If you’re in the market for a post-lockdown excursion to somewhere breathtaking – with a little splash of wacky thrown in for good measure – then allow us to point you in the direction of Norway.
There you’ll find high altitude luxury cabins with views of fjords, a glass igloo, an igloo hotel, a place to stay that’s so remote you can only reach it by snowmobile and more panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows than you can shake a Viking helmet at.
Views to die for come pretty much as standard throughout. Here we present 17 of Norway’s most unique places to stay…
Manshausen
Manshausen is owned by polar explorer Borge Ousland and features seven sea cabins, a restaurant, library, sauna and hot tub
The Manshausen private island cabins have floor-to-ceiling windows to maximise views of the water and surrounding mountains
High above the Arctic Circle in Norway, just south of the Lofoten archipelago, is the remote private island resort of Manshausen, which features seven stunning waterfront sea cabins.
The cabins have floor-to-ceiling windows to maximise views of the water and surrounding mountains. The complex, which is owned by polar explorer Borge Ousland, also offers a restaurant, library, sauna and hot tub.
Guests can take part in activities such as kayaking, scuba diving, biking, hiking and climbing and, of course, Northern Lights-watching in winter.
Prices for a cabin with breakfast start from £194pp per night (2,300 krone) based on two people sharing, £30pp per night (350 krone) for under-16s.
Birdbox
Indulge your nesting instincts with a stay at this Airbnb glamping ‘Birdbox’, which has views of the epic Forde fjord
The listing says that it’s a place to ‘relax, rejuvenate and unplug’ – and guests agree
Airbnb reviewer Alan said: ‘This offers visitors the chance to lose themselves in wonder’
Indulge your nesting instincts with a stay at this Airbnb glamping ‘Birdbox’ with views of the epic Forde fjord and Blegja mountain range.
The listing says that it’s a place to ‘relax, rejuvenate and unplug’ – and guests agree.
Airbnb reviewer Alan said: ‘This is a celebration of how beautiful Norway is and offers visitors the chance to lose themselves in wonder. This is a place for one or maximum two people – it is just a large bed in a box. But what a place.’
A night’s stay costs around £200 (2,350 krone).
Laagen
Laagen is situated an hour’s drive from Oslo, in Lagendalen Valley. The cabins offer panoramic views towards the forest and Numedalslagen river
Laagen’s bedrooms have glass roofs so you can enjoy the view of the starry sky from the comfort of the duvet and pillow
Unimpeded views of nature – and the heavens above – come as standard at Laagen.
This mini forest resort, which lies about an hour’s drive from Oslo, in Lagendalen Valley, has five cabins with floor-to-ceiling windows for panoramic views of the forest and Numedalslagen river – and glass ceilings in the bedrooms for star-gazing from the comfort of your duvet and pillow.
Drinking in the views aside, the area offers great possibilities for biking, fishing and hiking in the woods. Plus, the climbing park Hoyt & Lavt (High & Low) is nearby. A night in one of the cabins starts from £322 (3,890 krone).
Flokehyttene
Panoramic windows don’t get much more panoramic than the ones at Flokehyttene, which comprises five cabins built spectacularly into the rocks of a headland
Each cabin is 18 square metres (193 square feet) with room for five people and includes a kitchen, living room, fireplace and toilet
Panoramic windows don’t get much more panoramic than the ones at Flokehyttene.
Its five cabins – at the far end of the Ryvarden headland, just north of the city of Haugesund – each have cinema-screen-sized windows that offer jaw-dropping views out over the North Sea.
Adding to the fascination of the accommodation is the rugged, eye-catching architecture involved. The cabins are set at various angles amid the rocks of the headland, ‘claw[ing] their way into the rock crevices as if waiting for the next wave’, as the website says.
Each cabin is 18 square metres (193 square feet) with room for five people and includes a kitchen, living room, fireplace and toilet. There is also one larger cabin that has accommodation for 10 people and is accessible for wheelchair users. Stays start from £82 (1,000 krone) per night.
The Arctic Hideaway
The Arctic Hideaway has four houses, or ‘sleeping pods’, that can accommodate up to ten people
The Arctic Hideaway is located in Fleinvaer, a group of small islands near the town of Bodo
One of the rooms at The Arctic Hideaway. One night here starts from £105 (1,250 krone) per person per night, excluding food
At The Arctic Hideaway there are no shops, no cars, and no dangerous animals. It’s the place to go to learn the art of doing nothing.
So says the website for this cluster of four ‘sleeping houses’ set amid a village that also contains a bathhouse, a cooking and eating house, a studio house with a piano, a sauna and a hang-out zone called the Tower House.
The Hideaway is on Fleinvaer, a group of small islands south-west of the town of Bodo, from where speed ferries run to and from the archipelago on a daily basis. It’s also possible to arrive by seaplane from Bodo. One night at The Arctic Hideaway starts from £106 per person per night (1,250 krone), excluding food. There is a minimum two-night stay.
Trones Eye
Trones Eye – a luxury glass igloo surrounded by 75 ancient burial grounds, obelisks and other intriguing cultural artefacts
A night in the igloo starts from £204 (2,471 krone) per night, with that fee including luxurious beds and heating
‘We promise you a night you will never forget, far from anything you have previously experienced in Norway,’ boasts the website for Trones Eye.
It’s a bold claim, given the company. Still, it is a remarkable piece of accommodation – a luxury glass igloo surrounded by 75 ancient burial grounds, obelisks and other intriguing cultural artefacts with views across Trondheim Fjord.
A night in the igloo starts from £204 (2,471 krone) per night, with that fee including luxurious beds, heating and ‘everything you need for a comfortable night in the midst of nature and history’.
Tungestolen
Tungestølen is a series of nine pentagonal cabins located near Luster in Sognefjord by the foot of the Skyttarpiggen mountain
The main cabin contains a lounge and a communal dining area. The remaining cabins sleep up to 30 guests and consist of a dormitory and a smaller private unit
Tungestølen is a series of nine pentagonal cabins located near Luster in Sognefjord by the foot of the Skyttarpiggen mountain.
The cabins have been designed as an ‘architectural reaction’ to the region’s changing weather conditions.
The main cabin contains a lounge and a communal dining area. The remaining cabins sleep up to 30 guests and consist of a dormitory and a smaller private unit. Stays can only be booked in the summer season from June to October and start from £19 (225 krone) per night.
Woodnest
Woodnest comprises two treehouses elevated 32ft (10m) above the ground with stunning views of Hardangerfjord
Woodnest is a luxury treehouse experience. Each treehouse has electricity, a small kitchenette, high-speed Wi-Fi, a flushing toilet and shower
Looking for a romantic escape with views that’ll amaze? Then whisk a loved one away to Woodnest and one of its treetop cabins overlooking the heart-stopping Hardangerfjord.
The website for Woodnest, which comprises two treehouses elevated 32ft (10m) above the ground in the beautiful town of Odda, says: ‘Woodnest is a luxury treehouse experience: each treehouse has electricity, a small kitchenette, high-speed Wi-Fi, a flushing toilet and shower. Each treehouse is equipped with floor heating to keep you cosy during winter nights.’
Stays start from £272 (3,200 krone) per night.
The Bolder
The Bolder Sky Lodges are located 604 metres (1,981ft) above sea level overlooking the Lysefjord, with views to die for
The Bolder Sky Lodge cabins have two double bedrooms, a kitchen, a bath and a dining room (pictured above)
Bored of the view? You can always read a book… Prices at Bolder Sky Lodges start at £306 per night
The main selling point of The Bolder Sky Lodges? The to-die-for views.
The two lodges are located 604 metres (1,981ft) above sea level overlooking the Lysefjord and close to the world-renowned Pulpit Rock.
They are built on columns to minimise footprints in the landscape – and alongside a dining room they have two double bedrooms, a kitchen and a bath. Prices start from £306 (3,700 krone) for two per night.
Pan Treetop Cabins
The Pan Treetop Cabins, in Finnskogen forest in Solorare, are eight metres (26ft) off the ground and have room for six people
Guests can simply enjoy the quiet of the forest or take part in a range of activities, including forest yoga and animal safaris
Pan Treetop Cabins, situated in Finnskogen forest in Solorare, are ideal for nature lovers of all ages.
The two cabins are eight metres (26ft) off the ground and have room for six people, plus a fully equipped kitchen.
Guests can simply enjoy the quiet of the forest or take part in a range of activities, including forest yoga, animal safaris, hiking, fishing and climbing. One night starts from £323 (3,900 krone) based on two people sharing.
WonderInn Glass Cabin
The WonderInn cabin with its glass mirrored walls can be found in the quiet nature reserve of Nordre
A one-night stay in the unusual property starts from £345 (4,149 krone). Pictured is one of the bedrooms
The cabin claims to be located in an area that is home to ‘more fish and bird species than almost anywhere else in the country’
This unique cabin with glass mirrored walls can be found in the quiet nature reserve of Nordre – just 25 minutes from Oslo.
The WonderInn cabin has two bedrooms that can sleep up to four guests and claims to be located in an area that is home to ‘more fish and bird species than almost anywhere else in the country’.
A one-night stay in the unusual property starts from £345 (4,149 krone) with the listing stating ‘the unique design of the mirrored glass blends into the landscape so you can retreat to comfort and luxury as you watch the world pass by’.
Veggli Inn train carriages
Inside one of the train carriages at the Veggli Inn. Guest packages, which include accommodation on the train, breakfast and a three-course dinner, start from £149 (1,799 krone) per person
Near the Veggli Inn is the disused Numedalsbanen railway line. Guests can rent bizarre bikes and cycle along the tracks
A pair of cyclists make their way along the disused Numedalsbanen railway line near the Veggli Inn
These quirky converted train carriages are sure to put your holiday on the right track.
They can be found at the Veggli Inn in the village of Veggli in southern Norway and can accommodate parties of up to 34 people.
Guest packages, which include accommodation on the train, breakfast and a three-course dinner, start from £149 (1,799 krone) per person.
Visitors can cycle along the tracks of the nearby disused Numedalsbanen railway line on bike-trolley contraptions (see above).
Namsen Salmon and Train Experience
The 1960s train carriages of the Namsen Salmon and Train Experience, which are stationed on a bridge that crosses the river in the village of Oysletta
The train accommodation has a total of 10 compartments, each with two beds
Inside the dining carriage. A night’s stay starts from £79 (950 krone)
The accommodation is popular with anglers who come to fish for salmon, which is plentiful in the river below
These 1960s train carriages, stationed on a bridge that crosses the river in the village of Oysletta, are just the ticket.
There are 10 compartments, each with two beds, and a ‘sanitary carriage’ consisting of toilets, showers, and a small drying room.
The accommodation overlooks the Namsen River, which is popular with anglers who come to fish for the plentiful salmon. A night’s stay at the Namsen Salmon and Train Experience starts from £79 (950 krone).
Kjeungskaer Lighthouse
The Kjeungskjaer lighthouse can accommodate 10 overnight guests in its three bedrooms
The Kjeungskaer lighthouse dates back to 1880 and is the only octagonal lighthouse in Norway.
Located one kilometre out to sea, off Orland in Trondelag county, it can accommodate 10 overnight guests in its three bedrooms and is also equipped with a kitchen.
Stays in the lighthouse can only take place in the summer months between May 1 and August 31. One night starts from £166 (2,000 krone) per person and includes the boat ride to and from the property.
Canvas Hove Accommodation
At Canvas Hove, guests can stay the night in a cocoon suspended in trees. A stay on the site starts from £66 (795 krone)
Canvas Hove also offers glamping tents or guests can bring their own tents. The site is close to Raet National Park in southern Norway
Guests can take camping to (modest) new heights at Canvas Hove – an accommodation site close to Raet National Park in southern Norway.
That’s because they can opt to stay the night in a cocoon suspended in trees. Canvas Hove also offers glamping tents or guests can bring their own tents.
The campsite is close to the sea, reefs, islets and forests and a night’s stay starts from £66 (795 krone).
Isfjord Radio Adventure Hotel
The Isfjord Radio Adventure Hotel, which is described as ‘the gateway to the true Arctic wilderness’. It is located inside an old radio station
Isfjord Radio Adventure Hotel can only be reached by snowmobile in the winter. There is a main building as well as two separate buildings, where the bedrooms are housed
A two-day winter snowmobile adventure, which includes a snowmobile ride to the property and meals, starts from £954 (11,500 krone) per person
The hotel’s website explains: ‘It looks rough from the outside, but as you enter you will be surprised by an advanced hotel’
Located in Norway’s remote Svalbard archipelago, the Isfjord Radio Adventure Hotel is described as ‘the gateway to the true Arctic wilderness’.
The hotel itself is located inside an old radio station that dates back to 1933 and can only be reached by snowmobile in the winter.
There is a main building as well as two separate buildings, where the bedrooms are housed. The hotel’s website explains: ‘It looks rough from the outside, but as you enter you will be surprised by an advanced hotel with a modern and inviting interior.’
A two-day winter snowmobile adventure to the hotel, which includes a snowmobile ride to the property and meals, starts from £954 (11,500 krone) per person.
Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel
The Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel in Alta is the world’s northernmost ice hotel. The temperature inside the igloo only reaches minus four degrees Celsius
Inside one of the 30 bedrooms at the igloo hotel. Guests keep warm thanks to the natural reindeer-hides, mattresses and sleeping bags in the rooms
One night in the igloo starts from £424 (5,120 krone). It boasts an ice bar, an ice chapel and beautiful sculptures
The Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel in Alta is the world’s northernmost ice hotel, and is rebuilt each winter season as the summer sun causes it to melt in April.
The temperature inside the igloo only reaches minus four degrees Celsius but guests can keep warm thanks to the natural reindeer-hides, mattresses and sleeping bags in the rooms.
It has a total of 30 bedrooms as well as an ice bar, ice chapel and beautiful sculptures. One night in the igloo starts from £424 (5,120 krone).
