Notodden

Notodden is a town and municipality (kommune) in Telemark County, in East Norway. The population of the town is 9,000, and that of the whole municipality is 12,000. Heddal is a village in the municipality, not far from the town of Notodden. The town is on the shore of Heddalsvatnet lake. The Tinn (Tinnelva) river runs through the town into the lake, and the Heddøla river runs past Heddal and the airport into the lake. Notodden is along with Rjukan part of the Rjukan-Notodden Industrial Heritage Site on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Get in

By car

Notodden is 113 km from Oslo and the drive time is 1 hour 45 minutes. Follow E 18 out of Oslo (West) until the city of Drammen.Then E 134 forward to Notodden.

By bus

The easiest way to get from Oslo is by bus. TIMEkspressen runs to Notodden every hour around the clock all year. (daytime) It takes about 2 hours 15 minutes. This bus line also run on this route at night, though only every second hour.

Buses run from Bergen to Notodden. It’s a worthwhile trip, as it crosses the Hardanger Plateau with its beautiful natural scenery.

Notodden is a hub for local and regional buses running in all directions in the municipality and further afield, such as to the town of Rjukan.

By plane

• 1 Notodden Airport (NTB  ^IATA). No commercial flights as of July 2024. (updated Jul 2024)

By train

The Oslo to Bergen train is a bit tricky, but nice. Look up NSB, the national train company. If you arrive by air to OSL (Gardermoen), take the L12 directly from the airport to Kongsberg, continue by bus. Optionally take the Regional 50 from Oslo to Nordagutu, switch to the L52 from Nordagutu to Notodden.

By boat

It is possible to come from the south up the Telemark Canal into Heddalsvatnet lake.

Get around

There are local bus routes departing every hour from the bus hub. For regional bus routes check out Nettbuss and Nor-way Bussekspress.

See

• The industrial park and several other sites are inscribed on the UNESCO world heritage list.
• Norsk Hydro: Administrative building - where it all started in 1905.
• Notodden church and the church gardens.

• 1 Telemark Art Museum and World Heritage Centre. Combined art museum and World Heritage Centre that tells the story of how the mineral fertilizer industry came to be (updated Jul 2024)

• 2 Heddal Stave Church (Heddal stavkyrkje), Heddal (a few km west from Notodden town centre, past the airport, lose to road E134). Late Jun to late Aug 10:00-17:00. The largest and perhaps most impressive of the existing stave churches. These wooden buildings were designed and constructed during years 1000 to around 1350. While there are some similarities to Roman basilicas on the continent and in Britain and Ireland, technique and decoration are unique. Guided tours in English are included in the entrance fee. Reservations recommended. NOK100. (updated Jul 2024)
• Heddal Bygdetun, 300 m from the stave church. Based on a rural village. Includes an exhibition about the church, several stages of medieval Norwegian architecture and traditional Norwegian clothing. Kafé Olea has meals and souvenirs.

Do

• Notodden Blues Festival. July/August every year. Aims to be the best blues festival in Europe. Extra bus services are run on the weekend of the festival. (updated Jul 2024)
• Hiking. Step into nature and enjoy beautiful scenery, fresh air and drinkable lakes wherever you go, ask the tourist information for suggested routes 
• Bok & Blueshuset. "House of Books & Blues". You will find the house next to the breathtaking lake in the city centre. The house contains a café, library, recording studio, a blues museum and a state of the art cinema. 

Eat

• 1 Eyde Restaurant. Steaks, seafood and veggie-dishes. Good food, reasonable price. (updated Sep 2015)
• 2 Felicia Cafè. A good place to stop for lunch. (updated Sep 2015)
• 3 Gatebar1. Fast food joint. Burgers, pizza and fries. Make sure you try "Ostebolle" - a local speciality! (updated Sep 2015)
• 4 Brattrein hotell. High quality restaurant on site at the hotel. Lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner. (updated Jul 2024)
• 5 El Bueno. First Mexican place you'll find after visiting indre Telemark. Sunday buffet, and a la carte rest of the week. Chef puts a lot of pride into the buffet, even making home made ice cream! (updated Jul 2024)

Sleep

• 1 Brattrein Hotel. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 11:00. A cozy, high-standard hotel in the heart of Telemark, five-minute walk from the city centre. Great view of the lake and town. NOK1700. (updated Jul 2024)
• 2 Notodden Hotel. A city-centre hotel. 1600 kr. (updated Jul 2024)

Connect

• Notodden Tourist Information, Storgata 1, ☏ +47 35015600. 10:00-22:00. Public tourist information with good opening hours all year. free.