Norway in a Nutshell

[Stephen]

How many of you have done the six and half hour train/coach trip from Flam.

Train one way, lunch then coach back.

The train ride is fifty minutes. So allowing say one hour for lunch that's a hell of a long coach trip back.

[colin parry]

Did this trip a few years ago. I seem to remember that it takes about 50 minutes to get to Myrdal, and the journey to Voss quite a bit longer. We had an excellent lunch in Voss and some free time to wander by the lake. The return journey was very spectacular and the whole trip well worth the cost although it was 5 or 6 years ago!

[Stephen]

Thanks Colin

This is a description of the trip. Probably the same one you went on. Can you remember how long the coach trip back was. Long stretches on a coach aren't my favourite thing.
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Norway in a Nutshel

Board the famous Flåm Scenic Railway for one of the most picturesque train rides in Norway. Enjoy the views as you begin your ascent though lush countryside to the Kjosfoss Waterfall, a brief stop is given for photos, before continuing to Myrdal. Changing trains at Myrdal Station, your journey will take you past various landscapes, through tunnels and down the mountain valley to Voss Station, a well known tourist resort in both summer and winter.

From Voss Station, a 5 minute walk will bring you to a local hotel where a delicious Norwegian buffet lunch will be served.

After lunch, your coach journey continues to the Tvinde Waterfall, to photograph its pretty cascading falls. From here, pass lakes and tumbling waterfalls as you navigate the serpentine bends of Stalheimskleivane, the steepest road in Norway. The panoramic return to Flåm will take you down the verdant valley, past snaking rivers, through villages and along the Nærøyfjord.

Essential Information
This excursion will operate by coach and train. The walk to Flåm station takes 5 minutes. There are a few steep steps to access the train. The local guide is not permitted to give a commentary onboard the train, however a limited taped commentary will be provided from Myrdal to Flåm. You must remain seated on the train, as the journey can be bumpy. The train journey is approximately 50 minutes. This tour involves several tunnels. The amount of water in the waterfalls varies depending on recent rainfall. There is an optional walk of 5 minutes to get a closer view of the Tvinde Waterfall. There is limited storage space on the train for foldable wheelchairs and push chairs. All passengers must be able to negotiate the steps to board the train.

[colin parry]

Sorry I can’t remember how long the coach return took but Im sure that I would have remembered if it had been uncomfortably long. I certainly remember the superb lunch in Voss.

[Quizzical Bob]

We did this trip a few years ago with our daughter and her family, four adults and two young children. It cost me a lot of money at the time, something like £280 in total, so we were not very happy when we found out that here were not enough seats on the train. Our daughter had to sit on the floor outside the toilets and was in tears. I had to stand for the whole train trip but because of the curvature of the roof I had to stoop right down low in order to see anything. The tours desk were not very sympathetic but I am still seething about it.

You can book the train trip yourself both ways for a lot less money than P&O charge.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I think the train element in this tour is more than 50 minutes. That's just the Flam railway. Then there's the onward journey to Voss. No idea how long that takes.