Question 1

Åndalsnes on Your Own

Accepted Answer

Åndalsnes is small enough to walk, and its two big outings both start near the quay: the cable car to the summit of Nesaksla and the train up the Romsdal valley. Pick one if your time ashore is short. Romsdalsgondolen: Norway's longest cable car runs 1,676 meters from Jernbanekaia to the summit of Nesaksla, where there is a restaurant. Its opening hours are set around cruise ship arrivals, and cars leave on the hour and the half hour, more often when it is busy. Check times and fares before you go. Rampestreken: From the cable car's top station, a path leads down to the Rampestreken lookout in about 15 minutes. Walking all the way up from town takes about an hour and a half. The Rauma Line: Trains run up the Romsdal valley toward Dombås, over bridges and through horseshoe curves. In summer the tourist trains go slowly and stop at sights such as the Kylling Bridge, so check the timetable against your all-aboard time. Norsk Tindesenter: The Norwegian mountaineering center, opened in 2016 in the town center, tells the story of climbing in Norway. Grytten Church: This octagonal wooden church from 1829 stands just across the Rauma river at Veblungsnes. Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own.

Question 2

Trollstigen and the Romsdal Valley

Accepted Answer

Trollstigen, the mountain road with eleven hairpin bends, climbs from Isterdalen on county road 63 toward Valldal, and it begins about 15 km from town. The road is closed in late autumn and winter, and the E136 follows the Romsdal valley inland past the Troll Wall. Trollstigen climbs at a gradient of 10 percent. At about 700 meters there are a car park, a restaurant and viewing platforms over the bends and the 320-meter Stigfossen waterfall. Traffic on Trollstigen is heaviest from late morning to early afternoon in the high season. The Troll Wall, the tallest vertical rock face in Europe at about 1,100 meters, can be seen from the railway and from the E136. The Rauma Line climbs from 4 meters above sea level at Åndalsnes to 659 meters at Dombås.

Question 3

Tipping in Norway

Accepted Answer

Tipping is not expected in Norway, because waiters are well paid, but rounding up a restaurant bill is the norm. The currency is the Norwegian krone, and shops generally do not accept euros. In a restaurant, 10 percent counts as generous. Practice in taxis varies, and a driver will not react if you do not tip. Cash is still useful for tipping guides where card payment is not available.

Question 4

A Mountain Town

Accepted Answer

Åndalsnes is a center of mountain sports in Norway, and the peaks of the Romsdal valley around it have drawn artists since the early 1800s. Norsk Fjellfestival, a mountain festival, is held in Åndalsnes every July, alongside music festivals such as Trollblues and RaumaRock. The Troll Wall was first climbed in 1965 by a Norwegian team, one day ahead of a British party. BASE jumping from it has been banned since 1986. English salmon anglers held golf tournaments at Setnesmoen, near the town, as early as 1905, on the site of today's nine-hole course. Grytten Church was built in 1829 partly with timber from the old church it replaced.

Question 5

A Brief History

Accepted Answer

Åndalsnes grew up in the 19th century at the end of the road down the Romsdal valley, and the railway made it the transport hub of the region in 1924. German bombing almost destroyed it in 1940, and it was rebuilt after the war. The name: Åndalsnes joins two farm names, Åndal and Nes. The farm at Nes appears in a written source of 1354, and the post office named Aandalsnæs opened in 1888. 1860s: The farm at Nes, rather than the older trading place at Veblungsnes across the river, was chosen as the end of the new road down the valley, because it had room for a larger harbor and a town. 1880s: Tourist ships began calling, and Åndalsnes grew into the new tourist center of Romsdal. English anglers came for the salmon in the Rauma. 1924: Åndalsnes station opened on 30 November, when the Rauma Line reached the town. It was built on land reclaimed from the fjord. April 1940: After the German invasion, British troops landed at Åndalsnes. King Haakon VII and the crown prince passed through on their way to Molde, and part of Norway's gold reserve left aboard a British cruiser. Destruction: German bombing from 20 April to the start of May left little more than foundations. The station building and a few houses survived, and the last British troops left on 2 May. Rebuilding: Åndalsnes was one of 24 destroyed Norwegian towns whose rebuilding was planned during the war. 1996: The municipal council declared Åndalsnes a town. 2021: The cable car opened in May, after local debate about its effect on the Romsdalseggen ridge walk.

Question 6

Åndalsnes with Children

Accepted Answer

The cable car is the simplest family outing in Åndalsnes, because it leaves from close to the station and needs no climbing. Children who like trains can ride up the valley instead. Younger children: The cable car's lower station is entered from street level with no stairs, which makes it easy with a stroller. The summit restaurant has a children's menu. School age: From the top station, walk about 15 minutes down the path to the Rampestreken lookout, then the same back up to ride down. Teenagers: On the Rauma Line, look for the Kylling Bridge, an arch bridge 59 meters above the river, and read up on the Troll Wall's climbing history before you see it from the train.

Question 7

Accessible Travel

Accepted Answer

Wheelchair users board the cable car at street level at the bottom station, with no steps to climb. The railway station and the cable car are both close to the cruise terminal. Up top, the restaurant is level with the station, and a path of about 200 meters, built for wheelchairs, continues to the summit of Nesaksla. The restaurant has an accessible toilet with room to turn. A renovation of the station completed in 2011 raised the platforms and improved the connections between trains, buses and cruise ships.

Andalsnes

Good to know

Arriving in Åndalsnes