Norway in a Nutshell from Oslo
The real reason for being in Oslo, Norway is that we are booked on the "Norway in a Nutshell"
tour. This train tour starts in Oslo, and we ride to Myrdal, Norway where we switch to a train that will take us
to Flam, Norway.
This train route covers 340 kilometers in approximately five hours, and the route is through some very
spectacular portions of Norway.
A Norwegian friend of ours told us that this train ride would be an excellent way to get a
more in depth look at Norway's geography and he was absolutely correct. We chose to take the
route from Oslo, however, Bergen could be your origination point if so desired.
Some Videos of the Train Ride to Flam
Click the "Play Button" on any video & then once the video has started, you can make it "full screen" by clicking the square in the lower right corner of any video.
Myrdal Train Station
Train on the left is the one we rode in from Oslo and the right-side tracks are where the Flam Train will arrive. We only had to wait perhaps 10 minutes for the Flam Train.
Waiting for the Flam train
We are excited about going down the hill to the fjord below. There were hikers who had ridden with us to Myrdal, and they started off hiking down the hill to Flam.
Flam Train is Ready
OK, the Flam train is here and ready to board. The route might only be 20 kilometers, but due to the sea level height of Flam together with Myrdal being 863 meters above sea level, this results in a maximum gradient descent of 5.5%.
Kjosfossen Waterfall
Kjosfossen is a 93 meter tall hourglass-shaped waterfall that was sourced by the Reinunga Lake (Reinungavatnet) near the highland station at Myrdal.As the Flam train descended into the fjord valley, it went past some spectacular scenery. As you can see in these images, this water fall (Kjosfossen Waterfall) is absolutely blasting down that hill, spraying everyone on the viewing platform, as it descends down the mountain!
The train route to Flam is only 20 kilometers long, but the majority of the descent is very steep with some grades of 12 to 15 percent! The train stops at this particular water fall, to allow everyone to exit the train and take pics or videos. (there is a video of this waterfall at the bottom of this page)
Kjosfossen Waterfall
This is a short video we took of the waterfall described above. I cannot begin to describe how powerful that spray was as it bounced off the rocks towards us on the viewing platform. Did fail to mention how loud it was too?
Flam Harbor
Flam Harbor has direct Ocean access, even though the Ocean is over 400 kilometers distant. The Sognefjord (called the King of the fjords), is the largest and deepest fjord in Norway.
Cruise Ship in Flam Harbor
Upon arrival in Flam, we were surprised to see that there was a Cruise Ship in the harbor. But after doing some research, we found that Flam is accessible to the North Atlantic via the Sognefjorden Fjord, which is not only very wide, but also quite deep (4,291 feet at the deepest point).Flam Harbor receives around 160 cruise ships per year. In recent years, the cruise port's constant growth made it an year-round destination. In 2018, the port had scheduled 157 ship calls with an estimated 255,000 passengers.
Flam Harbor is 300 kilometers from the Ocean
This cruise ship had come into the Aurlandsfjord from the North Atlantic on the Sognefjord. Aurlandsfjord is a 29-kilometre (18 mi)
long fjord branch off of the main Sognefjorden, Norway's longest fjord. The Aurlandsfjord is deep and narrow, reaching a
depth of about 962 metres (3,156 ft), and its width is generally less than 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) wide.
There are a number of Cruise Companies that offer cruises that stop in Flam, including; Royal
Caribbean, Viking, Cruise Norway, Princess Cruises, etc. This is not a complete list,
but you get the idea use Google to read further - or
click here to view the 2019 list.
The Aurlandsfjord
We have departed Flam, and are now motoring along the Sognefjord to Gudvangen. The catamaran sails up along the Aurlandsfjord and then turns left into the Nærøyfjord to Guidvangen.
The Nærøyfjord
We were actually scheduled to depart on a later boat, but there was room on this boat and we wanted to get to Bergen before midnight!
Catamaran Ferry Starboard Side
This is the catamaran ferry that we used to travel from Flam to Gudvangen. Comfortable ride due to the twin hulls, and the interior was equipped with comfortable seats.
Catamaran Ferry Port Side
When we arrived Gudvangen, we
then got a tour bus that would take us to the train station in Voss, Norway.
The ferry boat is still in the Sognefjord which eventually connects to the North Atlantic. Our
ferry will take a left turn into the Nærøyfjord to reach Gudvangen. The Nærøyfjorden is one of
the narrowest fjords in Europe and is included on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
Gudvangen Arrival
The village in the distance in Gudvangen, and this is what the view looks like as
the ferry pulls in coming from Flam. The mountains the ferry boat passed as we
motored through the Nærøyfjord are beautiful aren't they?
NOTE: This image is the property of mcxurxo via Wikivoyage
Some Videos of the Fjord Departure
Click the "Play Button" on any video & then once the video has started, you can make it "full screen" by clicking the square in the lower right corner of any video.
Steepest Road in Northern Europe
Our bus journey took us down the steep and spectacular hairpin bends of
Stalheimskleiva
(the steepest road in Northern Europe). The road has 13
steep (up to 20%) turns. During the bus trip we enjoyed the wonderful views of the Stalheimsfossen and Sivlefossen
waterfalls before the journey continued to Voss, where got onboard a train to Bergen.
NOTE: This picture is the property of TommyG via Wikimedia Commons
2017 Europe Trip Overview & Guide
This was easily the most ambitiious trip we had ever taken; Seven
countries, 5,400 kilometers and we had a great time in each location.
Click here to read more about this trip.
Copenhagen, Denmark: Copenhagen had not been a part of our original trip plans, because we
were able to obtain such a good flight deal from United Airlines, we decided
to spend a few days there to explore the city.
Click here to read more about Copenhagen.
Oslo, Norway: Although we did not have much time in Oslo, we managed to complete a whirl-wind
exploration of the city and even the surrounding area.
Click here to read more about Oslo.-
Norway in a Nutshell Tour: This is easily the most scenic train ride we have ever taken; Oslo to Flam via
train, Fjord Ferry to Gudvangen, Tour Bus to Voss and a final train ride into
Bergen.
Click here to read more about the Norway in a Nutshell Tour. 
Bergen, Norway: Many people think of Norway as "the frozen north", with year-round snow and dismal cold. In
fact, Bergen’s temperate climate is very mild.
Click here to read more about Bergen.
Amsterdam, Netherlands: The city of Amsterdam had been on our "bucket list" for a long time, we have
flown through there, but never spent any time there,
Click here to read more about Amsterdam.
Bruges, Belgium: As neither of us had ever been to Belgium, we had no idea of what to expect, but
we were nicely surprised at what an enjoyable city Bruges was.
Click here to read more about Bruges.
Lake Hallstatt, Austria: After an exciting drive from Vienna on the autobahn and then through the
Salzkammergut Mountains on back roads that we thought might
really be logging trails, we reached Obertraun tired, hungry and ready to explore!
Click here to read more about Lake Hallstatt.
Grindelwald, Switzerland: Grindelwald is 660 kilometers from Lake Hallstatt, and the route we drove took
us through some very scenic mountains; alpine meadows, steep uphills, tight
corners and steep downhills.
Click here to read more about Grindelwald.
Lake Como, Italy: Our last visit to Italy had been in 2007, and as we researched destinations for this
trip, we realized that we wanted to re-visit Italy in the Lake Como region.
Click here to read more about Lake Como.
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Note: If you are interested in our European Tips & Warnings, Click here. Or to take a look at our methods for Trip Planning click here.
To view our entire set of images from Flam Norway, click here 
