Åndalsnes is a town and is the administration center for Rauma
municipality in Møre og Romsdal. The city has 2,428 inhabitants as
of 1 January 2020. The postal address is 6300 Åndalsnes. The center
is located on a large sandbank on the right (eastern) side of
Rauma's outlet.
The town is located at the bottom of
Romsdalen, at the mouth of the river Rauma in Romsdalsfjorden. At
Åndalsnes, Romsdalsfjorden crosses Isfjorden. The city is surrounded
by high mountains of up to 1800 m, with Trolltindan, Vengetindan and
Romsdalshornet as the most prominent.
Åndalsnes has
significant tourist traffic and has a cruise port with around 30
annual calls. The place is a center for mountain sports in Norway
and is marketed by the municipality as "Norway's peak capital". In
July every year, the Norwegian Mountain Festival is held. As well as
several music festivals including Trollblues and RaumaRock.
There are three schools at Åndalsnes, Rauma upper secondary school,
Åndalsnes primary school and Åndalsnes secondary school.
Rauma culture house was inaugurated on 14 September 2007. There is a
cinema hall, library, performance hall and rehearsal rooms.
The Norwegian peak center opened in 2016 in the center of Åndalsnes
and mediates the development of the peak sport. Norwegian Peak
Museum based on Arne Randers Hein's collections opened in 1991.
Trollveggen (Troll Wall) – Europe's Tallest Vertical Rock Face
Trollveggen forms part of the Trolltindene (Troll Peaks) massif in
Romsdalen Valley, just outside Åndalsnes. It rises nearly 1,100 meters
(about 3,600 feet) vertically from the valley floor, making it Europe's
highest sheer rock wall.
This iconic wall draws elite climbers (first
ascended in the 1960s) and once base jumpers (banned since 1986 due to
fatalities). View it best from the Trollveggen Visitor Centre (about
10-15 minutes' drive from town along E136), which offers panoramic
windows, exhibits on geology and climbing history, a café, and outdoor
seating. The Rauma Railway also provides stunning views as it passes
below.
Rampestreken Viewpoint
This popular accessible landmark
perches at 537 meters (1,762 feet) above sea level. A 20-meter steel
ramp (with 8 meters cantilevered over the edge) juts out from the
mountainside, giving a thrilling "hovering" sensation over Åndalsnes,
the fjord, Rauma River, and surrounding peaks.
Reach it via the
Romsdalstrappa trail (steep but well-marked, 1.5-2.5 hours one way from
town, ~550m elevation gain). It's the final stretch of the famous
Romsdalseggen hike but doable as an out-and-back. The path includes
steps, roots, and rocks—moderate fitness required. Combine with the
Romsdal Gondola for easier access (hike down or one-way).
Romsdalseggen Ridge Hike
One of Norway's most spectacular (and
challenging) hikes, often ranked among the world's most scenic. It
traverses a dramatic ridge with exposed sections, panoramic views of
fjords, valleys, and peaks, sometimes extending to the ocean on clear
days.
The full route (starting from Vengedalen) takes 8-12 hours for
experienced hikers. Many end at Rampestreken/Nesaksla and descend via
gondola. It's strenuous with height exposure—guided options available.
Romsdal Gondola (Romsdalsgondolen) to Nesaksla
This modern cable
car (one of Norway's longest) ascends to the summit of Nesaksla (708m /
2,323 ft) for 360° views of the fjord, town, mountains, and valley. At
the top, find Eggen Restaurant (local food with panoramas) and walkways.
Trollstigen (Troll's Ladder) Scenic Road
This iconic National
Tourist Route features 11 hairpin bends climbing steeply through the
mountains toward Geiranger (part of the Geiranger-Trollstigen route). It
offers waterfalls (like Stigfossen), viewpoints, and dramatic scenery.
The road closes in winter.
Rauma Railway (Raumabanen) and Kylling
Bridge
Voted one of Europe's most scenic train journeys by Lonely
Planet, this line runs from Åndalsnes through Romsdalen, passing
Trollveggen, waterfalls, and the historic stone Kylling Bridge (a
multi-arched viaduct over the Rauma River gorge).
Norsk
Tindesenter (Norwegian Mountaineering Centre)
This hub in town blends
museum, activity center, and café. It covers Norwegian climbing history
with exhibits, a panoramic film, flora/fauna info, and Norway's tallest
indoor climbing wall (21m). It's ideal for learning before or after
outdoor adventures.
Other sights include the Rauma Kulturhus,
historic churches, and riverside areas. Åndalsnes excels as a base for
day trips to the Atlantic Road or Ålesund. Weather changes
quickly—prepare for hikes with proper gear, check conditions, and
consider guided tours for safety.
The name Åndalsnes is composed of the farm names Åndal and Nes,
first combined when the post office Aandalsnæs opened in 1888. The
postmark was changed to "Åndalsnes" in 1921. The interpretation of
Åndal is uncertain, perhaps actually Åmdal after Old Norse amr for
rusty red or dark. The place was called Nes (Næs) until modern times
and is still used in everyday speech locally. According to Sandøy,
the name is not due to the fact that Nes was a farm under Åndal. The
farm Nes is probably the oldest settlement and the name is known
from written sources in 1354 as "Nese j Raumsdale" when the farm was
under the Giskegodset. The name "Åndal" appears in a land register
for Reinsklosteret from around 1550 when Inger til Austrått had the
estate in fief of the king. Both "Affuendal" and "Neessze" are
mentioned in the land register from 1550. Later, the spellings
"Andall", "Offuendal" and "Aandahl" have been used. Sandøy also has
documentation for the forms "Omdal" and "Aamdahl". The
interpretation of "Åndal" is uncertain, but Sandøy concludes with
Old Norse "amr" (rust-red, dark from soil) as a possible origin.
In 1860, the farm Næs (today's Åndalsnes) on the right bank was
chosen as the end point for the road, instead of the old beach site
and end point Veblungsnes. The rationale for Åndalsnes rather than
Veblungsnes as the end point was that Åndalsnes offered a better
connection via Isfjorden and Åfarnes to Molde, that Åndalsnes had
the possibility of a larger harbor facility and also that Åndalsnes
was better suited for a future urban facility. In the 1860s, the
road down Romsdalen to the farms Åndal and Nes was completed, and
the new place Åndalsnes grew up. The tourist ships eventually
chose Åndalsnes as a port and during the 1880s the place emerged as
the new tourist center in Romsdal.
Åndalsnes really became
the center of inner Romsdal after the Rauma Railway was opened in
1924.
Rauma municipal council decided in 1996 that Åndalsnes
can use the designation city.
Second World War
Early in
the Second World War, Åndalsnes played an important role, during the
campaign in Norway 1940. British forces were landed here 12–18.
April. Åndalsnes was destroyed after German bombing during the
German invasion, also Veblungsnes and Setnesmoen (the infantry
emplacement) as well as British positions and ships were bombed.
German planes began bombing Åndalsnes on the evening of 20 April. On
the same day, six railway wagons arrived with Norges Bank's gold
holdings. The bombing was particularly intense on 23 April and the
following three days. The bombing continued until 30 April and 1
May, at most 400 bombs were dropped on that day. The cruisers
"Carlisle" and "Curacoa" had anti-aircraft guns and remained at
Åndalsnes, while "Manchester" and "Galatea" left Åndalsnes on 19
April after landing soldiers and material. The Norwegian torpedo
boat "Trygg" and the British "Curacoa" were hit by bombs. Both
military and civilian personnel died in the bombing. The British
left Åndalsnes on 2 May, leaving behind a lot of destroyed war
equipment. German army forces took Åndalsnes on 2 and 3 May. Parts
of the gold holdings were loaded onto a British ship at Åndalsnes,
the rest of the gold and cash holdings were sent on to Molde by
lorry on 25 April.
The plan was to evacuate the British
forces in Gudbrandsdalen from Åndalsnes by ship on the night between
30 April and 1 May. During the evacuation of Dombås on 30 April, a
large train set with four locomotives, 14 passenger wagons and a
number of goods wagons was sent towards Åndalsnes at night. The
train derailed in a bomb hole at Lesjaverk, eleven soldiers were
killed and several injured in the accident. The derailment at
Lesjaverk delayed the evacuation by one day. The British forces were
evacuated while Veblungsnes burned after bombing earlier in the day.
The fire on Veblungsnes was so intense that the highest mountain
peaks glowed red in the darkness of the night.
Martin Linge
left Oslo by train on 9 April and took part as a conscription
lieutenant in the battles at Åndalsnes, and served as a liaison
officer between Norwegian and British forces. Linge led, among other
things, work on the landing of British forces. Linge was injured in
the work on the provisional airport at Setnesmoen and was one of the
first to be evacuated to Great Britain on 30 April. Intelligence
officer Eric Welsh lived in Norway and reported to Åndalsnes,
evacuating on 29 April.
The ministers Anders Rasmus Frihagen,
Trygve Lie, Birger Ljungberg and Oscar Torp had arrived in Åndalsnes
on 18 April. The king and crown prince traveled through Romsdalen to
Åndalsnes on the evening of 22 April. The king and crown prince left
Åndalsnes for Molde on 23 April by boat from Åfarnes.
On 26
April, the five remaining Gloster Gladiator planes from
Lesjaskogsvatnet were moved to Setnesmoen (where a small airstrip
had been cleared on the exercise ground) and flew from there. The
Gladiator planes lacked oskygen equipment and the German bombers
over Åndalsnes rose to such a high altitude that the Gladiator
planes could not follow.
Arvid S. Kapelrud came down
Romsdalen on the night of 30 April and then the fire at Åndalsnes
was so intense that it reflected the snow-covered Trolltinde. It
looked like the mountain itself was burning, wrote Kapelrud.
After the hostilities in April 1940, mostly only the foundation
walls remained of the settlement in Åndalsnes. The railway station
building and a couple of houses survived. The population was
accommodated in barracks or they built roofs over the foundation
walls and lived in cellars. The occupying power was strongly present
for the rest of the war. Åndalsnes was one of 24 destroyed towns
that were subjected to the regulation work carried out by Brente
Steders Regulering, under the leadership of Sverre Pedersen and
under the supervision of Planning Minister Albert Speer.
In
the autumn of 1944, six Soviet prisoners of war escaped from camps
at Åndalsnes and at Marstein over the mountain to Valldal, where
they were hidden by the local population until the war was over.
Timeline 1940
from 9 April Martin Linge to Setnesmoen to
register
17-18. April: British forces landed, the Gleditsch
couple with the "High Command's information office"
18 April:
ministers Frihagen, Lie, Ljungberg and Torp to Åndalsnes on
reconnaissance
April 20 at 4:30: The gold transport to Åndalsnes
23rd of April:
The king and members of the government to Molde
with the boat DS "Romsdal" from Åfarnes to Molde at night.
Åndalsnes was bombed, no people were injured, minor material damage.
The passenger vessels DS "Sigurd Jarl" and DS "Rauma" were bombed
and sank.
night of April 24: Parts of the gold together with
Øivind Lorentzen and Arne Sunde to Great Britain with the cruiser
HMS "Galatea"
25 April: The rest of the gold by truck to Molde
April 26: Five Gloster Gladiators moved from Lesjaskogsvatnet to
Setnesmoen
30 April: British forces evacuated Dombås in the
direction of Åndalsnes
1 May: Veblungsnes burned after a German
air raid
2 May: Last British forces evacuated from Åndalsnes,
German forces led by Richard Pellengahr moved in
Fallen
Jens Fløttum (born 1903 in Singsås), served in the engineering
force, died during bombing on 30 April
Tord Høivik (born 1915 in
Øvre Eiker), lieutenant in the air force then the infantry, died
during bombing 29-30. April
Karl Vilnes Jørgensen (born 1919 in
Skodje), volunteer lorry driver at Setnesmoen, died during bombing
in Romsdalen on 25 April
Knut Myking (born 1913 in Herefoss)
lieutenant in the engineering force, died on 30 April after being
wounded at Setnesmoen
Harald Martin Olsen (born 1917 in
Lillehammer) served in the army's sanitation, died when Setnesmoen
was bombed on the night of 1 May.
Martin E. Sylte (born 1907 at
Ringebu), wounded during bombing of Setnesmoen, evacuated to Orkney,
where he died on 8 May
Johan Arnulf Tandsæther (born 1910 in
Kolbu), died when Setnesmoen was bombed on 29 April.
Jonas Monrad
Uri (born 1897 in Norddal), died when Setnesmoen was bombed on 30
April.
Åndalsnes is a small town (population around 2,483 as of 2024) in
Rauma Municipality, Møre og Romsdal county, in the Romsdal district of
Western Norway. It sits at approximately 62.5675°N 7.6871°E, with an
elevation of just a few meters (around 2–10 m) at sea level in the town
center.
Location and Setting
Åndalsnes lies at the head (inner
end) of the Romsdalsfjord (also called Romsdalsfjorden), specifically
along the Isfjorden arm, where the Rauma River empties into the fjord.
It occupies the northern end of the Romsdalen valley, a dramatic 60 km
(37 mi) river valley that stretches southeastward inland from the fjord
toward the highlands near Lesjaskogsvatnet lake (at the watershed with
eastern Norway).
This position makes it a natural gateway between the
fjord landscape of Western Norway and the more inland alpine and
highland terrain. Nearby settlements include Veblungsnes (just across
the Rauma River to the west), Isfjorden (about 7 km east), and
Innfjorden (about 10 km southwest). The town itself covers only about
2.16 km² but serves as the administrative center of Rauma Municipality
and a key transport hub.
Fjord and Coastal Geography
The
Romsdalsfjord is an 88 km (55 mi) long fjord system in the Romsdal
district. It reaches a maximum depth of about 550 m (1,800 ft) near
Molde (further out toward the ocean) and is a threshold fjord, with
shallower areas (around 180 m) at its outer mouth separating it from the
open sea. At Åndalsnes, the fjord is narrower and influenced by the
river outflow, creating a mix of marine and freshwater environments. The
area is known for clean waters and supports salmon and sea trout
populations (with ongoing restoration efforts after past parasite
issues).
The fjord setting provides sheltered harbor access
(Tindekaia), popular with cruise ships, while surrounding mountains
create a dramatic backdrop visible right from the waterfront.
Valley and River Features
The Rauma River flows through Romsdalen
valley, carving a deep, U-shaped glacial valley with terraces of sand,
gravel, and clay. The valley floor is relatively flat near Åndalsnes but
becomes more rugged upstream, with gorges, rapids, and impressive
waterfalls (such as Vermafossen, Mongefossen—one of the world's tallest
at ~773 m total drop—and others).
Huge boulders litter parts of the
valley floor, fallen from the steep sides. An unstable rock formation
called Mannen overlooks the valley and poses a potential landslide risk
that could temporarily dam the river.
Mountains and Alpine
Landscape
Åndalsnes earns its nickname as the "alpine village by the
fjord" or "mountaineering capital of Norway" due to its encirclement by
some of Norway's most iconic and challenging peaks in the Romsdalsalpene
(Romsdal Alps). Key features include:
Trollveggen (Troll Wall):
Europe's tallest vertical rock face, with a sheer drop of over
1,000–1,100 m (and nearly 1,800 m from valley floor to summit in
places). It has a significant overhang and is legendary in rock climbing
and BASE jumping history.
Romsdalshorn (~1,550 m): A prominent, steep
peak visible from town.
Other summits: Store Trolltind (1,788 m),
Trollryggen (1,740 m), Breitind (1,797 m), Kalskråtinden (1,803 m), and
ridges like Romsdalseggen.
The western side (including
Trolltindene) is partly protected in Reinheimen National Park. Many
peaks offer fjord views and range from accessible hikes (e.g., to
viewpoints like Rampestreken at ~500+ m or Nesaksla) to expert
mountaineering routes. The terrain features sharp ridges, vertical
walls, and glacial carving typical of Norway's fjord-mountain interface.
Topography and Elevation
Town elevation is near sea level, but
the surrounding mountains rise abruptly to 1,500–1,800+ m within a short
distance. Average elevation in the broader area is higher due to the
peaks. The landscape transitions quickly from fjord shoreline to steep
slopes, with excellent viewpoints (e.g., via cable car or trails)
overlooking the town, river mouth, and fjord.
Climate
Åndalsnes has a cool, temperate oceanic climate influenced by the North
Atlantic and surrounding mountains. It features:
Short, cool, wet
summers (average highs around 15–18°C in July, often cloudy).
Long,
mild-to-cold winters with snow in the mountains and possible freezing
temperatures at sea level (January averages around 0–2°C, with snow
possible).
High precipitation: Around 1,800–1,832 mm (71+ inches)
annually, with wetter months in autumn/winter. The mountains enhance
orographic rainfall.
Winds can be strong, especially in winter.
The climate supports lush vegetation on lower slopes but transitions to
alpine tundra higher up. It creates a "dreamy winter wonderland" for ski
touring while enabling year-round outdoor activities (with avalanche
awareness in mountains).