Telemark: Sauna in the land of fairytales

Length: 4 days/3 nights

Dates: September 20th–23rd (before Congress) and September 26th–30th (after Congress)

Capacity: Minimum 8, maximum 12 people per trip.

Price: NOK 14.000 (approx. EUR 1300) per person

The trip is organized by Norwegian Sauna Society (Norges Badstulaug) and offered to participants at XIX International Sauna Congress on a non-profit basis. Norges Badstulaug has the right to cancel every trip for a refund of costs or offer to change to another trip if not the minimum required number of participants sign up.

Day 1

Farris Bad – the birthplace for Norwegian spa culture

The day starts with a comfortable 2 hour train ride from Oslo Central Station to the town of Larvik, where you will stay at Farris Bad. This is where modern, Norwegian spa culture was born, developed by Lasse Eriksen, president of Norwegian Sauna Society and Aufguss-WM, and venue for the Aufguss Modern Classic world championships 2026.

You’ll get a comfortable room, fantastic food (lunch at arrival, 3 course dinner at night and breakfast in the morning) and some of the best sauna rituals you can imagine, with a 120 seater event sauna and breathtaking views of the Skagerrak Sea.

Day 2

Skogens rom and Aaland – unique sauna experiences in the heartland

After breakfast, you’ll get on a train from Larvik to Skien (20 minutes), where you will be picked up by your hosts Bodil and Mikkel, who’ll take you to Lunde, where you will be served a traditional Norwegian lunch before heading to the secluded Skogens rom sauna for a relaxing experience in lush surroundings, including tastes of local produce and a dip in the Telemark Canal.

The evening will be spent at Aaland, Mikkel’s family farm, where dinner is served in Mikkel’s workshop and he will tell stories about a long life in global sauna. Mikkel’s unique sauna will be warm and open for guests, and the refreshing canal is only a few steps away. Mikkel and his wife Rebecca will provide you with lodging and breakfast in the morning.

Day 3

Soria Moria – a journey on the canal to the land of the fairytales

After breakfast, you’ll get on the Henrik Ibsen for a spectacular journey up the Telemark Canal to Dalen Hotel and the famous Soria Moria sauna.

A journey on the Telemark Canal aboard the M/S Henrik Ibsen from 1907 is a unique cultural and historical voyage through spectacular Norwegian scenery and magnificent lock systems, considered the eighth wonder of the world when they were blasted into the mountainside in the late 1800s. First-class service is offered on board whether you are on the Promenade Deck, in the Restaurant Aktersalongen with delightful dishes from the ship's galley and a fine selection of wine and drinks, or in the Café at the bow. The trip includes a 3 course lunch.

Arriving to Dalen in the late afternoon, you will hop into the Soria Moria sauna, before dinner and accommodation at one of Norway’s most iconic hotels. Dalen Hotel, also called the Fairytale Hotel and the Dragon Hotel – for its immaculate Viking ship inspired wooden ornaments — opened in 1894, and offers some of the most exclusive hotel and dining experiences you’ll find in Norway.