English edition PRODUCT MANUAL 2015 Welcome to Fjord Norway and the world’s best fjord destination (The National Geographic Traveller Magazine) CONTENT INFORMATION Presentation of our companies and products Page 3 Contact list Page 4 Flåmsbana- The Flåm Railway Product information and facts Page 5 News from the Flåm Railway Page 7 Online seat reservation – FlamBooking.com Page 8 Rail fares 2015 Page 9 Timetables 2015 Page 10 The Flåm Railway Museum Page 11 Sognefjorden Fjord sightseeing and package tours Page 12 Timetables and fares 2015 Page 17 Aurland Harbour Authority Page 19 Fretheim Hotel Presentation Page 20 Hotel Information Page 21 Rooms Description Page 23 Conference facilities Page 25 The Aurland Shoe Page 26 Presentation of the Aurland and Flåm region Page 27 Nærøyfjorden on UNESCO’ World Heritage List Page 30 Activities in Flåm Page 31 Brochures and other marketing materials Page 33 Presentation of online photo service Page 34 Map of Flåm Sentrum Page 35 2 PRESENTATION Aurland Ressursutvikling AS owns and / or operates the following companies and brands: FLÅM AS – VISIT FLÅM This is our destination company for sales and marketing of the Flåm and the region on both national and international extent. Key elements in our marketing are the brand Visit Flåm and our Internet portal www.visitflam.com. THE FLÅM RAILWAY As one of Norway’s leading tourist attractions, the Flåm Railway runs daily and all-year- round from Flåm at the fjord and up to Myrdal station on the Bergen Railway, 866 meters above sea level. 2014 was a very good year, with more than 700.000 satisfied guests who experienced a trip with one of Europe’s steepest and most exciting stretch of railway! FLÅM PORT Flåm Port offers its hospitality to all kinds of vessels, from regular boat traffic to the largest cruise ship. In 2014 we had 175 cruise ship calls to Flåm Port with a total of more than 200.000 passengers. FRETHEIM HOTEL The Historical Fretheim Hotel is a beautiful building in the Swiss Style with 121 rooms in different room categories, among them 18 Historical rooms. The restaurant and lobby bar have magnificent fjord view and served local produced food. Explore the English inspired garden and our new café with out door serving. THE FLÅM RAILWAY MUSEUM & DOCUMENTATION CENTRE The Flåm Railway Museum & Documentation Centre gives you an insight in the building of one of the world’s steepest railway, the technical development and the people behind this unique engineering work. The centre is located in Flåm old station building and is open all year. The centre offers free entrance! SOGNEFJORDEN AS The company Sognefjorden AS offers regular boat sightseeing tours between Flåm and Gudvangen as well as in other fjord areas in the Sognefjord. In addition they also offer regular bus sightseeing tours, package tours and charter tours. AURLANDSKOEN ÉCONOMUSÉE The traditional Aurland Shoe is today produced in Norway’s last shoe factory. The visitor centre show traditional craft through exhibitions where you get insight in today’s shoemakers work! The purpose and vision behind Aurland Ressursutvikling AS is to maintain and develop the entire Flåm- and Aurland region into one of the prime tourist destinations and experience-centres in Scandinavia. 3 CONTACT INFORMATION Flåmsbana – the Flåm Railway / Flåm Utvikling AS Managing Director: Sivert Bakk Tel: (+47) 57 63 14 02 Fax: (+47) 57 63 23 50 E-mail: [email protected] Sales Manager: Bengt Hammer Tel: (+47) 57 63 14 03 Fax: (+47) 57 63 23 50 E-mail: [email protected] Booking – Ticket office – Flåm station: Tel: (+47) 57 63 21 00 Fax: (+47) 57 63 23 50 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.flaamsbana.no & www.visitflam.com Switchboard – Contact: Tel: (+47) 57 63 14 00 Fax: (+47) 57 63 14 09 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.visitflam.com The Flåm Railway Museum & Documentation Centre Managers: Kate & Espen Ottersen Tel: (+47) 57 63 23 10 Fax: (+47) 57 63 23 11 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.flaamsbana-museet.no Flåm Port Authority Operations Manager Flåm Port & the Flåm Railway: Alf Strømsnes Tel: (+47) 57 63 14 06 Fax: (+47) 57 63 23 50 E-mail: [email protected] Information – Contact Flåm Port: Tel: (+47) 57 63 14 00 Fax: (+47) 57 63 23 50 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.flaam-cruise.com Sognefjorden AS Managing Director: Stig Johnny Buvik Tel: (+47) 90 76 19 12 Fax: (+47) 57 63 31 99 Sales & Marketing Office: Tel: (+47) 57 63 32 00 Fax: (+47) 57 63 31 99 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.sognefjorden-as.no Fretheim Hotel General Manager: Øivind Wigand Tel: (+47) 90 17 50 00 Fax: (+47) 57 63 11 19 E-mail: [email protected] Booking Manager: Ingvild Åsvang Tel: (+47) 57 63 45 46 Fax: (+47) 57 63 11 19 E-mail: [email protected] Reception – Contact: Tel: (+47) 57 63 63 00 Fax: (+47) 57 63 11 19 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.fretheimhotel.no Aurlandskoen Économusée Managing director: Geirfinn Lysne Tel. (+47) 57 63 32 12 Fax: (+47) 57 63 33 85 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.aurlandskoen.no Flåm Utvikling AS: P.O. Box 42 - NO-5742 Flåm Norway The Flåm Railway: P.O. Box 75 - NO-5742 Flåm Norway Fretheim Hotel: P.O. Box 63 - NO-5742 Flåm Norway The Flåm Railway Documentation Centre: P.O. Box 89 - NO-5742 Flåm Norway Flåm Port Authority: P.O. Box 80 - NO-5742 Flåm Norway Sognefjorden AS: P.O. Box 50 - NO-5742 Flåm Norway Aurlandskoen Économusée: Odden 13 B - NO-5745 Aurland Norway 4 DISCLAIMER REGARDING THE FLÅM RAILWAY Flåm Utvikling AS (Flåm Development Ltd.) Flåmsbana / the Flåm Railway reserve the right to change and correct any information provided in this document due to possible changes in operating and contract conditions, meaning that we are unable to deliver services according to the descriptions. PRODUCT INFORMATION AND FACTS As one of Norway’s few private railways, we can offer a train journey through the best Norway can display of beautiful, untouched and dramatic nature. Tickets for the Flåm Railway, solely or combined with NSB’s (Norwegian State Railways) lines, can be purchased from all manned stations and most travel agencies, as well as from our local sales office in Flåm station. The Flåm Railway - idyll and spectacular The journey from Flåm at the innermost part of the Aurlandsfjord, up to the high mountain station at Myrdal on the Bergen Railway, is a railway experience unparalleled in Europe; 20 kilometres long with a descent of 2,838 feet and a gradient of 1 metre in 18! The gradient is unique for this kind of ordinary gauge railway, and to cope with the enormous height difference, the track runs partly through tunnels which spiral in and out of the mountainside. The journey through the steep and narrow Flåm Valley, with views of mighty waterfalls and mountain peaks, takes about 60 minutes. The train travels slowly and even stops at the most scenic spots. The trains from and to Flåm connect at Myrdal with most day-trains running between the capital city of Oslo and Bergen on the west coast. Combined and co-ordinated travels The Flåm Railway and NSB’s Oslo – Bergen Railway are cooperating on the same ticket system, which gives an opportunity to have a common and a general train ticket. For co-ordinated travels on both lines, the company who issues the tickets is responsible for – and must provide – all necessary seat reservations for both lines. See page no. 9 for more info. Rail fares and payment Our prices for 2015 are listed on page no. 10. Note that the fares from Flåm to Vatnahalsen and Reinunga stations are the same as from Flåm to Myrdal. We accept payment by cash or credit card at point of boarding, or by voucher from well-known clients. If you are using voucher and invoice we add a fee of NOK 50 per invoice. Note that the invoices as per today will be sent through our account partner “NSB Regnskap”. Invoices are to be paid within 15 days, for delayed payments an interest will be charged. 5 Seat reservations Our train sets have a total capacity of 525 seats. On the Flåm Railway it is only possible to reserve seats for groups starting from 10 persons, and customers who do not participate in organised groups can use one of our carriages intentioned for individuals. Seat reservation for groups is compulsory but free of charge. Reservations are shown by “reserved-sign” stickers with the group’s name on the train windows - there are no numbered seats. We recommend that seats are reserved well in advance, and please use the Internet, fax or e-mail if possible. It is a great help if the booking comprises of an alternative departure, as some departures may be frequently fully booked on days with high demand. For all group bookings it is important to inform us of any major changes in the number of travellers or possible cancellations. Missing information regarding changes or cancellations, may lead to a penalty fee of the ordinary fare invoiced. Confirmation of reservations For Flam Railway reservations we recommend our online booking system at: www.flambooking.com. All bookings will be confirmed automatically, no matter the date of travel. For combines travels with the Bergen Railway (NSB – Norwegian State Railway) the earliest we can confirm your booking is 100 days before departure. We will contact you if any problems with pre-booked reservations occur.