my favorite norwegian town
i’m beginning to think you can’t go wrong in norway… but there
is one hidden gem town that i fell the most in love with. it’s a must!
aurland is a tiny town tucked into fjord country near flåm.
we ended up staying here out of necessity because flåm was
booked up with high tourist season, but it was the luckiest thing
because we hopped off the bus & instantly knew we had discovered
a dreamland. we hit it at just the right time of night where the
light was hitting in a heavenly way and spreading across the water.
all of the colorful cabins speckle the hillside + the town itself can fit inside the
palm of your hand. we stayed in the cutest of places & soaked up every second.
we were tired after a day full of playing in flåm, but we checked into
the hotel and i made chase take a little hike / walk through the hills.
^^ proof that norway is heaven…look at that heavenly light!
the views from above were more than worth the effort on our tired legs.
we didn’t see one other tourist on this walk, or practically one other
person! this quiet peaceful town was so refreshing & needed.
the details of this place were my favorite part and the things i want
to remember forever: the colors, the wildflowers, the post boxes…
how perfect is this ^^ (above) and this: (below)!
i’d like to move into this little yellow house with a red gate.
it comes with plenty of firewood supply, and a little boat..all i need!
chase makes fun of me for taking pictures of every flower
but in norway they were too pretty lining the hillsides!
we stayed at the vangsgaarden hotel which was one of my
european favorites. it is just done so right & so magical.
views like this from the hotel! ^^
i think my favorite hotel view so far ^^
i loved every detail here, down to the wallpaper ^^
two best parts of norwegian breakfast: warm homemade bread,
topped with brunost cheese. the hotel had the best breakfast!
the grounds of the vangsgaarden are SO dreamy!
it is made up of so many different cabins that i loved.
can’t forget the darling bathroom signs + hotel dog! ^^
^^ the town church
we had to have some norwegian pancakes with jam and cream
in the little ski-decorated train station before heading to oslo.
if you have a bucket list of out-of-the-way hidden gem towns,
add aurland, norway to it and stay at the vangsgaarden.
i hope you do, and i hope i’ll be back too!
xo
How stunning!! I always take pictures of flowers too. :) Would you say Norway is doable for a traveler on a shoestring budget?
hmm – i like to think all places are, :) but norway was quite surprisingly expensive to us! i think with a lot of prep and research beforehand, you could find great hostels to stay, and eat from food stands etc. like we did most the time! it’s so worth it so i say yes!
That hotel room view is simly breathtaking, not to mention the scrummy brunost cheese!
This looks absolutely beautiful, so refreshing to see somewhere that’s not crowded with tourists!
Danielle / http://www.escapingessex.com
x
i know! that’s exactly how we felt after being in so many hot, crowded european cities this summer.
I am following your wonderful trip with great interest. My husband and I are considering going to Denmark, Norway and Sweden next year, however, I have heard this is a very expensive trip for Americans. Do you feel this is true? Also would you say late July, early August is the best time to go weather wise?
hi! i love hearing that – this has been our favorite country yet so i fully recommend visiting scandinavia :)
yes things have been more expensive than we thought, but there are also options to make it more doable. check air bnb instead of hotels, and we’ve had to be creative with where we eat since a lot of restaurants have sky high prices! if you plan ahead it’s fine, and SO worth it. i am not too sure about weather here, but i think late july / early august seems to be peak season when weather should be best!! i hope you plan and enjoy! email me with any other questions!! xo
cutest town yet. you captured it so beautifully!
I love the views and it makes me homesick to be with you and travel around!
This is unreal! Looks like a fairytale.
Looks straight out of a magazine, Emi! So gorgeous and I’m a sucker for the details, too. It’s embarrassing how many pictures of flowers I have saved on my hard drive…
I can definitely see why this was your favorite – it looks so quaint! And those views are incredible!!