Railway fun!
Try draisine cycling, visit railway museums, and ride historic steam trains. Or spend an unforgettable night inside a converted train on an old railway bridge!
1. Draisine cycling
Pedal your way through tunnels, over bridges, and past waterfalls.
Draisine cycling is becoming increasingly popular in Norway as a unique way to explore scenic landscapes.
Try it on the Flekkefjordbanen, Numedalsbanen, and Namsosbanen railway lines, and during weekends in summer at Lokstallen in Skulerud.
2. Train accommodation
Four antique railway carriages from the 1960s are parked on a 180-metre-long railway bridge over the Namsen salmon river in Namdalen!
They are not just on display – you can actually stay the night there! The rooms at the Namsen Salmon & Train Experience remain almost the same as they were when the train was still in operation.
There is a fair chance that you will see salmon in the Namsen river, one of Norway's best salmon fishing rivers.
Why not try catching one yourself!
You can also book an affordable night in a nostalgic train compartment at Veggli Vertshus in Numedal, Eastern Norway
3. Ride a heritage railway
There are several family friendly historical railways in Norway. Many of them only run on Sundays during summer.
Take a ride aboard an authentic steam locomotive on the old Voss Steam Railway in Fjord Norway.
The steam locomotive was built in 1913 as the first generation of mountain locomotives for the Bergen Railway Line.
It runs on an 18-kilometre-long stretch between Garnes station and Midttun station near Bergen.
The Rjukan Railway
Hop aboard the historic train at Rjukan or Mæl station, and glide your way through Norwegian engineering and war time history and experience a piece of world heritage.
Test your sea legs onboard the railway ferry MF Storegut, one of only two vessels in the world on UNESCO's World Heritage list!
Thamshavnbanen
Thamshavnbanen is a disused mine railway in Orkla in the Trøndelag region. Built in 1908, you can still travel on the Thamshavn railway between Løkken Verk and Bårdshaug in Orkanger.
You can also ride trains on other lines like Tertitten, Lommedalsbanen, Rjukanbanen or Krøderbanen, Norway's longest heritage railway.
4. The train café
Café Stationen is a train-inspired restaurant in Voss, an hour and a half from Bergen.
The interior is designed to look like the inside of an old train with antique seats and shelves with old suitcases. There is even a mini model railway under the ceiling!
Located near Voss train station next to a beautiful lake, it has become a beloved gathering spot for locals and tourists alike.
5. The Arctic Train
Chase the famous Aurora Borealis on Norway's northernmost railway!
Welcome aboard The Arctic Train on the spectacular Ofoten line in Narvik. Listen to stories about the northern lights while enjoying a comfortable train ride up in the Nordic mountains, far from the bright lights of the city.
If the sky is clear, there is a good chance of spotting the auroras in winter!
6. Tracks on two wheels
You'll find several disused railway lines that have been converted into lovely new cycle routes:
The Valdresbanen railroad in Valdres, between Fagernes til Bjørgo stasjon (35 km).
The Arendalsbanen railroad between Nelaug and Arendal (40 km).
The Kragerøbanen railroad between Neslandsvatn og Merkebekk (6 km).
The Treungbanen railroad in Telemark between Åmli-Treungen (35 km).
7. Travel like Harry Potter!
Did you know that some scenes in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince were shot on the Rauma Railway in Norway?
The train ride between Dombås and Åndalsnes is short, but quite magical — like being onboard the Hogwarts Express.
8. A church on rails
Welcome to the first and only train chapel in Norway - located by the platform at the end station of the Rauma Line: Åndalsnes.
The Åndalsnes Train Chapel is a venerable railway carriage that has transported busy travellers for many years. Today, it serves as a small house of worship, providing a quiet sanctuary in a bustling world.
9. The Flåm Railway
Experienceone of the world's most spectacular train journeys.
Flåmsbana is a railway line in Fjord Norway and is a part of the famous Norway in a Nutshell tour.
Every year, more than half a million travellers are spellbound by the steep journey from Myrdal Station down to Flåm, located in the innermost part of the stunning Aurlandsfjord.
Read more about
Norway's most beautiful train journeys.
10. The Norwegian Railway Museum
The Norwegian Railway Museum in Hamar in Easter Norway is a fantastic place for children. They can ride the steam train on Norway's shortest railway line and can pretend to be engine drivers in the Urskog model train simulator.
The museums is situated in a very nice park and boasts a large playground. There is even a miniature station building!
In Vennesla, outside Kristiansand, you can ride the over 100-year-old steam locomotives along the Setesdalsbanen.
The railway turned into a museum in 1964 and is the first living railway museum in Norway.