We are flying into Bergen and renting a car. We want to take a ferry from Bergen to Flam. We are looking for how easy it is to get from the airport to a car ferry through the Sognefjord to Flam. We also plan to stay somewhere neat Flam like Aurland.
We might stop in Balestrand for a night or just partial day.
Ideas would be helpful.
Unfortunately there are no such car-ferry from Bergen to Flåm. There are only a non-car ferry. A car in this area is well recommended. Escpecially if you have some time It gives much flexibility. This is my recommendation for you:
From Bergen, drive E39 up north to the ferrydock at Oppedal (1h 40m). Take the ferry over to Lavik (30m). From Lavik, drive E39 towards Vadheim. From there take Cointy Road 55 towards Høyanger and Balestrand (Lavik - Balestrand 1h 30m). Put in some scenic stops on the way.
From Balestrand, drive towards Sogndal and Kaupanger (includes the short ferry from Dragsvik to Hella). From Kaupanger you can take a car-ferry on the Sognefjord and Nærøyfjord to Gudvangen. It's a 2 hour cruise, with extremely nice scenery.
From Gudvangen it is only a 20-30 min ride to Flåm and Aurland
Thanks Andreas, That is good to know about the car ferry.
If we arrive at 12 pm and expect to leave the airport with a car by 1:30 or 2:00pm, is it realistic to be in Flam by the night time? Should we plan to stop in Balestrand for the night. We arrive on a Tuesday and need to be in Sauda by Thursday night. Are trying to fit to much in in the 2+ days?
If you want to visit Balestrand, it will be a bit stressfull, given that your destination is Sauda
Bergen -> Balestrand = 4-5 hours
Balestrand -> Flåm = 2,5-3 hours (not so scenic route, county road 13), 3-3,5 hours (more scenic route, county road 5)
Flåm -> Sauda = 5,5-6 hours (or 4,5 hours if you drive between late june and early september, mountain pass 520 Saudavegen short cut is open)
Sauda is way more south in the country. My tip is to go for a completely different route from Bergen. Going from Bergen to the Sognefjord and Aurland/Flåm, and then return quite a bit. In fact all the way to Voss, and then drive the County Road 13 southwards. This will leave you in the car driving for a total of 12-14 hours, if everything goes smooth. In my opinion, that is a bit much time spent in the car over two-three days, when what you probably really want is to enjoy the scenery.
With only 2-3 days, my recommendation is to ditch the Sognefjord-area, and go for the Hardanger-fjord area instead. It's fantastic, and best of all, it's more on your way to Sauda. A total 6-7 hour drive, that gives you lots of time for stops and enjoy the scenery. A natural place to stay the night(s) are in Norheimsund, or at the fantastic Hotel Ullensvang.
