How To Rent Cabins In Norway: Detailed 2023 Guide!

If you’re after an authentic Norwegian experience, then renting a cabin somewhere remote for a few days might be just what you need.

Norway and Norwegians have a unique cabin culture where we spend weekends and extended holidays in tiny cabins somewhere in the mountains or in the forest. Many families share a cabin, but it’s also possible to get an authentic experience by renting one as you need it (it is expensive to buy one after all).

There are multiple websites that facilitates both tourists and locals to rent cabins, with Finn.no and inatur.no being the two most popular options. Both have thousands of different cabins for rent, and you can easily book a few days in a remote cabin.

We’re going to take a closer look at how you can rent your own cabin when visiting Norway, giving you a true Norwegian adventure!

This article is going to be on-point with information about how to rent cabins, so if you’re after more general information about Norwegian cabin culture, then head over to our cabin culture guide to truly understand why Norwegians are obsessed over cabins!

Rent cabins in Norway from inatur.no

Inatur.no is a popular website for outdoor lovers, and they focus on renting out remote cabins, selling hunting permits, and selling fishing permits all over Norway. They have just over 1,300 cabins for rent right now, in both popular cabin areas, we well as super remote cabins in the middle of nowhere.

The actual website does not own any of the cabins, but rather functions much like Airbnb, but for Norwegian cabins.

I personally tend to rent cabins from inatur.no, so I’m a bit biased towards this service, but it’s my favorite for a reason.

Here’s how to find cabins to rent at iatnur.no:

1. Go to inatur.no’s main website.
2. Click on “Meny” in the top left corner.
3. Click on the button that reads “English” to make your life a bit easier.
4. Return to the main website and click on “Cabins“.
5. Find a cabin you like to rent, or click on “Filters” to narrow your search.
6. Choose your desired dates in the calender, and fill in your contact information.
7. Pay with a credit card, and you’re cabin is booked and ready!

I urge you to read all the information in the description at the cabins you want to rent, seeing as this typically includes details on how to get to the cabin, what amenities to expect and things like that.

One of the best things about inatur.no is that it is catered towards both Norwegians and tourists, so there’s no issues with payment, registering an account or booking the cabin as a foreigner without any Norwegian national IDs.

Rent cabins on Finn.no

Finn.no is the main go-to website for buying used items or renting anything (even renting apartments), and they also have an active cabin rental system in place. They currently have over 10,000 cabins to rent, but I personally find the term cabin to be much more loosely defined on Finn.no compared to what most people would consider cabins.

The price point varies, but I generally find cabins to be a tad more expensive on Finn.no compared to at inatur.no. However, you can absolutely find some great deals at Finn.no.

Here’s how to find cabins to rent on Finn.no:

1. Go to Finn.no’s main website.
2. Click on “Feriehus & hytter“.
3. Type in either “Norge” to get all Norwegian cabins, or a region you want to rent a cabin in (since Finn offers cabins all over the world).
4. Click on the “Søk” button.
5. Find a cabin that you want to rent, then get in touch with the person or company renting it out.

There are a few issues with Finn.no for tourists though. Some people have chosen to only allow logged in users to see their contact information or send them a message, which is a problem for tourists since you need a Norwegian national ID to make a Finn.no user.

The other issue is that Finn.no is only available in Norwegian. You can use Google Translate to get more information, but that’s far from perfect.

Finn.no is mainly marketed towards Norwegians, so you need some patience to use it as a tourist.

Brokers that rent out cabins in Norway

There are brokers that facilitate cabin rentals in Norway. These tend to focus on premium cabins in popular cabin areas (such as in ski towns), and can be a great option if you just want to rent a big, comfortable cabin close to ski tracks.

The price point and experience will be a bit different compared to renting a cabin in the middle of nowhere, but it can also be quite the nice experience in my opinion.

I can’t really recommend any brokers in this article, since they tend to focus on certain areas. So look for a cabin broker for the area or region you’re going to visit to find one.

Rent cabins at Airbnb

Airbnb operates in Norway, and there are lots of cabins up for rent at the website. I find it very difficult to differentiate between cabins and regular houses and apartments on their search engine, so you mostly need to browse the entire website to find the cabins.

I would personally not use Airbnb when searching for a cabin to rent in Norway, both from a user experience perspective as well as from a price point (I find Airbnb to have very high fees compared to the other options), but I’m sure that you can find a decent option there if you for some reason prefer to use it.

Rent a DNT Cabin

The Norwegian Trekking Association, mostly just referred to as DNT, is a big deal in Norway. They are the most popular outdoor association, and own many different cabins in some of Norway’s most sought after destinations. This includes cabins closer to Norway’s highest mountain Galdhøpiggen, cabins in the middle of Hardangervidda, or the popular cabin in Lysebotn (to begin the Kjerag hike).

The DNT Cabins are a bit different from regular cabins in Norway, seeing as they are open to the public. Members of the Norwegian Trekking Association can buy their own universal key to open all cabins, while everyone else is free to book a room at their cabins.

We’ve already written a detailed guide to booking a room at a DNT cabin, so take a look at that article for more information. However, the short summary of booking a DNT cabin is to:

1. Find the cabin at ut.no.
2. Click on “Bestill overnatting“.
3. Choose your desired date.
4. Fill in you contact information and pay with your credit card.

DNT also offers some cabins where you can drop in and spend the night without making a reservation, and pay when you arrive.

There’s few things as uniquely Norwegian as staying a night or two at a DNT Cabin, but keep in mind that it’s very different from renting an entire cabin for yourself.

You only rent a certain number of beds in the DNT Cabins. You are expected to be social with other guests, and offer your bed if children or families arrive. You won’t have much, if any, privacy at most DNT Cabins, so be prepared for a social experience.