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Scandic Hotels – in all major cities from north to south
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Thon Hotels – with fantastic breakfast
Radisson Blu Hotels – discover your favourite destinations
Classic Norway Hotels – From distinctive hotels to authentic fisherman's cabins
Citybox – modern and affordable hotels in a central location
DanCenter – your specialist in holiday homes in Norway
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AutoEurope – always a smooth car rental experience
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Arctic Campers – Norway’s camper van rental
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Hurtigruten – "The World’s Most Beautiful Sea Voyage"
Fjord Tours – Home of Norway in a nutshell® - Norway’s most popular tour
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Up Norway – Bespoke luxury tailored by insiders
Norrøna Hvitserk – expeditions and adventure holidays
Booknordics.com – hundreds of activities, tours and day cruises in Norway
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Fjord Travel – let us show you the beauty of Norway!
Go Fjords – tours and activities all over Norway
50 Degrees North – unforgettable tailor-made and small group tours to Norway
Discover Norway – skiing, biking and hiking tours in Norway
Norwegian Holidays – low-price package holidays with Norwegian. Flight, hotel and rental car
Stromma – sightseeing, excursions and experiences with bus, boat and train
My Nordic Travel - Do It Yourself, make your own itinerary.
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Books on the pier, bookshelves at bus stops, book cafes, and even a book hotel! Not to mention all the second-hand shops full of books in different languages, and the exciting literature events and festivals. Book lovers should head to Fjærland and Tvedestrand this summer.
What does the small fjord village Fjærland, surrounded by dramatic glaciers and steep mountains on the western coast, have in common with the charming southern town Tvedestrand and its white-painted wooden houses and silky-smooth coastal rocks? Their shared attraction might actually be their reading material. On a hot summer day, few things are better than exploring their many cool first and second-hand bookstores looking for hidden treasures.
“The joy of books, in books, and for books. When we open them, they open us.”
– Lars Saabye Christensen
The first of Norway’s two book towns saw the light of day in 1995. Mundal, the centre of the small village Fjærland by the Sognefjord, is home to about four kilometres of books. Most are second-hand, and the dozens of outlets are also based on reutilization – here you’ll find books in ferry waiting rooms, stables, banks, an old post office, and a grocery shop. The giant Tusund og ei natt is the only shop built specifically to house books, while the small outdoor shelf Sjølvplukk (pick-your-own) calls itself “the country’s most honest bookstore” and trusts you to leave a small amount of money in a box for every book you take.
The Norwegian book town in Fjærland is open from May to September, but the online stores never close. Join a guided book tour through the town, or attend the annual book festival in June.
When you have searched through all of Fjærland’s bookshops, you can start exploring the area. Visit the Norwegian glacier museum, join a glacier walk on Bøyabreen or Supphellebreen, kayak on the Fjærlandsfjord with or without a guide, or drive the Norwegian Scenic Route Gaularfjellet and enjoy the magnificent view from the Utsikten viewpoint.
If you are travelling through Southern Norway, you should definitely stop by Tvedestrand, which calls itself “a gold mine for bookworms”.
“The joy of books, in books, and for books. When we open them, they open us”, Norwegian best-selling author Lars Saabye Christensen said in his speech at the opening of The book town by the Skagerrak strait. And the town offers more than just bookshops. Throughout the year you can join a variety of events, festivals, and guided tours related to books and literature.
At the end of the day, you can check into Norway’s first book hotel. Bokhotellet Lyngørporten is idyllically located in Gjeving by the Lyngørfjord. Suzanne Brøgger describes it like this in her book Omelette Norvegienne: “We are accommodated at Bokhotellet, where I live on page 303 with a white-painted balcony and a view of the archipelago. Why do people say that Norway is more about nature than culture?”
In addition to books, Tvedestrand also offers white-painted wooden houses, an abundance of islands and islets, Norway’s largest outdoor aquapark in Tjenna, Norway’s narrowest house, and several galleries and museums. Close by you will find the car-free paradise Lyngør, where you can enjoy the atmosphere of a bygone era.
The resort Hotel Lyngørporten is situated on the seaside on the mainland near the preserved island community…
Go to: Hotel LyngørportenThe resort Hotel Lyngørporten is situated on the seaside on the mainland near the preserved island community…
The area around Tvedestrand gives one of the finest impressions of the southern coastline with all its many…
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A book town is a small town or a village that has a large number of second-hand and antiquarian bookshops.
The first book town was the village Hay-on-Wye in Wales, where Richard Booth in 1961 began selling trailer loads of used books from the abandoned fire station. Hay is now known by literature lovers all over the world and also hosts the world-renowned Hay Festival of Literature and the Arts.
The phenomenon has since spread to all corners of the world, although most book towns are located in Europe.
True bookworms can visit author’s homes, writer’s centres, libraries, and literature houses in several places in Norway.
The Hamsun Centre is located by the vicarage ruins on the banks of the Glimma River in Presteid in Hamarøy…
Go to: The Hamsun CentreThe Hamsun Centre is located by the vicarage ruins on the banks of the Glimma River in Presteid in Hamarøy…
Welcome to the home of Nobel laureate Sigrid Undset (1882–1949), one of Norway's great female writers.…
Go to: Bjerkebæk - Sigrid Undset's homeWelcome to the home of Nobel laureate Sigrid Undset (1882–1949), one of Norway's great female writers.…
Ibsenhuset is Skien's cultural center and offers a wide selection of concerts and shows throughout the year,…
Go to: IbsenhusetIbsenhuset is Skien's cultural center and offers a wide selection of concerts and shows throughout the year,…
The Nobel laureate Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson lived here with his family from 1875. The home is one of the best…
Go to: Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson's home AulestadThe Nobel laureate Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson lived here with his family from 1875. The home is one of the best…
Olav Duun is a Norwegian author who was nominated to the Nobel Prize in Literature several times. Olav Duun is…
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Norway's first and Europe's largest house of its kind is dedicated to literature in the widest sense…
Go to: House of Literature (Litteraturhuset)Norway's first and Europe's largest house of its kind is dedicated to literature in the widest sense…
Litteraturhuset Fredrikstad (the House of Literature) is dedicated to literature and culture. Along with many…
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As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Henrik Ibsen is often referred to as “the father of realism” and the second most influential playwright of all times – after Shakespeare, that is.
In Norwegian libraries, you can borrow anything from electric bikes to guitars and hammocks. And did you know that our libraries are considered some of the most beautiful in the world? Check out the brand-new Deichman Bjørvika in Oslo and five other stunning libraries.
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Let Audun Eckhoff, one of Norway’s leading connoisseurs, guide you to the art museums you have to visit on your trip to Norway.
Young Sami artists are currently bringing new life to one of Europe’s oldest song traditions. Ancient sounds meet modern genres – and the result? A brave, new wave of internationally acclaimed and prize-winning musicians.
Norway is a big (and free!) outdoor art exhibition. Look up and around and enjoy a dense collection of spray-painted glory. Street art enthusiast and author Martin Berdahl Aamundsen guides you through some of the hot spots.
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Award-winning libraries, charming book towns, the world’s second-greatest playwright and a bizarre thirst for murders at Easter are just some of the reasons Norwegians read more than any other European nationality.
Norway’s longest fjord, Sognefjorden, is surrounded by spectacular nature. In this part of Fjord Norway, you can experience fjord safari, Nærøyfjorden, the Flåm railway, hiking valleys, and tasty local food.
Cobblestone streets, an idyllic archipelago, and Norway’s version of the Flatiron building await in Tvedestrand, the book town by the Skagerrak strait.
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