Fløibanen is the funicular railway that runs from the centre of Bergen to the top of Fløyen, 320 metres above the city. The ride takes about six minutes and carries around 2.4 million passengers a year.
The funicular opened on 15 January 1918. It was supposed to take 18 months to build but World War I caused shortages, and construction dragged on for over three years. The cars were built in Germany and the rails came from Switzerland. Today the two cars are painted red and blue, called Rødhette (Little Red Riding Hood) and Blåmann. Together with the white station building, they form the colours of the Norwegian flag. That tradition started after the German occupation ended in 1945.
The current cars date from April 2022 and are the fifth generation. They were built by the Swiss company Doppelmayr and are 4.5 metres longer than the previous ones, each carrying 120 passengers. They are also faster, which has reduced waiting times.
The queue can be long in summer, especially when cruise ships are in port. One trick is to buy tickets at the tourist office above the fish market, or use the machines at Fløibanen station, or buy online. This lets you skip the ticket queue entirely. Also avoid going in the morning on cruise ship days. Usually after five in the evening it calms down. If you do not want to wait at all, you can walk up in about 45 minutes via a well-maintained path from the city centre.
The funicular opened on 15 January 1918. It was supposed to take 18 months to build but World War I caused shortages, and construction dragged on for over three years. The cars were built in Germany and the rails came from Switzerland. Today the two cars are painted red and blue, called Rødhette (Little Red Riding Hood) and Blåmann. Together with the white station building, they form the colours of the Norwegian flag. That tradition started after the German occupation ended in 1945.
The current cars date from April 2022 and are the fifth generation. They were built by the Swiss company Doppelmayr and are 4.5 metres longer than the previous ones, each carrying 120 passengers. They are also faster, which has reduced waiting times.
The queue can be long in summer, especially when cruise ships are in port. One trick is to buy tickets at the tourist office above the fish market, or use the machines at Fløibanen station, or buy online. This lets you skip the ticket queue entirely. Also avoid going in the morning on cruise ship days. Usually after five in the evening it calms down. If you do not want to wait at all, you can walk up in about 45 minutes via a well-maintained path from the city centre.
