Hike (or bike) the Flåm Valley

Hiking the Flåm Valley to Flåm

The Flåm Valley is well known for its dramatic and varied landscape and a place everyone visiting Flåm should see. The combination of a ride with the famous Flåm Railway and walking back to Flåm is an excellent opportunity to explore it up close.

This is a full day activity, starting with an hour’s ride with the Flåm Railway from Flåm to Vatnahalsen or Myrdal stations. From there, you follow the old construction road by foot back to Flåm. The total length of the hike is 20 kilometres, and the descent is no less than 860 vertical meters. Meaning you will walk downhill most of the time.

You will walk the last section of Rallarvegen, which stretches from Haugastøl via Finse across the mountains between Eastern and Western Norway all the way to Flåm by the fjord. The road was initially built to transport materials that came by sea to Flåm up to the mountains during the construction of the Bergen Railway.

Start hiking from Myrdal or Vatnahalsen

Whether you get off the train at Vatnahalsen or Myrdal is up to you, and the length of the hike is approximately 20 kilometres from either station. The first half of the route goes on gravel, while the last part is paved. The lower part also carries vehicles going to and from farms and houses in the valley. So be mindful about meeting traffic before sharp bends. It is otherwise fairly easy to walk, but if you have knee problems you may want to consider cycling instead.

Points of interest along the route

Panoramic views of the following majestic waterfalls: Kjosfossen, Kårdalsfossen, Rjoandefossen and Brekkefossen.

Myrdalsberget, where the road snakes down through 21 hairpin bends, before following the valley floor and the Flåm river.

The Rallarrosa mountain farm at Kårdal is a charming place to take a break. This is also where Flåm Zipline ends.

The farms in the valley seem like places where no one can live, but they were active long before the railway and road were made and are still in use year-round.