Day Trips from Åndalsnes by Road and Rail

Åndalsnes is a good base for day trips by car, bus and train. The famous mountain road, a fjord village, a stave church and a scenic railway all sit within easy reach, and the town is the end of the line for the Rauma Line from Dombås.

Trollstigen road and plateau

Trollstigen (Fv 63) climbs the mountainside in 11 hairpin bends. King Haakon VII opened the road on 31 July 1936 after eight years of building. The plateau sits at about 700 m, and the Stigfossen waterfall drops about 320 m beside the road. Viewpoints on the plateau look back down the bends.

The road is always closed in winter and normally open from mid-May to October or November. Dates shift from year to year: in 2024 it opened in early June and closed again after rockfall, in 2025 it opened on 11 July, and in 2026 it opened on 27 April. Check vegvesen.no , the Vegvesen trafikk app or +47 22 175 175 before you drive. When the hairpins are closed, the plateau and viewpoints stay reachable from the Valldal side. The FjordNorway road page gives season updates.

Geiranger

The Geiranger-Trollstigen route is about 104 km, around 2 hours each way by car, and includes the Eidsdal to Linge ferry crossing of about 13 minutes. This is only possible as a very long day, and only when Trollstigen is open. Leave early and keep the return ferry in mind.

Rødven Stave Church

Rødven Stave Church is about 34 km from Åndalsnes by Rv64. It dates from around 1300 and is owned by Fortidsminneforeningen. Guided visits run in summer, and the church website stavechurch.com lists hours.

Trollveggen

Trollveggen, Europe’s tallest vertical rock wall at roughly 1,000 m, rises beside the E136 up Romsdalen. The Trollveggen visitor centre at Horgheimseidet has a 14-minute film, a cafeteria and a shop, and it is a summer attraction. BASE jumping from the wall has been banned since 25 July 1986, so do not plan it.

Rauma Line to Bjorli or Dombås

Take the train up the valley and return the same day. Dombås is 114 km away and the regular journey takes about 1 hour 17 minutes, while summer tourist services take about 1 hour 35 minutes. SJ Norge runs four trains each way daily. At Dombås you can connect to the Oslo and Trondheim line. Bjorli lies on the same line, and a Golden Train tourist service links it with Åndalsnes in summer.

Planning tips

  • Pick the Trollstigen day last, so you can swap it if the road is shut.
  • Mountain weather changes fast, so carry warm and waterproof layers.
  • Check the Eidsdal to Linge ferry crossing in your plan if you drive to Geiranger.

Read more: multi-day trips from Åndalsnes link these routes into a longer road trip. Organised day tours can be compared on Viator .