Kunstnerleden

Follow in the footsteps of artists, writers and early travellers on a journey from Oslo to Rjukan. Kunstnerleden, the Artists’ Trail, takes you through historic towns, cultural landscapes, forests and mountains, with art, history and nature as the common thread.

The route is inspired by the journeys of the 19th-century Romantic artists who travelled from Christiania (now Oslo) into Telemark in search of dramatic landscapes and inspiration. The spectacular Rjukanfossen waterfall and the towering Gaustatoppen attracted painters, writers and travellers from Norway and abroad. Among them were some of Norway’s most celebrated landscape painters, including J.C. Dahl, Johannes Flintoe and Thomas Fearnley. Their paintings helped introduce Norway’s landscapes to a wider European audience.

Kunstnerleden was originally developed as a walking trail. Our cycling route follows the same historical theme, with alternative sections where the walking trail is unsuitable for cycling.

The journey begins in Oslo and follows the Oslofjord towards Sandvika, where Claude Monet painted during the winter of 1895. Along the way, you can visit art museums, historic artists’ homes and cultural landmarks before continuing through Drammen to Kongsberg. From Kongsberg, you can choose between two routes to Rjukan. The western route passes through Tuddal and the mountain scenery around Gaustatoppen, while the eastern route takes you through forests, rural landscapes and along Lake Tinnsjøen. Both routes lead to Rjukan and continue to Krokan, near the historic Rjukanfossen waterfall. This was the destination of many early travellers and the site of the Norwegian Trekking Association’s first tourist cabin, established in 1868.

Kunstnerleden is a hilly route with a mixture of asphalt and gravel roads. Several accommodation options along the way allow you to plan the journey at your own pace, with time to explore the places and landscapes that inspired generations of artists.