The Winter Wonderland on Earth
Have you ever wondered if the winter wonderland truly exists somewhere in the world? We’ve all seen those beautiful pictures on a calendar or heard some lyrics from a song, usually a carol, like “Snow is Glistening, a Beautiful Sight” from Winter Wonderland by Michael Buble. When I was a kid, I imagined an endless beautiful field, mountain, and frozen water covered in soft white snow. In the daytime, everything is so bright and sparkly, and it will all be so dark and quiet when the night comes – the only thing that has lights are the stars and the moon, and perhaps the lights from the wooden cabins.
To my surprise, it was an existing place in the world like that. There might be a lot of them on this planet, but I surely found one. So if you’ve also been looking for a winter wonderland or are now intrigued to experience one, look no further – Rjukan in Norway – a beautiful village with the Gautstatoppen mountain is the closest to the winter wonderland I imagined.
A little about Rhukan, Norway
Rjukan is a twon in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. It is a small and long town between steep mountainsides with about 3,000 inhabitants as of January 2022. Although small, it is listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List and is known as one of the most loved travel destinations and holiday houses in Norway. It is well-known for the mountain Gaustatoppen, which is often referred to as the most beautiful mountain in Norway and you can see approximately 1/6 of the whole of Norway!
Gaustatoppen, Rjukan in the winter
When I was in Rjukan, I could see this majestic mountain almost anywhere and that gave such a unique characteristic to the city. Surrounded by many bodies of water and has a flat top while being 1883m high, it asserts its presence from almost every point. And every season, it has an ever-changing beauty throughout. Winter, in particular, has a special magic upon Gaustatoppen. The mountain’s silhouette against the winter sky creates a stark and awe-inspiring contrast. The snow-covered peaks reminded me a little of the mountain Fuji in Japan.
I stayed for two nights and three days in this wonderful town in a resort/modern cabin with my husband and his family, and it was by far one of the most beautiful trips I’ve ever taken. Let me tell you a few things you could do in Rjukan during winter, although there are endless ways to spend your time in the magnificent mountain village. The time passed by so quickly for us, so we couldn’t do all of it but here are some of the most popular things you could do in Rjukan!
6 Things to do in Rjukan, Norway in the winter
1. Staying at a cabin with a Gaustatoppen view
First and foremost, staying at a cabin or a resort is something that I highly recommend to savor everything that Rjukan has to offer. There were so many different choices you could choose from – a little old Norwegian traditional wooden cabin where you can feel the history, a mountain lodge where you can submerge yourself in the wilderness, an apartment, or a hotel if you prefer to stay somewhere modern – you’ll be able to find something you like.
We chose to stay in a cabin at a resort, and it was like experiencing the best of both worlds – it was a newly built modern cabin with floor heating, large windows with an overview of the whole Rjukan village and the mountain Gaustatoppen, clean and modern kitchen with two spacious bathrooms, a fireplace with clear windows on two sides. But it kept the cabin cozy and had a traditional cabin feeling by having a wooden floor, walls, and ceiling. The interior was tastefully done by using darker tones and natural materials to keep the house calm and cozy.
To stay in the coziest wooden cabin with people that I love is one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.
You can search all the accommodations around the Gaustatoppen mountain here on the Gausta website.
This was the view from the cabin where we stayed.
2. Krossobanen Cable Car
Krossobanen cable car is one of the cable cars that has the longest history in Norway – it has been in operation since 1928! The route goes between the valley station in Rjukan and the mountain station at Gvepseborg. The journey takes approximately five minutes, covering a vertical distance of about 550 meters. As the mountain valley is so deep, you can see stunning panoramic views of the town of Rjukan, the surrounding mountains, and the beautiful Lake Tinn. They do an operation check once in a while, and the weekend we were there was the time they were doing it! So that means we have to come back to ride this Krossobanen cable car 🙂 I’m hoping to come back here this summer with my family.
You can see the whole downhill ski track above the mountain.
3. Downhill ski | Gausta Ski resort
Rjukan offers opportunities for both cross-country skiing and downhill skiing. There’s a Gaustablikk Ski Resort located nearby and it is one of the largest ski resorts in Norway. As it is situated on the other side of the Gaustatoppen mountain, you can ski while looking at the majestic view of the mountain. There are different levels offered by the Ski resort, so you could try this Ski with the scenic surroundings with your friends and family.
4. Cross-country ski around Gustatoppen
I find cross-country skiing quite close to Norwegian culture. It’s like walking in the snow with skis on, to put it simply. Rjukan and the surrounding Telemark region are known for their excellent cross-country skiing opportunities. There are numerous well-maintained trails that even Norwegian toddlers walk on! One of the most adorable sites is kids and dogs on the skiing trail. Some people go cross-country skiing with their dogs on the leash too. The trails wind through picturesque landscapes, offering a delightful winter experience.
5. Going for a walk in the snow
Last but not least, walking in the snow in Rjukan can be an unforgettable experience.
Cross-country ski trail
There’s a hike to the top of the Gaustatoppen that is 4.3 kilometers long, but we decided to leave that for next time in the summer. Instead, we decided to look around and went for a walk around the cabin we were staying at because it was already breathtakingly beautiful! It was an easy walk for my mother-in-law as well. We also went for a little walk through the cross-country ski trail.
On our first day in Rjukan, we had the most clear and beautiful sky so we were able to see the endless sight of a snow-covered world and it felt like an unworldly experience. In the morning, I woke up with this stunning sunrise with a pink and orange sky with Gaustatoppen mountain and Rjukan village overview. I saw lots of trees covered in snow, glistening by sunlight. There was a little animal’s footprint on the snow field – I assume it was a deer or some sort. After breakfast, as we opened the front door to go for a walk, the cold, crisp, clean air just went through our noses. It gave me an instant energy to go for a walk.
Hiking trail in the snow
Walking in the snow with a Rjukan mountain following us everywhere as a vantage point gave me a full “mindful” experience. I was there, fully enjoying and savoring the moment. I didn’t think about anything else; just walked in the snow with my family, listening to the crisp sound of the snow as we walked, breathing in clear air, watching people skiing with their families, and occasionally taking pictures of the beautiful nature.
Going for a walk at night
We went for another walk in the snow at night. And it was yet another outstanding and peaceful experience. The whole sky was covered in fog or clouds, creating an ethereal and surreal ambiance.
While everything else was so dark except the light from the cabins and the streets, the white cloud that covered the whole sky brightened up the village. I’ve never seen such clouds that were so close to the ground that they could light up the ground – but Gaustatoppen has an altitude of 1883m and we were at about 1000m, so that could explain why.
We brought our flashlight so all we saw were the cabin lights, lights on the street, and right in front of us. When the snow was hit by our flashlight, it was sparkling like dazzling diamonds. It made me imagine myself walking on the field of diamonds! After the walk in the snow at night, all of us slept so well.
Misty landscape
On the third day morning at Rjukan, it was a totally different experience from the second day we had. The mountain wore a cloak of mist and fog followed by the night before and it had a mystical feeling. We went for a walk at Rjukan village, and it was a very interesting mountain trail to go for a drive down into the village. We saw several UNESCO architecture including Rjukan Kirke, translated as Rjukan Church.
Experience the Winter Wonderland
We spent a few days in a cabin with a view of Gaustatoppen for my mother-in-law’s birthday. As my family-in-law is Korean-Norwegian, I wanted to have a Korean birthday dinner together. So my husband and I prepared some birthday dinner for her! We are all from a southern city of South Korea called Daegu, and it is a regional tradition to have some seaweed soup Miyeok-guk, and rice with azuki beans on birthdays. Read my blog post about Miyeok-guk and how to make it. We spent one evening cooking some cozy little birthday dinner; We had a fireplace on, put on some beautiful piano in the background, baked a rice cake as her birthday cake, and celebrated her birthday.
I have been very busy lately, and so holding a birthday party at a cabin so we could all spend time together seemed like a perfect idea. And it was. All these activities we did together at the cabin became a memory that I will cherish. I felt like I just got the rest and novelty that I really needed at the time. I could definitely understand why Rjukan was a popular resort and holiday house destination. I need to come back to Gaustatoppen every season to see how beautiful it is in each season. You can learn more about it here on the Visit Telemark website.
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