One of the questions I’ve gotten the most since moving to Norway is from people traveling to Oslo and wondering where to visit near Oslo to really experience Norway. And it’s always stumped me! While I’ve spent a lot of time in southeastern Norway, I’ve only really ever been a tourist on Norway’s west coast, so I never know what to suggest that people do in and around Oslo.
That is, until last week, when I realized that the answer was just around the corner from my home – the neighboring town of Rjukan!
Okay, you can’t actually see Rjukan here because of the fog, but I swear there’s a town in there somewhere!
I’ve always loved Rjukan, and in fact Dan is actually quite obsessed with the little industrial town, yet somehow I never really thought of it as a tourist destination. Which is absurd, because not only does it lie at the foot of Gaustatoppen, which must be Norway’s most beautiful mountain, but it also has some fascinating World War II history and was recently made a UNESCO World Heritage Site, like no big deal.
What I hadn’t realized, however, is that there are so many fun attractions in Rjukan! So I owe a huge thanks to the people at visitRjukan for inviting me to experience all the town has to offer.
Dan and I spent most of our time in Rjukan talking about all the friends and family members we want to take on this exact same trip, and by the end – as always! – we were talking about how maybe this where we should live in Norway.
Gaustablikk Høyfjellshotell
Usually I write about hotels last, but our stay at Gaustablikk Høyfjellshotell was so key to our perfect weekend that this time I’m putting it first.
Gaustablikk is one of many mountain hotels in Norway, and even if you can’t make it to Rjukan I definitely recommend trying to stay at a mountain hotel somewhere here because they are just so special and so Norwegian. Like, if you only have a weekend here and want to really experience Norway, I’d say stay at a høyfjellshotell somewhere and you’ll be sorted.
Gaustablikk was built in 1970 and something about the atmosphere does feel a bit frozen in time – which is impressive considering it was renovated last year. Every little detail in the hotel feels so utterly Norwegian, from the delicious Scandinavian breakfast buffet to the handcrafts and local artwork displayed on the walls to the people whizzing down the ski slopes at the hotel’s doorstep.
But my favorite part was the view out my bedroom window: Gaustatoppen, aka Norwegian nature at its finest!
Click here for more details and the latests prices for Gaustablikk Høyfjellshotell
Krossobanen
After Gaustablikk, my favorite experience in Rjukan was Krossobanen.
Rjukan lies deep in a narrow valley, which means that the town center doesn’t see any sunlight for six months out of the year. So in 1928 Norsk Hydro, the big power plant in town, built Krossobanen, a cable car that in mere minutes could whisk the town’s sun-deprived industry workers up to the sunny mountaintop.
Genius, no?
And also beautiful. I made a video from my trip to Rjukan that I’ll attach at the end of this post, and even if you don’t watch the whole thing at least skip to about halfway through to watch the ride up Krossobanen. I promise it’s worth it.
Krossobanen takes you up to the foot of Hardangervidda, so it’s also the perfect way to start a hiking trip into the plateau.
Sun Mirrors
And if you’re still worried about those sun-deprived Rjukan residents, as of 2013 there’s no longer a need to worry about them – they’ve come up with a way to use mirrors to reflect sunlight down into the town square.
I’ve written about Rjukan’s sun mirrors before, so while it was too cloudy to see the mirrors in action last week, here’s a photo I took of them last winter:
Gaustabanen
I know I just said Krossobanen was my favorite experience in Rjukan after Gaustablikk, but maybe actually my favorite was Gaustabanen? Ahh I can’t decide!
Gaustabanen is a funicular that takes you deep inside Gaustatoppen and up to the top of the mountain. Completed in 1959 it was first used by the Norwegian Armed Forces and NATO, but in 2010 it opened for tourists, woohoo!
I spent a lot of the ride up squealing – it’s super steep! And it brings you up to the most beautiful views.
Um, okay, there wasn’t much of a view when we first went out onto the mountain.
But after about ten minutes the skies cleared! I was too excited to take photos (whoops) but I did capture the view in the video at the bottom of the post, so you can see it there.
Vemork
Besides the dramatic surrounding landscape, the coolest thing to me about Rjukan is its industrial history. And the perfect place to learn about it is at Vemork, the hydroelectric power plant built by Norsk Hyrdro in 1911, which now also houses a museum. Basically, it’s what makes Rjukan Rjukan.
Part of what I love about visiting Rjukan is that it feels just a bit like traveling back in time, which I think is due to how strongly the power plant shaped the building and development of the town.
The houses downtown were built for the industry workers, and even the local movie theater is in the old union house. The power plant is responsible for Rjukan’s importance as an industrial heritage site (and UNESCO status!) as well as its significance in World War II.
Long story short, while the plant was built to power a fertilizer factory, it also produced heavy water, which was a key ingredient in the German recipe for the atomic bomb. And so when Germany was occupying Norway and had control of the plant the heroes of Telemark had to sneak in and destroy the heavy water section of the plant to stop Germany from making the bomb.
And as true Norwegian heroes, they did it on skis!
It’s a crazy story, and in the museum you can see a film about it, or you can watch The Heroes of Telemark (fun fact: the founder of Gaustablikk Hotel was Kirk Douglas’s stunt man for the skiing scenes!), Max Manus: Man of War, or the recent TV mini-series The Saboteurs. Dan and I actually started watching the series without realizing what it was about, so we got a little excited when we realized it was set in Rjukan!
Rjukanbadet
Our last stop in Rjukan was at Rjukanbadet, the local swimming pool complex. It has several indoor and outdoor (heated!) swimming pools and hot tubs, as well as a sauna and steam room. I wouldn’t say it’s a must-see while in Rjukan, but if you’re looking for a fun way to relax then it’s pretty perfect.
How to Get to Rjukan
Rjukan is a 2.5 hour drive from Oslo. There is a bus from Oslo that takes three and a half hours (see nor-way.no for tickets) which I take quite often, but if possible I would recommend renting a car instead, because that way you’ll see so much more.
And if you have time, take a detour through Notodden, which is also on UNESCO’s world heritage list for its industrial history, and stop by Heddal stave church. I promise it’s well worth the detour! And if you’re coming in the summer then you can drive from Notodden up over Gaustatoppen to get to Rjukan. Again, worth the detour!
A Weekend in Rjukan
And here’s my video of Rjukan!
At the end you’ll see the deep gorge in front of Vemork that the Telemark heroes had to cross in order to blow up the heavy water plant. They were skilled!
bump the quality up to HD if it’s not already
pin it!
Lisa Michele Burns says
Okay Norway is just getting prettier and prettier! The idea of the sun mirrors is so clever!!
Note to self: Put Rjukan on the must see list.
Silvia says
Yesss you’d work some magic photographing the place!
Bjørn Helge Malkomsen says
Hi Lisa!
My hometown Rjukan, wonderfull pic and video! I will share it also to my friends in USA
Thank you so much
Ps I live at Djuvland, Rauland
Silvia says
Thanks, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Dominique says
Haha the names are so difficult to remember 🙂 They’re all places I have never heard of but they look absolutely gorgeous! It definitely looks like it’s worth a trip!
Silvia says
Yesss you should go!
Ratheesh R Nath says
Incredible place! I’m hearing about Rjukan for the first time but it’s quite impressive.
Your photos are an icing on the cake. I would love to visit Rjukan some day!
Silvia says
Oh I hope you do, it really is so special!
Amanda says
OMG those snowy mountain views! Looks like a great weekend getaway.
Silvia says
Right? Such beautiful views!
Maria says
I’ve been on quite a few skiing vacations to Gausta, watched The Heroes of Telemark and knew about the sun mirrors, but I don’t think I ever took a closer look at Rjukan. Kinda funny to see what the city actually has to offer!
Silvia says
That’s so funny! I do feel like a lot of people overlook Rjukan – I mean, I certainly had. You’ll have to come back!
BLIX MAGAZINE says
Great article and video! Never heard of Rjukan before, but it’s now definitely on our 2017 travel list!
Silvia says
That’s great to hear!
Nynke says
So this is where the WWII series was set! And here I was still thinking the ‘Tungtvannet’ from the title was the name of a lake rather than ‘heavy water. Ahem. 🙂
I love how you can go up *inside* the mountain there! It’s one of those things that I never expected to happen anywhere outside of James Bond and scifi movies… but Norwegians have just gone and built it. Kind of like how the pretty litle mountain I could see south of campus in Stavanger, Jåttånuten, turned out to contain a complete NATO base (for real!).
And last but not least, fog pooling in a snowy valley. Sooo pretty…
Silvia says
It totally felt like a James Bond film! Love that you know the series – and so funny you thought it was named for a lake! Love it.
Nynke says
I’ve just booked a weekend at the Rjukan Admini hotel in August! It’ll be the perfect weekend break away from my mother in law during our two week stay with her :). I just hope the weather won’t be too autumnal by then, but we’ll see! Plenty stuff to do either way :).
Silvia says
Oooh how exciting! I hope you love it there. And no, I think Rjukan is low enough not to be autumnal, though who knows with the weather this year. It’s been crazy.
T. Nichols says
Silvia! Thank you for confirming that our choice of Rjukan this summer is perfect! Please tell me about the drive from Oslo. . .are there any elevated drop offs? I’m a little worried because I do not do heights well!
Silvia says
The only drop offs are on the road down from Gaustatoppen or the road down from Rauland, but you’ll probably come from Kongsberg so you’ll be totally fine. Have fun!!
Maria Shelby says
Norway is so stunning. Amazing photographs.
Jomon Antony says
Wow!! What a wonderful place. First time I am hearing about this place. Great article and photographs. We will surely be visiting this place next year
sara says
Hi! I like the enthusiasm you put in every of your posts. It just makes me feel like keep on reading :).
I’m deeply in love with Rjukan, I don’t think it exist in Norway any other place with such a mixture of nature, history and adventure. When I say Rjukan is probably the best spot in Norway to visit, some of my friends look at me like I’m a weirdo so it is cool to read suportive opinions! 🙂
Now I got in my to-do list to take the ferry to Hardangervidda. Thanks for that, I didnt know about it!
Silvia says
Haha it’s great to hear someone else who thinks Rjukan is the best! The ferry is really nice, you should definitely do it someday.
Saim Malik says
wow, nice post thanks for sharing this admin
Simas says
Hi Silvia,
I’m planning on a roadtrip from Oslo to Rjukan on your suggested route visiting Hedal Stave Church. I was wondering if there are any chance of roads being closed there during Decemeber 28 – 30th? What are the driving conditions there like?
Great post!
Sarah says
Fantastic Article. My Friend and I are visiting this week for snow holing. We are driving from Oslo Torp. Are there any recommended driving routes. I do have a small amount of experience driving in snow but wondered what the main routes would be like.
ela says
Laying over thru Oslo for 2 nights this May 2018 – this may be on our list! Thanks for posting
Undefined Journey says
These photos are full of life, really awesome
Logan Kerala says
Superb post with stunning pictures! These are actually most beautiful places to visit in Rjukan.
Jayaram Kerala says
Great post! Thank you for sharing! Your pictures turned out amazing!
Rejith says
Movements in the background were perfectly captured
Rejith says
Thank you for sharing, Its very helpful
Richard says
Hi,
Love reading your posts! How easy accesible is Krossobanen for someone with light knee issues? We like to get some mountain experience but because of the knee issues hiking is not possible now.
Silvia says
Hmm I think there are some steps up to Krossobanen, but I think it should be doable. I would check with Visit Rjukan just to make sure though.