your priority, a Flåm Railway day trip from Bergen on a guided tour saves you the work of matching the trains. On your own, remember that tickets for the line can normally be bought up to 120 days before departure, and that Myrdal station has neither a ticket office nor a machine.1819
Side by side
Flåm tours from Bergen compared
| Tour | Length | Railway | Stegastein | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Railway, fjord, Viking village | 10.5 hrs | Yes | No | from $422 |
| Fjord, Flåm, Stegastein, lunch | 12 hrs | No | 30 min | from $310 |
| Fjord, Flåm, Stegastein minibus | 11 hrs | No | 30 min | from $312 |
| Winter fjord, Flåm, Stegastein | 11 hrs | No | 15 min | from $310 |
Lengths, stops and from-prices as listed on GetYourGuide; all four include a 2-hour Nærøyfjord cruise.
Decision helper
Which Flåm day is yours?
Start from the one thing you must see
Railway loop
Includes the Flåm Railway and the Bergen Railway.
Stegastein tour
30 minutes on the platform 650 m above the fjord.4
Stegastein with lunch
Lunch is part of the 12-hour tour.
Winter fjord tour
Runs 11 hours with the cruise and Stegastein.
Train on your own
About 3 to 3.5 hours each way via Myrdal.6
from the high mountain station of Myrdal (867 metres above sea level) on the Bergen Line down to Flåm (2 metres above sea level) at the head of Aurlandsfjord
The Nærøyfjord cruise between Flåm and Gudvangen
The cruise covers the stretch between Flåm and Gudvangen, through the Aurlandsfjord and into the Nærøyfjord, and takes about 2 hours.3 It runs all year round, so it works in winter as well as in summer.3
The scale is what stays with you. The mountains along the Nærøyfjord reach up to 1,800 m, and farms cling to ledges that look impossible to reach from the water.20 On a still day the walls reflect in the fjord, and on a grey one the cloud hangs halfway down the cliffs. Waterfalls run down almost every slope after rain, and the small boats of the villages look like toys against the rock. Keep your camera out for the whole crossing, because the narrowest stretch comes up quickly.
Dress for the deck rather than the cabin. Even guests who travel in July write that the wind on the water is cold, and the best views of the narrowest part come from outside. Gudvangen, at the inner end, is also where the Viking village of Njardarheimr stands, 150 m from the ferry pier.21
Checklist
For the Flåm day
01
Pack
- A warm layer for the cruise deck
- A rain jacket
- Food, unless your tour includes lunch
- Shoes with grip for wet platforms
02
Plan
- Railway tickets, if you travel on your own
- The meeting time at the quay
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead
Cost calculator
What a Flåm day costs for your group
Pick a Flåm tour and enter your group size.
People
Total from$843
per traveler from $422
Check availabilityfree cancellationThe calculator starts from the GetYourGuide from-price and switches currency at the day's ECB reference rate; the booking page has the exact total.
Video
A day from Bergen on the Nærøyfjord
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Stegastein: the platform above the Aurlandsfjord
Stegastein is a viewing platform that juts 30 m out from the mountainside, 650 m above the Aurlandsfjord.4 It was built in 2006 on the Aurlandsfjellet scenic road, and the view runs along the fjord in both directions.22
From Flåm the drive up is around 18 km and takes just under 30 minutes; from Aurland it is around 8 km.5 Parking at the top is limited to 30 minutes, so a short stop is the norm whether you drive or come on a tour.23
The platform stays open all year.24 The high road over the mountain closes in winter, but the stretch from Aurlandsvangen up to Stegastein is kept open all year round, so winter tours still stop there.25 Bring a warm layer: the platform is exposed, and the wind rises up the slope from the fjord. In winter the platform and the steps can be icy, so shoes with grip are worth more than a good camera.
Three guided tours that do the Flåm day
The tour this site recommends combines the railway and the fjord. It runs 10.5 hours from $422, holds 4.78 from 1,286 reviews and includes both the Bergen Railway and the Flåm Railway, a 2-hour Nærøyfjord cruise and a guided hour in the Viking village.
If you would rather see Stegastein than ride the railway, two tours swap the train for the viewpoint. The larger one takes 12 hours with lunch included and 30 minutes at the platform; the minibus version takes 11 hours with 30 minutes at Flåm and 30 minutes at Stegastein.
All three include the same 2-hour cruise on the Nærøyfjord, so the real choice is railway or viewpoint, and whether you want lunch arranged. On all of them, cancelling a full day before departure gets your money back.
Doing it yourself by train and boat
Without a tour, the classic route is the train from Bergen to Myrdal, about 2 hours, then the Flåm Railway down to the fjord.26 From Bergen via Myrdal to Flåm by train takes about 3 to 3.5 hours in total, so the railway leg alone fills a morning.6
For the way back you can take the Nærøyfjord boat to Gudvangen and a bus to Voss, which is the Norway in a Nutshell route. Our page on it explains the connections and the self-guided tickets that bundle them.
Between April and October there is also a direct express boat. The Norled boat leaves Bergen at 8:00, and the return leaves Flåm at 15:30 and reaches Bergen at 20:45, a 5 hour 25 minute crossing each way.2728 That means most of the day afloat, with the Sognefjord passing by the window, and a bed in Bergen at the end of it. With only about two hours between arrival and departure in Flåm, there is no time for the railway as well, so treat it as a fjord day with a village stop rather than the full loop.2728
Is the Flåm day worth it?
For most first-time visitors with a single free day, yes. It packs the mountain railway, a World Heritage fjord and, on some tours, the Stegastein platform into one loop, and you are back in Bergen by evening.
The honest downside is the time in transit and a busy village in the summer season. A guided tour keeps the logistics simple, and booking early gives you the widest choice of dates. Leave room for the weather by not putting the day at the very end of your stay. If the forecast for the fjord turns bad, the free cancellation window lets you swap the day for one in Bergen and try again later in the week.
If you have two days, consider splitting it: one day for the railway and fjord, another for Hardanger or a short Mostraumen cruise. Our page on the best day trips from Bergen ranks the alternatives, and the winter page explains what changes when snow covers the plateau above Myrdal.
Plan your loop
Railway, fjord and Viking village in one day.
Hold your seat now, settle the bill later, and step back free of charge up to a day before.
You ask,we answer.
Can you see Flåm in a day from Bergen?
Yes. Guided tours do the loop in 10.5 to 12 hours, and the train via Myrdal takes about 3 to 3.5 hours each way.6
How long is the Flåm Railway ride?
About an hour. The 20 km line runs from Myrdal down to Flåm and stops at 8 stations.12
How much of the day is spent on the fjord boat?
About 2 hours. It runs between Flåm and Gudvangen all year round.3
Which tour includes both the railway and the fjord?
The Viking village loop. It includes the Bergen Railway, the Flåm Railway and a 2-hour Nærøyfjord cruise.
Is Stegastein open in winter?
Yes. The platform stays open all year, and the road from Aurlandsvangen to it is open all year round.2425
How far is Flåm from Bergen by car?
About 169 km. The route planner gives 2 hours 27 minutes of driving on the E16, with no ferry.10
Sources
Where the information comes from
- 1↩
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- 6Visit BergenFlåm, Norway: Top 5 Things to Do↩
- 7UNESCO World Heritage CentreWest Norwegian Fjords: Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord↩
- 8↩
- 9↩
- 10Statens vegvesen (Norwegian Public Roads Administration)Route planner: Bergen to Flåm station↩
- 11↩
- 12↩
- 13↩
- 14Flåmsbana ASSkildring av strekninga (the line described)↩
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- 17↩
- 18↩
- 19↩
- 20↩
- 21↩
- 22↩
- 23↩
- 24Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Norwegian Scenic Routes)Stegastein↩
- 25Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Norwegian Scenic Routes)Aurlandsfjellet↩
- 26Visit BergenFlåm, Norway: Top 5 Things to Do↩
- 27↩
- 28↩
