Åndalsnes Day Trip Ideas by Car or Train
Day trips from Åndalsnes fall into two groups: those you drive and those you ride by train. Plan the drives around the weather and the state of the Trollstigen road, and keep the train trip as a fallback.
By car
Trollstigen. Eleven hairpin bends carry Fv 63 up from the valley to a plateau at about 700 m. King Haakon VII opened it on 31 July 1936. The Stigfossen waterfall drops about 320 m near the road. The pass shuts every winter and normally runs from mid-May to October or November, but the dates differ each year. It opened in early June in 2024 before closing again after rockfall, on 11 July in 2025 and on 27 April in 2026. Before you leave, look at the road status on vegvesen.no , the Vegvesen trafikk app or the number +47 22 175 175. If the hairpins are closed, you can still get to the plateau and viewpoints from the Valldal side. The FjordNorway notice page explains seasonal closures.
Geiranger. The scenic route over Trollstigen is about 104 km one way, with a drive of about 2 hours and a ferry between Eidsdal and Linge that takes about 13 minutes. It makes a very long day and only works when Trollstigen is open. Start early.
Rødven Stave Church. Take Rv64 for about 34 km. The church is thought to date from around 1300. Fortidsminneforeningen owns it, and summer guided visits are offered. See stavechurch.com for hours.
Trollveggen. Drive up the E136 through Romsdalen to Horgheimseidet, where the visitor centre screens a 14-minute film and has a cafeteria and shop. The wall above is roughly 1,000 m of vertical rock. Opening dates are summer-based. Do not plan any BASE jumping, which has been banned there since 1986.
By train
The Rauma Line leaves from Åndalsnes for Dombås, 114 km away. The regular journey takes about 1 hour 17 minutes, and summer tourist runs take about 1 hour 35 minutes. Four SJ Norge services run each way every day. Ride to Bjorli or all the way to Dombås and come back on a later train. On the way you pass the Kylling Bridge, a stone arch built in the 1920s. In summer the Golden Train tourist service runs from Åndalsnes to Bjorli.
Quick comparison
| Trip | Getting there | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Trollstigen | Car, Fv 63 | Hairpins and plateau viewpoints |
| Geiranger | Car with ferry, 104 km | A full, long day |
| Rødven | Car, 34 km | A stave church |
| Trollveggen | Car on E136 | The big wall and the film |
| Dombås | Train, 114 km | Scenery without driving |
Tips for any day out
- Make the Trollstigen drive your flexible day, as the road can close at short notice.
- Bring waterproof and warm layers, since mountain weather changes fast.
- Look at last return times before you head out on a train.
Read more: multi-day trips from Åndalsnes combine several of these. Organised options show up on GetYourGuide .