Mount Ulriken
Bergen is surrounded by 7 mountains,
where two of them has easy access.
Mount Fløyen and the Fløibanen
Funicular is the most popular among
tourists visiting, and also the most
crowded.
If you want an even more spectacular
experience, you should consider
Mount Ulriken instead. This is the
highest mountain in Bergen and has a
spectacular view over Bergen and its
surroundings.
From the center of Bergen you can
catch the Ulriken Express double
decker bus which drives you to Mount
Ulriken ground station. From here a
cable car brings you all the 643 meters
to the top. You can buy tickets at the
machines by the entrance or at the
small ticket office at the top of the
stairs just before you enter the lift
The cable car takes 7 minutes to the
top, where the view gets more and
more spectacular.
The total lenght is 1120 meters. It was
built in 1961 and has brought local
hikers and tourists ever since, with two
breaks. In 1974 it stopped for 5 years
and in 2008 for one year. New owners
reopened it in 2009 with a major
upgrade of both the cable car, the
ground station and the restaurant at
the top followed by a new upgrade in
2021. Each of the two new gondolas
take 51 passengers (or fewer if it is
windy)
At the top you will find a gift shop and
kiosk. This is also where you enter on
your return. Right in front of you when
you exit is the huge TV tower. You can
get close to the tower by climbing a
few steps to a large plattform. From
here you have great view over all the
surrounding mountains to the south
of Bergen.
Here you will also find a huge viewing
plattform and the restaurant
Skyskraperen. In front of the
restaurant you have a magificent
terrace with the best view of Bergen.
The restaurant is open from mid April
to mid October, but the tables at the
terrace can be used all year round.
You should definately spend some
time here to enjoy the view. On a clear
day, you can even spot some of the oil
rigs in the North Sea.
Tap on the image to watch video
One of the trekking routes from Ulriken
If you head right from the gondola
exit, you will find the start of many of
the trekking routes from Mount
Ulriken, and also the start of the
sherpa built stairs which goes all the
way down to the ground station.
At the northern end of the restaurant,
you will find a playground for kids and
further at the edge of the mountain a
zip-line which is open during the
summer season. You will also find
public toilets at the back of the
restaurant, open all year.
Remember that the weather is a main
factor in Bergen. On rainy days, the
clounds might climb down the
mountainside and obscure the view.
Remember to have a look at mount
Ulriken from the city center before
buying tickets. If you can spot the TV-
mast, then go for it. If not, get in line
for the funicular to Mount Fløyen
instead, which has a lower altitude.
View to the south of Bergen