DoaluKnow the place before you book.
Still freshwater lake mirroring pine hills, with reeds, lily pads, a wooden jetty and a moored rowing boat.

Experience · Norway

Lakes in Norway

Norway's lakes hold records quietly: Mjøsa, the country's largest, spreads below Hamar; Hornindalsvatnet, Europe's deepest, lies by Nordfjordeid. Both sit beside small towns. Rjukan threads its valley floor between the lakes Møsvatn and Tinnsjå, Ørje keeps the canal museum of the Haldenvassdraget, and Voss gathers around Vossevangen between lake and fell.

Where to stay →

Best places to stay for lakes

Ranked by global recognition — how widely each place is read about across Wikipedia's language editions. Never paid placement, prices, or reviews.

Kirkenes

Kirkenes

Finnmark · NorwayKirkenes is a border port in Sør-Varanger, near the Russian frontier in northern Norway.Where to stay →Aerial view of Rjukan strung along the valley floor of steep, forested Vestfjorddalen in Telemark

Rjukan

Telemark · NorwayRjukan is a hydropower town deep in the Vestfjorddalen valley of Telemark, built from scratch in 1908 by Sam Eyde.Where to stay →Aerial view of Hamar, Norway, the lakeside town and its waterfront railway yards along Lake Mjøsa under a blue sky

Hamar

Innlandet · NorwayHamar is a town on Mjøsa in the southern part of Innlandet, south-eastern Norway (Østlandet), the old seat of the Hedmarken district.Where to stay →Aerial view of Nordfjordeid, Norway, its harbour and river delta beside a fjord below forested mountains

Nordfjordeid

Vestland · NorwayNordfjordeid is the administrative centre of Stad Municipality in western Norway, set at the head of Eidsfjorden in the Nordfjord region.Where to stay →Snowy ski slopes, a lift and wooden lodges of Beitostølen, Norway, below forested hills and distant snow-capped mountains

Beitostølen

Innlandet · NorwayBeitostølen is a high mountain village in Øystre Slidre, on the southern edge of the Valdresflye plateau in Innlandet.Where to stay →Winter view over Voss and Vangsvatnet lake from the Voss gondola, with snow-covered town and mountains.

Voss

Vestland · NorwayVoss is an inland town around the centre of Vossevangen, in the southern part of Vestland.Where to stay →Elevated view of Ørje with its river dam, colourful timber houses and lake amid Østfold's forests.

Ørje

Østfold · NorwayØrje is a canal village and seat of Marker in Østfold, in south-eastern Norway (Østlandet).Where to stay →Gjøvik's white historic manor house with red-trimmed windows and a tiled roof amid autumn trees and lawns.

Gjøvik

Innlandet · NorwayGjøvik sits on the western shore of Mjøsa in Innlandet, a lakeside town in south-eastern Norway.Where to stay →Ålgård nestled in a green valley, red-roofed houses spread below forested hills with a lake and mountains beyond

Ålgård

Rogaland · NorwayÅlgård is the centre of Gjesdal in Rogaland, in the southern part of the county, in western Norway.Where to stay →Elevated view over Moi, Norway, a village beside the long Lundevatnet lake in a forested valley ringed by green hills.

Moi

Rogaland · NorwayMoi is the centre of Lund municipality in the south-eastern part of Rogaland, western Norway (Vestlandet).Where to stay →The wood-clad village centre of Bjørkelangen with a pedestrian crossing and forested hills behind.

Bjørkelangen

Akershus · NorwayBjørkelangen is the administrative seat of Aurskog-Høland in the south-eastern part of Akershus, a lake-edge village in south-eastern Norway.Where to stay →Elevated view of Gaupne, Norway, a valley village ringed by snow-capped mountains and green farmland.

Gaupne

Vestland · NorwayGaupne is the centre of Luster Municipality in western Norway, set on the Gaupnefjorden where it branches off the Lustrafjorden.Where to stay →
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Common questions

What should a lake base offer?

Direct shore access, swimmable water, and something to do on it — rowing, paddling, or a passenger boat. Lakes reward slow trips, so the base town matters more than the sights list: groceries, an evening walk, and the water at the end of it.