Guide · No car

Day trips from Bergen by public transport

The fjords are within reach without a hire car. Day trips from Bergen by public transport reach the Flåm Railway, Voss, Hardanger's waterfalls and Rosendal by train, bus and boat, and here is how long each one takes.

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Editorial team, daytripfrombergen.comUpdated October 19, 2026Reading time about 6 minutes58 sources

The tour that goes with it Viking village, Nærøyfjord and Flåm Railway day tour 4.8 (1,286 reviews) 10.5 hours2-hour Nærøyfjord cruiseFlåm Railway and Bergen Railway included from$422per person Check availabilityCancel for free up to 24 hrs ahead

Quick answer

01Easiest by train: Voss is just over an hour away, with trains about once an hour.¹ ²
02The railway classic: Bergen to Flåm via Myrdal takes about 3 to 3.5 hours by train.³
03By bus: Bus 925 or 930 reaches Steinsdalsfossen in around 1 hour and 25 minutes.⁴
04By boat: The express boat reaches Rosendal in about two hours.⁵
05Too far: By bus, Trolltunga cannot be done from Bergen in one day.⁶

Bergen is built for car-free day trips

Bergen sits at the end of one of Norway's great railway lines, beside a harbour full of fjord boats, with regional buses leaving from the bus station next to the trains. That means many of the classic day trips can be done without a hire car and without a guided tour, as long as you plan around the timetables.

In the city itself, Skyss runs the buses and the light rail, and line 1 of the light rail connects the centre with Bergen Airport Flesland.⁷ ⁸ For longer trips you combine Vy trains on the Bergen Line, regional buses and the express boats that leave from the quays near the Fish Market.

The trick is to choose a destination that fits the timetable, not the other way round. Day trips from Bergen by train work best eastwards, along the line to Voss and Myrdal, while buses serve Hardanger and boats serve the fjords to the south and north. The sections below take each in turn, with the travel times the official sources give.

A car-free Voss day

Train, gondola and bus

Morning

Train to Voss

Just over an hour from Bergen; trains about hourly.¹ ²
Late morning

Voss Gondol

Up to 818 m in 9 minutes.⁹
Midday

Trails at the top

Short walks with views over the valley.
Afternoon

Lunch in Voss

Back down by gondola to the town.
Evening

Bus to Bergen

The Vy Express takes around 1 hour and 45 minutes.¹⁰

Voss: the easiest train day

From Bergen it is just over an hour by train to Voss, and trains run about once an hour, so you can choose your start time freely.¹ ² Voss is a lake-side town in the mountains, known for outdoor sports, and it makes a relaxed day that does not depend on a tight connection. Because the trains are frequent, Voss is also the right choice for a day when the weather is uncertain: if it rains in the morning, you simply take a later train.

Right by the station, Voss Gondol, the largest gondola in Northern Europe, climbs to 818 m above sea level in 9 minutes.⁹ At the top you can walk short trails with views over the lake and the valleys, then come down for lunch in town.

For variety on the way home, the Vy Express evening bus from Voss to Bergen takes around 1 hour and 45 minutes.¹⁰ In winter, Voss Resort, the largest ski resort in Western Norway, has 40 km of groomed alpine slopes, which turns the same train ride into a ski day.¹¹

Time on the move

Hours one way by public transport

hrs

Approximate times from Visit Bergen and Vy.¹² ⁶ ¹³ ⁵ ¹⁴

Side by side

Car-free day trips and their travel times

Destination	How	Time one way
Voss	Train	Just over 1 hr
Myrdal	Train	About 2 hrs
Flåm via Myrdal	Train	About 3 to 3.5 hrs
Steinsdalsfossen	Bus 925 or 930	About 1 hr 25 min
Rosendal	Express boat	About 2 hrs
Flåm direct (April to October)	Express boat	About 5.5 hrs
Odda	Bus 930	About 3 hrs

Travel times from Visit Bergen; check Vy, Skyss and the boat operators for your date.¹ ¹³ ³ ⁴ ⁵ ¹² ⁶

No car needed

Guided, self-guided or by boat

Bergen: Viking Village, Nærøyfjord Cruise & Flåm Railway

Most reviewed

Guided loop

Both railways, cruise, Vikings

Length: 10.5 hrs
Rating: 4.78
Price: from $422

See dates

Bergen: Self-Guided Round-Trip Full-Day Excursion

Your own pace

Nutshell tickets

Self-guided round trip

Length: 10 hrs
Rating: 4.49
Price: from $434

See dates

Bergen: Cruise to beautiful Rosendal by the Hardangerfjord

Lowest price

Rosendal boat

Express boat, free time

Length: 7 hrs
Rating: 4.43
Price: from $93

See dates

Decision helper

Which car-free day suits you?

Pick by how much planning you enjoy

No connections to worry about A short, flexible train ride The famous railway A waterfall by bus Someone else plans it

Mostraumen cruise

A 3.5 to 4-hour round trip from the centre.¹⁵

Voss

Just over an hour, trains about hourly.¹ ²

Myrdal and Flåm

About 3 to 3.5 hours each way by train.³

Steinsdalsfossen

Around 1 hour and 25 minutes on bus 925 or 930.⁴

Guided loop

Railways, cruise and Vikings in 10.5 hours.

Bus number 925 or 930 takes around 1 hour and 25 minutes, and the stop is conveniently called Steinsdalsfossen.

Visit BergenSource 4

Myrdal and the Flåm Railway by train

The most famous train day from Bergen goes further, to Myrdal, about 2 hours along the Bergen Line, where you change for the Flåm Railway.¹³ The Flåm line drops 20 km from Myrdal to Flåm in about an hour, with a stop of about 5 minutes at the Kjosfossen waterfall.¹⁶ ¹⁴ ¹⁷ The climb out of Bergen follows lakes and rivers, then the line rises into the mountains, and the last stretch before Myrdal can hold snow well into the summer.

In total, Bergen to Flåm via Myrdal takes about 3 to 3.5 hours by train.³ A return the same way makes a full day with little time in Flåm, so the classic plan is to return another way: by boat through the Nærøyfjord to Gudvangen and by bus to Voss, the route Norway in a Nutshell bundles into one ticket.

Plan your tickets before you leave. Flåm Railway tickets can normally be bought up to 120 days ahead, and Myrdal station has neither a ticket office nor a ticket machine.¹⁸ ¹⁹ Norway in a Nutshell departs daily from Bergen station around 08:00 and includes the train, bus and boat tickets.²⁰ ²¹

Map

Where the day trips from Bergen go

Railway, fjords and waterfalls lie east of the city; the long hikes and Geiranger are much further.

Map of western Norway with Bergen, Voss, Myrdal, Flåm, Gudvangen, Stegastein, Tvindefossen, Steinsdalsfossen, Vøringsfossen, the Hardanger Bridge, Rosendal, Bondhusvatnet, Odda and Mostraumen — Fjords east of Bergen

Map of central Bergen with Strandkaien, Bryggen, Bergen station, Fløyen and Ulriken — Bergen city

Map of southern Norway with Bergen, Flåm, Fjærland, Geiranger, Trolltunga, Stavanger and Pulpit Rock — Further afield

1
Strandkaien, Bergen
Many guided day tours meet along this quay, and the driving times on this site are measured from here.²²
In Google Maps ↗
2
Voss
Just over an hour from Bergen by train, with trains about once an hour.¹ ²
In Google Maps ↗
3
Myrdal
The mountain station at 867 m where the Flåm Railway begins; no road leads here.²³ ²⁴
In Google Maps ↗
4
Flåm
The sea-level end of the 20 km Flåm Railway, at the head of the Aurlandsfjord.²³ ¹⁶
In Google Maps ↗
5
Gudvangen
The inner end of the Nærøyfjord, with the Njardarheimr Viking village 150 m from the ferry pier.²⁵
In Google Maps ↗
6
Stegastein
A platform 650 m above the Aurlandsfjord; the road up from Aurland stays open all year.²⁶ ²⁷
In Google Maps ↗
7
Tvindefossen
A waterfall that drops 110 m in steps, north of Voss.²⁸
In Google Maps ↗
8
Steinsdalsfossen
A fall of around 50 m with a path behind the water, 1 hour 15 minutes by car from Bergen.²⁹ ³⁰
In Google Maps ↗
9
Vøringsfossen
Falls 182 m into the Måbødalen valley; parts of the site close in winter.³¹ ³²
In Google Maps ↗
10
Rosendal
The village of the Barony, built in 1665, about two hours from Bergen by express boat.³³ ⁵
In Google Maps ↗
11
Bondhusvatnet
The glacier lake in Folgefonna National Park where the glacier lake tour has its picnic.
In Google Maps ↗
12
Odda
The town below Trolltunga; bus 930 from Bergen takes about 3 hours.⁶
In Google Maps ↗
13
Mostraumen
The narrow strait at the far end of the classic 3.5 to 4-hour cruise from Bergen.¹⁵
In Google Maps ↗
14
Hardanger Bridge
A suspension bridge across the Hardangerfjord, completed in 2013.³⁴
In Google Maps ↗
15
Bryggen
The Hanseatic wharf, on the World Heritage List since 1979, where some 62 old buildings remain.³⁵ ³⁶
In Google Maps ↗
16
Bergen station
Trains to Voss and Myrdal leave here, and Norway in a Nutshell departs around 08:00.¹ ²⁰
In Google Maps ↗
17
Fløyen
The 320 m viewpoint above the city, about 6 minutes up by funicular.³⁷ ³⁸
In Google Maps ↗
18
Ulriken
The highest of Bergen's 7 mountains, 643 m above sea level.³⁹ ⁴⁰
In Google Maps ↗
19
Trolltunga
The rock ledge at 1,180 m, reached on a hike of 7 to 12 hours.⁴¹ ⁴²
In Google Maps ↗
20
Pulpit Rock
A cliff 604 m above the fjord, 5 hours 11 minutes by road from Bergen.⁴³ ⁴⁴
In Google Maps ↗
21
Geiranger
The other World Heritage fjord, 120 km from the Nærøyfjord and 6 hours 11 minutes by road from Bergen.⁴⁵ ⁴⁶
In Google Maps ↗
22
Stavanger
The city nearest Pulpit Rock, 4 hours from Bergen on the E39.⁴⁷
In Google Maps ↗
23
Fjærland
The glacier village at the end of the Fjærlandsfjord, reachable only by boat until 1986.⁴⁸ ⁴⁹
In Google Maps ↗

Open the map in Google Maps

Checklist

For a day without a car

Before

Flåm Railway tickets, up to 120 days ahead¹⁸
The last train, bus or boat back
A backup route home

Bring

Food for tight connections
Rain gear for platforms and piers
Tickets on your phone and on paper

Cost calculator

Guided or self-guided, for your group

Compare the car-free options for your party.

Guided loop10.5 hrsfrom $422 Nutshell tickets10 hrsfrom $434 Rosendal boat7 hrsfrom $93

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Total from$843

per traveler from $422

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Video

Riding the Bergen Line across the mountains

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Hardanger by bus

For Hardanger, the bus is the car-free answer. Bus 925 or 930 from Bergen takes around 1 hour and 25 minutes to the stop called Steinsdalsfossen, by the waterfall you can walk behind.⁴ ²⁹ The buses run roughly once an hour or every 1.5 hours, depending on the time of day.⁵⁰

Steinsdalsfossen lies close to Norheimsund, where the Hardangerfjord first comes into view, so a bus day can combine the waterfall with a walk along the fjord and lunch in the village. Parts of the waterfall site close in winter, so check before you go in the cold season.⁵¹

The same bus 930 continues to Odda, about 3 hours from Bergen, for the Trolltunga hike, but Visit Bergen is clear that you cannot take the bus from Bergen and complete the hike on the same day.⁶ Treat Trolltunga as an overnight trip if you travel without a car. If you want the hike and only have a day, the realistic options are to stay a night in Odda or to choose a closer viewpoint instead; our page on Trolltunga, Pulpit Rock and Geiranger explains the alternatives.

Boats from the Bergen quays

The express boats are the car-free traveller's secret weapon. On weekdays the Hardangerfjord Express leaves Bergen at 08:50, reaches Rosendal at 10:45 and comes back at 16:20, giving you time in the village of the 1665 Barony.⁵² ³³ The crossing takes about two hours each way.⁵

Closer to home, the classic cruise to Mostraumen is a 3.5 to 4-hour round trip through the Osterfjord, and one operator sails it all year round.¹⁵ ⁵³ It suits a morning when you want a fjord without a long day. The boat leaves from the centre, so you can walk from your hotel to the quay, and you are back in time for lunch.

For a full day on the water between April and October, the Norled boat leaves Bergen at 8:00 for Flåm, and the return leaves Flåm at 15:30 and arrives in Bergen at 20:45.⁵⁴ ⁵⁵ It is a long day, but it shows you the Sognefjord without a single connection to catch.

Car-free in winter

Winter changes the car-free picture less than you might expect, because trains, buses and many boats keep running while some mountain roads close. Norway in a Nutshell departs every day of the year, and one Mostraumen cruise sails all year round from behind the Tourist Information.²⁰ ⁵³

The Nærøyfjord cruise between Flåm and Gudvangen also runs all year round, so the classic railway and fjord combination remains possible in the dark months.⁵⁶ Daylight is the real limit: in mid-December Bergen has 5.8 hrs of daylight, so a long train day starts and ends in darkness.⁵⁷

Plan winter days around the brightest hours. Leave early, keep the scenic legs, such as the Flåm Railway or the fjord cruise, for the middle of the day, and accept that the return journey will be a view of lit stations and snowy darkness rather than mountains.

Tickets, passes and planning

The Bergen Card comes as a 24, 48, 72 or 96-hour pass.⁵⁸ It is a city pass, so read its terms before you count on it for regional trains and boats. Buy train tickets from Vy and boat tickets from the operator, ideally a few days ahead in summer.

Allow buffers. A missed connection on a car-free day is rarely a disaster, but the next train or boat can be hours away. Plan your return first, then fit the sights around it, and keep a backup option such as the evening bus from Voss. Write down the times of the last departures home before you leave the hotel, and keep a little cash or a card ready for a taxi in case something goes wrong in a village with few connections.

If all that sounds like too much planning, a guided tour takes the logistics off your hands. The guided loop this site recommends uses the Bergen Railway and the Flåm Railway too, and adds a coach, the Nærøyfjord cruise and a Viking village, so you still travel without a car but without the timetables.

Plan your loop