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Reconnect With Nature in These Breathtaking Scandinavian Hotels

Even if you do not actively seek it out, it is difficult to avoid nature in Scandinavia. On a typical summer weekend, Stockholm residents flock to the archipelago’s tranquil islands. Every city in Norway has easy access to idyllic islands or forest trails.

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However, if you want to actively seek out nature experiences, the majority of advice suggests donning a backpack, pitching a tent, or staying in a simple log cabin. Although it is an enjoyable way to explore Scandinavia, it is not everyone’s idea of a relaxing vacation.

Ambitious Scandinavians have found a solution by erecting a handful of treehouse hotels throughout the region’s many forested areas. Because of their elevated profile, such accommodations retain privacy despite having floor-to-ceiling windows.

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The natural forest setting allows for romantic forest walks and birdsong alarm clocks, all with a luxurious touch. There are few better ways to reconnect with nature without giving up all of the modern conveniences.

Treehouse accommodations are more akin to managed Norwegian mountain cabins than traditional hotels. While the amenities range from basic to luxurious, they all offer breathtaking views and up-close encounters with nature. The number of treehouse hotels in Scandinavia has increased dramatically in recent years. Here’s a list of some of the best.

Treehotel, Sweden

The Biosphere, surrounded by bird boxes, is the most recent stunning addition to Sweden’s Treehotel. Group Bjarke Ingels (BIG)

Seven Scandinavian architects have now contributed to Sweden’s Treehotel’s diverse accommodation. The bird’s nest, a mirrored cube, the Snhetta-designed charred timber cabin, and the stunning Biosphere are all highlights.

The the Snøhetta-designed charred timber cabin at the Treehotel in Northern Sweden.

The Biosphere, designed by Danish architects BIG, offers suspended accommodation for two people surrounded by more than 300 birdboxes. What is the goal? According to the architects, the goal is to “To decrease the downward spiral of the bird population in the Swedish woods and instead strengthen the biosphere and natural habitat.”

The mirrorcube room at the Treehotel in Northern Sweden. Photo: Universal Images/Getty Images

Treehotel is located in an Arctic forest about an hour’s drive from Lule, Northern Sweden. The treehouse hotel’s prices are on the high side, but this is a true destination experience for luxury travelers. Among the activities available are dog sledding and ice fishing.

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Urnatur, Sweden

The Urnatur retreat’s camouflaged treehouses, log cabins, and fireside communal areas feel more like a Tolkein-inspired fantasy world than real-life lodging.

Each of the four treehouses and six log cabins is unique in its own way. Anchored in ten pine trees, the ‘Big Raven Nest’ is the crown jewel, accommodating six people with a comfortable lounge, wood burner fire, and pond-view balcony.

Woodnest, Norway

The Woodnest offers small cabins on a forested hillside with views of a Norwegian fjord. Photo: Sindre Ellingsen

Woodnest‘s gorgeous pine cone design reflects the natural beauty of the area and allows the cabins to lodge naturally in the trees with very little artificial support. Despite their small size, each cabin has four beds, a flushing toilet, a kitchenette, and a bathroom with a flushing toilet and a shower.

These two small yet luxurious treetop cabins have quickly established themselves as the best places to stay in and around Odda, the gateway to Norway’s Trolltunga hiking trail, with a wonderful view across the Srfjord.

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Treetop Fiddan, Norway

Built in old pine trees along a moose path on the shores of Lake Svartevann, this wooden treehouse is nestled among the trees.

The rustic architecture of these cabins overlooking a lake in southern Norway, built on top of ancient pine trees, is so convincing that it is difficult to believe they are only a few years old. Treetop Fiddan‘s location away from roads and other people ensures peace and quiet, so much so that moose and deer frequent the area.

The ‘Wilderness Tower’ is a family-sized accommodation that collects rainwater on the roof and uses it in the kitchen and bathroom. Guests can make a bird box or a toy boat in the workshop, and the hot tub with lake views adds a touch of luxury. The host provides drinking water from a nearby farm.

Juvet Landscape Hotel, Norway

The Juvet Landscape Hotel is located in the woods of Western Norway, close to the popular tourist destination of Geirangerfjord.

Despite its location on the popular Trollstigen-Geiranger tourist route, Norway’s Juvet landscape hotel is hidden away from the road in a spectacular woodland setting. While not treehouses, the hotel is very similar to the other accommodations mentioned above.

One of the hotel’s buildings is architecturally stunning and served as the setting for the home in the sci-fi film Ex Machina. The architects Jensen & Skodvin wanted to create a hotel that would exist in harmony with its landscape rather than intrude on nature, as is common with many treehouse hotels.

There are seven small cubes on stilts with floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the forest or river, as well as two ‘bird houses’ set on steep slopes high above the other rooms.

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