Our day in Flam

Just returned from a 10 day Norway cruise with stops in Kristiansand, Haugesund, alesund, Bergen,Flam, and Gieranger. Informative on these ports is a little weak so I'll try to share what we elected to do. While it is nearly impossible to pick a favorite port in Norway, our day In Flam stands out as one of the top 10 experiences of my entire life. Highly recommend,

We purchased 7:30 train tickets to Mydral. We bought round trip In case weather didn't cooperate. We also reserved mountain bikes at the cafe in Mydral. Luckily the weather was fantastic so we elected for the 12 km ride down.

It starts with 21 switchbacks and we were advised to walk the bikes during this stretch (1-2 km). After that it was smooth riding the entire way. We even had to stop for goats laying in the road. We took a full 4 hours to ride down making numerous stops along the way. I hadn't ridden a bike in 30 years and did just fine. Words can not express how beautiful this trek was. I give it an 11 out if 10 and recommend you are least consider this for your time in Flam.

Photos don't do justice, but here are a few

Start way up in the mountains:

21 switchbacks

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Wow!! This looks like so much fun!! I'll have to add it to my to do list. Thanks for sharing.

Sounds like you had fun. Very interesting photos!

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This looks like such a great day! That shot of the road with all the switchbacks is amazing! And the goats look like they have no intention of ever moving off the road. What fun! Thanks for posting.

Foser- do it!! Seriously, I can't recommend it enough.

In the first pic with the switchbacks can you see a little red building at the very top of the photo? That's where we started (Mydral terminal).

Afro- the goats did not move at all lol. We had to dismount and walk through. So fun.

Here Are some more photos :)

Lots of goats

Path follows this river

We crisscrossed the tracks several times

Church as we approached flam.

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That looks amazing! Thanks so much for sharing. We'll be heading to Flam in a few weeks. What did you do in Bergen and Geiranger? We're really excited about our upcoming Norway Fjords cruise.

Where did you find the methodology to reserve bikes in Flam? We will be there in a couple weeks, have tickets for the 830 train and also plan on watching the weather. We had thought about hiking down but bikes might be more fun. I just had not heard about bikes before. Thanks for any input that you have. The pictures are wonderful.

That looks amazing! Thanks so much for sharing. We'll be heading to Flam in a few weeks. What did you do in Bergen and Geiranger? We're really excited about our upcoming Norway Fjords cruise.

We had great days in Bergen and Gieranger too! I'll start a new thread for those :).

Where did you find the methodology to reserve bikes in Flam? We will be there in a couple weeks, have tickets for the 830 train and also plan on watching the weather. We had thought about hiking down but bikes might be more fun. I just had not heard about bikes before. Thanks for any input that you have. The pictures are wonderful.

We started out with the plan to hike but my plan evolved and I was very fortunate to have some great input along the way. We booked this cruise late in the game and the only train up to Mydral was 7:30 (which I would highly recommend).

We booked the 7:30 train and our first plan was to ride the train to Mydral (top) and then ride it partially back down to Blomheller. We were going to exit the train at Blomheller which reduces the hike from 13 miles down to 8 miles and aviods the first mile of very steep incline.

We then learned (thanks to someone on my roll call) that the 7:30 am train does not make ANY stops on the return trip from Mydral to Flam (all the other times do make stops). At that point we decided that if the weather was fine we would hike the entire 13 miles from Mydral to Flam (since it was all or nothing).

Then a dear friend and coworker went to Flam a few weeks before us and did the entire 13 mile hike from Mydral to Flam. She is a very active marathon runner and stated that the 13 miles was 'gruling' (her words not ours). As you know, hiking down is much more difficult on the knees, and hiking pavement is also harder on the body (from Blomheller to flam is pavement). If she thought it was grueling, I took heed in her advice.

With more reserch, I found that you could reserve bikes at the cafe at Mydral. http://caferallaren.no/en/ . Mind you, I haven't been on a bike in 30 years, but our options were to hike the entire distance or bike. Needless to say, we rented the bikes. If you are thinking of doing this, I highly recommend you reserve your bike early as they will run out of bikes during peak season.

We walked our bikes the first mile or so of trail as the switchbacks are loose gravel and there are not any guardrails. After that it was smooth riding the entire trail.

I really struggled with our time in Flam, but am very happy with our final choice for the day. We took our time riding down with frequent stops alone the way to just sit and soak up the scenery. Remember to look behind you as you go because those views are terrific too.

Hope this helps!

Thanks you for the additional information. I have reserved 2 bikes for the day we are there. I was a bit concerned about the hike down anyway. This will give us the option to bike and still be able to enjoy the countryside. Thank you again.

Do they require prepayment? Or do you pay when you pick up the bike?

We did the same thing. Booked train on our own (we booked r/t because that is all that was available) then had bikes reserved at the top.

Agree with BermudaBound - this was one of the best days we have had on 15+ cruises.

Definitely take the advice to walk your bikes the first 1.5 Km. This took us 40 minutes or so - at first discouraging ...you think do we need to walk all the way down! We are experienced bikers and at home would have tried to ride over the rocks and steep grades, but it is not worth an injury on a vacation. So we walked first. It will be obvious when it smooths out and you can ride and it is easy from there. Mostly all down hill so this is not strenuous.

They did not require pre payment. The cafe staff is very friendly, and the bikes were in very good shape. A little casual on the record keeping however.. they didn't even write down the bike numbers we took! I would take an early train (ours was 8:30 or so) , just to make sure they have bikes for you. (might be too friendly and give your bikes to someone else !) They had quite a few bikes maybe 75 or so would be my guess.

Very beautiful ride indeed.....

Very nice. We did the same thing when we visited Flam in late June! That first couple of km was scary... after that, exhilirating. We stopped for lunch at the farm where the goats were from- homemade cheese, sausage, etc. It was a gorgeous day.

Thank you all so much for the great info and especially the pictures. We have this at the top of our "To-Do" list for Flam! Can't wait to experience this on bikes!

We also did this option in June 2015. It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip to the Baltic and would highly recommend this to anyone considering it.

What kind of surface are you biking on on the way down? And how steep is it? I'm a little nervous on a bike due to a crash on another trip but this sounds wonderful.

Thanks you bring back memories of my 2000 cruise on Splendour OTS.

We do a all day tour: The train to Myrdal, then Voss and Stalheim

What kind of surface are you biking on on the way down? And how steep is it? I'm a little nervous on a bike due to a crash on another trip but this sounds wonderful.

If you are willing to walk your bike for the first 30 or 40 minutes you will be fine after that. It quickly changes to a fairly easy surface for the remainder. Not too steep. Asphalt or well packed gravel. If you have any biking experience you will be ok. Just make sure you plan ahead in terms of train tix, bikes and leaving enough time, etc.. I think we took 8.30 train, were on bikes by about 10 am. Walked until 10.45, then rode. Maybe 2 hour ride with a few photo stops or 3 with lots of photo stops. Check your ship time, but we were back in plenty of time.

The photo below is the switchbacks. Notice the red building at the top (that’s where you rent bikes)

Everyone (including those very experiences with mountain bikes) was told to walk the bike from the red building to the start of the switchbacks. That stretch was Scary with huge boulders and nothing but a steep cliff.

Experienced riders can ride the switchbacks all the way down. It’s packed gravel but be careful for the camel turns as that gravel is much looser.

Dh walked from the red building to the second switch and then rode down. I wAlked by bike from the red building to about half wAy down the switchbacks before I was comfortable to ride.

Once you pass the switchbacks it is super easy riding!! Last 1/3 is even paved. So basically first 1/3 you may want to walk. Second 1/3 is easy but caution because it’s gravel. Last 1/3 is super easy.

Just do it!! Even if you walk the whole switchbacks it is SO amazing. One of the best days of my life.

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We did the same bike ride down and it was absolutely the highlight for all of us of our two week Norwegian cruise. My kids were 9,11 and 14 at the time as well as my parents and we all enjoyed the trek thoroughly. Some of us are not very regular bike riders but once we walked the switchbacks had no problems. Highly recommend you bring snacks and drinks with you so you can take a break as you go.

Flam train ride stop at waterfall :

I have seen many people posting video clips of a lady with long blonde hair singing by the waterfall. No one has mentioned that she is a type of troll. I have done some research and found this :

The Trolls of Norwegian Myths: Human-Like Huldrefolk

The trolls of Norwegian myths look like humans, except for their tales, which they sometimes hide in clothing.

This type of troll is much smaller then jötunn troll. Huldrefolk are usually handsome and blond, but are set apart from humans by their long tails. They often go about naked, in which case the tails are easily seen. However, sometimes they hide their tails under clothing.

Females of this species, called huldras, ensnare human males through their lovely singing and beautiful appearance. Huldras then use the entranced men to do their bidding or simply keep them as mates or pets. These poor males can be held under a spell for many, many years. Upon release or escape, these males cannot remember what has happened and do not realize that time has passed.

If you are adventurous and want to hear the huldra's song, then travel to place called Myrdal, located nearby Voss in western Norway and take the Flamsbana railway. Fasten yourself by a rope to the train carriage, and somewhere on your travel down to the emerald waters of Sognefjord, you will hear the song (and maybe even see a glimpse of the huldra) calling you to come away.

The Song of the Huldra

A huldra is a female troll who can enchant you with her song.

Here you can (safely) hear to the original song of Huldra, recorded during an expedition of brave men traveling to the Kjosfossen waterfall. Not all of them managed to return—the song of the huldra is hard to resist.

Hold on to your men, ladies!! ;)