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1864
Straand Hotel
Vrådal, Norway
Kviteseidvegen 1698, Vrådal, Norway, 3853
Original Property Opened in 1864
Historic Hotels Worldwide member since 2023
Welcoming guests for more than 150 years, the family-run Straand Hotel in the pastoral hamlet of Vrådal has been offering gracious Norwegian hospitality for five generations. Its story began back in 1864 when Olav and Kari Straand decided to build a bus station to help support their burgeoning homestead. Thanks to the village’s remote location and the area’s steep mountainous landscape, the bus station was a success, and they opened their home as a guesthouse to accommodate travelers passing through soon after. Since then, that quaint country farmhouse has grown into a popular retreat, with 125 guestrooms spread across the Straand Hotel and hearty homemade dishes served in the hotel’s onsite dining venues, just like when the boarding house first opened those many years ago.
Complementing the Swiss chalet-inspired hotel is its idyllic alpine setting in the historic district of Upper Telemark. Once home to an ancient North Germanic tribe known as the Thelir during the Viking Age, the rugged region’s picturesque forests, mountains, and lakes now play host to action-packed activities like hiking, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, and skiing. The best way to take it all in is with HUBRiding, a travel concept developed by the Straand Hotel, which allows adventurers to experience the best that an area has to offer by following expert- and time-tested routes, whether by car, bicycle, motorcycle, paddle, or on foot.
Discover
- Admire the alpine charm of the Straand Hotel. Early on, the hotel featured Norwegian vernacular architecture called byggeskikk. The style used time-tested construction techniques and design details that had been utilized by Norwegians for generations. While many of those elements remain, one will also notice a resemblance to a charming Swiss chalet. This aesthetic nods to the hotel's idyllic mountain setting, with features like gabled roofs accented with carved wood details.
- Appreciate the family-run Straand Hotel's long-running commitment to hospitality, a cherished tradition passed down for five generations. Started by Olav and Kari Straand in 1864, the hotel was created to complement one of their prior business endeavors: a bus station they opened on one of their homestead's surrounding pastures to support their farm. Thanks to the village of Vrådal's mountain location, the bus station was a raving success, so much so that the Straands moved into their kitchen to open the rest of their farmhouse to travelers passing through. More than 150 years later, the hotel is now in the hands of the fifth generation of Straands and has seen the addition of everything from a wine cellar to a conference center. Marvel at the family's legacy by looking at the historical photos that decorate many of the hotel's walls.
- Unwind after a day of adventures in true Norwegian fashion with some time spent in the hotel's sauna, open in the morning and early evening. An integral part of Nordic culture, these heated, wood-lined rooms help get circulation flowing, offering the perfect way to recover after a day spent hiking, biking, or paddling. A sauna is not just a sauna in Norway, however. It is also a beloved social hub where family, friends, and neighbors gather to swap stories and strengthen their bonds, making for an excellent opportunity to experience an authentic taste of life in Norway.
Explore
- Uncover the artistic side of Vrådal and Upper Telemark. The soaring mountains, craggy coastlines, crystal-clear lakes, and bountiful forests of the region have been muses for artists for generations, including famed Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, who was born in the city of Skien. After exploring the area's abundant beauty, pay a visit to the many art galleries that call Upper Telemark home to admire some of the works the region's rugged landscapes have inspired. Right next door to the Straand Hotel is Sølvsmedtunet, a silversmith's gallery, or visit some of Vrådal's other artistic centers, like Galleri Lalla at the city's tourist office and Galleri Samvirke in the town center. Galleri Sanden, which is only a 15-minute drive away in the village of Vråvatn, is also worth visiting. In addition to handicrafts, artwork, and clothing, this former mountain farm also offers local food, like freshly baked sourdough bread baked onsite in the gallery's wood-fired oven and rhubarb juice made from rhubarb grown on the property.
- Step into the past at the Kviteseid Local History Museum and the West-Telemark Museum Eidsborg. Located only a ten-minute drive from the hotel, the Kviteseid Bygdetun (Kviteseid Local History Museum), established in 1907, is one of Norway's most historic open-air museums. The centerpiece of the museum is its collection of 12 different farm buildings, which were brought there from different farms in the area. The most historical is a traditional storehouse dating back to the 1300s. Meanwhile, Flekstveitstoga, a farmhouse from the 1600s, features a living room that is resplendent in rosemaling ("rose painting"), a traditional Norwegian folk art, on its ceiling and walls. After drinking in the history, hop in the car for a 45-minute drive to the Vest-Telemark Museum Eidsborg. In addition to a modern building with cultural exhibits featuring woodwork, textiles, rosemaling, and more, the West Telemark Museum also boasts its own open-air collection of historical buildings, more than 30 in total, including Stålekleivloftet, a wooden storehouse that dates back to 1167.
- Gaze upon a piece of Norwegian history with a visit to Telemark's stave churches. Once thought to number in the thousands during the Middle Ages, today, there are only 28 stave churches still preserved in Norway. Located just under an hour-long drive from the hotel, the Eidsborg Stave Church is thought to have been constructed sometime between 1250 and 1270 and still holds church services to this day. Most impressive are its plentiful runes, carvings, and painted interior details dating to the 1600s, as well as its soaring, circa-1727 bell tower. Even more impressive is the Heddal Stave Church, which has the distinction of being the largest stave church in Norway and is also still in use today. Spanning 24 meters (78.7 feet) in length, 15 meters (55.8 feet) in width, and 29 meters (95.1 feet) high, all constructed of cured heartwood from old-growth mountain pines called Ore-pine, the Heddal Stave Church stands as a towering monument to Norse faith and mythology.
Experience
- Explore Telemark by embarking on a HUBRiding day trip. Developed by the Straand Hotel, HUBRiding allows travelers to see an area’s most popular sights by following expert-developed routes designed through map studies and multiple test rides. The hotel serves as a central hub and provides services like packed lunches and basic maintenance. Routes have been developed for a variety of travel styles and adventure levels, including hiking, cycling, motorcycling, paddling, or simply driving. Rental kayaks, bikes, and e-bikes are also available.
- Take to the slopes in tribute to ski sport, which was born only a 30-minute drive from the Straand Hotel in the Telemark village of Morgedal. Although skis have been used to get around for thousands of years (the earliest archaeological examples, dating to 6,000 BCE, were discovered in Western Russia), a Norwegian named Sondre Norheim revolutionized skiing forever when he created new equipment and combined traditional skiing with slalom and jumping to develop an entirely new technique known as Telemark skiing. Alternatively, for those who would prefer to learn about the sport of skiing instead, the town also plays host to the Norsk Skieventyr ski museum and the Morgedal SKI workshop. Travelers can even visit Øverbø, Sondre Norheim’s cottage in Morgedal, where the torch for the Winter Olympics in Oslo (1952) and Lillehammer (1994), and even the 1960 Winter Olympic games in Squaw Valley, California, was first lit.
- Cruise down the Telemark Canal. Once heralded by Europeans as the “eighth wonder of the world” after its construction was finished in 1892, the Telemark Canal is considered one of the planet’s most beautiful waterways. Connecting the interior of Telemark to the coast, from Dalen to Skien, the canal stretches 105 kilometers (just over 65 miles) across eight locks. Unsurprisingly, the best way to experience the canal is from the water. Day trips are available on canal boats daily—starting from either Dalen or Skien, with several ports along the way—from mid-May through early October.
- Take a hike over a piece (several of them, in fact!) of Norwegian history. Starting at the Vest-Telemark Museum and culminating at the Brunåslid quarry, which was the largest quarry in the Eidsborg-Lårdal region, this moderately demanding trek takes hikers through hilly terrain and over large heaps of waste stone left over from the production of whetstone. Thought to have been made in the area’s mountains since at least around 700 AD, these sharpening stones were popular trade goods during the Viking Age. Today, Eidsborg whetstones have been found all across Europe.
Taste
- Savor the flavors of Telemark with a meal at the Straand Hotel, which serves up a selection of local, traditional Norwegian classics made with regional ingredients. Along with breakfast (complimentary for guests), lunch, and dinner, travelers can also enjoy a true taste of Norway with the hotel’s Spekeaften, or “speaking night,” which features a tantalizing spread of cured meats paired with other area delicacies, all crafted with ingredients sourced from across the country.
- Try a slice of culinary heritage. Brunost, or Norwegian brown cheese, is enjoyed daily as a snack or for breakfast or lunch and features a distinctive flavor all its own. A tasty mix of soft, sweet, and sharp all at once, some say that both its taste and color are reminiscent of dulce de leche. Go straight to the source with a visit to Bergstaulen Seter. Located about a 90-minute drive from the hotel, just outside the Telemark village of Rjukan, this mountain farm is renowned for its brown goat cheese, which was awarded the silver medal at the 2018 World Cheese Awards.
- Sample a Norwegian tradition with a taste of kling lefse. Though often made with riced potatoes, the version of the soft, Scandinavian-style flatbread beloved by those in Eastern Norway uses semolina instead. Similar to potato lefse, kling lefser are popularly enjoyed folded, spread with butter, and sprinkled with sugar and, if desired, some cinnamon. Kling lefse is also the perfect vehicle for a slice of brunost (sweet Norwegian brown cheese).
FEATURED ACCOMMODATIONS
Featured Offers
Romantic Stay
Enjoy a romantic getaway with that special someone in the idyllic village of Vrådal among the fairytale landscapes of Upper Telemark.
Package includes:
- Breakfast
- Five-course gourmet dinner
- A bottle of sparkling wine upon arrival
- Bathrobes and slippers
Pay Now & Save 10%
Pay for accommodations upfront and save 10% on the stay. Complimentary breakfast is included.
Bed & Breakfast
Greet the morning with a complimentary breakfast. Wireless internet and parking are also included.
Best Available Rate
Book the Best Available Rate at this property on HistoricHotelsWorldwide.com and receive a complimentary one-year family membership (a $30 value) to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States, a member of the International National Trusts Organisation.
