ROMSDAL GONDOLA AT ÅNDALSNES IN ROMSDAL

From fjord to mountain in four and a half minutes. From the restaurant at the top of Mt Nesaksla you have a fantastic view down to Åndalsnes and the Romsdalsfjord.

Featured Image: Winter at Eggen Restaurant. Photo: Eirik Heen

The Romsdal Gondola goes from the fjord station at the center of Åndalsnes to the mountain station at Mt Nesaksla, 694 maf (meters above fjord).

Visit Northwest

Visit Northwest is the official destination company for the Romsdalsfjord, Romsdal and Nordmøre area.

Isfjorden and the Romsdalsfjord on a beautiful winter evening. View from the city mountain Nesaksla at the top of the Romsdal gondola.
Isfjorden and the Romsdalsfjord on a beautiful winter evening. View from the city mountain Nesaksla at the top of the Romsdal gondola.

The Romsdal Gondola

FJORDS NORWAY - A winter's day at Eggen Restaurant on Mt Nesaksla, view towards Åndalsnes and the Romsdalsfjord.
A winter’s day at Eggen Restaurant on Mt Nesaksla, view towards Åndalsnes and the Romsdalsfjord.

On the way up to the mountain station you have a fantastic view inwards to Isfjorden and the mountains behind, down to Åndalsnes and to the Romsdalsfjord.

The mountain station located on the city mountain Nesaksla is a great starting point for experiences in beautiful and wild nature. Season and opening hours; see Romsdalsgondolen Website.

If you’ve walked along the Romsdalseggen mountain ridge in the summer, you can end the hike with a good meal and something to drink at Eggen Restaurant. At Eggen Restaurant you can enjoy both food, drinks and the fantastic fjordview before taking the gondola down to Åndalsnes.

This is a good alternative to walking the tough descent down the Romsdalstrappa trail. Then you save both knees and time, and can rather spend the time for a swim in the fjord. This can be done from the floating pier at the center of Åndalsnes, only a short distance from the Mountaineering Centre.

The pictures below are from two beautiful winter days in December 2022. We had short walks and got great views towards Isfjorden, the Romsdalen valley and Isterdalen valley, Åndalsnes and the Romsdalsfjord.

Video from Romsdalsgondolen

This video was filmed in December 2022, just one day after a heavy snowfall. It was cold and windy, but beautiful. And Eggen Restaurant was warm and cozy.

From the Gondola there are great views towards Isfjorden and the surrounding mountains, and to Åndalsnes and outwards the Romsdalsfjord. Music: Rosenkrantz – Jarle Aabø

Mt Nesaksla – The City Mountain of Åndalsnes

Åndalsnes and the city mountain Nesaksla seen from the Romsdalsfjord.
Åndalsnes and the city mountain Nesaksla seen from the Romsdalsfjord.

Mt Nesaksla, where the Romsdal Gondola is located, has great views to the Romsdalen and Isterdalen valleys.

The two rivers Rauma and Istra meander down through the beautiful valleys with the famous mountains Troll Wall (Trollveggen), Romsdalshorn, Vengetind, Kongen, Dronninga and Biskopen as a natural backdrop. You can actually see all the way to Trollstigen on a nice day.

On the opposite side of the city mountain, you can see towards the alpine village of Isfjorden, which is the mecca for ski and Alpine Ski Touring enthusiasts in Norway. Here you see the innermost part of the Romsdalsfjord surrounded by Isfjorden and mountains such as Skarven, Klauva, Kirketaket, Kjøvskardstind, Juratind and Vengetind.

And of course, you have a great view towards the Romsdalsfjord from the Romsdal Gondola and Eggen Restaurant.

NOTE! It is not recommended to hike the Romsdalseggen ridge from Nesaksla, this is because you will meet a lot of people who hike Romsdalseggen the opposite way. Read more about the Romsdalseggen hike and the season for this hike.

Rampestreken Viewpoint and Romsdalstrappa

You get this view while you wait to go out on the Rampestreken Viewpoint.
You get this view while you wait to go out on the Rampestreken Viewpoint.

Romsdalstrappa at Åndalsnes is a popular hiking-trail among locals and tourists. It is “mandatory” to have a stop for a selfie at the Rampestreken Viewpoint at 537 masl.

Romsdalstrappa and Rampestreken is part of the hike on the Romsdalseggen Ridge between Isfjorden and Åndalsnes in Romsdal. You can do the long hike along Romsdalseggen, and you will pass Rampestreken Viewpoint on the descend down to Åndalsnes (long and heavy hike).

The normal way to visit Rampestreken is to hike upwards from Åndalsnes to Rampestreken at 537 meters above the Romsdalsfjord (1-2 hour trip each way, steep and heavy hike).

You can also take the Romsdal gondola to Eggen Restaurant and hike down to Rampestreken.

From Rampestreken there is a fantastic view towards the Romsdalsfjord, down to the Rauma river and towards the Isterdalen valley and Trollstigen.

FJORDS NORWAY - View from Rampestreken towards Åndalsnes and the Romsdalsfjord.
View from Rampestreken towards Åndalsnes and the Romsdalsfjord.

Åndalsnes – the “Hub” by the Romsdalsfjord

Åndalsnes in Romsdal, Norway
Åndalsnes by the Romsdalsfjord.

-Then he told him about Åndalsnes, a tiny settlement up in Romsdalen Valley, surrounded by high mountains which were so beautiful that his mother had always said that that was where God had started when He was creating the world, and that He had spent so long on Romsdalen that the rest of the world had to be done post-haste to be finished by Sunday. Jo Nesbø, The Bat

Åndalsnes is the “Hub” in Romsdal, and is situated in the middle of all the great things that is worth seeing and doing in the Romsdalsfjord area.

View from Klungnes towards Isfjorden and Åndalsnes.
View from Klungnes towards Isfjorden and Åndalsnes.

Åndalsnes is a great place to stay if you want to see and explore Trollstigen, Trollveggen, the Romsdal Gondola, the Rauma Railway and the Romsdalseggen mountain ridge.

Geiranger and the Geirangerfjord are well known places nearby. The road there, Geiranger – Trollstigen National Tourist Route, is an attraction in itself.

If you go westwards, you have the Atlantic Coast with the Atlantic Road, Ona Island with Ona Lighthouse, Bjørnsund and Midsundtrappene. Go North-East, and you will find the beautiful Eikesdal and the Mardalsfossen Waterfall, Aursjøvegen Mountainroad, and Litjdalen Valley. The cities of Ålesund, Molde and Kristiansund are nearby. 

FJORDS NORWAY - The Norwegian Mountaineering Centre at Åndalsnes by the Romsdalsfjord.
The Norwegian Mountaineering Centre at Åndalsnes by the Romsdalsfjord.

Travel green with Rauma Railway to and from Åndalsnes by the Romsdalsfjord

FJORDS NORWAY - The Rauma Railway runs over the Kylling Bridge at Verma in Romsdalen.
The Rauma Railway runs over the Kylling Bridge at Verma in Romsdalen.

The Rauma Railway between Dombås and Åndalsnes is voted as Europe´s most scenic Rail Journey by Lonely Planet.

Take the train to the end-station Åndalsnes at one of Norways most spectacular railways. Tom Cruise used the Rauma Railway when filming Mission Impossible 7.

The Rauma Railway is one of the country’s most beautiful and wildest railway sections. It starts at Dombås and ends 114 kilometers further west, at Åndalsnes down by the Romsdalsfjord.

The area through which the Rauma Railway runs houses some of Norway’s most famous tourist attractions. Trollveggen, Romsdalshorn and Rauma Elv are the most famous.

Romsdalsfjord – What to See and Do

Litlefjellet in Romsdal.
Litlefjellet in Romsdal.

From snowy mountains to beautiful coastline of islands and reefs. Experience all this in one day due to the short distance from mountains to coast.

Trollstigen, The Troll Wall, Romsdalseggen, Rampestreken and Litlefjellet are great places to visit in the inner part of the Romsdalsfjord, where the fjord meets the spectacular and alpine Romsdal mountains.

Drive to the viewpoint Varden at 407 masl and take in the spectacular Molde Panoramic View towards the Romsdalsfjord and the 222 snowcapped mountains. Ona Island and Ona Lighthouse, The Atlantic Road and Midsundtrappene are attractions facing the Atlantic Ocean.

Travel green to Åndalsnes with Rauma Railway, a wild, beautiful and unique experience regardless of season. From Åndalsnes Railway Station, you can walk straight from the train and over to the Romsdal Gondola that takes you up to the city-mountain Mt Nesaksla and Eggen Restaurant.

From Mt Nesaksla you have a fantastic view towards Isfjorden, down to the Romsdalsfjord and up towards the Romsdalen Valley which you have just experienced from the train ride along the Rauma Railway. The Romsdalsfjord is located in the county of Møre og Romsdal, north in Western Norway.

Hotels and Accommodation at Åndalsnes and Romsdal

Grand Hotel at Åndalsnes
Frich´s Ekspress Hotel Åndalsnes
Aak Hotel in Romsdalen by Åndalsnes
Åndalsnes Vandrerhjem at Setnes at Veblungsnes
Åndalsnes Camping by Rauma River at Åndalsnes
Mjelva Camping at Mjelva at Åndalsnes
Soggebru Camping at Sogge at Åndalsnes
Trollstigen Resort at Sogge at Åndalsnes
Trollstigen Gjestegård og Camping in Isterdalen below Trollstigen
Trollveggen Camping by the Troll Wall in Romsdalen
Accommodation in Isfjorden

Åndalsnes and Romsdal – Useful Links

Online Booking Romsdalseggen Bus
Romsdal.com – Hiking Guide to the mountains in Romsdal
Norsk Tindesenter at Åndalsnes
Fjords.com – Åndalsnes in Romsdal
Fjords.com – Trollstigen in Romsdal
Fjords.com – The Romsdalsfjord
Fjords.com – Romsdalseggen
Fjords.com – Romsdal Gondola
Fjords.com – Rauma Railway

 

HOTELS - ACCOMMODATION - LINKS

Here you will find an overview of recommended HOTELS in addition to SPA & BATH HOTELS and OTHER ACCOMMODATION PLACES in Western Norway. The combination of beautiful nature, activities that you can do in all four seasons and a stay at a great accommodation is unique. A stay in one of these places will do you good, both for body and mind.

There are ten restaurants that have awarded Michelin stars and Michelin awards in Western Norway. Eight of the Michelin restaurants are in Stavanger and two in Bergen. Here you will find FJORDS MICHELIN, where you will also find a list of recommended hotels in Western Norway, recommended by Michelin.

USEFUL LINKS is a list of websites with great information on Norway and the Fjords.

Romsdal Gondola – Map Overview