Norwegians come here for the summer to enjoy the boating life, but Arendal is a bit of a well-kept secret as far as the rest of the world is concerned. (No fjords here!)

There are three main airports you can fly into:

• Oslo Gardemoen (OSL): a 4-hr drive to Arendal

• Sandefjord/Torp (TRF): a 2.5-hr drive to Arendal

• Kristiansand (KRS): a 50-min drive to Arendal

There are very comfortable bus services from each of these airports (we tend to book Vy.no, but NorWay and others also seem to work well). There is also a train option if you’re coming from Oslo - just look out for how long the transfer in Nelaug is.

On the Arendal side:

• By train, you will arrive at Arendal station, a 5-min walk from town (if you walk through the tunnel - it is 30-min if you walk up and around as Google Maps sometimes suggests!).

• By bus, you get into Harebakken, a 5-min cab ride from town.

Driving is fairly easy around here, if you’re comfortable driving on the right side of the road!

Arendal is a small town: walking, ferries, public transport or the occasional cab can get you a long way.

• Download the AKT app to buy your bus tickets

• 07000 is the number for taxis, and you can also download the app to book a ride (no Uber here!)

• Download Voi for e-scooters

• If you’re in an Airbnb on one of the islands, or coming over to Kolbjørnsvik (where we live), the ferries leave from in front of the Clarion hotel (but no ferries on Sundays!)

That being said, to check out the local coastline and nearby towns or trails as we’ve suggested in our local recs page (coming soon!), a rental car may be best!

If you don’t have a car, staying in town might be the easiest option, unless you’re happy taking cabs when the ferry/bus isn’t running.

We recommend booking early: while the real crowds only arrive in July, this is the first weekend of the school holidays, so Norwegians are starting to trickle in!

Airbnb: we’ve put together a list of the top Airbnbs that seem to be in particularly good locations here - of course we haven’t tried them so do your due diligence! The ones in the list are often for bigger groups if you’d like to get a big place to share with others, but will give you a sense of the area.

Hotels:

• Clarion Hotel Tyholmen: one of the oldest hotels in town, it has the best views over the water - we’ve got a 15% discount if you contact them at cl.tyholmen@strawberry.no or call +47 37076800 to book, and say “Sophie&Alf2026” (and please let us know if you have any trouble or if they need a nudge from our side!)

• Hotell Arendal: the cheapest option (and the tiniest, depending on which room you pick) but also the newest in town, so has decent amenities

The 21st of June is the summer solstice… and we’re really hoping it shows! Arendal on a sunny day is unmatched.

However, it is still Norway, so we’ll also be prepared for rain, wind, hail, and everything in between (… snow would be surprising).

For the wedding: the ceremony will be outdoors, but dinner and dancing will be inside as the night gets cooler.

For the rest of your trip: bring your swimsuits, going for a dip along the coast is a must!

Some of you will need a visa to enter Norway. Norway is a part of the Schengen zone, so if you have a Schengen visa, you are good.

You can find more information on the UDI website. Please let us know if an invitation letter would be helpful!

You are our gift.

We mean it. We are so, so grateful that you are joining us to celebrate together (from near or from very far!) - this is the greatest blessing and gift of all, and we have no expectation whatsoever of any other gifts. A heartfelt card from you will mean the world to us!

However, some of you are very generously insisting on seeing a registry. If this is something you want to do, we have listed here some options to contribute. If you are looking to give a hongbao, there will be a wishing well at the wedding dinner 🧧

You can also find the dress codes here and local recommendations for your exploring around Arendal and Norway here. ❤️