Flam Excursions~which overland tour?

[Sleddogs]

We would like to do the Flam Railway trip. RCI has two different excursions using this railway, but we're not sure which is the best one to take.

 

1) Overland to Myrdal, Geila & Flam

 

2) Overland to Voss, Tvinde & Stalheim

 

Open to suggestions! Thanks!

 

Sleddogs

[usavvy2]

not sure if this will help but here's my notes from our 2003 Norwegian Fjords cruise on Princess cruise line.

 

We arrived in the charming little station-village of Flaam, which is at the head of Aurlandsfjord. As the ship navigated the fjord, we saw farmlands dotting the hillside. The village itself is very small and quaint. Once docked, we chose the electric railway excursion from Flaam to Vik (pronounced veek). Keeping to our budget, I selecting the railway excursion as one of only two primary excursions and hoped it would meet my expectations for the price paid. It did so and more. The twelve- mile train ride on the Flaamsbana was quite a thrilling experience. The train weaved through about 20 short tunnels and crosses the river and valley floor three times as it winds its way up and through the mountain, providing panoramic views of the Flaam valley that are almost indescribable. My DH and I both commented how we’d love to come back and rent a car just to meander the back roads of this gorgeous country. By and far, this was the highlight of our trip to Norway and our photographs bear witness to that fact. Tip – although the scenery was spectacular on both sides of the train, I was pleased that we chose seats looking forward on the starboard side of the train. Although this excursion wasn’t supposed to depart before 9:30 a.m., when we arrived in the show lounge at 9:15 a.m., we were given “tour 4” tickets so I recommend you arrive early to get off the ship first so as to secure seats looking forward on the first train. (All seats appeared to face forward on the second leg of the journey.)

 

We passed many magnificent waterfalls and the train even stopped at an extra wide, gushing waterfall where a presentation of a folklore was provided. (Unfortunately, we didn’t realize there was going to be a little performance so we headed back to the train immediately after snapping a couple of photos so we missed the brief performance.) We changed trains and made our way to our lunch destination in Voss. Departing the second train, we walked (downhill) less than two blocks to our restaurant. Waiting for us was a Norwegian smorgasbord extravaganza featuring salmon cooked every way possible. The spread was fabulous with more seafood than you can imagine. There was also an entire buffet top full of desserts – many flans’ and mousse plus fresh berries of different varieties. The meal came complete with a free soft drink or beer. We inquired as to the price of this luncheon buffet and learned that if we had to pay for it out of our own pocket it would cost $53pp! (Welcome to the high cost of living in Norway.)

 

After lunch we had plenty of time to stroll around the cute town of Voss. We walked to the church and down the main street and stopped in a local shop to buy a handmade cardigan as a gift. Norwegian sweaters are considered a specialty in Norway so I compared prices at various ports, thinking Bergen would be my best bet for buying a sweater. However, the prices in Voss were very good and I was concerned if I waited until arriving in Bergen I wouldn’t be able to buy an extra small women’s sweater at a reasonable price so I purchased one here for ~$98. (Pullovers were cheaper yet.) The shop clerk was very friendly and was curious as to why we thought Americans weren’t traveling to Norway this summer. (A fellow passenger purchased 4 postcards and 4 stamps in Voss for $8.)

 

From Voss we were transported by bus to Vik. Along the way we stopped at a goat cheese farm where we could purchase cheese if we wished (we didn’t), and take photos of grass growing on the roof of an outbuilding. (We learned that, apparently, many homes are insulated with sod on the roof. And, to keep the grass mowed, they just put a goat up there occasionally!) We stopped again on the outskirts of Vik for a photo opp of the ship hovering in the Sognesfjord – the longest and deepest fjord in Norway with 130 miles to the open sea. (This fjord also boasts the country’s highest mountain range and largest glacier.) On our travels back to Vik, we stopped at the large and elaborate Hopperstad Stave Church – built about the 12th century and one of only five surviving churches in the Sognesfjord area. Stave churches are built out of vertical wooden timbers. This church was very picturesque with its multiple, steeped gables silhouetting on the hillside. (A model of this church exists in Moorhead, Minnesota.) The tour guide told us that the men sat on one side and the women sat on another while the sick had a private entrance separated from the rest of the congregation. There was very little light inside the church and there was a tar or “pitch” on the timbers outside to protect it from fire.

 

We finally arrived in the port of Vik and tendered back to the ship. As I mentioned previously, this excursion was the highlight of the trip for us as well as many other passengers. (No tours went ashore at Vik but passengers who did not elect to take the railway excursion were treated to navigating the Sognesfjord from Flaam to Vik which was said to be very exciting itself with its narrow width amongst mountains spanning 6000 feet in elevation and waterfalls cascading down the sides.)

[Sleddogs]

Usavvy 2,

 

Thank goodness for folks who keep such detailed accounts of their trips! Your notes are a big help. The fjords are the main reason for our trip and we are really looking forward to seeing everything.

 

I kept a detailed journal on our Alaska tour/cruise last summer. It so nice to go back and read about each day. And then too, when someone has a question about anything, it's easy to go back and look up the notes.

 

Thank you so much!

 

Sleddogs

[MVPinBoynton]

Sleddogs,

We took the Overland to Voss, Tvinde & Stalheim. There were some beautiful sights along the way. I never found anyone that took the other excursion to find out how it was. You can see pictures and comments about it our British Isles/Norwegian Fjords review on our website, www.thepreismans.com

[Sleddogs]

MVPINBOYNTON,

 

I will definitely read your review as that is exactly the tour I narrowed it down to this afternoon.

 

Thanks so much!

Sleddogs