9. Traditional Hyttas

The hytta is tradionally a simple but tastefully built holiday cabin in a remote area, and the majority of Norwegians have one in the family, and if not, at least access to one. Since there are many lakes and fjords, many of the hyttas are reachable only by water, and others are near ski areas in the mountains, usually without a road to the door, so some packing and hiking is involved. Many don’t have electricity either.

The idea is to get away from the business and stress of town life and noise of traffic and power tools, and to relax in a beautiful setting with the family by going out on a boat, hiking, skiing, cooking together, reading, or just hanging out in front of the wood stove talking. There has been a trend lately toward the “bigger than yours” type of construction, but public opinion is largely against this kind of vulgarity and the majority remain simple and natural.