Public Transport

The Bergen Card as a transport ticket

The Bergen Card serves as a travel ticket for buses and the light rail (Bybanen) in Bergen and the surrounding area. It lets you travel free within the city on the Skyss lines, which includes all city buses as well as light rail lines 1 and 2 (including the Line 1 route to and from Flesland Airport). Not included are the trains (Vy), express coaches and the private airport coach (Flybussen). Regional boats and ferries, for example to Askøy and Nordhordland, are also not included.

Validity: The card is available for 24, 48, 72 or 96 hours from first use. It is activated the first time you use it: digital cards can be activated via a link in the confirmation email, at which point the timer starts. A physical Bergen Card is stamped with date and time at purchase and is valid for the chosen period from that moment. Within its run time you can use the card around the clock on buses and trains.

Practical use

• Activation: Activate your digital Bergen Card online shortly before your first journey; with the paper card this step is not needed. From activation the validity period runs without interruption.
• Boarding and showing the card: On buses you board at the front and show the valid card to the driver. On the light rail there are no barriers, so keep the card to hand. No extra ticket is required.
• Inspection: During a fare inspection you show your Bergen Card (or the activated ticket on your phone). Make sure the card is valid throughout every journey.
• Special cases: If you want to travel outside Zone A, check in advance whether a separate ticket is needed. The Bergen Card also applies to night buses on regular Skyss lines.

Timetable and transport app

Public transport in Bergen usually runs from early morning until around midnight. The first light rail (Line 1) leaves the terminus around 5:00 on weekdays, and the last service runs shortly after midnight (sometimes later at weekends). The main bus lines also start in the early morning and finish from around 23:00 to midnight. On the nights leading into Saturday and Sunday there is limited night bus service on selected routes.

For current timetables and routes, the official Skyss Reise app from the transport operator Skyss is recommended. The app (free for iOS and Android) offers a journey planner, real-time departure times, plus network and stop maps. If you arrive from the airport late in the evening, note that the last Bybanen reaches the centre around 00:50. Between roughly 1:00 and 5:00 no regular public transport runs.

Key lines and connections

• Airport link: Light Rail Line 1 connects Bergen Flesland airport directly with the city centre (terminus Byparken, journey time about 45 minutes). Along the way it stops at, among others, Fantoft (near the stave church) and Hop (for Edvard Grieg's villa Troldhaugen). The Flybussen express coaches are faster but not included in the Bergen Card.
• Bystasjonen: Right next to the railway station lies Bystasjonen, Bergen's central bus terminal and interchange. Many bus lines stop here, as does the Bybanen. From the railway station you can also reach the centre on foot in about 10 minutes.
• City-centre stops: Important stops in the centre are Torget/Fisketorget (Fish Market), Festplassen and Bryggen (the old harbour quarter). Many bus lines pass these stops, including services towards the Gamle Bergen (Old Bergen) open-air museum.
• Attractions: Line 12 runs through the Nordnes district and stops near the Akvariet (Aquarium). Light Rail Line 2 takes you towards Fyllingsdalen and the Haukeland stop, from where you continue to the Ulriken cable car.
• Changing and getting your bearings: At hubs such as Lagunen (a shopping centre in the south) or Åsane Terminal (in the north) you can change to regional buses. In the centre distances are short, and you can often walk the final stretch, for example to the lower station of the Fløibanen funicular.