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There are many ways to explore the seven mountains surrounding the picturesque UNESCO World Heritage town of Bergen on Norway’s fjord-filled west coast. The newest one, however, could very well break records.

A three-kilometre-long (1.8 mile) pedestrian and cyclist tunnel has been opened through the base of Løvstakken Mountain and its creators say it is the longest purpose-built tunnel of its kind.

Fyllingsdalstunnelen, as it is known, opened its doors on April 15 with a family day of sports activities, after four years of construction that began in February 2019. The state-funded megaproject cost about $29 million, or 300 million Norwegian crowns.

“We Norwegians are normally modest people,” Camilla Einarsen Heggernes, spokesperson for the Bybanen Utbygging railway company, tells CNN, “but in this case we would say that the tunnel is 100% state-of-the-art.”

It takes just under 10 minutes to cycle through the tunnel and about 40 minutes if you walk on foot. To break the monotony of the windowless tunnel, there are a variety of art installations throughout, as well as different colors and lighting to help users find their way to the location of the journey and offer a sense of direction.

At the center point is a “sundial” installation, where the sun will definitely never shine, that shows the time of day, again helping to orient visitors and also break the long line of sight. Otherwise, the tunnel is perfectly straight, except for slight curvatures at the entrance and exit.

If you’re wondering how cyclists and pedestrians can use the same space, there are two lanes in the tunnel: a 3.5 meter wide bike lane and a 2.5 meter wide lane for pedestrians and runners. “We have laid a blue rubber floor throughout the tunnel, similar to an athletics track,” explains Einarsen Heggernes. “This makes it more pleasant to use than simply walking on asphalt.”

The new tunnel emerged as a by-product of Bergen’s second Bybanen tram line, which opened in November 2022. The tram line through the mountain required a parallel evacuation tunnel, so the developers decided to make the new tunnel multipurpose.

Bergen is the second largest city in Norway and the port city is linked to Oslo, the Norwegian capital, by the 496 kilometer Bergensbanen railway line. This stunning train ride crosses Europe’s largest mountain plateau, Hardangervidda, and its snow-capped views were the backdrop for battle scenes in the “Star Wars” sequel, “The Empire Strikes Back.”

While the Fyllingsdalstunnelen is billed as the world’s longest purpose-built bicycle tunnel, the reason for that warning is the 3.6 kilometer-long Snoqualmie Tunnel in Washington, just east of Seattle. This former train tunnel is now a passage for cyclists, runners and walkers and is part of the 250-mile trail from Palouse to Cascades State Park.

Six European cities appeared in CNN Travel’s recent roundup of 10 of the world’s most bike-friendly cities. Copenhagen has 385 kilometers of cycle lanes, having introduced the first one-way in 1892. Strasbourg in France has around 6,000 bicycles available at 24/7 self-service stations that tourists can use. And the Swiss capital, Bern, has an exciting downhill track for cyclists who feel the need for speed. The best thing is that cyclists can ride the funicular to the top and then back down, without having to struggle uphill.