By: Chris ⎜ Last updated
The Fløibanen funicular starts close to the city centre, about a five-minute walk uphill from the Fish Market. The ride to the top of Mount Fløyen takes roughly six minutes in recently modernised glass-roof carriages that hold around 120 people each. Two cars run in opposite directions on the same track, departing every 15 minutes during peak hours and every 30 minutes early morning and late evening. The last departure from both ends is at midnight.
Before anything else, check the Fløyen webcam. If you don´t see the city from the webcam, save it for tomorrow.
The funicular starts running at 07:30 daily, but the ticket office doesn't open until 08:30 on weekdays and 09:00 on weekends and holidays in summer. If you buy tickets online or through the Fløibanen app beforehand, you can board at 07:30, scan your code, and have the mountain nearly to yourself. At that hour, there is no queue, no crowd at the viewpoint, and no competition for the front-row seats.
Those front-row seats matter. Sit in the lower compartment facing downhill on the way up. As the carriage climbs, the city unfolds beneath you through the glass.
The crush zone is 10:00 to 14:00, and queues can get really long on cruise ship days. Bergen regularly has several ships in port at once, and most of those passengers will head for Fløibanen. On a heavy ship day, expect 20-30 minutes of queueing even with an online ticket (you skip the ticket office queue but still wait for the next carriage). On a quiet midweek morning, you walk straight on.
The other window is after 18:00 in summer. By evening, the cruise passengers are back on their ships, the day-trippers have left, and the mountain empties out.
Walking up
Three paths lead from the city centre to the top of Fløyen. All three start near the city and take between 45 and 75 minutes depending on your pace. Find the starting point on our Fløyen hiking guide.
Fløysvingene is the best one to take. It's a series of gravel switchbacks through forest, well-signposted, with the gradient spread out enough that you don't feel like you're climbing stairs.
The smarter approach if you don't enjoy hiking up: take the funicular up, walk down. Buy a one-way ticket, enjoy the ride, spend your time at the top, and walk back on your own legs. You save money on the return ticket, skip the downhill queue entirely, and the walk is a highlight in its own right.
Tickets
Buy online or via the Fløibanen app. In summer (April to September), a return ticket bought online costs less than one bought at the staffed ticket counter at the station. The self-service ticket machines at the station also sell at the lower online price and accept cards and coins, so if you didn't buy ahead, use those rather than joining the counter queue.
One-way tickets are available and are the right call if you plan to walk down. See floyen.no for current seasonal prices. The rates change between winter (October–March, cheaper) and summer (April–September, higher), and under-4s ride free.
Online tickets are valid for roughly three months after purchase, so you can buy when you book your trip and use them on whichever day the weather cooperates.
The Bergen Card
The Bergen Card gives 50% off Fløibanen return tickets, but the redemption process is cumbersome. Digital Bergen Card holders need to buy via a special URL (the regular ticket page won't work), enter a case-sensitive code, and have the card activated first. The discount doesn't work at the ticket machines. Physical card holders can redeem at the ticket office or the Tourist Information centre near the Fish Market. The discount applies to return tickets only, not one-way, so if you plan on walking one way you don't save anything with the Bergen Card.
The view
The viewpoint is immediately to the right as you step off the funicular at the upper station. A paved observation platform looks out over Vågen harbour, Bryggen, Nordnes, the islands, and the mountains ringing the city on every side. On a clear day you can see as far as the North Sea. The main platform is broad and wheelchair-accessible. A narrower walkway extends further out for unobstructed photos, though that section is not accessible for wheelchairs.
Summer between 10:00 and 14:00, the platform is shoulder-to-shoulder. Before 09:00 or after 18:00, you can take your time. Coming around sunset is highly recommended.
One important clarification: the funicular station and viewpoint sit at 320 metres above sea level. The actual summit of Fløyfjellet (marked by the Fløyvarden fire lookout) is 399 metres and about a 1.5-hour loop walk from the station. But if you want the true peak, the trail to Fløyvarden is well-marked and included in several of the longer walking routes.
Beyond the viewpoint
Most visitors take the funicular up, look at the view, and ride straight back down. There are more to do here if you're not in a rush.
Skomakerdiket lake
A ten-minute walk from the station along a well-marked gravel path, Skomakerdiket is a small forest lake with picnic benches, barbecue facilities, and a completely different atmosphere to the busy viewpoint platform. In summer, free canoe and paddleboard rentals are available. The path around the lake is flat, pram-friendly, and wheelchair-accessible.
Skomakerstuen Café sits next to the lake in a striking modern building designed by SAAHA architects, opened in 2020. Norwegian svele (thick, slightly sweet pancakes) and coffee with a quiet lakeside view. Open weekends and public holidays only, 11:00–16:00.
The goats
Cashmere goats nicknamed Fløyenguttene ("The Fløyen Boys") graze the mountain roughly from May to October. They're kept within a large fenced area that covers enough ground to make them look free-roaming when you encounter them on the trails. They're friendly, used to people, and will happily stand still while you take photos. Don't go looking for them in a specific pen; you'll stumble on them along the paths near the station and playground area.
Trollskogen and the playground
Trollskogen (Troll Forest) is a stretch of woodland near the playground where carved wooden troll sculptures hide among the trees. It's designed for children and works well for that purpose. For adults without kids, a quick walk through is enough.
The playground itself is one of the best in Bergen, with equipment for different age groups and a separate obstacle course (Naturskolen) about ten minutes further into the forest. Both are free. There's also a paid climbing park with ziplines, open spring through autumn, minimum height 140cm.
The shop
The Fløistuen shop next to the café is not the usual souvenir operation. It focuses on locally produced goods: silverware from Arven, jewellery from Haukeli, knitwear from TirillM, sheepskins from Granberg Garveri, cheese slicers from Bjørklund, chocolate from Fjåk. In autumn, they sell honey from Fløyen's own beehives. FairTrade products from The Salvation Army's "Others" range. If you want something made in Norway rather than a mass-produced troll figurine, browse here.
Longer hikes from the top
Fløyen is a starting point for dozens of marked trails into Bergen's city mountains. The full list of ten suggested routes is on floyen.no with distances, grades, and downloadable maps. Three are worth highlighting for visitors.
Skomakerdiket loop 30–45 min | Easy
A flat circuit around the lake and back. The shortest option, pram-friendly, and enough to feel like you've been in the mountains and not just at another viewpoint.
Fløyen to Brushytten and back 2.5–3 hours | ~6 km | Easy/moderate
Forest terrain on a mix of gravel roads and paths. Brushytten is a popular cabin and kiosk about halfway between Fløyen and Rundemanen. Brushytten is a forest destination, there is no particular view from here. The kiosk is mainly open weekends and Sundays. From Brushytten you can continue to Rundemanen or Blåmanen if you want to extend the hike.
Vidden: Fløyen to Ulriken 4–6 hours | ~13 km | Moderate
The classic Bergen traverse. Crosses the mountain plateau between Fløyen (320m station) and Ulriken (643m), Bergen's highest city mountain. This hike requires proper footwear, a packed lunch, water, and decent weather. Most hikers do it Ulriken to Fløyen direction: take the Ulriken cable car up, walk the plateau, descend to the Fløyen funicular station and ride down to the city centre. This direction is slightly more downhill overall and ends conveniently in the city.
Ulriken has a cable car, a restaurant, and a zipline, but far less to do at the top compared to Fløyen. If you only have time for one mountain, do Fløyen.
Where to eat and drink
Three places to eat at the top of Fløyen, each serving a different purpose.
Fløistuen Café is right beside the upper funicular station. Coffee, pastries, sandwiches, soft ice cream, and snacks you can carry on a hike. It's grab-and-go fuel, not a sit-down meal. The café grows some of its own produce on-site through MatTak, a Bergen rooftop-farming initiative, which is a nice detail. The less nice detail: on busy days, the sandwiches are often gone by early afternoon.
Fløirestauranten is the main restaurant in the renovated 1925 building at the top. The brasserie is the core: Norwegian seasonal produce, lunch and dinner, walk-ins welcome. The Peisestuen (Fireplace Lounge) does cocktails and after-hike drinks. For a special occasion, Schou is an intimate chef's table experience with a multi-course tasting menu. The outdoor terrace in summer seats 300 with panoramic views and is the obvious spot for a drink at sunset. Food quality is good; service can be slow when it's busy.
Skomakerstuen Café by the lake, as covered above. Svele and coffee. Weekends and holidays only.
The Cone
A pinecone-shaped wooden treehouse, officially called Konglen, suspended between trees near the playground. It's available for rent and sleeps two adults and two small children. You climb in via a wooden ladder. Inside: mattresses, pillows, a fold-down table, a bench, a big window into the forest, and basic heating. No kitchen, no running water. Toilet is nearby but outside. Bring sleeping bags, food, a flashlight, and warm layers in winter. This is an adventure, not luxury.
Bookable through floyen.no. During the day, the area around the Cone is full of families and curious kids trying to climb the ladder. After the last funicular at midnight, the mountain goes quiet and you're all alone.
Seasons
Summer (June–August): Everything is open. Goats are out. Free canoe rentals at the lake. The funicular runs from 07:30 to midnight with maximum frequency. But this is also peak cruise ship season. The crowds between 10:00 and 14:00 can be intense.
Spring and autumn: Fewer crowds, lower funicular prices outside the April–September summer window. Skomakerstuen and some seasonal activities may have limited hours. The trails can be muddier. Autumn colours in the forest are worth the trade-off.
Winter: The funicular runs year-round and tickets drop to winter pricing. Bergen's sun sets between 15:30 and 16:00 in November through January, so "evening views" and city lights happen mid-afternoon, not late at night. Trails near the station are fine with proper boots, but more remote paths can be icy. Fewer things are open at the top, but the viewpoint and restaurant still operate.
The funicular runs until midnight year-round, and in summer the trails near the station are lit after dark. Walking the forest paths above Bergen with the city lights spread out below, no queues, no crowds, just the sound of your own footsteps, is the version of Fløyen that most visitors never see.
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