Hemsedal

Hemsedal is a valley and small town in Norway with about 2000 inhabitants, in the middle of South Norway, right between Oslo and Bergen, it is the northern branch of the great Hallingdal valley. The town is surround by high mountains, similar to the Alps, and has a river, Hemsila flowing through the valley. Hemsedal is known for its alpine skiing area, the second largest in Norway. It is also a fine place in summer with many activities such as hiking, biking, fishing, and horse back riding.

Get in
Hemsedal is a 3- to 4-hour drive from Oslo.

By bus
From Bergen you can take Sognebussen or Øst Vestekspressen to Håbakken (near the small village Lærdal), and from there you can take the corresponding Sogn & Fjordane Ekspressen to Hemsedal.
 * Norway Bus Express has buses from Oslo and Bergen to Hemsedal all year round. Check out the timetable for the routes from Oslo 170 Sogn og Fjordane Ekspressen, and route 175 Hallingbussen.


 * Airport Transfer Bus From Gardermoen Airport Oslo directly to Hemsedal on Fridays and Sundays during the winter.

By train
Another option is to ride the NSB train from Oslo or Bergen to Gol, which departs around four times a day. The trip is three hours from Oslo and 4 hours from Bergen and costs from 199 to 499 kr.

From the train station at Gol there is a bus picking up immediately after the train arrives and ending in Hemsedal town centre, about 40 minutes later. The trip costs 46 kr for adults and 23 kr for children.

Get around
During the winter season there are busses going from town to the ski lifts which are free. There is also a good taxi service, but it is quite expensive. You can also walk, e.g., on the other side of the river which takes half an hour or more.

It is practical to have your own car, especially in the summer.

Parking is free of charge, except from the parking lot at Gravset, the main crosscountry area, in the wintertime.

Winter
Hemsedal is frequently rated as the best ski resort in Norway. During 2008-2018 Dagens Næringsliv (Norway's leading business daily) has ranked Hemsedal as number 1. There 42 slopes and 22 lifts. The mountain scenery gives Hemsedal a decidedly "alpine" feel. It has the highest alpine point in Scandinavia, 1500 metres above sea level, and a vertical drop of 810 metres.

Variety and diversity characterises Hemsedal's network of pistes. The pistes are wide, well groomed and suited to all levels of expertise. Panoramic view and the descent from the highest mountain. There are green pistes all the way down to the base area, and more advanced runs.
 * Hemsedal Skisenter is the second largest ski resort in Norway.

Hemsedal on world’s top five to go boarding! The snowboard/terrain park is considered one of Europe's best, known for its high standard and challenges for all. Big jumps, fun boxes, half pipe, two quarter pipes, and rails for the thrillseeker. There is also a separate park for beginners.

The children's area is the biggest in Norway and covers an area of 70,000 m² Here you find several lifts, slopes, forest with trolls, bbq stations, restaurant, bar, sport shop, skirental, supermarket and even an outdoor kindergarten. The area is also perfect for beginners.

Here you find 3 lifts and 6-7 slopes. Suitable for families and those who want to ski in calmer area. Also good off piste possibilities.
 * Solheisen Skisenter is a small ski resort located in Grøndalen, 8 km from Hemsedal Skisenter.

Afterski and nightlife is comparable to or better than the big resorts in the European Alps.

If you would like to do other things then skiing, you can try snow mobiling, dog sledding, winter via ferrata, snow shoeing, ice climbing, paragliding and off course cross country skiing.

Summer


Hemsedal is an eldorado for people who like to stay active on their holiday. The mountains in Hemsedal offer great possibilities for activities such as hiking, biking and climbing.
 * Topp 20, Hemsedal's most popular hiking program. The brochure describes 20 scenic hikes to 20 different peaks in Hemsedal, everyone of them offering beautiful views. The hikes are graded from very easy green to difficult black. The shortest hikes take 1-1½ hour up and down for people in normal shape, the longest hike is a day trip. The trails to the peaks are well marked, except for the black ones, where you do need to bring a map and compass with you. You can pick up the brochure at the tourist information, supermarkets, sport shops and accommodations in Hemsedal.
 * Biking, Hemsedal has 240 km of marked biking routes. There is a biking brochure with description of different trips in the area, which are also graded after the same system as the Top 20. The brochure can be picked up at the tourist information, supermarkets, sport shops and accommodations in Hemsedal.
 * Fishing, the Hemsila river, running through the valley of Hemsedal, is actually a quite famous river for fly fishing. The fishing season starts end of May/beginning of June and lasts until 15 September. You need a fishing permit and this can be purchased at the tourist office, sport shops, some supermarkets and campgrounds and at Shell petrol station in Hemsedal. With the permit you can fish in the river as well as in 18 lakes. The river has different zones, and in some of them you can only fish with a fly. A permit valid for 5 hours costs 120 kr. A permit for 2 days costs 250 kr, or 900 kr for a permit that includes fly fishing zone in the river).

Buy
Hemsedal is not the largest city, but has some good shops:



Eat
There are cafes in the skiing-area. Alternatives are
 * Kjøkken Kroken, Hemsedal Café, Peppes Pizza, Cafe Dali, and the restaurant and Bistro at Skogstad Hotel in the town centre
 * Skarsnuten Hotel in the mountains with a beautiful view over the ski resort/Hemsedal
 * Fossheim Hotel in Ulsåk with first class food.

Drink
Norway is generally expensive for overseas visitors. Expect to pay at least two times the price for a beer in Hemsedal as in the Alps.

The afterski starts in Skistua on the slopes around 4, and continues at Hemsedal Cafe in town from around 7. Be there early to make sure you get in.

Beer can be bought at the supermarkets on weekdays from 08:00 to 20:00 and Saturdays from 08:00 to 18:00 On Sundays it is not allowed to sell alcohol in the supermarkets. Wine and liquor can be bought at the "vinmonopol" (wine and liquor store) that you will find at Rampa kjøpesenter (Rampa shopping centre).

Sleep
Hemsedal has accommodation for most budgets, there are fancy design hotels, cosy cabins and reasonably priced apartments and campgrounds.



Go next
Hemsedal is in the centre of South Norway, right between Oslo and Bergen. This makes Hemsedal the convenient base for day trips to the fjords and mountains. Here are some tips:


 * the Sognefjord, only 1-hour drive from Hemsedal.
 * Flåm, located by the Sognefjord, is a 2-hour drive from Hemsedal. Here you can take a cruise on the Sognefjord and take the famous and 4th most visited attraction in Norway,Flåmsbana.
 * Langedrag, a wolf park 1½-hour drive away. A lot fun for the whole family. They also have farm animals and other wild animals such as lynx, moose, deer and fox.
 * the Bear Park in Flå - watch the bears in their natural habitat, bathing and climbing trees. Other animals are moose, rabbits, goats and more.
 * Hardangervidda, 1- to 1½-hour drive away.
 * Jotunheimen, also 1- to 1½-hour drive away

The tourist office in Hemsedal has a booklet with 7 day trips by car, costs 40kr.

Connect
Internet:
 * WIFI - Hemsedal Cafe, Skogstad Hotell, Hemsedal Tourist Office, Cafe Dali, Hemsedal Alpin Lodge, Experten Sportsbar, the library.
 * Internet Stations - the library

More information
Hemsedal Tourist Office, tel +47 32 05 50 30, e-mail: info@hemsedal.com