Norwegian mountains are among the most beautiful in the world. As Scandinavia’s western and northernmost country, lying on the fringes of the Arctic, most of Norway’s towns and cities—such as Bergen, Alesund, Flam, Geiranger, Oslo, and Stavanger—are within reach of dramatic, often snow-capped mountains.
From peaks soaring high above the country’s majestic fjords to those skirting the capital, Oslo, if you get the opportunity to explore Norway’s mountains, you’ll witness picture-postcard inky waters, snowy peaks, and dense, green forests.
The best time of year to explore Norwegian mountains is during summer. Though they tend to be busier, you’ll find safer foot and road access, leading to some of the thousands of summits found in Norway.
If inhaling Norway’s crisp air and calming landscapes sounds appealing, add these 12 stunning mountains in Norway to your bucket list.
Pulpit Rock
Pulpit Rock
Norway’s mountains are staggeringly beautiful, and Pulpit Rock—also known as Preikestolen—is no exception. Not far from Stavanger, this bucket-list-worthy mountain towers 1,982 feet over the serene Lysefjord.
A hulking gray block featuring a flat ledge, Pulpit Rock is one of the most photographed mountains in Norway and a great addition to your adventure bucket list. Starting at Preikestolen Fjellstue mountain lodge, it’s worth the five-mile round trip trek to get a dramatic selfie at the top.
You can join a guided tour, a sightseeing tour from the fjord, or combine a boat ride with a hearty hike to tick both off your list of the best things to do in Norway. A head for heights is essential.
Read: What Is Norway Known For
Mount Fløyen
Mount Fløyen
One of the best ways of reaching Mount Fløyen in southwest Norway is to hike the winding streets from Bergen to the summit. The walk is suitable for all levels and takes roughly one hour, but for a more relaxing rise to the top, jump on the Fløibanen funicular.
You can get on and off at various points while riding the funicular. As you weave your way up the attractive streets to reach the top, look out for the charming, traditional timber buildings. There are plenty of wooden benches dotted along the route, should you need a rest.
Mountain biking and canoeing are just two outdoor activities you can enjoy on Mount Fløyen. At Lake Skomakerdiket—a short walk from the top of Mount Fløyen— canoeing, along with the use of paddles and life jackets, is available daily during summer. There’s also a lovely picnic area and a delightful cafe, Skomakerstuen.
Mount Dalsnibba
Mount Dalsnibba
The 13-mile drive from Geiranger to Mount Dalsnibba is almost as legendary as the far-reaching views that greet you when you arrive. Route 63 weaves straight to the top of the snow-covered mountain, 4,921 feet above sea level.
The journey takes you past Djupvatnet, one of Norway’s loveliest lakes. Navigate the thrilling switchbacks to reach the Geiranger Skywalk viewing platform, cantilevered over the side of the mountain.
You’ll see the sprawling Geirangerfjord—one of the most beautiful places to visit in Norway—and the surrounding mountains, often still dusted in snow even in summer.
A bus service operates guided tours to Dalsnibba, via Flydalsjuvet viewing point for a photo opportunity, from Geiranger. Stop for a bite to eat from the service center at Dalsnibba, carefully designed to blend in with the mountain landscape.
Open between July and September, a souvenir store and bathrooms are available inside. Pick up a postcard of Norwegian mountains, a jar of handmade local jam, or chocolates to take home.
Mount Aksla
Mount Aksla
Once you’ve explored Ålesund, with its expansive cobbled squares and fanciful Art Nouveau architecture, admire the city from the top of Mount Aksla. From Alesund Square, it’s a short and reasonably easy walk to the summit, though it involves climbing 418-zigzagging steps, starting from the Town Park. You can also drive to the top or join a city hop-on-hop-off tour, which calls at Mount Aksla.
Panoramas of the surrounding archipelago and the Sunnmøre Alps are phenomenal. The mountaintop restaurant, Fjellstua, has an outdoor seating area and viewing platform.
Mount Kjerag
Mount Kjerag
Norwegian mountains don’t get more dramatic than Kjerag, the highest peak in the Lysefjord. Embark on a jaunt to Mount Kjerag, an eye-watering 3,556-feet above sea level, to see its famous boulder, Kjeragbolten, which appears magically suspended between two cliff faces, anchored 3,228 feet above the fjord.
Head to Kjerag in summer, between June and September, on a guided walk. Popular with hikers and mountaineers, Mount Kjerag is only accessible from around mid-May through October.
The snow is too deep and heavy during the rest of the year without special equipment, including skis and snowshoes. The ascent is particularly challenging, too, and requires the best part of a day and a high level of fitness.
Kjeragfossen waterfall
A visit to Mount Kjerag is just about doable on a day trip from Stavanger, a two-hour drive away. If you’ve less time or would prefer a gentler outing to Kjerag, join a scenic fjord cruise to admire the towering mountain from the water. Look out for thrill-seeking BASE jumpers and the Kjeragfossen waterfall, tumbling from the cliffs.
Strandafjell Mountain
Strandafjell Mountain
Strandafjell lies at the center of what in winter is one of Norway’s most popular ski resorts, roughly one hour, 45 minutes’ drive from Geiranger, near the waterside village of Stranda.
The Alpine-like scenery is glorious year-round, with nine miles of combed, cross-country tracks to explore if you’re there while there’s still snow on the ground. As spring turns to summer and snow slowly melts away, thick, emerald-green forests are revealed around the slopes.
Ride the gondola to the mountaintop, where you’ll find a restaurant dishing out hot food, drinks, and serene views. Order some delicious sweet waffles as you gaze out towards the Storfjord and the surrounding Sunnmøre Alps.
Sandviksfjellet
Sandviksfjellet
One of the best things to do in Bergen is pack up a picnic—try fresh sushi from the waterfront fish market—and head off on an adventure. For a bird’s-eye view of Bergen, climb the 800 steps to serene Sandviksfjellet, a mountain on the city’s northern edge.
The leafy, fern-flanked path offers a relatively easy ascent. Unlike some of Bergen’s other mountains, though, Sandviksfjellet is only accessible by foot, making it unsuitable for anyone with mobility issues.
Kolsåstoppen Mountain
Kolsåstoppen Mountain
If you’re in Oslo, Norway’s capital, add Kolsåstoppen, roughly a 25-minute drive northwest of the center, to your bucket list. Kolsåstoppen is home to two peaks, the 1,243-foot Nordre Kolsåsbanen and 1,122-foot Southern Kolsåsbanen.
You can take the number 150 bus from Oslo Bus Terminal to Stein Gård, where you’ll begin the signposted hike through a nature reserve of pine and fir forests. At the top, there are some pretty walks to discover, or you can simply marvel at the views of Oslo, Bærum, and the Oslo Fjord from this magnificent vantage point.
The trail takes roughly four hours round trip, so pack plenty of water and snacks.
Mount Hoven
Mount Hoven
Mount Hoven is a bucket-list stop on a tour of Norway’s spectacular fjords. Take the Loen Skylift from Loen to Mount Hoven; it will take roughly five minutes to travel 3,316 feet up. It’s one of the steepest cable car operations in the world, opened by the Queen consort of Norway in 2017.
At the top, spend time soaking up the extraordinary views of Jostedalsbreen National Park and the emerald-green Nordfjord before exploring some of the best hiking trails in Norway. There’s a route for every ability, from easy, short wanders to demanding hikes.
A short ramble of just over a mile to Mount Skredfjellet is a family-friendly route with some flat sections. Another boon of reaching Mount Hoven’s peak is getting a glimpse of one of Norway’s tallest mountains, the nearby 6,063-foot-high Mount Skala.
Tick off another exhilarating activity and try Loen Active, two new zip lines that will whizz you 410 or 312 feet over the upper section of the Tungejølet gorge, from the top of Mount Hoven.
As you dangle 3,280 feet above the gleaming fjord, look out for the eye-popping suspension bridge, Via Ferrata Loen.
Mount Ulriken
Mount Ulriken
Ulriken is the steepest of Bergen’s seven mountains and well worth the hike from the center. A handful of routes will take you to the top, though it’s not necessary to walk, with a cable car on hand to do the hard work for you. If you opt to hike, the trails take roughly one hour.
Guided tours are available from the top of the mountain towards the neighboring peak of Vidden. A round-trip tour starts and ends at Skyskraperen and takes roughly three hours, covering just over three miles.
Drop into Skyskraperen, the restaurant, near the top of Mount Ulriken, home to a casual café and an absurdly good menu of Nordic specialties in the restaurant section. You’ll need a reservation for the latter, which you should definitely make to savor a slow lunch and the sublime views over Bergen.
Vettakollen Mountain
Vettakollen Mountain
Easily reached from downtown Oslo, Vettakollen lies roughly five and a half miles north-northwest of the city, between Holmenkollen and Sognsvann.
Oslo’s public transport system is excellent, which means you reach the mountain base by taking the city’s T-Bane Metro from Stortinget, near Oslo Cathedral, straight to Vettakollen, which takes roughly 20 minutes.
Vettakollen’s peak sits at around 590 feet, with the short, three quarters of a mile ascent an easy walk. Once you’ve inhaled the gorgeous views of Oslo’s craggy coastline, follow the trail down to Sognsvann Lake.
This unspoiled patch of water is usually frozen over in wintertime, but locals and those in the know dive into the forest-fringed lake during summer. There are bathroom facilities, a picnic area, and a timber diving platform.
Once you’ve had a soothing dip and dried off, take the Metro from Sognsvann back to the city center. The 25-minute journey runs roughly every 15 minutes.
Read: Best Lakes in Europe
Myrdal
Myrdal
Looming over the vast Aurlandsfjord, Myrdal is undoubtedly one of the most stunning mountains in Norway. Getting there from the fjord village of Flåm involves a glorious journey on board the historic Flåm Railway. The 12-mile rail route is the steepest in the world and is a bucket-list experience.
Make your way to the top of Myrdal for unblemished views of serene mountain passes, green, valleys, and traditional red farmhouses. Look out for the 1667-built Flåm Stave Church, just over one and a half miles into the journey.
There’s also the roaring Rjoandefossen waterfall, which drops 459 feet down the mountain, and a scattering of chalk-white mountain goats nibbling at grass and wild herbs on the way. Emerging from the line’s 1,422-yard Nåli tunnel, you’ll also see Reinungavatnet lake, the source of the foaming Kjosfossen waterfall, before arriving at Myrdal Station, 2,841 feet above sea level.
Myrdal
You can connect to Oslo and Bergen from here—not that you’d ever want to leave. Enjoy a thick wedge of cake and warming coffee at Café Rallaren. The station’s cafe is open between April and October. You can rent bikes from the cafe, too, with some of the region’s most popular cycling routes at your feet.
Before you return to Flam, scream at the top of your lungs with a ride on Scandinavia’s longest zipline, a short stroll from the station, spanning 4,530 feet from Vatnahalsen near the Bergen line to Kårdalen, close to the Rallarrosa Cheese Farm.
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