Flam in Norway

At the innermost reach of the Aurlandsfjord in western Norway, Flam sits where still water meets sheer rock, surrounded by the mountains. The village has long served as a transit point between Norway’s coastal fjords and its interior highlands. The UNESCO-listed Nærøyfjord extends from here in narrow, cathedral-like proportions, its walls rising hundreds of meters above the water. Electric fjord cruises move quietly through that corridor, close enough to the rock face to hear waterfalls before they come into view. The Rjoandefossen cascade drops dramatically near the valley floor, and the Stegastein viewpoint platform extends over the fjord at a sharp angle, offering an unobstructed view of the landscape below. The Flam Railway, one of the steepest standard-gauge rail lines in the world, climbs nearly 900 meters through 20 kilometers of tunnels, bridges and open mountain terrain before reaching Myrdal.