Full-board accommodation based on a family room or double room plus an additional bed

All meals; breakfast, packed lunch, and dinner

Host to organise a daily itinerary

Three half days of cross-country instruction with a qualified BASI Nordic Instructor

All equipment inc. sledges, snowshoes, ski rental & grip waxes

Guided snowshoe tour

Horse sleigh ride to a traditional 'lavvu' with open fire

Husky dog sledging and talk

Free use of the hotel sauna, and gym plus 2 yoga classes

Free use of the ski trails, no pass required

Treasure Hunt or Easter Egg Hunt depending on the season

New Year Concert or Easter Celebrations depending on the season

Hotel activities: table football, pool, board games, shuffleboard and darts

1x transfer to or from Ringebu station.

1x transfer to or from Oslo Airport.

Flights

Insurance

Venabu Fjellhotel - massage

Any alcoholic drinks and beverages

Train travel from Ringebu to Oslo, and Oslo to Ringebu if not using the hotel bus

Swimming Pool Entry: 4-14 yrs 70 NOK, adults 140 NOK, towels 35 NOK

We will meet on day 1 of the itinerary at the Venabu Fjellhotel.

Depending on which departure is booked, you should be able to take advantage of one airport/train station transfer, but the train will need to be booked in the other direction.

Flights and trains are both fairly straightforward from continental Europe/UK so we have detailed our transfer information to consider both air and rail travel to and from Oslo Gardermoen Airport/Train Station.

Airport Transfer

The airport-to-hotel transfer bus operates on Saturdays leaving Venabu at 0915hrs, aiming to be at Oslo Gardermoen Airport for 1300hrs. It will wait until 1400hrs before returning to the hotel for the early evening, so plan your arrival to Oslo Gardermoen for before 1400 to take advantage of this service. The baggage reclaim in the airport is efficient so should only take around 30 mins to one hour to exit and meet the bus after landing. For New Year, this opportunity is available on the arrival day, and at Easter, this is on the departure day.

Train/Taxi from Oslo

On the opposing arrival/departure day, depending on the trip date booked, it is most convenient to reach the hotel from Oslo via train to Ringebu, a sub-three-hour journey through the beautiful Norwegian countryside.

At New Year, you will be dropped off at Ringebu by hotel staff in time for a train to Oslo Gardermoen Airport leaving Ringebu at 1209 hrs and arriving at 1432 hrs.

At Easter, you can catch the train from Oslo Gardermoen at 1429hrs, arriving at Ringebu at 1654hrs. Upon arrival at Ringebu station, you will be met and transferred to the hotel by taxi.

On departure day if you need to catch an AM flight/earlier connecting train, it is worth noting that there is also a train that is expected to depart Ringebu at 0629 hrs, arriving at Oslo airport at 0901 hrs, but transfers to meet with this train will incur an extra fee to be paid directly to the hotel.

For booking your train travel we recommend you use Vy.no, an online ticketing service. Tickets are only made available 3 months in advance.

All meals are included from dinner on day 1 to breakfast on day 7.

Water from the taps is perfectly drinkable on this holiday - please use this to fill your personal bottles for your daily activities. We do not encourage the purchase of single-use plastic bottles.

The food is plentiful and varied on this trip. Breakfast is normally a buffet with a large range of food on offer with more than enough interesting items to prepare a tasty sandwich. We have opted for ‘self-made’ packed lunches every day so we have complete flexibility with plans for our day; lunches are made from the breakfast buffet, in the Norwegian tradition – a chance to experiment with all sorts of tasty sandwich fillings! You will be supplied with paper to wrap them in. You can also ask to have a thermos flask filled with a hot drink. On some of the days at Venabu, we may return for a late sit-down lunch in the restaurant, although this will depend on our ski plans for the day. Dinner is served at approximately 6.30 pm each evening and consists of a three-course meal of local and traditional fare, as well as regular European staples. There are children’s menus, and vegetarian menus available every evening, too. Traditional options include venison and reindeer, trout dishes, and for dessert, cloudberry and blueberry pies.

Any dietary requirements notified at time of booking will be happily catered for.

Your accommodation will be at the Venabu Fjellhotel which is built in the typical Norwegian style. It is a family-run establishment, affording you a very relaxed and hospitable atmosphere. Venabu Fjellhotel is also Eco-Certified, receiving an award from the Norwegian Government, which recognises the work the hotel is doing towards becoming a sustainable destination.

The hotel comprises a main building with two wings both providing double and family rooms. There are also several cabins within the grounds that we have the option to book also, for no extra fee. These are mostly 3 berth rooms or doubles, but larger families may be situated in these too, depending on availability. They are beautiful buildings, decorated in traditional style, and including a sitting room, fireplace and kitchenette. All rooms are en suite with shower, and toilet, and are non-smoking. Whether main building or cabin, these will be charged at the same rate.

Single rooms are available on request but will incur a supplementary fee. We recommend booking as early as possible to secure a single room as these are always limited in number. Please contact us for further details.

Cross-country instruction by an English-speaking local qualified BASI Nordic Instructor. Instructor to guest ratio = 1:8.

All other activities are led by English-speaking local guides.

On this centre-based trip, you will be staying at a hotel with the option to spend on a card for the entirety of your stay. However, you may wish to pay cash on your way to or from the destination, where we recommend carrying some money in the local currency, Norwegian Krone. Expenditure for the trip will likely be around £200 for the average family. This should be sufficient to cover miscellaneous expenses, drinks and souvenir purchases. We recommend you take debit/credit cards to use whilst in Norway, as it is largely a cashless economy.

You are under no pressure to tip the guides during this holiday. Tipping is the accepted way of saying thank you to your activity provider and is entirely voluntary.

There are various outdoor and indoor activities available at Venabu Fjellhotel. You can use the sauna for free, and the hotel gym. Massages can be booked as extra. If you want a day out you could ask the hotel to arrange a transfer to Ringebu station and travel to the Olympic town of Lillehammer for the day.  Please note that optional activities are not included in your trip fee, and can be booked and paid for directly with the hotel. Many of our guests find that the only optional activity they find time to do is to relax for hours by the lounge fire enjoying the free tea and coffee facilities! 

For this holiday you should take one piece of luggage and a daypack. Luggage with wheels is useful for this holiday. For international flights please check your baggage allowance with your airline.

For each holiday there is a minimum number of participants required to enable it to go ahead. Once the minimum number is reached, the trip status will change from 'Available' to 'Guaranteed to run'. You can check the trip status for each departure in the ‘Dates and Prices’ table. Other than in exceptional circumstances, we will not cancel a trip once it has achieved this guaranteed to run status so you are free to proceed with your international flight booking and other travel arrangements.

For each holiday there is a minimum number of participants required to enable it to go ahead. Once the minimum number is reached, the trip status will change from 'Available' to 'Guaranteed to run'. You can check the trip status for each departure in ‘Dates and Prices’ table. Other than in exceptional circumstances, we will not cancel a trip once it has achieved this guaranteed to run status and so you are free to proceed with your international flight booking and other travel arrangements.