Kviteseid
Municipality · Telemark
About Kviteseid
Morgedal, home of skiing pioneer Sondre Norheim and the Norsk Skieventyr museum, plus Kviteseid's 12th-century stone church by the lake.
What to do and where to stay in Kviteseid
Places to stay are run locally, with no hotel or campsite chain behind them.
1Øverbø – Sondre Norheim's birthplace, MorgedalHistory & culture
Hillside croft where ski pioneer Sondre Norheim was born in 1825; the flame for the 1952 Oslo Winter Olympics was lit here.
Vårstaulvegen 2, Morgedal · 30–45 min (walk from the museum) · All year (outside)
2Norsk Skieventyr (Norwegian Ski Adventure), MorgedalHistory & culture
Ski history museum (1993) covering 4,000 years of skiing, the South Pole race and the Olympic flame, with a simulator of Norheim's run down Ordalsåta.
Morgedalvegen 159, Morgedal · 1–2 h · All year (check hours)
3Kviteseid old churchHistory & culture
Romanesque stone church from the late 1100s by Kviteseidvatnet, with a carved dragon arch at the door and 20 ceiling panels painted in 1714, including Danish-Norwegian kings.
By Kviteseid bygdetun, Fjågesundvegen, Kviteseid · 30 min · Tours in summer during bygdetun hours; otherwise by arrangement
4Kviteseid bygdetunHistory & culture
Twelve farm buildings showing a well-off West Telemark farm, including Tveitloftet from the 1300s and a room rose-painted by Talleiv Espetveit; Gunnar Utsond's sculptures too.
Fjågesundvegen 12, Kviteseid · 1 h · Late June–mid August, Tue–Sun 11–17
5Bjaaland Bygderestaurant, MorgedalFood & drink
Village restaurant for 35 guests serving a six-course menu of local, organic food cooked from scratch, on Fridays and Saturdays every other week.
Vårstaulvegen 1, Morgedal · 3 h · All year, Fri–Sat in even-numbered weeks
6M/S Fram on NisserSight
A 1909 timber tug, now a veteran passenger boat, sails two-hour trips on Lake Nisser from Straand Brygge in Vrådal from May to October.
Kviteseidvegen 1698, Vrådal (by Straand) · 2 h · Summer (scheduled trips)
7VenelifjellHike
Family hike to a 904 m top with views from the coast toward Kragerø to Hardangervidda and Gaustatoppen; Venelitjørni on the way is good for a swim or fishing.
Veneli hiking area, Lønnegravsvegen 1, Vrådal · 2–3 h · June–October
8Austre RoholtsfjellHike
One of Vrådal's highest tops at 1005 m, a rocky 'mini-alpine' summit with boulder fields and wide views; harder than the other Vrådal hikes.
Start Kviteseidvegen 1470, Vrådal · 4–5 h · July–September
9Fossøy nature and culture trail, VrådalHike
Easy trail on an island shaped in the last Ice Age, with 18 information boards on nature and local history.
Straumsnesvegen 29, Vrådal · 1 h · May–October
10Tveitgrend trail by BandakHike
Choice of a 7.6 km loop or a 2.5 km walk along Lake Bandak past old cultural sites in Tveitgrend.
Tveitgrendvegen 60, Kviteseid · 1–3 h · May–October