Hiking in Bergen: Where to Start

Bergen is surrounded by seven mountains, and Visit Bergen describes the city as a place for hiking enthusiasts and first-time hikers alike. Several of those mountains can be reached from the city centre without a car, which makes Bergen a good base for anyone who wants a proper walk without a full expedition.

This guide picks out the mountains and trails that Visit Bergen highlights, from a six-minute funicular ride to a five-hour crossing between two summits. The details come from Visit Bergen and Visit Norway, checked in September 2026.

Pick a walk by the time you have

• A short outing: take the funicular up Fløyen and walk the trail to Skomakerdiket, less than a kilometre from the top.
• About an hour: Løvstakken, which Visit Bergen says takes about an hour, or the walk from Fløyen to Brushytten.
• Up to two hours: Ulriken, where the walk from Montana takes between 30 minutes and two hours depending on your route and pace.
• Most of a day: Vidden, the roughly five-hour walk between Ulriken and Fløyen.

Fløyen: the easy way up

Fløibanen, the funicular from the city centre, takes six minutes to reach the top of Fløyen. Up there you'll find a restaurant, the Fløystuen café, a playground and a climbing park, and the gravel roads are suitable for prams and wheelchairs.

For a short walk, the trail to Skomakerdiket is less than a kilometre from the top. To go further, Brushytten is about an hour's walk from Fløyen.

Ulriken: the highest of the seven

Ulriken stands 643 metres above sea level and is the highest of Bergen's seven mountains. You can go up by cable car or on foot. Unlike Fløyen, Ulriken has hiking trails only, so the paths aren't suitable for prams or wheelchairs.

Vidden: between the two

The walk from Ulriken to Fløyen across the Vidden plateau takes approximately five hours, and Visit Bergen only recommends it in the summer season. It is also the route Visit Bergen names as the most popular among locals.

That's a long day by city standards. Take layers, food and water, and check the forecast before you leave. Hiking in bad weather explains when a plan should change.

Stoltzekleiven and Løvstakken: steeper and shorter

Stoltzekleiven is a steep stone staircase up to Sandviksfjellet, with hundreds of steps. Visit Bergen says the climb takes anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours.

Løvstakken takes about an hour and is ten minutes by bus from the city centre. Visit Bergen says it's most suitable in summer.

Lyderhorn for sea views

Lyderhorn rises to 396 metres and looks out over both the city fjord and the open sea. It's a lower summit than Ulriken, which makes it a reasonable choice when cloud is sitting on the higher ones.

Bigger days out from Bergen

Visit Bergen also lists longer hikes that involve a drive:

• The Castle (Slottet) in Modalen, north of Bergen: a two-hour hike that is relatively easy and suitable for everyone.
• Dronningstien, the Queen Sonja's Trail, in Hardanger: about six hours and roughly two and a half hours by car. Visit Bergen calls it very steep and quite long, and doesn't recommend it for inexperienced hikers.
• Trolltunga: about 12 hours, and around three hours by car. Visit Bergen doesn't recommend it as a day trip from Bergen and suggests a two-day trip with a guide and a night in a tent.

The Trolltunga hike guide covers that last one in detail.

Weather, gear and company

Visit Bergen recommends hiking with someone who knows the area, and mentions guided tours as an option. Whatever you choose, dress for changing weather. A waterproof shell and a warm layer weigh less than the regret of going without, and the day hike packing list covers the rest.

The Norwegian Mountain Code applies on a city mountain just as it does on a remote ridge: tell someone where you're going, and turn back in time.

Where to go next

If Bergen is part of a longer trip, six classic hikes in Norway compares the big-name routes, and the first-time hiking trip guide covers regions and seasons.