Two hours of water between Flåm and Gudvangen, about 250 metres wide at its narrowest. Here is
which boat to take, which way to sail, and how you get back.
Which way each boat sailsFlåm to Gudvangen, Gudvangen to Flåm, or out and back by RIB
The return, spelled outWhat each ticket covers for the way back, before you book
Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, on every listing here
Secure checkoutBook on GetYourGuide, with a mobile voucher
Cruises
Choose your Nærøyfjord cruise
In the centre, the classic two-hour ferry from Flåm to Gudvangen, the whole fjord end to end. On the left,
the RIB that takes you out and brings you back to Flåm. On the right, the guided day from Bergen by rail, boat and bus.
Two hours in a fast open boat with a local guide, out along the Aurlandsfjord into the Nærøyfjord and back to Flåm Marina, with stops at fjord farms and waterfalls for stories and photos.
What's included
Two-hour guided RIB tour of the Aurlandsfjord and the Nærøyfjord, returning to Flåm Marina
Thermal suits, life jackets, goggles and hats provided; food and drinks listed as included
Live English-speaking guide with local history and stories; several stops on the way
Not for children under 14 or under 140 cm, pregnant women or people with mobility impairments
Arrive 30 minutes early for suits and the safety briefing; free cancellation up to 24 hours before
The whole Nærøyfjord in two hours on a classic fjord ferry, from Flåm to Gudvangen. It passes Bakka, where the fjord narrows to under 500 metres and the summits stand about 3 km apart.
What's included
Two-hour sailing from Flåm to Gudvangen, one way, on a classic fjord ferry run by Lustrabaatane
Audio guide on board; cafeteria with hot and cold refreshments for purchase
Departures several times a day: pier 5 or 6 before 10:00, pier 2 or 3 after 10:00, per the listing
Not included: food and drink, and the shuttle bus back to Flåm
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
Length2 hours, one wayFlåm to GudvangenBook this →
A guided day from Bergen that strings the Bergen Railway, the Flåm Railway and an electric Nærøyfjord cruise together, with a guided visit to the Njardarheimr Viking village in Gudvangen.
What's included
Live guide, bus from and to Bergen, Bergen Railway and Flåm Railway with the Kjosfossen waterfall stop
Nærøyfjord cruise on a modern electric vessel with panoramic windows
Guided tour of the Njardarheimr Viking village in Gudvangen
Not included: food and drink; not suitable for wheelchair users
October to April the route can adapt to ice and weather; free cancellation up to 24 hours before
Length10.5 hoursGuided in English and SpanishBook this →
Four more ways onto the fjord
The classic cruise in reverse, a Bergen coach day with lunch, a kayak day from Voss and the winter tour
The Nærøyfjord has a quay at each end, so the useful questions are where you
board, whether you come back to the same place, how long you are on the water and what else the day includes.
Lengths, inclusions and limits are taken from each listing.
Option
Starts from
Best for
Length
Notes
Classic Fjord Cruise on the Nærøyfjord from Flåm
Flåm quay, piers 2 to 6
Seeing the whole fjord at an easy pace, with a cafeteria and an audio guide
Bergen: UNESCO Fjord Cruise, Flåm & Stegastein with Lunch
Strandkaien, Bergen, 07:30
A coach day from Bergen with Tvindefossen, the two-hour cruise from Gudvangen to Flåm, time in Flåm and the Stegastein platform 650 metres above the Aurlandsfjord
Every listing here cancels free up to 24 hours before on GetYourGuide. The classic ferry
tickets are one way and do not include the shuttle bus back; the RIB takes ages 14 and up; the Bergen tours are not
suitable for wheelchair users by their own listings.
What you actually get
A corridor, not a loop.
The Nærøyfjord is a side arm of the Aurlandsfjord, itself a branch of the 205 km Sognefjord. It runs about
17 km from its mouth to Gudvangen, and at its narrowest it is only about 250 metres across, with
mountains rising to about 1,761 metres on either side. Near
Bakka the summits on the two sides stand only about 3 km apart.
That shape decides the trip. The scheduled boat does not circle back: it sails from Flåm to Gudvangen or
the other way in about two hours, and the classic ticket ends there. Gudvangen and Flåm are linked by road and a
shuttle bus, which the plain ticket does not include. The Bergen day tours solve the return with their own coach
and train; the RIB from Flåm is the one boat that brings you back to where you started.
2005
The year the Nærøyfjord and the Geirangerfjord were inscribed together on the UNESCO World
Heritage List as the West Norwegian Fjords, 120 km apart.
The Nærøyfjord: about 250 metres wide at its narrowest, with mountains to about 1,761 metres.
01
Pick a direction
From Flåm you sail the wider Aurlandsfjord first and end in the narrow end at Gudvangen; from Gudvangen you start in the narrows and finish in Flåm.
02
Plan the way back
The classic ferry is one way and its listing excludes the shuttle bus back. Book the bus, a return sailing, or a tour that handles both ends.
03
Electric or classic
The scheduled route has two operators: a fully electric catamaran and a classic fjord ferry built to serve the villages. Both take about two hours.
04
Who should skip the cruise?
Anyone who wants speed or a live guide at every stop: the RIB is for them. Anyone who wants silence at water level: the kayak day from Voss.
On board
Two hours in four moves
From Flåm the fjord narrows as you go: open water first, then the walls close in. Sailing from
Gudvangen, read the four moves backwards.
01
Board at Flåm
The boats leave from the quay below the village at the inner end of the Aurlandsfjord. The classic ferry uses piers 5 or 6 before 10:00 and piers 2 or 3 after, per its listing.
Be on the quay early
02
The Aurlandsfjord
The first stretch runs north along the Aurlandsfjord past Undredal, a stop on the electric boat's route when booked ahead and home to a stave church with 40 seats.
The open part of the route
03
Into the Nærøyfjord
Round the corner the water narrows. Dyrdal and Styvi face each other across the fjord, waterfalls run down the walls, and at Bakka the fjord closes to under 500 metres.
The heart of the trip
04
Gudvangen and the way back
The boat ties up at Gudvangen, where the river meets the fjord under the Kjelsfossen waterfall. From here: the shuttle bus, your tour's coach, or the Viking village.
Getting to the quays, who can come, a sample day and what to bring.
Flåm: the village at the end of the Flåm Railway, which climbs 866 metres to Myrdal on the Bergen Line in under an hour. The cruise quay and the RIB's marina are a short walk apart, the marina on the east side about ten minutes from the port.
Gudvangen: at the head of the Nærøyfjord on the E16 road; the classic ferry sails from pier 4. The shuttle bus links it with Flåm.
From Bergen: the day tours meet in the city centre in the morning: Strandkaien by the Fast Ferry Terminal or outside the Tourist Information at 07:30, or the Guided Fjord Tours office.
From Voss: the kayak day meets at Evangervegen 32, about 300 metres from the Voss Gondola and the station, and drives to the fjord.
Children: the winter tour from Bergen is not for children under 4 and the RIB not for under-14s, per their listings; each listing states its own rules.
The RIB: ages 14 and up and at least 140 cm tall; not for pregnant women or people with mobility impairments.
Wheelchairs: the electric boat is built with universal design, but its operator warns that a substitute vessel may not offer the same access. The three Bergen tours state they are not suitable for wheelchair users.
Dogs: welcome on the electric boat, per its operator.
Morning: arrive in Flåm on the Flåm Railway or the night before, and take a morning cruise to Gudvangen.
Midday: the Njardarheimr Viking village in Gudvangen, then the shuttle bus back to Flåm.
Afternoon: the two-hour RIB from Flåm Marina into both fjords, or the bus up to Stegastein above the Aurlandsfjord.
No car, no night in Flåm: one of the Bergen day tours puts all of this, minus the RIB, into a single long day.
A warm layer and a waterproof shell in every season; the deck is colder than the quay.
Your voucher on your phone, and your return plan written down: bus, return sailing or tour coach.
For the RIB, nothing bulky; thermal suits, goggles and hats are provided. For the kayak, warm technical clothing under the splash jacket.
Food if you want it: the classic ferry's cafeteria sells refreshments, and the Bergen rail tour does not include meals.
2 hFlåm to GudvangenThe scheduled cruise, one way, in either direction.
250 mAt the narrowestThe width of the fjord at its tightest point.
1,761 mThe peaksAbout the height of the mountains above the fjord.
24 hFree cancellationOn every GetYourGuide listing on this page.
14+The RIBMinimum age on the fast boat, and 140 cm minimum height.
All yearScheduled boatsThe fjord cruise runs year-round, with a shorter winter timetable.
The start
Flåm quay
Flåm, at the end of the Aurlandsfjord
Flåm, Aurland, Vestland, Norway
The classic fjord ferry to Gudvangen leaves from the Flåm quay: pier 5 or 6 for departures before 10:00 and
pier 2 or 3 after 10:00, per its listing. The RIB meets at the glass container outside Flåm Marina, on the east side
of the village, about ten minutes on foot from the port; arrive 30 minutes before for suits and the briefing.
Sailing the other way? The classic ferry from Gudvangen leaves from pier 4
The Flåm Railway station is in the village, a short walk from the quay
The Grand Tour bus waits in the large bus park a few minutes from the cruise port
When to sail, the small things that help, what is next to the quays and the fine print.
Summer: the longest days and the most sailings, and the season for the kayak and the RIB.
Spring and autumn: waterfalls full of snowmelt in spring, colour on the slopes in autumn, quieter decks.
Winter: the boats keep running on a shorter timetable, with winter departures from Flåm at 12:00, 15:00 and 17:30 on the electric boat. The fjord has frozen in hard winters, in the 1920s and in 1962.
Any season: western Norway's weather turns quickly; a grey morning can clear by the narrows, and the boats sail in rain.
Book the return when you book the cruise: the classic ticket ends at the other quay.
On the electric boat, stops at Aurland, Undredal, Dyrdal and Styvi must be booked before it leaves Flåm or Gudvangen.
Stand outside for the narrows near Bakka, then warm up inside for the open stretch.
Sailing from Gudvangen puts the narrowest water at the start, while you are fresh and the deck is quiet.
The electric boat's audio guide comes as an app in six languages; download it on the quay.
The Flåm Railway: 20.2 km from Myrdal down to Flåm, through twenty tunnels, with a stop at the Kjosfossen waterfall.
Stegastein: a viewing platform 650 metres above the Aurlandsfjord that reaches about 30 metres out, included on two of the Bergen tours.
Undredal: the stave church from about 1147, 12 by 4 metres, called the smallest stave church still in use in Scandinavia.
Njardarheimr: the Viking village in Gudvangen, visited with a guide on the Bergen rail tour.
Stalheimskleiva: the 13-hairpin road above Nærøydalen, walked downhill on the Grand Tour from Flåm.
Every listing on this page cancels free up to 24 hours before on GetYourGuide; the winter tour gives no refund inside 24 hours.
The winter tour is cancelled with a full refund in extreme weather, per its listing.
The Bergen rail tour can run in either direction and adapts its route to ice from October to April.
The lunch tour asks for special dietary requests by 14:00 the day before and runs in all weather.
Flåm · the narrows · Gudvangen
Pick the direction, then the way back.
Fjord cruises and tours with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
The most beautiful views I've ever seen. The boat cruise was fantastic.
★★★★★
The RIB boat trip was a lot of fun and is absolutely recommended!
★★★★★
Very nice trip, well organized, with lots of interesting places. Fantastic coordination.
★★★★★
The colors, the waterfalls, and the silence are something unique.
★★★★★
Really good experience, our guide Hans Christian was excellent and obviously enjoyed his job.
★★★★★
Our guide was very friendly and informative without being overwhelming. Thank you for an unforgettable day!
★★★★★
Amazing kayaking experience in Nærøyfjord! Paddling through the fjord was incredibly peaceful and relaxing.
★★★★★
The cruise through the breathtaking Nærøyfjord, the charming village of Flåm, and stunning Stegastein views made this experience unforgettable.
★★★★★
It was beautiful!! One of the top activities on our trip.
The road side of the fjord
See it from the road
Every option above puts you on the water. This one keeps you on land: a bus tour from Flåm over the
mountains to the waterfalls of Nærøydalen, down the Stalheim road on foot and on to Gudvangen at the head of the fjord.
Flåm Grand Tour: Waterfalls, Stalheim Road & Gudvangen
Flåm bus park, by the cruise port · 4.5 hours · GetYourGuide
The fjord country from the road. From Flåm the bus climbs to the Tvindefossen waterfall, then you walk down the Stalheimskleiva, one of Northern Europe's steepest roads with 13 hairpin bends, between the Stalheimsfossen and Sivlefossen waterfalls, before a photo stop in Gudvangen at the head of the Nærøyfjord and the drive back.
Search for a Nærøyfjord tour and the results show the same picture: a boat dwarfed by green walls, a
waterfall, a white church at the water's edge. The picture is real, and it is only about 17 km long. What the results
rarely say is that the fjord is a corridor with a quay at each end, that the classic boat ticket is one way, and that
most of the long day tours spend about two hours of their day on the water. Here is how to read the options.
A side arm of the longest fjord
The Sognefjord runs about 205 km inland from the coast north of Bergen and reaches a depth of 1,308 metres, the
longest and deepest fjord in Norway. Near its inner end it splits, and one branch, the Aurlandsfjord, runs south to
Flåm. From the Aurlandsfjord a narrower arm turns west: the Nærøyfjord, about 17 km to Gudvangen at its head. At its
tightest it is only about 250 metres wide, the mountains climb to about 1,761 metres, and at the narrows the water is
only about 12 metres deep. In 2005 UNESCO inscribed it, together with the Geirangerfjord 120 km to the north, as the
West Norwegian Fjords. Along its shores lie the farms of Dyrdal, Styvi, Tufto and Holmo and the village of Bakka,
whose church was consecrated in 1859, and the boat has long been part of life here: passengers sailing from Gudvangen
went from 795 in 1868 to about 20,000 by 1912.
Bakka: where the fjord narrows to under 500 metres and the summits stand about 3 km apart.
The cruise, and what the ticket covers
Two operators sail the scheduled route between Flåm and Gudvangen. One runs a fully electric catamaran with
no engine noise by its operator's account, with a café on board and an audio guide app in six languages; it can stop at Aurland,
Undredal, Dyrdal and Styvi if you book the stop before it leaves. The other runs a classic fjord ferry, built to
serve the people who live along these fjords, with an audio guide and a cafeteria. Either way the sailing takes
about two hours, and either way it ends at the other quay. The classic ticket on this page states plainly that the
shuttle bus back is not included, so before you book, decide whether you will take the bus, sail back, or end your
day at the other end: Gudvangen for the E16 towards Voss and Bergen, Flåm for the railway.
The honest small print: a one-way cruise is the whole fjord, not half of it. Sailing back the
same way repeats the view; the shuttle bus is the usual way back. If you want a guide talking the whole time and
to finish where you began, the RIB from Flåm is the boat for that, and it stops at waterfalls the ferries only pass.
The day tours from Bergen
Bergen is where most visitors to western Norway stay, and three guided day tours on this page bring the Nærøyfjord
to them. The rail tour takes the Bergen Railway and the Flåm Railway, which drops 866 metres to the fjord through
twenty tunnels and stops for the Kjosfossen waterfall, then the electric cruise and a guided visit to the Njardarheimr
Viking village in Gudvangen. The coach tour drives past the Tvindefossen waterfall to Gudvangen, sails to Flåm, and
climbs to the Stegastein platform 650 metres above the Aurlandsfjord, with a light lunch and afternoon coffee
included. The winter tour does much the same by minibus through snow. All three run 10.5 to 12 hours, with about
two of them on the boat; the rest is the scenery between Bergen and the fjord, which is a good part of the point.
The electric boat: no engine noise between the walls of the fjord.
Which option, and when
If you are in Flåm with a free morning, the classic cruise to Gudvangen and the bus back is the plain way to see
the whole fjord, and sailing from Gudvangen instead puts the narrows first. If you want speed, a guide and stops at
the waterfalls, take the RIB. If you are based in Bergen without a car, pick the rail tour for the Flåm Railway or
the coach tour for Stegastein and lunch. If you want to be at water level under your own power, the kayak day from
Voss spends about three hours paddling. And if your heart is set on the Seven Sisters, that waterfall is on the
Geirangerfjord, a different trip; our comparison explains the two.
By kayak: the slowest way through the fjord, and the closest to the water.
Straight answers to what people ask most about Nærøyfjord cruises and tours.
What is the best cruise in the Nærøyfjord?
For most visitors, the scheduled two-hour sailing between Flåm and Gudvangen, because it covers the whole fjord end to end. It runs one way, so plan the return before you book. If you would rather finish where you started, the RIB from Flåm is the boat that comes back. Our cruise guide sets the options side by side.
Can I take a Nærøyfjord cruise from Flåm to Gudvangen?
Yes. That is the classic route: about two hours from Flåm along the Aurlandsfjord and into the Nærøyfjord, ending at Gudvangen. The same boats sail the other way too. The classic ticket on this page is one way and does not include the shuttle bus back, so book the return separately or pick a day tour that includes it.
Can I take a guided tour of the Nærøyfjord from Bergen?
Yes. Three guided day tours on this page leave Bergen in the morning and include the cruise: one by rail with the Flåm Railway and a Viking village, one by coach with lunch and the Stegastein viewpoint, and a winter minibus tour. Each is 10.5 to 12 hours, of which the boat is about two. The Bergen guide compares them.
Which fjord is more scenic, the Nærøyfjord or the Geirangerfjord?
They are different kinds of beautiful and share the same UNESCO listing. The Nærøyfjord is narrow and close, about 250 metres wide at its narrowest with mountains to about 1,761 metres; the Geirangerfjord, 120 km away, is known for its waterfalls. The comparison guide goes further.
Where is the Seven Sisters waterfall in Norway?
On the Geirangerfjord, near the village of Geiranger, not on the Nærøyfjord. UNESCO puts the two fjords of its West Norwegian Fjords site about 120 km apart, so they are separate trips. The Nærøyfjord has its own waterfalls, which the RIB tour stops at.
What is the best month to go to the Norwegian fjords?
Late spring to early autumn gives the longest days, the most departures and the kayak season. The cruise runs all year, and winter brings snow to the waterline and quieter boats. When to go goes month by month.
How many days do you need to see the Norwegian fjords?
One day is enough for the Nærøyfjord itself: the cruise is two hours and the Bergen day tours fit it into a single long day. Staying a night in Flåm or Gudvangen lets you add the RIB, the Flåm Railway or Stegastein without the early start from Bergen.
Is it cold on a Norwegian fjord cruise?
Colder than the quay, even in summer: the open deck catches the wind funnelled between the mountain walls. Bring a warm layer and a waterproof shell; the RIB lends thermal suits, goggles and hats. What to wear has the full list.
Is a fjord cruise choppy?
The Nærøyfjord is sheltered water deep inside the fjord system, far from the open sea, so the classic cruise is usually calm. The RIB is a different ride: fast, close to the water and bumpier by design.
What is the cheapest way to see the fjords in Norway?
The plain one-way cruise ticket is the simplest purchase, because it includes the boat and nothing else. Day tours bundle transport, guides and extras, and the RIB and the kayak are experiences in their own right. Prices change with the season, so this site does not print them; the figure at checkout is the one that counts.
What happens in bad weather, and can I cancel?
Every listing on this page cancels free up to 24 hours before on GetYourGuide. The boats sail in rain; the fjord has frozen in hard winters, and the Bergen tours note that routes can change with ice and weather.
Ready to book
Two hours between the walls.
The classic cruise in either direction, the RIB and the Bergen day tours, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Back where you started
2 hoursAges 14+, 140 cm and overFree cancellation
