Myrdal: The Bergen Railway, Flåm Railway and Rallarvegen

Myrdal is a destination shaped by the railway, its high-altitude station and the routes through the landscape. The station is 867 metres above sea level. The Flåm Railway and hiking routes on the Rallarvegen also start here. For your holiday planning, it is therefore worth considering your journey and the excursions you want to take together: Myrdal has no road access, and there is no direct bus connection either.

Travelling by train

The station is on the Bergen Railway, which has train services towards Bergen, Flåm and Oslo S. If you are travelling to Myrdal, you will therefore need to plan your journey around the train. There is no direct bus connection to the village. You can take a bus to Flåm or to nearby stations such as Voss and change to a train there. These differences are relevant when choosing a holiday apartment for your trip: first consider which train connection and excursions you want to focus on during your stay, rather than assuming you can reach Myrdal by road or bus.

Taking the Flåm Railway to Flåm

The Flåm Railway descends from Myrdal station to Flåm at the end of the Aurlandsfjord. The journey takes about an hour and stops at eight stations. There is also a five-minute photo stop at Kjosfossen. This lets you combine your stay in Myrdal with a train journey whose route and stops make up a distinct part of your itinerary. When planning your days, you can count this as a train excursion and then decide whether you would also like to make time for a hike or a bike ride.

Hiking: routes of different lengths

Myrdal has hiking routes for all experience levels. Two route descriptions offer specific guidance for planning your day: the hike from Myrdal to Kaldaklovfossen is 8.9 kilometres long and takes about two and a half hours. The hike along the Rallarvegen from Myrdal to Flåm covers 19.5 kilometres and takes almost seven hours. The length and estimated duration clearly distinguish the two options. If you are travelling with others, you can compare these details with your group’s available time before planning a route for the day.

Shorter walks are also an option: there are good opportunities for shorter walks around the station. This means that, alongside the longer hikes, you can also choose a shorter loop. The right route depends on how much you have planned for the day and how interested you are in exploring on foot.

The Rallarvegen on foot or by bike

The Rallarvegen gives travellers different ways to get between Myrdal and Flåm. The hike to Flåm is listed as 19.5 kilometres and takes almost seven hours; the bike ride from Myrdal to Flåm takes about two hours. By bike, the route begins on a somewhat rocky path. It then follows the Flåmselvi past wooded slopes, meadows and waterfalls. These specific features give the bike ride a different character from the train journey. For cyclists, the section through Klevagjelet towards Myrdal is also important: it is steep and partly unprotected, and dismounting is recommended.

Landscape and cultural heritage

The scenery around the station changes with the seasons: in winter, there are views of snow-covered mountains; in summer, the sun reflects in the Flåmselvi. The Rallarvegen is designated a cultural monument and is an important part of Norway’s cultural heritage. If you are considering a stay in Myrdal, you can include nature experiences, train rides and a historic route in your travel plans. The choice between train, hiking and cycling depends on the routes and timings you want to fit into your stay.

More local pages: Vossevangen, Myrkdalen, Skulestadmoen, Bolstadøyri, Vossestrand, Evanger.

To the main travel overview: Voss.