Hotels
Luxury hotels in Norway: six places with real character
Norwegian luxury is rarely about gold taps. It is about the view, the building and the people behind the desk. These are six hotels from Oslo to the Nærøy valley that we would book.
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The floorboards creak as you walk into the drawing room. The fire is lit, and through the window the mountainside drops straight into the fjord. Nobody asks if you need anything. That is luxury the Norwegian way: everything in its place and no fuss made about it.
We have chosen six hotels with a clear personality, three in the cities and three on the fjords. Each has a building with a story, personal service and a setting that makes the stay. We left out the big chain hotels where luxury mostly means a larger room.
Rates are high everywhere on this list, but they swing with season and day of the week. Fjord hotels are dearest in summer, city hotels often midweek when conferences are on. A Sunday in the city or a May visit to the fjords gives the best value, and a room with a view is worth paying for on the fjords.
Short answer: what are the best luxury hotels in Norway?
In the cities, Amerikalinjen in Oslo, Hotel Norge by Scandic in Bergen and Eilert Smith Hotel in Stavanger are the most interesting. On the fjords, we would book Hotel Union Øye, Hotel Brosundet in Ålesund and Stalheim Hotel.
Best in Oslo: Amerikalinjen
Best in Bergen: Hotel Norge by Scandic
Best for food: Eilert Smith Hotel
Best for romance: Hotel Union Øye
Best view: Stalheim Hotel
Amerikalinjen
The restaurant at Amerikalinjen in Oslo.
Luxury hotels in the cities
Norway's city hotels were long more practical than special. That has changed over the past decade, with more hotels in converted historic buildings and restaurants people travel for.
Choose your city hotel by how you want to spend the evening. If food and drinks come first, stay where the restaurant is. If you are going to concerts and the theatre, location matters more than the room. All three below are within walking distance of the station or airport bus, a luxury in itself in a rainy city.
Amerikalinjen: a shipping line headquarters by Oslo Central
Amerikalinjen occupies the former headquarters of the Norwegian America Line, the company that carried Norwegian emigrants across the Atlantic, right beside Oslo Central Station. The interiors borrow from the steamship era, with dark wood and brass, and there is a restaurant and several bars. It suits travellers who want a central base and an evening in the same building. Street-facing rooms can be lively at night, so ask for the courtyard side if you sleep lightly.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Amerikalinjen
Hotel Norge by Scandic
The restaurant at Hotel Norge in Bergen.
Hotel Norge by Scandic: Bergen's grand hotel by Festplassen
Hotel Norge overlooks Festplassen and the city park in Bergen and has been the city's grand hotel since the late nineteenth century. It reopened in 2018 after a full renovation, with new rooms, restaurants and a bar. Bryggen, the old Hanseatic wharf, and the fish market are a few minutes away on foot. Ask for a room facing the park and lake to see the hills from your bed.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Hotel Norge by Scandic
Eilert Smith Hotel
The lounge at Eilert Smith Hotel in Stavanger.
Eilert Smith Hotel: a small hotel with a big restaurant
Eilert Smith Hotel sits in a functionalist building by the harbour in Stavanger and has few enough rooms to feel like a private house. The restaurant in the same building is known far beyond the region, and the interiors are calm and Nordic, with oak and carefully chosen art. This is the hotel for people who travel to eat well. Book your table when you book the room.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Eilert Smith Hotel
Hotel Union Øye
The fireside lounge at Hotel Union Øye on the Norangsfjord.
Luxury hotels on the fjords
On the fjords, luxury means silence and space. The hotels are often old timber buildings, built for the tourists who arrived by steamship more than a century ago, and several are still family-run.
Allow plenty of time. Fjord hotels are far from the airports, and that is part of the point. Drive or take the ferry for the last stretch and you will arrive at the right pace. Rooms in the old buildings can be smaller than in new hotels and bathrooms simpler, but you gain lounges, verandas and a sense of history.
Hotel Union Øye: a timber hotel at the end of the Norangsfjord
Hotel Union Øye was built in 1891 at the head of the Norangsfjord in Sunnmøre, at the foot of the peaks of the Norangsdal valley. Its lounges are full of antiques and every room is decorated differently, with its own furniture and wallpaper. In the evening the fire is lit and the only sound is the waterfall. It is for couples who want to be far away, and a fine base for mountain walks.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Hotel Union Øye
Hotel Brosundet
Hotel Brosundet in Ålesund.
Hotel Brosundet: a harbour warehouse in Ålesund
Hotel Brosundet occupies an old warehouse on the canal in the middle of Ålesund, the Art Nouveau town, with water right below the windows. It also runs a single room inside the Molja lighthouse at the harbour entrance, one of the smallest hotel rooms in Norway. It is a good base for the Hjørundfjord and Geiranger as well as a weekend in town.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Hotel Brosundet
Stalheim Hotel
Stalheim Hotel above the Nærøy valley.
Stalheim Hotel: the view over the Nærøy valley
Stalheim Hotel stands on the edge of the Stalheimskleiva hairpin road, high above the Nærøy valley, with one of Norway's most famous views straight from the lounge. Gudvangen and the boats through the UNESCO-listed Nærøyfjord are a short drive below. The hotel opens seasonally, so check dates before planning. In the evening, once the coaches have gone, you have the terrace almost to yourself.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Stalheim Hotel
Good to know before you book
Fjord hotels are seasonal: several open only from spring to autumn. Check dates before you plan.
Book dinner early: at the hotels with well-known restaurants, tables go quickly at weekends.
City hotels are cheaper at weekends: in Oslo and Bergen, Friday to Sunday is often better value than midweek.
A car gives freedom: hiring a car is the easiest way to reach the fjord hotels, though ferries and buses run too.
Combine city and fjord: Stalheim is an easy trip from Bergen, and the Hjørundfjord from Ålesund. Three nights in town and two on a fjord is a good split.
Luxury hotels in Norway: frequently asked questions
What are the best luxury hotels in Oslo?
Amerikalinjen by Oslo Central Station is one of the most distinctive, and Sommerro and The Thief are good choices if a spa matters.
Which luxury hotels in Norway are on the fjords?
Hotel Union Øye on the Norangsfjord, Stalheim Hotel above the Nærøy valley and Hotel Brosundet in Ålesund are among the best.
Are Norway's luxury hotels open all year?
City hotels are, but several fjord hotels open only from spring to autumn.
What is a historic hotel in Norway?
Many fjord hotels were built for tourists in the late nineteenth century and have kept their timber buildings, lounges and period interiors.
When is the best time to stay at a fjord hotel?
May, June and September bring long days and fewer visitors than July and August. In spring there is still snow on the peaks and the waterfalls are at their fullest.