Lake Nisser and Lake Vråvatn

The Nisser and Vråvatn lakes are connected by two locks, Northern Europe's highest. In Lake Nisser 27 islands invite you to go bathing, fishing, rowing and canoeing. A picnic on the islands is an unforgettable experience in a stressless atmosphere.

M/S Fram - 100 years on Vråvatn og Nisser

On the 12 May 1909 M/S Fram was launched as a steam boat on the lakes Nisser and Vrådal. The new boat operated as a tug boat for timber on the lakes. She was built in Fredrikstad and brought up to from Smeodden to Eidsto in Vrådal by horse and carriage, an incredible transport with a total weight of 69 tons.

The history of timber traffic dates back to the 1860s. It was negotiated with the authorities to "tie" the two lakes together with locks, Småstraum and Storstraum, especially designed to transport timber.

By royal decree money was granted and the locks were completed in 1868. These locks are today the highest located in Northern Europe. One of the conditions were that the district itself had to buy their own boat specialised for timber transport.

M/S Fram was placed in a bay by the island of Fossøy, where it remained for over 20 years. The last captain of the boat, Magnus O. Tveitane who lived a stone's throw from the boat, took the responsibility to inspect, pump water and crank the engine on regular basis. His work was heroic.

Finally a new era started in 1986 with major renovation works in order to make M/S Fram into a tourist boat, sailing on the two lakes Nisser and Vråvatn from May till October.

Pot holes ("jettegrytene")

The pot holes, 55 kilometres from Vrådal, are nature’s own water park, with unique rock formations creating natural water slides.  

Fjone rock climbing area

Fjone, 30 kilometres from Vrådal, tempts you with some of Europe’s best rock climbing. Here you will find routes of various lengths and degrees of difficulty.

The Telemark Canal

The Telemark canal is a 105-kilometre long watercourse taking you from Skien to Dalen. Nostalgic and elegant boats allow you to experience cultural history, bustling crowds and the constantly changing landscape surrounding the Telemark Canal.

Gaustatoppen Mountain

Gaustatoppen towers majestically above the town of Rjukan at an altitude of 1,883 metres above sea level. Around 30,000 people make the trip up to the summit every year to enjoy the fantastic view from the top. On a clear day, you can see all the way south to the coast, and east to Sweden. You can see one sixth of Norway from here. Gaustatoppen lies approximately 110 kilometres from Vrådal.