Vrådal

Vrådal is a small village with 500 inhabitants in Telemark, in south-eastern Norway.

Understand

Lake Vråvatn

Tourists have been visiting Vrådal for over 100 years, first in the summer but from the 1960s also in winter. The village lies between the Vråvatn and Nisser lakes. It belongs to the municipality Kviteseid, with its centre some 15 km away.

Get in

Vrådal is located between the south-eastern and western shores of Norway. 3 hours to drive from Oslo, 6 hours to drive from Bergen and 4 hours from Stavanger (summer).

By car

From Oslo: E 18 to Drammen, E 134 Drammen - Kongsberg - Notodden - Seljord - Brunkenberg, R41 Brunkeberg - Vrådal. 200 km. From Kristiansand: E 18 to Timenes, R 41 Timenes - Birkeland - Åmli - Trenungen - Vrådal. 168 km

By bus

• Nor-Way BusExpress: Haukeliekspressen from Oslo, Bergen and Haugesund to Seljord and local bus (corresponding) from Seljord to Vrådal.
• Nor-Way BusExpress: Telemarksekspressen from Tønsberg, Sandefjord Airport, Larvik, Porsgrunn, Skien and Bø to Seljord and local bus from Seljord.

By plane

Closest airport is Sandefjord Airport (TRF ^IATA) 150 km.

Get around

Vrådal is a small place and you can get around mainly by foot. The hotels are located in the village centre and within walking distance from the souvenir shops and the supermarket. The Ski Centre is located 4 km from the village centre. The hotels have a skibus with departure in the morning and returning from the ski centre at closing time.

See

Vrådal church

Do

Vrådal offers activities all year round.

Summer

• Straand Riding Centre, ☏ +47 41 41 25 03. Horseback riding, ponies, horse & carriage rides. 
• Climbing tower. 12 metres by the lakeside 
• Straand Summerland, ☏ +47 35 06 90 00. By the lake with beach, playground, beach-volleyball, rental of canoes and rowing boats, summer cafè. 
• M/S Fram, ☏ +47 35 06 90 00. A veteran boat from 1909. Originally a tugboat for timber now rebuilt into a beautiful sightseeing boat. 
• Beaver safari. meet the beaver in its natural environment. 
• Offroad biking (at the Vrådal Panorama Skicentre.), ☏ +47 35 06 83 50. 
• Hiking. Vrådal has hiking trail in the forest and in high mountain terrain. Hiking trails from all accommodations. 
• Nordic Walking. walking trails especially designed for Nordic Walking. 

Winter

• Vrådal Panorama Ski Centre, ☏ +47 35 06 83 50, alpin@alpin.no. Skicentre with 1 chair lift, 4 ski lifts, ski rental, ski school, cafeteria and pub. 
• Cross country skiing. Vrådal has 20-40 km with prepared tracks when the weather allows it. Information about track on the accommodation sites.
• Straand Riding Centre, ☏ +47 41 41 25 03. Horseback riding, ponies, horse & sleigh rides. 

Buy

• Sølvemdtunet (silver smith), ☏ +47 35 04 72 33. Shop with traditional and modern jewellery, souvenirs and art. Also includes a Christmas Loft, open all year. E mail: astri@postgull.no.  
• Joker, ☏ +47 35 05 61 12. Supermarket open M-Sa. Closed on holidays. 

Eat

• 1 Straand Hotel, ☏ +47 35 06 90 00. Serves lunch and dinner, with traditional Norwegian hotel fare. Pricy and mediocre NOK600 buffet-only dinner in summer (updated Jul 2024)
• 2 Handelslaget Café. Lovely cafe that serve coffee and lunch incl. pizza. Serves tasty sandwiches, of which particularly the Dansk Hakkebøf brighten your life after endless eating of traditional Norwegian cafe cuisine (updated Jul 2024)

Sleep

• 1 Straand Hotel, Kviteseidvegen 1698, 3853 Vrådal, ☏ +47 35 06 90 00. Part of "De Historiske" hotel chain, with 125 rooms - singles, doubles, family rooms, 2 restaurants, 2 bars, pub, 24 h reception, swimming pool, sun terrace. Outdated interior and rooms, and pricy buffet-only restaurant in summer likely means you should skip staying overnight in Vrådalen altogether as there's no other dinner options NOK2000. (updated Jul 2024)
• Vrådal Hyttepark, Tiurvegen 5, N - 3853 Vrådal, ☏ +47 35 06 93 00, vradal@vradal.no. With 26 cabins for rent. Cabins have 2 bedrooms, living room, kitchen, bath room. 
• Vrådal Booking (Vrådal Panorama Ski Centre Apartments), Tiurvegen 5, N - 3853 Vrådal., ☏ +47 35 06 93 00, booking@vraadalbooking.com. Cabins and apartments rental. Apartments with 2 bedrooms sleeping 4-7 people. Cabins with 3-5 bedrooms sleeping 6-14 people. All units are privately owned and differ in design and facilities but all units have shower, WC, TV, dishwasher, fridge, cooker, coffeemaker.