Two Historic Ships in the Heart of Mountain Telemark

Fra 9000 NOK

per person

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3 nights. Sail with M/S Victoria on the Telemark Canal, stay overnight at Straand Hotel in the mountain village of Vrådal, and step aboard for a lock cruise with the veteran boat M/S Fram on Telemark's largest lake, Nisser!

Package includes:

  • Canal ticket M/S Victoria Ulefoss–Kviteseid
  • 2-course lunch served on board
  • Transport to and from the hotel
  • 3 nights at Straand Hotel with breakfast and dinner
  • M/S Fram round trip
  • Canal ticket M/S Victoria Kviteseid–Ulefoss (return)

3 nights. Sail with M/S Victoria on the Telemark Canal, stay overnight at Straand Hotel in the mountain village of Vrådal, and step aboard for a lock cruise with the veteran boat M/S Fram on Telemark's largest lake, Nisser!

FROM 9000 NOK

per person

The Queen of the Canal, M/S Victoria

 

She has truly earned her majestic name as she sails proudly up and down the 105 kilometres from Skien to Dalen along the Telemark Canal. M/S Victoria was delivered on commission from Akers Mek in 1882 and has been in scheduled service on the canal ever since.


With her white- and black-painted hull, a rose-painted logo on the bow, and beautiful woodwork details, the Queen of the Canal is easy to recognise.


On her 11-hour journey from start to finish, M/S Victoria is raised a total of 72 metres across 18 lock chambers. The wild Vrangfoss lock (with 5 chambers) between Ulefoss and Lunde is engineering at its finest and the very highlight of the trip. It took 500 men five years to blast their way through the mountain and stack large stones in meticulous order along the locks. The mechanics, with their cast-iron fittings and stone-walled chambers, are the same as when the locks were officially completed in 1892!


The ship carries 180 passengers, and delicious food and drink are served on board. M/S Victoria is designed to offer comfort to its guests as the boat glides through beautiful landscapes of lakes, locks, and narrow river passages. Here, you can also feel the sense of history with old lock-keepers' houses, guardhouses, parks, and old quays.
Welcome aboard a canal cruise with M/S Victoria!

The Veteran Boat M/S Fram

 

Step aboard the historic M/S Fram and let yourself be enchanted by the beautiful scenery along the way! Here you can sail between small islands, in through old locks, past kayakers, and watch golfers in action on what must be Norway's most beautiful 9-hole course at Fossøy, in the middle of Lake Nisser.

You can also order a delicious FRAM tapas in advance and get that real cruise feeling! It can be booked from the reception at Straand Hotel. Below deck on the boat there is also a restaurant with space for about 40 people, where you can enjoy waffles, muffins, lefse, ice cream, and coffee.

On board, you can sense the atmosphere from the days when the log drivers worked and toiled to drive the logs down Vråvatn and Nisser to Treungen and onwards to Arendal and the wider world. M/S Fram was built as a tugboat for timber in 1909 and sailed back then between Treungen in the south and Vråliosen in the northwest, a stretch of 60 kilometres. On its journeys with the timber load, the boat had to pass through the Storstraum and Småstraum locks, which are still in use today. The current owners bought the boat in 1986 and converted it into a passenger boat under the auspices of the Magnus Friends' Association — named after the old enthusiast and captain Magnus O. Tveitane.

As a scheduled vessel, M/S Fram also helps ensure that the watercourse regulator, Arendalsvassdragets Brugseierforening, keeps the locks and dams in good condition. This makes the watercourse from Vråliosen to Treungen navigable for leisure boats as well. By taking a lock cruise with M/S Fram, you are therefore also helping to preserve important cultural heritage along Telemark's largest lake, Nisser!

The Historic Straand Hotel in Vrådal

 

Welcome into the warmth and history of the venerable Straand Hotel in Vrådal! Here you can gaze out over the water, the forests, and the mountains while breathing in the fresh mountain air and enjoying something good to eat and drink on the rooftop terrace. Or you can relax in the newly renovated bar-and-reception area — with an equally lovely view!


Ever since its humble beginnings with horse-drawn coach services in 1864, the Straand family has welcomed people with open arms. Here, hospitality and friendliness are embedded in the thick timber walls. The values and stories have been passed down from generation to generation, and today it is the 5th generation, Katrine and Lars Arne Straand, who welcome the guests!


The historic Straand Hotel is a full-service hotel with 125 rooms, a restaurant and dining venues, and a fully developed conference area with space for 400 people. And with more than 160 years of experience, we can say with confidence that you, as a guest, are in good hands with the Straand family!