Andalsnes

Visit Andalsnes – Romsdalen Cable Car

When you visit Åndalsnes, ride the new Romsdalen Cable Car (Romsdals Gondolen). Your ride will be a modern cable car taking you to Nesaksla summit for panoramic views over Åndalsnes, the Rauma River and the Troll Wall. This cable car opened in May of 2021 right beside the cruise port and the train station, so it’s extremely convenient access. At the top you can spend time enjoying the views at the Eggen Restaurant or walk along the ridge just above the restaurant for an even wider range of fjord, valley and mountain views. From the mountain top gondola station, you can take a short hike down to the Rampestreken Viewpoint, with its dramatic platform views.

The Romsdalen Cable Car is open throughout the year and often stays open as late as 10 pm. You can book online directly from the Romsdals Gondolen. The Golden Train also sells their tours with options that include the cable car and the Eggen Restaurant. Other tourist venues such as Get Your Guide sell tickets to the cable car too. If you aren’t cruising to Andalsnes, you may find it worthwhile to check the Andalsnes cruise port schedule, so that you can avoid those days when cruise port passengers take over the cable car.

Visit Andalsnes – the Golden Train

Ride the Golden Train along a portion of the Rauma Railway. The Golden Train takes tourists on a narrated excursion from Åndalsnes past the Troll Wall, over the Kylling Bridge and within view of the Verma Waterfalls on its way to Bjorli. The Troll Wall is Europe’s tallest vertical rock face at over 3,200 feet or 1,000 meters. The Trollveggen Visitor Center offers great views of the Troll Wall for those who visit by vehicle instead. Don’t confuse the Troll Wall with the Trollstigen Troll Road, which is actually on the opposite side of the Troll Wall when you are at the Trollveggen Visitor Center.

From the Troll Wall, the Golden Train travels up the Rauma River past the Kors Church and then gets a great view of the extensive Verma Waterfalls. At the Kylling Bridge, the Golden Train usually comes to a complete stop to allow tourists the chance to take pictures. Then the train crosses the river and enters the Stavem Tunnel, where the train does a full circle inside the mountain in order to gain elevation and continue up river. Once you get to Bjorli, you stop for a short time and can visit the small railway museum. Then the Golden Train passengers all board again and complete their round trip back to Åndalsnes.

Booking the Golden Train

You can buy Golden Train tickets online from their website. The Golden Train reduces services after the height of the summer tourist season from mid May to mid September, so check their web site carefully for their schedule. If the Golden Train tourist excursion is unavailable you can still book the local service on the Rauma Line with a return ticket. You will miss out on the narration from a guide on the train and the pauses the Golden Train makes along the way, but the rail route is identical.

In July 2025 a landslide between Bjorli and Verma temporarily resulted in the closure of the Rauma Line, however the Golden Train was still able to continue its roundtrip excursions by omitting the last stop on their route at Bjorli.

Other Things to Do in Andalsnes

Paddle through the Romsdalsfjord on a guided tour complete with towering mountain views.

Relax at cozy cafés and restaurants such as Sødahlhuset, Tindestua Restaurant at the mountaineering center, Hvelvet Bistro – Café, Vollan Cafe or Piccola Mama Rosa. Seek out some reindeer stew, Kvikk Lunsj (Norwegian chocolate), Sveler (waffles / pancakes), knekkebrød (crispbread), Brunost (Brown Caramel Cheese) or Cloudberry Jam.

Buy indigenous Sámi crafts such as hand-carved wooden Kuksa cups & soft wool blankets, Norwegian woollen knitwear, rosemaling ceramics, moose leather accessories, Solje silver jewelry or troll & Viking souvenirs.

Continue on to Geiranger for a Geirangerfjord cruise OR head south by rail to visit Oslo.

Get to Andalsnes

Take the train from Oslo. The first section is on the Dovre Line to Dombas. From there you catch the Rauma Line train to Andalsnes.

Take a series of passenger ferries and buses from Bergen.

Drive by car from Oslo or Bergen to Andalsnes. The route from Bergen involves car ferries.

Take an ocean cruise that stops in Andalsnes.

Geiranger in a Nutshell offers tourists the ability to book land trips from Oslo or Bergen that include Andalsnes and the Geiranger fjord. This online booking service includes transportation, hotels and attractions in a single, customizable package.

Andalsnes Weather

Andalsnes weather is chilly throughout the year. The long days of the Norwegian summer make July and August a great time to visit. The shoulder seasons of May and September offer fewer tourists, more waterfalls & snow covered peaks, but also increase the risk that mountain passes will be closed for snow.

In summer, the average highs are around 63 F (17 C) and average lows are 48 F (9 C). In the winter months, average highs are 32 F (0 C) and average lows are 21 F (-6 C).

Cloud and rain are common throughout the year, but May tends to have slightly lower precipitation than other months.

Many attractions close at the end of the busy summer tourist season, so check each of your intended attractions carefully.

Visit Andalsnes – Background

Andalsnes is a tiny village with a year round population of under 3,000 people. Similar to the small towns in Alaska, the cruise industry has a huge impact on Andalsnes through summer tourism. The construction of the Romsdalen Cable Car in 2021 is a perfect example of the expansion directly related to tourism. Currently most cruise ship visits are from smaller companies like P&O, Aida, Fred Oslen, Phoenix, Silver Sea and Cunard. Holland America has started making occasional visits and we expect larger cruise ship companies to expand into Andalsnes as over tourism drives the search for smaller, less congested vacations.