Arendal Things to Do

See other Nelaug tips.
There is a map of the lake put up on a board down by the lake for canoers hiring at the station. Better bring your own map to sort out the hooks and crannies of this lake and the Nidelv river. Hard to see on this photo, but at least it give you a sense of the complexity of the lake. The black line on the north-north-eastern shore is the railway, and Nelaug station is at the narrow part of the lake, lower centre.

Nelaug is a great place for canoeing, biking, hiking and more. You can rent a bike, bring it on the train and ride back down to Arendal on a marked trail. Or rent a canoe at Nelaug railway station. See my Nelaug page.

The trip itself is worth going; enjoy the scenery and look at the old dams along the route.

Outside of Arendal on one of the islands is the little well-maintained ex-fishing community of Merdø. Nice walks among whitepainted quaint houses. Swim in the ocean. Easy access from Arendal harbour. Well worth a visit!

This being the bible heartland of Norway, no wonder the churches are prominent features of the south coast towns. The Arendal one was nice from the outside. Did not go in; there was some construction work going on around the entrance.

Most such events seem to be held inside and outside of the House of Culture (Kulturhuset) in the centre of Arendal. How they come up with the idea of building this monstreous architecture in this quaint town I do not understand, but here it is. Certainly cannot miss this one.

Every harbour city in Norway of some decency serves fresh shrimps in a paper bag for eating on the quayside. Arendal does, too. Look for this sign (photo) and go in - this was at Fiskebrygga, Pollen bay - and check them out.

Hot tips for interrailers:
At the station where the Arendal branch line takes off from Sørlandsbanen line, the station master at Nelaug station doesn't have too much to do. He doesn't even sell tickets.

But he does rent out canoes. A train box car full! Couldn't believe my eyes when I crossed the tracks to see the nearby lake. 12 canoes stacked into the boxcar, a small poster on a tree near the nice put-in place saying "Canoe hire. Wash off the canoes after use and put them back in." The station master handles this, and the cost wasn't much. Break your journey here on the Oslo-Kristiansand/Stavanger line, or come up from Arendal and go see the station master for a good wilderness canoeing experience. When finished, go back on the next train....

Checking out the other passer-byes at the Pollen bay appears to be THE thing to do in Arendal. This is during summer. And, admittedly, that is one heck of a fine activity here.

According to local legend, during the rest of the year, most of the activity is concentrated around a french fries/hot dog stand a bit up from Pollen. A stand-up-comedian cum TV entertainer of Norwegian fame (hmmm, does this say much?) was picked up from here and brought Arendal's mid-90es racism and insularity and oddity to light.