Easier than long road trips, canals were the super highways to open up much of Norway. So, climb aboard an historic vessel and marvel at the sheer endeavour of skilled hands and clever minds to sculpt this 19th century watery highway, a work of art that fits perfectly with its stunning surroundings
The Telemark Canal was carved into the mountain 130 years ago and when the canal was completed in 1892 it was designated as one of the “eight wonders”. The canal was part of the express route from Oslo to Bergen
On board the boats you can lower your shoulders and enjoy the wonderful scenery from the orchestra space on the deck or in the saloons. The smell of fresh bakery or buffet from the restaurant will guide you to excellent meals onboard. Our canalboats are the old original boats, and as soon as you enter you can feel that they have lots of stories to tell.
The Telemark Canal is a living cultural heritage that has largely retained the mark of the last century. Here you will find old locks with fine stonewalled chambers, the original cast iron devices for maneuvering the locks, old locker houses, guard rooms, beautiful parks and old piers.
If you take the entire trip from Skien to Dalen, you pass 7 locks with 17 lock chambers. In between the locks, cultural-historical landscapes are revealed, steep mountains as in a magnificent fjord, narrow canals, open water and quiet lakes. It is also possible to join the boat on shorter stretches; we offer many different day trips by boat one way and bus the other, so you get back to the starting point.
