Dalen Hotel is one of Norway’s most iconic hotels – a dragon-styled “fairy-tale castle” of turrets and spires that has enchanted guests since 1894. Tucked at the end of the Telemark Canal and surrounded by steep mountains, forests, and the tranquil Bandak Lake, Dalen offers a journey back to the Belle Époque in an awe-inspiring natural setting. The hotel’s rich history includes hosting European royals and aristocrats during its heyday; today, after loving restoration, it retains all its 19th-century grandeur while embracing sustainability and modern comfort. The 49 guest rooms are individually decorated in romantic style – think four-poster beds, gilded mirrors, tapestries, and vintage travel trunks – but now also feature amenities like heated bathroom floors and energy-efficient lighting (discreetly installed to preserve the period ambience). Dalen Hotel is deeply committed to preserving both cultural and natural heritage. The hotel is an Eco-Lighthouse certified business working to minimize its footprint. All electricity comes from Norway’s renewable hydro power, and a new energy system pumps geothermal heat from the earth beneath the hotel to warm it in winter. Single-use plastics have been eliminated; glass bottles and refillable dispensers are used for toiletries, and waste is meticulously recycled. The hotel’s culinary program revolves around local, organic sourcing: the kitchen grows herbs and greens in its own gardens and collaborates with Telemark farms for organic lamb, freshwater fish, and seasonal produce. In the historic dining room – all oak panelling and flickering candlelight – guests savor a daily-changing five-course menu of Norwegian and French classics, perhaps featuring wild mushroom soup, pan-fried trout from a nearby river, and cloudberry sorbet, each course paired with biodynamic wines. To reduce food miles, even the butter and cheeses come from a local dairy, and leftovers become biogas or animal feed via a regional initiative. Dalen Hotel also invests in its community: it employs mainly local staff (many in their family’s second or third generation at the hotel) and supports craftsmen who maintain the intricate wood carvings and dragon heads that adorn the eaves. Activities at Dalen immerse guests in nature and culture with a sustainable twist. You can arrive via the vintage MS Henrik Ibsen canal boat – a zero-emission electric ship gliding down the Telemark Canal to the hotel’s private pier. The hotel offers free bikes for guests to explore local villages, guided hikes to hidden waterfalls, and rowing on the lake with an electric motorboat. After adventures, unwind in the hotel’s lakeside spa area where a wood-fired sauna and open-air hot tub await under the stars. Storytelling is a cherished tradition at Dalen: each evening by the grand fireplace, staff share legends of the hotel’s resident “gentle spirit” (rumored to be a friendly ghost of a chambermaid) and tales of dignitaries who visited over the last 130 years. Blending old-world charm with forward-looking responsibility, Dalen Hotel invites you to experience a slice of Norwegian history – in the most enchanting and environmentally conscious way.