Flåm

History

In 1670, Flåm Church was built in the village, replacing an older stave church.

In 1908, the Norwegian Parliament approved the construction of the Flåm Line railway, though the funds to construct the railway were not allocated until 1923. In 1942, regular operation of (steam-powered) trains started on the Flåm Line.

By the 1960s, cruise ships had begun anchoring in the fjord (they were too large to dock, so passengers would take smaller boats ashore).

The original Fretheim Hotel, established in the late 1800s, expanded to welcome more international guests, offering a comfortable stay amid the wild nature. The Norway in a Nutshell tour – a popular packaged day-trip including the Flåm Railway and fjord ferry – started bringing many visitors to Flåm starting in the 1980s and onward. In 2000, Flåm built a new pier that allowed large cruise ships to dock directly which led to a great increase in tourism. Today, nearly half a million people visit annually, far outnumbering the roughly 300 residents of Flåm.

Name

The name Flåm is documented as early as 1340 as Flaam. It is derived from the plural dative form of the Old Norse word meaning "plain, flat piece of land", and it refers to the flat plains surrounding the Flåm river valley which sits between steep mountains.

Transportation

Air

The closest airport is Sogndal Airport, Haukåsen, approximately 70 km from Flåm.

Road

The European route E16 highway between Oslo and Bergen runs through Flåm. The village sits about 7 km southwest of the municipal centre of Aurlandsvangen, 12 km south of the village of Undredal, and 15 km east of the village of Gudvangen (through the Gudvanga Tunnel).

The Navvy road, Rallarvegen stretches from Myrdal down to Flåm. (Pedestrians and bicyclists still use it.) At Myrdal, it connects with the navvy road for the previously built Bergen Line.

Rail

Flåm is also connected by rail through the Flåm Line, a branch line of the Bergen Line, the line itself travels though picturesque views so is popular with tourists.

Sea

The port can take up to three cruise-ships a day although there is a limit of 5000 passengers leaving the ship at a time. In 2020, in was announced that a large (16MVA) power connection was going to be built, allowing ships to turn off their engines while docked (known as "Cold ironing") and in May 2025 a contractor was announced.

Tourism

The village of Flåm has since the late 19th century been a tourist destination. It currently receives almost 450,000 visitors a year. Most ride the 20 km Flåm Line between Flåm and Myrdal Station, one of the steepest railway tracks at 1 in 18 (not counting rack railways) in the world. There are also a few spirals. A former rail station building in Flåm now houses a museum dedicated to the Flåm railway.

The harbour of Flåm receives some 160 cruise ships per year.

Issues due to tourism

Air pollution in Flåm and nearby Geiranger during the cruise season is similar to that of a big city. Cruise traffic in Norway, which is one of the largest exporters of oil in the world, emits more NOx than all road traffic in Norway combined. In a 2005 Bergens Tidende article, Kjetil Smørås (a hotel director and chairman of Fjord Norge said that "The cruise traffic pollutes more than several ten thousands of cars, and many of the worst ships sail up here (...) cruise tourists trod down the pristine Norwegian nature, and destroy the foundation for Vestlandet's four entries on Unesco's World Heritage lists".

In 2009, Jens Riisnæs (an author and NRK journalist) said "We have the world's most beautiful nation, we don't need to follow the cruise operators' premises. They can go other places with their polluting ships. It is unwanted noise."

In 2009, Dagens Næringsliv said that a report by Vestlandsforskning says that both "Flåm and Geiranger are nearing a limit in capacity. It might be an alternative and rather stand forth as a «relaxed», exclusive and somewhat less of a mass tourism, cruise destination."

In a 2014 Dagens Næringsliv article, a farmer said that "Previously the smell of summer was that of grass that had been cut. Now the smell is of heavy oil". Furthermore, "They [a retired couple] talk about fish that has disappeared from the fjord. In Norway, cruise ships are permitted to dump overboard their greywater in the postcard-narrow fjord-arms. Furthermore, the news article says that defecation in public by tourists, is already a problem; the village's train station has the only public toilets, and 200,000 tourists are expected in the summer season.

In 2014, tourism professor Arvid Viken said that "it is about time this [type of] tourism is evaluated somewhat more soberly than how it has been done in many municipalities for some years".

Notable people

• Per Sivle, the notable poet was born in Flåm

In media

Part of the book "The Ship of the Dead" is set in Flåm.

Media gallery

File:Flåm Church, Flåm, Norway - June 2022.jpg|Flåm Church, built in 1670 File:Kjosfossen.jpg|The Kjosfoss waterfall along the Flåmsbana, the railway line from Flåm to Myrdal File:Trainstationinflam.jpg|Tourists at the railway station in Flåm. The station has the village's only public toilets File:Flåm 51.jpg|Flåm harbour File:MF Flåm.jpg|A catamaran in Flåm harbour File:View of the Aurlandsfjord, Aurlandsvangen and Flam from below the Prest Summit.jpg|View of Aurlandsfjord and Flåm from a nearby summit File:Last view on Flåm.jpg|View from Flåm File:Bru over Flåmselvi 1.jpg|View of Flåm bridge with cruise ship behind File:Flam.jpg|Flåm harbour and railway station File:SS Norway in Norway.jpg|The SS Norway in Flåm, 1999 File:MSC Fantasia in Flåm (1).jpg|The MSC Fantasia in Flåm File:T199612.jpg|Ægir, a micro brewery and pub in a traditional-style building File:Flåm Norway P&O MV Britannia.jpg|P&O MV Britannia docked in Flåm File:AIDAprima in Flåm, Norway - June 2022.jpg|AIDAprima in Flåm

References

References

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3. Statistisk sentralbyrå. (2025-10-27). "Urban settlements. Population and area, by municipality".
4. {{Cite SNL. Flåmsbana. Flåmsbana. 2025-11-23. Thorsnæs. Geir. 2025-06-19
5. (2014-07-18). "Drit og dra".
6. "History of Flåm".
7. Kommunal-og regionaldepartementet. (2000-09-16). "Åpning av Fretheim hotell".
8. {{Cite SNL. Flåm. Flåm. 2025-11-23. Thorsnæs. Geir. 2025-08-01
9. Brekke, Arne. "Farm names in Flåm".
10. Rygh, Oluf. (1919). "Norske gaardnavne: Nordre Bergenhus amt". W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri.
11. "Flam Aurlandsfjord Norway Cruise Port".
12. "Services".
13. "Flåm wins govt funding to build OPS for cruise ships at berth".
14. "Cruise Ships to Plug into Shore Power in Norway's World Heritage Fjord - Ship & Bunker".
15. (June 2007). "Railways Illustrated".
16. "Key Facts on Flåm". VisitNorway.com.
17. Martiniussen, Erik. (2019-06-07). "Cruiseflåten er fem ganger verre enn andre skip – og utslippene når land".
18. Stensvold, Tore. (2017-05-29). "Cruiseturister er i ferd med å ødelegge den uberørte naturen de kommer for å se. Her er tiltakene som kan redde norske fjorder".
19. (2014-07-27). "Strid i kjølvannet av cruiseturismen – DN.no".
20. link. (2014-08-12 [Unwelcome cruise guests])