Flam is a lovely stopping point on the train journey from Oslo to Bergen, a tiny and incredibly peaceful village on the shores of the Aurlandsfjord. It is reached via the historic Flåmsbana Railway Line, which winds down from the main railway, past a beautiful waterfall and with amazing scenic views along the way.

I actually did the trip solo, while pregnant with my daughter, and absolutely loved it. My husband was working and so I set off on my mini adventure, making friends along the way (being a solo pregnant traveller is always a great conversation starter haha!) and, of course, eating lots of gluten free food.

If you are new to my gluten free travel guides/my website, I am a diagnosed coeliac and have 25 years of gluten free life under my belt. I react severely to even small traces of gluten, so my restaurant and dining recommendations are all ones I consider to be coeliac safe.

That said, please always as your own questions and check menus before you eat at a recommended venue, as processes can change. If you find any errors or want to update me about changes or additions to this gluten free Flam guide or any others, pop me an email at laura@mygfguide.com. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

Oslo to Flam 

I thought sharing some information about my journey either side of Flam would be helpful. If you want tips about Flam village only, scroll down a bit further.

For my train journey I picked up a coeliac friendly gluten free sandwich from Baker Hansen at Oslo train station. You can also find the D&Co gluten free panninis at a few of the newsagent stores in the station building. Both had coeliac friendly processes in place when I visited, and I had no issues with their food.

The train journey from Oslo to Bergen is pretty spectacular. I had a stop off along the way at Flåm to get some fjord action. You trundle through Oslo suburbia and emerge into stunning fjord territory. Huge lakes, towering snow-capped mountains and mossy pine forests. I took the journey in early November so we had plenty of snow as the journey progressed (not that this hinders Norwegian transport in any way).

After 3 hours the scenery turned decidedly white, with frozen lakes and the occasional deep blue river peeking out between snowy banks. 3.5 hours in it was whiteout conditions as we passed through Finse, the highest stop on the line at 1222m above sea level! Huge icicles were dangling off the buildings here. Pretty awesome.

For Flåm you change trains at Myrdal. The train down to Flåm stops at the Kjosfossen waterfalls – you have 5 minutes to hop off and take photographs if you wish.

It was a rather rainy, gray day by the time we reach Flam at the bottom of the railway, but it found it all so peaceful and enjoyed a walk along the edge of the fjor. As a hungry pregnant lady I also had my second snack of the day – a raspberry gluten free muffin from Baker Hansen (bought in Oslo).

Gluten Free Flam

The cafe next to the Flambrggya hotel had two types of gluten free cake when I popped in searching for hot chocolate. An apple cake and a peanut, chocolate, caramel almond cake. Nice cake, which they told me they had cut using a clean knife. I passed on the hot chocolate, as I was unsure about whether they used gluten-containing oat milk.

I stayed overnight in Flam as I was pregnant and didn’t want to rush. It was a very peaceful place to stay and I liked my little hotel – the Flamsbrygga Hotel. It was warm, cosy and clean and right next to the lake and train station. They also did me a wonderful gluten free breakfast the following morning.

Flam really is tiny, so I would recommend going for a centrally-located accomodation option if you are just passing through like me. If you have more time on your hands, I was told there is some wonderful hiking to be done.

Flam Restaurants

I ate at a nice restaurant next to the hotel, Aegir Brewpub. It was pouring with rain, so while usually a brewery wouldn’t have been my top choice, I was actually really surprised by how well they catered for me and it was ever-so-cosy inside. My waiter also looked a bit like Thor, so that really completed the viking dining experience!

The food was delicious and exactly what I needed after a day of travel and sandwiches. I’ve checked recent reviews (as I visited quite some time ago) and many other coeliacs seem to have eaten here without issue, and they even mention that gluten free beer is available too.

Gluten Free Groceries

Coop – had a few gluten free bits and pieces if you search around. I found gluten free bread in the freezer, gluten free crackers with the normal crackers, then a random other gluten free section next to the toiletries (pasta and home cooking items, plus some Schar wraps). 

Flam to Bergen

I took the ferry from Flåm to Gudvangen. What a beautiful trip! UNESCO have recognised the fjords here as “among the world’s longest and deepest, [they] are considered as archetypical fjord landscapes and among the most scenically outstanding anywhere”.

Even though it was a decidedly gloomy day when I set sail, it was still stunning scenery. The glassy waters of the fjord reflecting towering dark cliffs and snow-topped peaks. Villages along the way with red and yellow houses, I was charmed. The trip takes 2 hours and cost 480krona for a one way trip (a few years ago, so prices will have increased). They had also had gluten free cake on board, served on individual plates (and cut with a clean knife).

Our ferry arrived at Gudvangen, then I had to wait half an hour for my bus to Voss. The cafe here has gluten free cake too – a strawberry almond cake, I really appreciated that they came in their own slice tubs, to reduce any cross contamination risk.

The bus to Voss takes about an hour and cost me 115krona – you can buy a ticket on board, just be sure to have some cash on you as when I did the trip they did not accept card payments on board. It’s a nice trip actually. Sit on the left and you can oogle the vast lakes and pretty hills along the way.

I rejoined the train at Voss and then continued my rail journey onto Bergen, which is a wonderful city! You can find more details about eating gluten free there in my Bergen guide.

If you enjoy this gluten free Flam guide then have a read of my other gluten free Norway guides:

Safe travels! x