Things to do in Åndalsnes
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Mardalsfossen
East of Åndalsnes, up Langfjorden and past the dramatic lake, Eikesdalsvatnet, is Mardalsfossen - once the fifth-highest waterfall in the world. How did it lose this status? Well, in the 1970s, this two-level, 655m waterfall was sucked dry by a hydroelectric project. Although environmentalists chained themselves together to prevent construction, it went ahead and Mardalsfossen now flows strictly for the tourists, from late June to mid-August.
For mountain thrills, take the bucking single-track mountain road Aursjøvegen (around NOK50 toll), open between late June and September and linking Mardalsfossen and Sunndalsøra.
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Trollstigen
The Trollstigen, south of Åndalsnes, is a thriller of a road, completed in 1936 after eight years of labour, with 11 hairpin bends and a 1:12 gradient. To add an extra daredevil element, it's one lane practically all the way. On request, bus passengers get a photo stop at the thundering 180m-high Stigfossen waterfall, and a quick halt at the top for a dizzy view down the valley.
If you have wheels and a camera, make sure you pause for photos of the dramatic peaks of Karitind, Dronningen, Kongen and Bispen - as well as Norway's only 'Troll Crossing' road sign.
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Trollveggen
Approaching from Dombås, the road and rail lines follow the dramatic 1800m-high Trollveggen or, first conquered in 1965 by a joint Norwegian and English team. The highest vertical mountain wall in Europe, its ragged and often cloud-shrouded summit, 1800m from the valley floor, is considered the ultimate challenge among mountaineers.
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Buona Sera
The Italian-oriented Buona Sera predictably specialises in pizzas and pasta, yet has much more character than most Norwegian pizza joints. All wood, with intimate crannies and friendly staff, it also does crispy salads (Nkr100) and juicy meat mains (around Nkr175).
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Raumabanen Railway
Trains run daily year-round along the spectacular Raumabanen Railway, meeting the main line, after 114km, at Dombås. The tourist train runs intermittently in summer from the lakeside station up to Bjorli, at 600m. Book at the tourist office.
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Kaikanten
Sit back and relax here at the jetty’s edge and enjoy a drink, a snack and one of Norway’s prettiest panoramas in this welcoming restaurant, run by the Grand Hotel.
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Måndalen Bakeri
For sandwiches, sweet treats and all things delicious, call by Måndalen Bakeri, on the waterfront near the train station.
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John Kofoed
John Kofoed runs three-hour fishing tours on Romsdalsfjorden three times daily in summer. Reserve directly or through the tourist office.
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Vegmuseum
The small Vegmuseum tells the engineering history of the awesome Trollstigen (Troll's Ladder).
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