Gaustabanen runs 860m deep into the core of Gausta before a different train climbs an incredible 1040m, alongside 3500 steps at a 40-degree angle, to 1800m, just below the Gaustahytte, not far from the summit. It was built by NATO in 1958 at a cost of US$1 million to ensure it could access its radio tower in any weather. Taking the railway is an incredible experience, although it's not for the claustrophobic. The base station is 10km southeast of Rjukan.
Gaustabanen Cable Railway
Top choice in Southern Norway
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
25.62 MILES
This fairy-tale church is the largest and one of the most beautiful of Norway's 28 remaining stave churches. As always, it's constructed around Norwegian…
-
Norwegian Industrial Workers Museum
6.83 MILES
This museum, 7km west of Rjukan, is in the Vemork power station, which was the world's largest when completed in 1911. These days it honours the Socialist…
-
4.86 MILES
The Krossobanen cable car was constructed in 1928 by Norsk Hydro to provide its employees with access to the sun. It now whisks tourists up to Gvepseborg …
-
7.78 MILES
Lying beside a deep blue lake surrounded by snow- and forest-dappled peaks, the handful of colourful wooden houses that make up the tiny mountain village…
-
25.24 MILES
This charming Romanesque church was built in the 12th century in honour of St Olav; it looks as if someone built a stave church and then changed their…
-
7.01 MILES
Believed to be the highest waterfall in the world in the 18th century (Angel Falls in Venezuela now has that claim), the 104m-high Rjukanfossen is still a…
-
2.36 MILES
This peaceful, open-air folk museum, at the eastern end of town, traces rural Norwegian architecture from the 11th century to the early 1900s.
Nearby Southern Norway attractions
2.36 MILES
This peaceful, open-air folk museum, at the eastern end of town, traces rural Norwegian architecture from the 11th century to the early 1900s.
4.86 MILES
The Krossobanen cable car was constructed in 1928 by Norsk Hydro to provide its employees with access to the sun. It now whisks tourists up to Gvepseborg …
3. Norwegian Industrial Workers Museum
6.83 MILES
This museum, 7km west of Rjukan, is in the Vemork power station, which was the world's largest when completed in 1911. These days it honours the Socialist…
7.01 MILES
Believed to be the highest waterfall in the world in the 18th century (Angel Falls in Venezuela now has that claim), the 104m-high Rjukanfossen is still a…
7.78 MILES
Lying beside a deep blue lake surrounded by snow- and forest-dappled peaks, the handful of colourful wooden houses that make up the tiny mountain village…
25.24 MILES
This charming Romanesque church was built in the 12th century in honour of St Olav; it looks as if someone built a stave church and then changed their…
25.62 MILES
This fairy-tale church is the largest and one of the most beautiful of Norway's 28 remaining stave churches. As always, it's constructed around Norwegian…