Kayak and SUP rentals

Kayak
Enjoy a wonderful experience of the sea and the archipelago in a kayak. In kayaking you have the opportunity to paddle into narrow straits and discover special places. In addition, it is good training to paddle in a kayak.

Age: Must be over 16 years old or accompanied by an adult. Having a wet cards is highly recommended.
Place: You can pick up the kayak at entrance at Fredriksvern Verft. From there it is only 100 meters to the water.

SUP
Paddling on a Stand Up Paddleboard is a great way to get out on the water. Enjoy the freedom of movement and relaxation you get from paddling on a SUP, while you get good training in the core muscle. The boards are stable, so you do not have to be afraid to play on the board,

Age: Must be over 16 years old or accompanied by an adult.
Place: The boards can be picked up and paddled straight out from Galeien at Fredriksvern Verft.

Ellings – Festiviteten

In the café you can enjoy a good lunch, delicious dinner, barista coffee or something else good by the glass. You can find the menu on the Facebook page. Every Wednesday pork & dip is served.

In the backyard you will find a separate oasis, the Festival Garden with seating for 150 people. In the summer season there is a separate outdoor bar, outdoor kitchen and pergola. Here you can enjoy good food and drink in the summer. On the plateau "Usikten" you can enjoy a view of the Larviksfjorden and the evening sun until it sets.

Festiviteten

Festiviteten is centrally located on Storgata in Larvik and can offer great meeting rooms from 2 to 130 people. The premises have modern technical equipment. Ellings serves you everything you want and Festiviteten will be happy to make suggestions for you to tailor a great meeting. You choose whether you want to eat in the café or in the banquet hall. The festival has day packages and evening packages that include everything you need for a successful day.

The banquet hall
The venerable banquet hall has been painstakingly recreated from the splendor of the past. There are many possibilities here. In the banquet hall there is plenty of space for meetings, conferences and events.

Office and meeting room
Do you want to rent office space? Festiviteten also offers the rental of modern office space with a historic buzz. With its own host, Festiviteten ensures that you can concentrate on your work and spend less time on other things.

Ellings 
In the café you can enjoy a good lunch, barista coffee or something else good in your glass. See Elling's for more information and opening times.

Festivitetshagen
In Festivitetshagen you can enjoy good food and drink in tropical surroundings. Here there is seating for 150 people, a separate outdoor bar, outdoor kitchen and pergola. On the plateau "Usikten" you can enjoy a view of Larviksfjorden and the evening sun until it sets.

About Festiviteten
The original building has a history dating back to 1793 as a private residence, and after almost 100 years it was rebuilt and inaugurated as a party and assembly hall in 1874. After nearly 140 years as a party and assembly hall, theater, town hall and room for numerous cultural events, it has with impressive work given new life as Gjenbrukshuset Festiviteten, rehabilitated as much as possible with recycled materials and furniture.

One of Larvik's honorary citizens Ingvar Ambjørnsen grew up on the slopes behind Festiviteten, and the cafe "Ellings" is named after one of the novel characters Elling in one of Ambjørnsen's books.

Festiviteten, as it appears today, was officially opened for Larvik's 350th city anniversary in September 2021.

Fjord Express – Boat to Svenner lighthouse

Daytrip by boat to Svenner!

The boat trip from Stavern to Svenner lighthouse takes approx. 0,5 hours. You can choose whether you take the trip as a round trip, or you can stay on the islands until the next departure. 

Daily route from 20 June to 9 August
The boat will depart from Dampskipskaia in Stavern 3 times a day, at 10.00, 12.00 and kl. 15.00 every day.

Note: The route has been extended through 10 – 16 August with an additional round trip departing daily at 12:00. Passengers will have the opportunity for a short visit to Svenner Lighthouse before the boat departs Svenner at 13:00 for the return journey. A separate round-trip fare applies – use booking code AUGUST.

Check the capacity and book until 30 minutes before departure at BookSpot

The boat has capacity of 48 passengers. 

Timetables 2026
Departure Stavern at 10.00. Arrival Svenner lighthouse at 10.30.
Departure Stavern at 12.00. Arrival Svenner lighthouse at 12.30.
Departure Stavern at 15.00 Arrival Svenner lighthouse at 15.30.

You can choose whether you take the trip as a round trip, or want to stay on the islands until the next departure.

Departure from Svenner lighthouse at 10.30 Arrival Stavern at 11.00.
Departure Svenner lighthouse at 12.30. Arrival Stavern at 13.00.
Departure Svenner lighthouse at 15.30 Arrival Stavern at 16.00.

Charterboat from May to August
From medio May to late August the route can be booked for larger groups up to 48 passengers.

You can reach the boat by phone +47 919 24 001

Holmfoss Icecream-bar in Larvik town center

At the square in Larvik  you can enjoy a good ice cream. The ice cream bar offers delicious ice cream.

You can also buy sausages, waffles, coffee and soft drinks here.

The ice bar is open weekends in May and June, and every day in July. 

See their facebook page for updated opening hours.

Grand Bistro

At Grand Bistro, great food is served with a creative twist. Tasty dishes, where seasonal ingredients and a good dining experience for its guests are in focus when chef Trond Kristian Tørrissen puts together beautiful menus. Grand Bistro is known for its delicious buffets. 

Grand Bar is the hotel's meeting place, a great place to meet or start an event or party, or just for a few games at Grand Bar's Shuffleboard.

When the sun shines and the heat comes to Larvik, Grand Terrasse opens, the hotel's own outdoor dining area. Here you get good food served from Grand Bistro's kitchen, and good drinks, while you enjoy the bustling life of Storgaten with the Larviksfjord lying calmly against the horizon.

Opening hours in Grand Bistro, Grand Bar and Grand Terrasse may vary during holidays and public holidays.

Grand Bistro organizes many exciting events during the year, such as Afternoon Tea, Afterwork, Daytime Tea and other enjoyable events. Follow Grand Bistro on Facebook for information about what is happening.

Contact the hotel to book a table, or if you have any questions.

 

Galeien

An exciting selection of pizzas, baguettes, omelettes, soups, seafood, cakes and good drinks. Liquor license.

Here the children can swim, fish for crabs and paint on shell.

Surrounded by historic buildings, you can enjoy food and drink on quiet days, with a view of the Citadel.

Holtefjellrunden i Ula

The trip is moderately demanding.

Before or after the trip, you can take the trip up to the stone monument Ulabrand.

Link to description and map at UT.no.

There is also a marked coastal path between Ula and Kjerringvik.

Ula is located between Sandefjord and Larvik. Drive Rv 303 until you see the sign for Ula and Eftang.

Holmfoss Icecream-bar

The ice cream bar offers a large selection of delicious ice cream, in addition to sausages, waffles, coffee and soft drinks.

The ice cream bar and the nice view make Holmfoss an excellent travel destination, where you can bring friends and family.

Salmon fishing takes place in Holmfoss throughout the summer, and there are good opportunities to see one, two and three salmon jump while you enjoy the ice. And maybe you want to try fishing yourself?

The ice bar is open throughout the summer season. See their facebook page for updated opening hours.

Beaches in Larvik, Stavern and Helgeroa

BEACHES IN LARVIK, STAVERN AND HELGEROA

Ula beach is one of Vestfold's finest beaches and many local's choice number one. The beach is in the heart of a small bay protected from the wild ocean. It has fine shallow and sandy beaches surrounded by smooth rocks in the archipelago of Skagerrak. 

In the old days Ula was an important pilot and fishing port. The sea outside of Ula can be tough, so the well-known pilot Ulabrand safeguarded many sailors here. There is a stone monument of Ulabrand at the top of the mountain hill by the harbor. From this spot, you will experience an extraordinary view, so don't miss it when you get here. Today, Ula is a popular holiday resort with many cabins and a charming marina. The coastal trail passes by and makes it a great place for hiking. Kiosk, trash cans and a swimming raft. Toilets at the camping area.

To get there by car, follow Rv303/Tjøllingveien to Ulaveien. Signs to Ula. Parking at the end of the road. If you follow the road towards Eftang, you will get to Ølbergholmen at the far end of Viksfjord with a beautiful sheltered beach, large recreation areas and beautiful rocks. About 600 meters to walk from the parking lot.

Kjerringvik Idyllic and beautiful bay with two beaches and islands. It is difficult to determine what makes the place most beautiful; the two nice beaches, the harbour with flowers and benches, the small and cozy wooden houses, or the beautiful rocks and islets surrounding the bay. On the pier Fornet there is also stairs going out in the sea. Here you can swim over to small islands and lay on a smooth rocks warmed up by the sun. The beaches are child-friendly, have swim rafts and at the innermost beach there is a diving board at the rock. Benches, toilet, outdoor shower and trashcans. Guest marina. If you want to find yourself a great viewpoint, you can walk the stairs up from Kjerringvikveien to Seilbåtfjellet (The Sailboat Mountain). Via Kjerringvikveien you can also reach the large bay Svinevika.

Rekkeviksbukta beach A beautiful beach and free area on the eastern side of Larviksfjorden. A 95 meter long west-facing sandy beach with a nice grassy backdrop. The beach has a long ramp into the sea, made for wheelchair users. The coastal trail between Østre Halsen and Gon passes by Rekkeviksbukta.

If you walk the trail along the north side of the bay you will get to Kjeholmen. Here is also nice swimming possibilities, either from the great rocks (svaberg) or the two smaller sandy beaches. On the south side of the bay you can follow the path to Franklinodden. Here it is fun to dive from the smooth rocks.

The famous Polar ship Fram was built in Rekkeviksbukta. On the lawn behind the beach is a memorial and information sign. Rekkevik bay also has public toilets, changing rooms and garbage disposal. There are also playgrounds on site.

Bus stop: Vindlyveien. 3 minutes walk to the beach.

Gon Beach
Gonstranda (The Gon Beach) is a beautiful seaside resort in Gonsbukta on the eastern side of Larviksfjorden. Here you will find both nice sandy beach, green grassy areas and smooth seashore rocks to climb. There is a dive board on the rocks (3 meters) and a swim raft in the sea. Gonstranda has both toilets and garbage dumps, and on the camping site you will find a kiosk in the summer season. 

Bus stop: Gon. 1 minute walk to the beach.

Hvittensand Beach The large sandy beach banks has been named one of Norway's finest beaches, and for generations it was one of the most popular beaches in The Larvik fjord. This is due to the large amounts of white, fine sand in beautiful sand dunes that stretched far out into the fjord and became an impressive beach paradise. The mighty dunes has been erected by Lågen for the last approximately 5000 years. Today, the bustling beach life in the summer is almost gone due to the expansion of the harbor on the Revet (the reef) on the opposite side, where large amounts of rock have been added, and caused the water to rise into Hvittensand.

Be careful! It is warned against swimming on the river side due to dangerous undercurrents in Lågen / Lågen's outlet.

Access via the Coastal Path between Østre Halsen and Gon which passes the swimming area. There are rubbish bins on the beach and along the coastal path there is also an outdoor toilet. Not wheelchair accessible.

 

THE BEACHES ALONG THE BRUNLANES COAST STAVERN – NEVLUNGHAVN – HELGEROA

The coast between Stavern and Helgeroa has miles of beautiful beaches. The coastal path from Rakke towards Nevlunghavn goes past all the beaches.

Corntin is located on Fredriksvern in Stavern. A nice and shallow beach with large grassy areas. 

Solplassen Beautiful sandy beach with floating jetty. Summer open shop and cafe at Solplassen Camping.

Stolpestad Beach Nice sandy beach, a little rocky and medium shallow sandy beach at Stolpestad camping, which also has a summer open kiosk.

Anvikstranda Family-friendly beach with beautiful boulders and small sandy beaches. Here is also Anvikstranda camping.
Anvikstranda is located in the middle between the larger beaches Stolpestad and Kjærstranda – in practice these 3 swimming places are connected and form a beautiful beach.

Kjærstranda Medium ground, child-friendly sandy beach with fine sand. 200 meters long. Good facilities.

Lydhusstranda Narrow and shallow sandy beach with bathing pier. Good facilities. Lydhusstranda camping has a summer open kiosk and fast food.

Fristranda Free for camping units – hence the name Fristranda (Free beach). Fine sand.

Kolbensrødstranda Long-shored sandy beach.

The Nalum beach is an unusually long-shored beach. The beach on land is not the most suitable place to settle on, but the shallow seabank pointing to the horizon is worth experiencing. On the west side of Nalumstranda lies the beautiful Stretere beach.