Oslo–Rjukan
210 km
The Kunstnerleden (Artists’ Trail) is a historic cultural trail spanning 210 kilometers, stretching from the Oslo Kunstforening—located in the city’s oldest building at Christiania Torv—to the Norwegian Trekking Association’s (DNT) first mountain lodge at Krokan, near the Rjukanfossen waterfall.
The hiking route follows the same path taken in the 19th century by early leisure travelers and Romantic-era artists arriving from Christiania, major European cities, and other parts of the world.
The project began in 2024 and is currently under further development.
The entire route is set up so that carrying a tent is unnecessary. Accommodation options along each stage include hotels, farms, DNT lodges, hostels, private rooms, municipal buildings, and Airbnb rentals.
Kunstnerleden consists of two routes. One crosses Blefjell and Hovin and is known as the Østruten (Eastern Route). The other crosses Kålidalen and the Gausta Plateau and is known as the Vestruten (Western Route). Vestruten is the route that has now been fully prepared and is ready for hikers.
All information regarding accommodation and other practical details for the Vestruten is already available in a free digital version of the hiking guide, which can be downloaded as a PDF from the Kunstnerleden website. The official printed guidebook will go on sale in the first half of July 2026.
Project updates are published regularly on the Kunstnerleden Facebook page and Instagram.