Flam Railway

[Tia123]

Hi all

 

Does anyone know how to reach the Flam Railway? We are going to Norway on the MSC Opera and the excursions on board are very expensive so we were hoping to go on the train journey ourselves.

 

Kind Regards

[thinfool]

Hi all

 

Does anyone know how to reach the Flam Railway? We are going to Norway on the MSC Opera and the excursions on board are very expensive so we were hoping to go on the train journey ourselves.

 

Kind Regards

 

Assuming that you dock in Flam, you walk across the parking lot to the train station.

[TLCOhio]

Hi all. Does anyone know how to reach the Flam Railway? We are going to Norway on the MSC Opera and the excursions on board are very expensive so we were hoping to go on the train journey ourselves. Kind Regards

 

Welcome to these Cruise Critic boards. With all do respect, it is not exactly as simple as walking off of the ship and getting on the nearby train. Flam is small and the train places is close . . . BUT . . . the big, big variable is about how many ships are in port that day, their size, etc. On busy days, the train can be booked way ahead with large groups from all of the ships. Cruise ship excursion are costly there, in part, because Norway is so very costly and labor costs are high, etc.

 

There have been many earlier posts on this subject. It's trade-off!! The ship train trip costs more, but then you don't have to worry on getting your tickets, what if the ship is late, etc. Here's more information on Flam, plus some of my visuals below. It's a must-do in my view. We loved the trip, sights, etc.

 

What ship are you on for your cruise, dates there, other ports visiting, past Europe experiences, etc.?? Tell us more and we're happy to share added tips, ideas, etc.

 

Flam, with a population of about 500, is nestled in a tributary of the world's longest and deepest fjord. It is 128 miles long and has a maximum depth of 4,291 feet. On the question of how deep are these fjords, local say: “A mermaid could swim all the way to China.” The chief attraction here is the 66-year-old Flam Railway. It is widely known as one of the world's best railroad journeys. It includes twenty tunnels and eight stops as it goes up the mountain. This rail lines rises from Flam’s gingerbread rail station going up 2,835 feet to Myrdal and this "Roof of Norway" rail station. Railroad website: http://www.flaamsbana.no/eng.

 

Here are a couple of other suggestions to help you and other future travelers. FIRST, scroll back through all of the earlier postings. You will see many different items on ports you would visit and/or at the board for each separate cruise line in planning for your upcoming cruise. SECOND, do a search on these boards by each city and you will see lots of postings on various subjects connected with each port stop.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 69,854 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

Arriving at Flam, the Captain is right there directing this docking process. You can see here some of the fjord mountains, waterfalls in the background. This town is fairly small with the rail trip being the main attraction and activity here.:

 

 

 

Here are a few highlights from the Flam train ride, including where you stop in a stone tunnel to get out and then see this dramatic 305-foot-high Kjosfossen Waterfall half-way on this 12.4 mile trip. We then exit the train at the Vatnahalsen Hotel, to see the grounds, nearby mountains, etc. Lots of great views on this routing, up and down. :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[planitohio]

I've been emailing them using this email:Flaamsbana@visitflam.com You need a group of 10 or more to make a reservation. Otherwise you just have to take your chances that day (or book a ship tour). I was able to make a group through my cruise critic group and then used that email to book it.

[gosport11]

if you have a stop/port before your vist which has a railway station,buy your tickets there,

we got ours in Stavanger station,the train gets full very quickly so a late booken might

be to late

[TLCOhio]

if you have a stop/port before your vist which has a railway station,buy your tickets there, we got ours in Stavanger station,the train gets full very quickly so a late booken might be to late

 

Good above suggestion!!! There is also the option to check out of:

http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/point_to_point/triprequest.htm

 

There is also the website for the Norway rail. It is:

http://www.nsb.no/frontpage/

But when checking, they say: "This particular ticket can be purchased at a ticket machine, at manned stations or on board the train. If you choose to buy the ticket on board the train, there is an additional fee of NOK 20, - This option applies only from stations where advance purchase is impossible."

 

The cruise lines will block/tie-up large numbers of ticket reservations at the key times. It is also not that these trains are departing every ten minutes up and down. The schedule from NSB showed departures about every hour and 15 minutes.

 

Do still want to hear more reactions and details from Tia123, our original poster. It is not unusual to have a "light" lunch in Norway for two that runs $65. That's a small pizza and hamburger, plus drinks. Nothing fancy or lavish.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 69,854 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

From our early July 2010 visit to the highly-rated Sognerfjord, here is the interior of the passenger car.::

 

 

 

Here’s the Vatnahalsen Hotell that we did during our morning visit to Flam, riding the railroad there, etc. Note their spelling for Hotell. Below is the interior for the small, charming hotel and dining place.:

 

 

 

 

 

While doing the Flam rail trip, here are some gift samples that we saw at the Vatnahalsen Hotell. This includes some of the candy items and a few dolls. Cute and intereesting!!:

 

 

 

 

 

This is the Flam railroad car with information on its twenty tunnels.:

 

[SoBaycruiser]

<< BUT . . . the big, big variable is about how many ships are in port that day, their size, etc. On busy days, the train can be booked way ahead with large groups from all of the ships. Cruise ship excursion are costly there, in part, because Norway is so very costly and labor costs are high, etc.>>

 

Does anyone know of a website to check which ships are in the Norwegian ports on a particular day?

[sddsddean]

<< BUT . . . the big, big variable is about how many ships are in port that day, their size, etc. On busy days, the train can be booked way ahead with large groups from all of the ships. Cruise ship excursion are costly there, in part, because Norway is so very costly and labor costs are high, etc.>>

 

Does anyone know of a website to check which ships are in the Norwegian ports on a particular day?

 

Got to this site http://www.cruisetimetables.com/ , click on the particular port (make sure you got to the second 'destination' list not the first 'departure' list), then click on the port. A calendar will come up on the right so you can pick for that particular day. I've just checked our trip in 2013 and on our day there is just us (Eclipse) in port, but 2 days later there are 4 ships!

 

Simon

[Tia123]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I think we will risk buying tickets on the day or as suggested, at a different port of call. We are travelling with MSC and they are charging around £85 for a child's tickets, when I've checked the rail website children under 3 are free!

[Danish viking]

The official cruise ships list is here.

 

 

http://aurlandhavn.no/en/cruise/skipsanlop-2012/

[belmont32]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I think we will risk buying tickets on the day or as suggested, at a different port of call. We are travelling with MSC and they are charging around £85 for a child's tickets, when I've checked the rail website children under 3 are free!

 

We found this websitehttp://www.flambooking.com/booking.aspx useful for checking how many seats are still available on each train. you just click on the date you will be there.

Unfortunately on our date Celebrity had pre booked all the suitable times so we have had to book their tour.

Hopefully you will have more luck.

Edited May 20, 2012 by belmont32

[Danish viking]

BTW on my list from ealier you can see if the ship is docked (kai) or tendered (anker).

[Bobocasey]

Has anyone bought tickets through Rail Europe ahead of time? I know you have to pay more but at least you can have a seat on the train you want. Also can people in the US buy tickets on RAil Europe website? When I pulll it up it list a bunch of diffferent countries but the US isn't one of them.

[sddsddean]

Has anyone bought tickets through Rail Europe ahead of time? I know you have to pay more but at least you can have a seat on the train you want. Also can people in the US buy tickets on RAil Europe website? When I pulll it up it list a bunch of diffferent countries but the US isn't one of them.

 

You should be able to use a US CC on most European websites, however the US card companies quite often have a block on out of country purchases, so make sure you phone your credit card company before you try to purchase and let them know what you are doing.

 

Simon

[Mississippi Travel Girl]

When we were in Norway several years ago we did the "Norway in a Nutshell" tour recommended by Rick Steves. I used the information from his website so I would know what to book. I was able to book all our travel from Bergen to Oslo - which included a ferry, and 2 different trains between Flam and Myrdal and on to Oslo. All from home before the trip. So it can be booked in advance. If I remember correctly you can book thru Euro-rail.

 

I hope this helps.

[adventuregrrl]

We were just in Flam and took the train excursion through the ship. We're really glad we did even though it costs a bit more --- they reserved the first few cars just for the HAL passengers which was convenient.

 

More importantly, booking through the ship means that you won't be left if the train is delayed. For some reason, the afternoon train tour was delayed for close to two hours...that meant that the entire cruise ship waited to leave port. I'm not sure they would have held the train if those passengers had been out on their own.

 

Another tip about Flam if anyone in your group likes beer -- there is an excellent microbrewery right there in port. It's called the Aegir Brygerri. The decor is interesting and all made of wood and they had a stout that was so smooth and tasted like chocolate (and we don't even drink dark beers.)

 

[Ray66]

Another tip about Flam if anyone in your group likes beer -- there is an excellent microbrewery right there in port. It's called the Aegir Brygerri. The decor is interesting and all made of wood and they had a stout that was so smooth and tasted like chocolate (and we don't even drink dark beers.)

 

Hi,

 

How did you get to the Flam brewery from where the ship docked? I went to Flam a couple of years ago and don't remember seeing it.

[TLCOhio]

We were just in Flam and took the train excursion through the ship. We're really glad we did even though it costs a bit more --- they reserved the first few cars just for the HAL passengers which was convenient. More importantly, booking through the ship means that you won't be left if the train is delayed. For some reason, the afternoon train tour was delayed for close to two hours...that meant that the entire cruise ship waited to leave port. I'm not sure they would have held the train if those passengers had been out on their own.

 

Excellent point on the timing and "risks" of booking the train on your own versus through the ship. As I noted originally, there are "trade-offs" to consider and weigh. Cheapest is not always best. For our stop in Flam, we were there just in the morning, 8 am to noon. Our window of time was fairly narrow as our ship was going on to nearby Gudvangen in the afternoon and a private tour to see the spectacular Tvinde Waterfall, the views from the Stalheim Hotel, etc.

 

Another timing "reality" is that ships get delayed, local strikes can happen, etc. The cruise ship train connection/ticketing does costs more, but it lessens any risks as noted and experienced by adventuregrrl.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 72,110 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

Here is another view connected with the Flam railroad where the train stops inside a tunnel to see a nearby, spectacular waterfall along the rail tracks. Plus at the top near the hotel, here's a view when people are getting ready to re-board the train in order to go back down to the port docking area.:

 

 

 

[Bobocasey]

I just contact the Flam railroad about if I purchased tickets through Rail Europe would they be honored hear is their response. It is crap shoot how lucky do you feel? Either buy through the cruise line that charges you an arm and a leg or take your chances. Since we are visiting Geiranger and Olden before Flam can't find out if there is a train station in either one of those area to buy ticket at before we get to Flam.

Yes, we do honor tickets bought through Rail Europe. However, they do not guarantee that you will get on the train. We keep account of the numbers of tickets sold at the Flåm railway station, and only these will guarantee you to get on the train.

Glad I check it out before I bought the tickets.

[Isa65]

Bobocasey, have you tried to form a group of 10 on your roll call as suggested a couple a posts back?

 

With the discount you are way cheaper off than the cruiseline AND you have a guaranteed spot on the train. If you're afraid of missing the ships departure, just book an early train.

[Bobocasey]

Unfortunately all the spots for groups have been taken up by the cruise line. Oh what a suprise. Thanks for the suggestion but unfortunately won't work this time. But luckily we will be the only ship in port that day. Which might help.

[adventuregrrl]

Hi,

 

How did you get to the Flam brewery from where the ship docked? I went to Flam a couple of years ago and don't remember seeing it.

 

 

The brewery is just outside of the cruise terminal.

 

[ShopperfiendTO]

I just contact the Flam railroad about if I purchased tickets through Rail Europe would they be honored hear is their response. It is crap shoot how lucky do you feel? Either buy through the cruise line that charges you an arm and a leg or take your chances. Since we are visiting Geiranger and Olden before Flam can't find out if there is a train station in either one of those area to buy ticket at before we get to Flam.

Yes, we do honor tickets bought through Rail Europe. However, they do not guarantee that you will get on the train. We keep account of the numbers of tickets sold at the Flåm railway station, and only these will guarantee you to get on the train.

Glad I check it out before I bought the tickets.

 

I know there are no train stations at Geiranger or Olden (at least nearby).

 

From the cut-and-paste, it looks like with Rail Europe you're basically pre-paying for a ticket for pick-up, not actually reserving a seat on the train, so there's really not much benefit to pre-buying here.

 

What ship (szie) are you on, and how many other ships (and what are their sizes) will be in port when you're there?

 

If it's small and manageable, I would suggest pretending to book the railroad excursion on your ship to see when the excursion leaves to see if you might be able to catch the train before them.

 

On our excursion to Flam, we were the first on the railway, and the train we took was the second or third one from Flam that morning and we knew of fellow passengers who took the earlier train (lining up and buying right at Flam) without much trouble. They actually took it round trip so had views going both ways.

 

It's a very scenic ride (but not that long).

[Bobocasey]

It looks like our ship is the only oe in port that day. We are scheduled to get into port at 9:00. The ship has about 2,500 passengers I would guess it it the Eclispe. I was thinking that if we got off the ship as soon as it docked we might have a chance of getting tickets. Most of the shore excurisons as far as I can tell don't begin until the 11:00 train. We want to ride up to Mydral and then walk part of the way back. SO I guess we have to keep our fingers crossed about getting train tickets.

[ptngr]

I just contact the Flam railroad about if I purchased tickets through Rail Europe would they be honored hear is their response. It is crap shoot how lucky do you feel? Either buy through the cruise line that charges you an arm and a leg or take your chances. Since we are visiting Geiranger and Olden before Flam can't find out if there is a train station in either one of those area to buy ticket at before we get to Flam.

Yes, we do honor tickets bought through Rail Europe. However, they do not guarantee that you will get on the train. We keep account of the numbers of tickets sold at the Flåm railway station, and only these will guarantee you to get on the train.

Glad I check it out before I bought the tickets.

Buying a ticket from other stations doesn't guarantee the seat on a particular Flam train either according to the tour guidebook Rick Steve's Scandinavia. Edited June 11, 2012 by ptngr
grammar