No car? No problem! Norway's mountain magic is closer than you think. Travel by train or express bus to scenic trailheads and some of Europe's best biking destinations in Eastern and Western Norway. They're only a couple of hours from the city!
Explore Norway's mountains by bus or train
It's never been easier to escape the hustle and bustle of the city for the mountains and beautiful countryside!
Just hop on a comfortable express bus or train and let it take you straight to fresh air and outdoor adventures.
Adventure awaits
Is it time for you to touch some grass, or are you already an avid hiker? Whether you're visiting for a few days or staying in one of the major cities in the southern half of Norway, adventure in the great outdoors is just a few hours away.
It's a common misconception that you need a car in order to reach the mountains in Norway, however this is not the case. During the hiking season, there are several bus routes and train lines that take you to many of Norway's top hiking and biking destinations.
Travel comfortably and safely with top-notch seats, Wi-Fi, toilets, power outlets, and plenty of luggage space. We recommend booking tickets in advance, especially during the high season.
Norway's experienced drivers and conductors are used to navigating challenging conditions, including narrow roads, mountain passes, and the occasional wild animal.
Finn Bråtebæk has proudly driven from Oslo to Trysil for more than 15 years and is always ready to welcome new passengers on board.
See below for travel recommendations to some of the most accessible and popular destinations for a car-free mountain adventure in Trysil, Valdres, Jotunheimen, Dovrefjell, Hardangervidda and Åndalsnes.
There are also plenty of other mountain destinations that can be reached using a combination of express buses, trains and local buses. Find recommended routes and plan your trip with Entur, the national travel planner.
Travel routes to popular mountain destinations:
Trysil
This popular route runs from Oslo to the family-friendly destination Trysil. It's Norway's largest ski destination and one of the best biking destinations in Northern Europe. There's something there for everyone! A lot of other activities are also available.
All you have to do is buy a ticket from NOR-WAY Bussekspress online, head to Oslo Bus Station, and within two and a half hours you'll be in Trysil. It also makes stops at Oslo Airport (making it very easy to head to the mountains straight after your flight) and Elverum.
Another transport option is a combination of local busses and trains. Visit Entur for more information.
Find out more about Trysil
Valdres and Jotunheimen
Take the Valdresexpress to the famous mountain landscapes in Jotunheimen. The route starts in Oslo and stops at Fagernes, Beitostølen, Bygdin and Gjendesheim. You can also take a Vy bus from Oslo to Fagernes and Beitostølen, or between Bergen and Fagernes.
Beitostølen is a medium-sized mountain resort with plenty of beautiful hikes and fun outdoor activities, including horse riding, a sauna, indoor swimming pools, and a large activity park for families. Stay in hotels or affordable cabins.
From Bygdin, where you can stay at the historical Bygdin Høifieldshotel, you can enjoy a very scenic MB Bitihorn boat trip on the Bygdin lake to Torfinnsbu cabin and hike back, or continue all the way across the lake to Eidsbugarden. Boat tickets can be booked through NOR-WAY Bussekspress and you can spend the night at Eidsbugarden Hotel, or in a traditional mountain cabin. This allows you to explore Jotunheimen, where you can go on several cabin-to-cabin hikes!
The famous Besseggen hike starts right beside where the bus stops at Gjendesheim. The entire bus trip takes around four hours from Oslo. Gjendesheim is also a starting point for several other amazing hikes in the area. It's possible to travel by boat on the famous Gjende lake from the pier to Memurubu or Gjendebu, where you'll find even more cabins and beautiful trails. The boat trips are part of the experience, with views of towering mountains and the bright blue lake.
Did you know that you can be rewarded for taking the bus to Gjendesheim? If you book a stay at the Gjendesheim Mountain Lodge and travel there by bus, you'll receive a gift card, also known as a 'green card', by the Norwegian Trekking Association. You can spend it on food or non-alcoholic drinks. All you have to do is present your bus ticket when checking in. These green cards can also be used at several other cabins around the country.
Explore Valdres and Jotunheimen
Hardangervidda
The Bergen Railway brings you to the popular mountain destinations Geilo, Haugastøl, Finse, and Voss, all with easy access to the Hardangervidda mountain plateau. Bonus: the ride is often ranked as one of the world's most beautiful train journeys! It runs between Bergen in the west and Oslo in the east, and the whole trip takes around 7 hours one way.
There are plenty of exciting mountain destinations along the line. The biggest one is Geilo, about four hours away from both Oslo and Bergen, offering a lot of activities for all ages. Try lift-based biking, mountain biking, horse riding, rafting and one of Northern Europe's longest ziplines. There's a cool summer park for kids, a climbing park, several indoor swimming pools and spas, and a lot of great opportunities for hiking, including the scenic Prestholtstien stair trail to the top of Hallingskarvet mountain.
The nearby mountain stations of Haugastøl and Finse are great starting points for Norway's most famous scenic cycle route, Rallarvegen. You can rent bicycles here, and cycle the trail through the mountains all the way down to the fjord in Flåm, where you can take the Flåmsbana back up the mountains again. In Finse you'll find one of Norway's most unique hotels, Hotel Finse 1222, that's only accessible by train! Great hikes await in every direction.
Or hop off the train in Voss (1 hr and 10 mins from Bergen), Norway's family friendly adrenaline capital, with activities like sky diving, kayaking, climbing parks and rafting! The train station in Voss even has a gondola that will take you straight up Mount Hanguren! From there, you can enjoy several fantastic hiking trails.
You can also reach some of the destinations by bus or local train.
Visit Vy for more information and tickets.
Explore Hardangervidda
Check out one of these mountain destinations, and several more family friendly destinations in Hallingdal.
Hemsedal
The Bergen Railway also stops at Gol (about three hours from Oslo), from which a scheduled service is timed to bring you Hemsedal, which only takes half an hour. You can also take Vy busses to both Hemsedal and Gol.
Hemsedal is a big, family-friendly mountain resort, where you can often find affordable accommodation during summer. It has become one of the prime destinations for mountain biking and lift-based biking, and you can rent electric bikes to explore the area. There are also marked trails for all levels, as well as lakes and waterfalls. There are loads of adventurous activities such as climbing, dog sledding, horse riding, and fishing.
Visit Vy for more information and tickets.
Discover Hemsedal
Haukeliseter and the southern part of Hardangervidda
The Haukeli Express is operated by NOR-WAY Bussekspress and runs between Oslo and Haugesund, with an option of taking a detour to Bergen. It takes about 4.5 hours from Oslo to Haukeli and 3 hours from Haugesund.
Haukeliseter is right in between the vast Hardangervidda mountain plateau in the north, and the rolling hills of Setesdal and Ryfylke in the south. Stay in cosy mountain lodges and cabins, explore the extensive trail network, and discover great fishing and swimming spots.
This is also a place you can be rewarded with several discounts for taking the bus. Haukeliseter Fjellstue, owned by the Norwegian Trekking Association, is a part of the green card system!
Bring the whole family and enjoy the accessible trail known as Vasseventyret.
Explore the Haukeli area
RaulandHaukeli lodge - koselige fjellhytter
Haukeli Husky Logde ligger like ved Haukeli Husky sin kennel, i et naturskjønt fjellområde ca. 900 moh., ved randsonene til Hardangervidda. Plassen ligger i stille og rolige omgivelser som passer godt for både voksne og barn. Her kan du nyte stillheten og boltre deg i mye natur. Koselig fjellhytte Hytta ligger flott og solrikt til med «villmarken» rett utenfor. Den har en liten terrasse som du kan sitte å nyte stillheten på. Hytta inneholder kombinert stue og kjøkken, bad, tre soverom og en liten hems. Det er sengeplasser til 6 personer, i tillegg kan det sove 2-3 barn på hemsen på madrasser. Soverom 1: dobbeltseng, soverom 2: dobbeltseng, soverom 3: køyeseng. Kjøkkenet er fullt utstyrt med oppvaskmaskin. Det er vei opp til hytta sommer og vinter. Du skal støvsuge, rydde og vaske hytta før avreise. Pris: fra kr 1000 pr døgn. Sengetøy og håndklær kan leies for 100 kr settet. Lun og romslig hytte Hytta er det gamle huset på gården. Det er et gammelt tømmerhus fra tidlig 1900-tallet, som er renovert og påbygd. Du vil se de gamle tømmerveggene i den koselige og lune hoved-stua. Det er både lunt og romslig med mange sengeplasser og passer like godt for familier som større grupper. I hytta er det to koselige stuer, et rikt utstyrt kjøkken med oppvaskmaskin, bad med vaskemaskin og fem soverom. Det er sengeplasser til 8 personer. Soverom 1: dobbeltseng, soverom 2: to enkeltsenger, soverom 3: dobbeltseng, soverom 4: dobbeltseng. Om dere er en større gruppe som vil leie, er det mulig å skaffe madrasser til 4-5 pers til. Barneseng er også tilgjengelig ved forespørsel Det er en liten balkong utenfor kjøkkenet og en koselig hage utenfor. Det er vei opp til huset, sommer og vinter. Du skal rydde, vaske bord og benkeplater og støvsuge hytta etter deg før avreise. Pris: fra kr 1200 pr døgn. Prisen inkluderer håndklær, sengetøy og vask Bed & breakfast Haukeli Husky Bed & Breakfast ligger på en fjellgård like ved Haukeli Husky sin kennel. Det består av et gårdshus, et kårhus, en låve og en «eldhus». Bed & breakfast er åpent juni - oktober Haukeli Husky tilbyr en god natts søvn i gode senger, en velsmakende, tradisjonell norsk frokost, satt i landlige og naturskjønne omgivelser. Husene inneholder tre stuer, et frokostrom, et velutstyrt kjøkken med oppvaskmaskin, to bad, ekstra toalett, vaskemaskin. Gjesetne har også tilgang til badstue og badestamp. Stedet har seks soverom: Soverom 1: dobbeltseng, Soverom 2: to enkeltsenger, Soverom 3: dobbeltseng og Soverom 4: familiekøye, Soverom 5: familiekøye Priser: Dobbeltrom, inkludert frokost 800 NOK Enkeltrom, inkludert frokost 600 NOK Familierom, inkludert frokost 950 NOK
The Dovrefjell mountains
In order to make your way to the Dovrefjell mountains, you can take the SJ train or the VY coach that runs between Oslo and Trondheim and get off at, for example, Dombås or Kongsvoll.
From Kongsvoll station, the historic Kongsvold Mountain Lodge is just a 5-minute walk away. The oldest buildings date back to the 1720s. After a long day of hiking in the area, or taking a guided musk ox safari, you can also enjoy a gourmet meal there.
Parts of Norway's famous pilgrim trail, the Saint Olav Ways, pass through Kongsvoll and the Dovrefjell area.
If you prefer mountain biking, you can give Tour de Dovre a go, starting from Dombås station. It's a full three-day adventure, with Hjerkinn as the first stop, before you continue on to Folldal and through Grimsdalen back to Dombås. The route lets you journey on two wheels through three national parks: Rondane, Dovre and Dovrefjell. For a shorter adventure, take the train to Hjerkinn, rent a bike and cycle downhill to the train station at Dombås. In Hjerkinn, you can also ride Icelandic horses in the mountains from Hjerkinn mountain lodge.
In Dombås, Dovrefjell Adventure organises daily moose safaris on electric bikes during the summer!
Check out Kongsvoll and Dovrefjell
Åndalsnes and Rauma
Situated on the west coast, Åndalsnes is known as 'the mountain village by the fjord'. You can reach it on an approximately six-hour Vy Express bus journey from Oslo Airport. You can also take a train from Oslo (or Trondheim) to Dombås and continue on the stunning Rauma Railway. This journey also takes about six hours.
From Åndalsnes, you can take the Romsdalseggen bus services, operated by NOR-WAY Ekspressbuss, to Romsdalseggen, a spectacular and demanding hike. The trail leads back to Nesaksla, the mountain that towers over Åndalsnes. Stop for a bite to eat at Eggen Restaurant at the top of the mountain, before riding the gondola (or hiking) back down. You can also hike both up and down Nesaksla, where you'll pass the famous Rampestreken, a viewing platform suspended 550 metres up the mountainside. Or maybe you want to try the via ferrata? Don't worry if you're not an experienced hiker, as there are easier hikes with equally breathtaking views, such as Litlefjellet.
Enjoy Rauma and Åndalsnes
Find the best route for you:
More car-free scenic adventures
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