Not too long ago, a new activity opened in Flåm, and it wasn’t just any old activity. It was Northern Europe’s longest zipline, taking you on a thrilling ride through the beautiful Flåm Valley. Flåm Zipline promised a truly unique experience in the Flåm and Aurland area of Norway, and you know I had to try it. I also brought my GoPro, and so if you are looking for a Flam Zipline review that includes a pretty epic video; this is the post for you.
Let’s start off with a few facts about Flåm Zipline (or Flam Zipline, if you don’t have Å on your keyboard). They opened in 2018, and the zipline goes from its top station at Vatnahalsen down to Kårdalen. Vatnahalsen is almost at the top of the Flåm Valley, and it happens to be the penultimate stop on the famous Flåm Railway (did I get your attention now?). So, if you are planning a trip to Flåm anytime soon, you’ll be really excited to hear that you can cross off both the spectacular Flåm Railway (a bucket list attraction for many) AND Flåm Zipline in one go!
If you are planning a trip to Norway, and specifically the Flåm and Aurland area, don’t miss these posts:
- eBook: Travel Guide to Flåm, Aurland and the Aurlandsfjord area (by yours truly!)
- How to get from Bergen to Flåm, Norway
- How to get from Oslo to Flåm, Norway
- The Ultimate Guide to Accommodation in Flåm
- Visiting the fjords of Norway in Winter
- How to do the Norway in a Nutshell tour on your own
- Fun and sustainable activities in Aurland, Norway
- Norway Itineraries (to download) for your trip!
Read this post in Norwegian here!
Flåm Zipline: The Facts
First things first, before we dive into the thrill of it all. Flåm Zipline is indeed the longest zipline in Norway, Scandinavia and Northern Europe. It is the second-longest in Europe, as there is one in Wales that beats it. it is also one of the fastest in Europe, reaching speeds up to (and over in the right conditions) 100 km/h (60 mph).
The total zipline experience takes around 1,5 minute, which is a long time to be flying through the air (yet the experience itself was surprisingly relaxing once the initial butterflies had calmed down).
The total length of the ride is 1381 metres (4531 feet), which makes sense when you know how long it takes to get to the bottom. The craziest fun fact about this Norway zipline is that the height difference you cover on your flight from the top to the bottom station is 305 metres (1000 feet)!
The company opened in the late summer of 2018, and was popular amongst locals and travellers to the area alike. If you are cycling down the Flåm Valley (or cycling all of Rallarvegen; a popular cycling route), you can even send your bicycle down the zipline for free!
The activity is open on a seasonal basis, so please check in advance if you are visiting in the autumn or spring. As a general rule, they open on the 1st of May and stay open every day until the 15th of October, but this may change.
Of course, you can find all the information you need about Flåm Zipline on their website.
Zipline Video
I promised you a video, didn’t I?
Want a real feel of what it feels like to zipline in Norway? Watch my video below to get an idea, including the full Flåm Zipline experience! I filmed this in the summer of 2019, during my second trip with the zipline. I took the Flåm Railway to Vatnahalsen Station and rented a bicycle to get back down to the centre of the village.
How to get to Flåm Zipline
This is the question I get most, as the zipline isn’t easily reached. There are several ways to get to the top station, and they depend on whether you are travelling from Flåm or from Oslo or Bergen.
Firstly, you can reach the top station by train from both Flåm and Myrdal. Myrdal is a connecting station for the Oslo-Bergen Railway “Bergensbana”, so anyone visiting Flåm from either of those destinations will be able to integrate the zipline with their arrival (they can send your luggage down to the bottom for you, but you will have to carry it the rest of the way). The train station for the zipline is called Vatnahalsen.
Side note: the train between Flåm and Myrdal is indeed the famous Flåm Railway, so if you were hoping to catch this train during your visit, you’ll be able to cross it off your list!
Alternatively, if you are arriving from Oslo or Bergen (or any of the stations in between), and you don’t have a lot to carry, you can simply walk from Myrdal Station to the zipline. It’s a 10-minute walk, and not very strenuous. As long as you don’t have a suitcase with wheels, you’ll be fine.
A lot of people also visit the area by bicycle, and if you are cycling from either Finse, Haugastøl or Myrdal, you’ll be happy to hear that the Zipline top station is found along the route to Flåm. And, as mentioned, you can send your bike down the zipline at no extra cost.
For alternative transportation, such as going by ATV (it’s like a quad, but bigger and with room for up to 5 people), you can always reach out to Flåm Zipline directly (reach them here) to arrange private transportation. I did this on my first visit, as my schedule didn’t fit with the Flåm Railway timings (the train from Flåm takes 50 minutes), and it was a super-efficient (and fun) way of getting to the top.
Where can you book tickets for the Flåm Railway and Zipline?
This is an easy one to answer!
Tickets for the zipline can be booked here! Make sure to read all the fine print, and ensure that you are in the recommended health before booking. Then, to book your one-way tickets for the Flåm Railway, head this way!
Note that both tickets are bookable through the same website (Visit Flåm), so you should add each to your shopping cart before paying, so you don’t have to complete two separate transactions.
I recommend walking down the Flåm Valley from Kårdalen, which is a nice 3-4 hour walk. However, if you are short on time, you can rent a bike from the kiosk there (they have a limited number available on a first-come, first-served basis). Alternatively, you can book a bike rental in advance from Myrdal station here, cycle to the zipline, send the bike down with one of the lines, and cycle the rest of the way to Flåm. When you have reached the bottom, drop the bicycles off next to the train station, just by the Flåm Railway Museum (another one of my recommendations – and it’s free!).
So, what’s it like? (Flåm Zipline Review)
If you came here for a review, you found it! I have now experienced the zipline on several occasions, and each have been great! The crew working the zipline are so fun, friendly and eager to make you feel safe (yet clear enough to ensure that you understand the safety aspect of it). Whether they are setting you up at the top or greeting you at the bottom, they give great service.
The experience itself is a thrill, to say the least. The initial feeling of free-falling as you leave the safety or the deck below your feet at the top is both terrifying and incredible at the same time. Then, once the initial terror has passed (it only lasts a second or two until you realise that you are, in fact, safely strapped in), you get the time to take it all in. I had never seen the nature and landscape in the area like this before, as I was flying through the sky, hundreds of metres above the famous Myrdal hairpin turns and the people walking along the trail at the bottom of the valley.
When it comes to adventure travel I usually get my fix underwater, but this is an experience that I’ll keep visiting time and time again. Make sure you don’t miss the zipline during your trip to Flåm – it’ll be a highlight of your trip!
Want more posts from the area? Keep reading one of these:
- eBook: Travel Guide to Flåm, Aurland and the Aurlandsfjord area (by yours truly!)
- How to get from Bergen to Flåm, Norway
- How to get from Oslo to Flåm, Norway
- The Ultimate Guide to Accommodation in Flåm
- Visiting the fjords of Norway in Winter
- Visiting the fjords of Norway in Autumn
- How to do the Norway in a Nutshell tour on your own
- Fun and sustainable activities in Aurland, Norway
- Norway Itineraries (to download) for your trip!
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