3-Star Hotels in Flam

The Flåmsbana arrives (or begins) in the tourist area of the tiny village of Flåm. There’s shopping, food trucks, restaurants and beautiful vistas. This is the hopping off point for fjord cruises, kayak tours, Fjord safari rides (this means ride in a rigid inflatable boat like a zodiac but bigger built for tourists to see the fjords fast), hiking trails, biking rentals and more. This is also a cruise ship port so reserve your table for dinner before you go. We stayed in the Flåmsbrygga Hotel in early June 2023. Our room was quite nice and having a pleasant balcony with a view made it excellent. We ate at the next door Æ Bryggeripub where they also brew excellent beer. The food was delicious, the service very good and the decor intriguing. In our opinion, it is a must do to enjoy an overnight in this village and enjoy a delightful dinner in this pub where they brought Norse mythology to modern design effectively.

Stately and elegant in white, Fretheim stands so close to the Flamsbana train station and the pier that you immediately see it as you step off either boat or train. it has a pretty flower garden in front with tables and chairs you can 'park' in for minutes or hours. There's a cozy but spacious lobby with a fireplace where guests waiting for their train or express boat ride can sit in comfort with enough privacy. The front desk staff are very accommodating and take the time to explain things, even though most of their guests are there for only one night. The rooms are standard sized with great balconies that overlook the village center-cum pier and train station. Furniture is standard but the amenities are pretty basic - there's no fridge, no coffee machine (though there's a hot water pot with instant coffee). There's wifi but pretty slow. Checkout time is a bit earlier, at 11 am. The breakfast has a very good spread, with a wide assortment of vegetables and good hot food selection. Plus so many variations of salmon which was impressive. We also found out that you could buy a paper bag and stuff it with a make-your-own sandwich so you could do a picnic lunch while touring the fjords - nice option. A big plus was the walking trail behind the hotel which got you to a higher elevation that gave a great view of the lake and the village center. You could walk for an entire hour without repeating your walk. Several had commented on the need for an update but I didn't notice this.