Bergen Airport (Flesland) to Bergen Centre by Tram

Table of contents

• The transfer choices for getting from Bergen Airport Flesland to the center of Bergen
• How much us a taxi from Bergen airport to center?
• Airport Bus / Flybussen to Bergen City
• The Bergen light rail from the airport to the Bergen City Centre
• How long is the tram journey?
• Where are the city centre stops?
• Would I do this again?

The transfer choices for getting from Bergen Airport Flesland to the center of Bergen

After a lot of research I came up with 3 options for our transport on our weekend trip:
1. Taxi - direct but at NOK 550 / 600 (circa £ 40) not the cheapest option.
2. Airport bus (aka Flybussen) - NOK 149 (advance) or NOK 179 (on the bus), reasonably quick but going according to the timetable not that regular.
3. Light Rail (aka Bybanen / tram) - cost us NOK 44 (just under £3).

How much us a taxi from Bergen airport to center?

We have on previous holidays tended to go for the 'easier' / 'safer' option and pay the extra. But on our 'empty nest' adventures we've been a little more adventurous so paying the return fair just seemed too much. We did look at booking a taxi for the return journey, but couldn't set up any of the booking apps and although we had an early morning flight, the tram times looked good so we swerved the taxi.

Airport Bus / Flybussen to Bergen City

I did start through the booking system here, but it was just too much and I'm no techno phobe. First, at the time we were arriving not that regular. If we'd missed a very rushed connection there would have been quite a wait and any time advantage in a quicker journey was soon going to be lost. Also, the online booking system asked which bus we wanted to take, which worried me - what if we landed late and needed a later bus?

The Bergen light rail from the airport to the Bergen City Centre

The light train / tram looked the favourite even before ruling out the other options because they didn't seem to work for us. Very cheap, stops near to the hotel (right over the road in our case) and very regular. Travelling as 2 adults it was simple to use, but even with children I can't see that there would have been any problems.

It's simple to use - exit the arrivals hall and start to follow the indicated signs to the Bybanen. It's right outside of domestic arrivals and the signs quickly steer you there.

Wander down the stairs and you will see the ticket machines. Simple choose that you want to by tickets to the centre, how many you want to buy and tap your contactless card. The ticketing system then asks if you want a printed ticket - if you don't then ticket inspectors (and we did have them on the return journey) simply ask you to tap your card on their reader and that ties your ride to your ticket to make sure that you have bought a valiud ticket for the journey.

How long is the tram journey?

You need Line 1 - Bergen lufthaven to Bergen sentrum (Bergen City Centre) and the journey is going to last about 45 minutes. The full timetable is here Bybanen timetable. Most of the day you're looking at a service every 7 to 10 minutes, dropping to every 15 minutes in the dead of night.

Where are the city centre stops?

There are 2 main city centre stops. The penultimate stop on the line (or second stop when leaving Bergen) was Bergen busstasjon (w3w /// indeed.happier.cobble) and this was the one for us, whereas the end of the line is Byparken (w3w /// horizons.waxing.copes) was nearer the centre and better for hotels in the traditional fishing area etc. There was also a stop or two earlier, around the river crossing, if you are a little out of the city.

Would I do this again?

Yes, the tram / light train / Bybanen or whichever name you choose was cheap, efficient and because of the regularity probably as quick or quicker than the alternatives. It felt very safe and clean, easy to use and I'd definitely recommend it.