Sognefjord Cruise from Sogndal to Flam Railway

Posted by seruleane (Washington DC) on 06/08/24 12:58 PM

Hello- I was hoping someone who is familiar with Norway and the fjords could comment on this part of a guided itinerary I am looking at:
"Today, take a leisurely cruise on the breathtaking still waters of the Sognefjord, the longest and deepest of all the Norwegian Fjords. Then, board the world-famous Flam Railway and ascend 3,000 feet within 12 miles into Norway's high glacial regions. View pastures, waterfalls and snow-clad peaks, all nestled beautifully into the surrounding mountainside. Continue to your hotel in Bergen."

I have been studying the maps and can't figure out exactly what part of the Sognefjord we would be touring, and at what point we would board the Flam Railway? Is this similar to the Norway in a Nutshell Sognefjord and Flam Railway trip?

Posted by Threadwear

Fort Myers, FL

06/08/24 01:32 PM

1793 posts

Where are you boarding the boat to go through the fjord to Flam? Is it Gudvangen?

Posted by Kim

Paris

06/08/24 01:51 PM

9802 posts

If you’re boarding the Flam railway and ascending, you’re boarding it in Flam. The Flam railway only has two stops - Flam at the bottom and Myrdal at the top (besides the scenic stop it makes next to a waterfall).

And indeed the Flam Railway ride is a portion of the Norway in a Nutshell trip.

Posted by seruleane OP

Washington DC

06/08/24 02:33 PM

30 posts

It looks like we are boarding the boat from Flam-> Aurland->Undredal-> Gudvangen, then taking the Flam railway to Myrdal. Does that make sense and does that sound like a reasonable amount of time to enjoy a fjord cruise? I'm asking because at the end of our trip, we may add an extra day in Bergen and I am debating between doing a hike in one of the local mountains around Bergen vs trying to do another fjord cruise. Thanks again for any insight/help!

Posted by MarkK

Berlin

06/08/24 04:43 PM

2588 posts

Where is this "guided itinerary" from? Sea cruise catalogue, bus tour catalogue or what else?
Context is missing: where do you stay the night before?

"from Sogndal to Flåm Railway": where do you get Sogndal from? The region is north of the fjord and it does not stand in your copied text.

It looks like we are boarding the boat from Flam-> Aurland->Undredal-> Gudvangen, then taking the Flam railway to Myrdal. Does that make sense

Not really because as mentioned the Flåmsbana is going only from Flåm to Myrdal, not from Gudvangen. There is minimum a bus back from Gudvangen to Flåm.

If it would be the small passenger ferry tours from Flam to Gudvangen I guess the text woud highlight the UNESCO World Heritage Nærøyfjord but it is not mentioned.

You can easily find out what NiN includes.

Posted by Threadwear

Fort Myers, FL

06/08/24 08:46 PM

1793 posts

You are looking at the 8 Day Classic Norway from Gate 1 Travel. The short answer is yes, it is basically the same as NIN. The fjord cruise is great and you will end up in Flam where you will go to Bergen via Myrdal. I would really suggest a couple of nights in Bergen. Bergen is a very nice city.

Posted by MarkK

Berlin

06/08/24 09:03 PM

2588 posts

If this assumption is true you can see the ferry route in the map on this page - only last three stops.

And no, the very scenic Nærøyfjord part is not included, just the Aurlandfjord, also very nice but not as narrow. On the mentioned page you can see a video with parts of the ferry journey. What looks sunny and peaceful in the video can become a little more roughly with different weather and winds.