Step outside on a February morning and the world is white and absolutely silent except for the soft creak of snow-laden pine branches. You're standing on the front terrace of your own mountain chalet in Seljestad, Skare, coffee in hand, watching the Folgefonna plateau catch the first pale light of a Norwegian winter day. The cross-country tracks are 1.6 kilometers down the road. Røldal ski center — one of the snowiest alpine resorts in all of Scandinavia — is a ten-minute drive. You don't have to rush. This is your place.
Hjallen 22 sits on a generous freehold plot of 1,428 square meters in the Seljestad cabin area of Skare, in the heart of Hardanger, western Norway. The chalet was originally built in 1993 and substantially extended in 2013, bringing the total indoor living area to a very comfortable 128 square meters — all on one level, which makes the layout genuinely practical for families with young children or guests of any age. Parking sits about 40 meters from the front door, accessible even through deep winter snowfall.
Walk inside and the entrance hall immediately does its job: boots off, ski gear hung, the outside world stays outside. Then you're into the living room, and you stop. The ceiling height here is generous — properly generous, not just described that way — and the large windows pull in the mountain panorama like a living painting that changes with every season. Come March, the light softens and the snow starts to blue in the late afternoons. Come July, the same view is all deep green hillsides and the distant glint of waterfalls fed by snowmelt from the plateau above. The wood-burning stove against the far wall makes the whole room feel anchored, its warmth radiating through the space on evenings when the temperature outside plunges. An air-to-air heat pump takes care of the in-between seasons without fuss.
The kitchen is open to the living and dining area — a layout that works well when you have eight or nine people over after a day on the slopes, someone cooking while the rest debrief on the best runs and argue about where to ski tomorrow. Counter space is genuinely abundant. Storage too. The dining area slots naturally between kitchen and living room, long enough for a big family gathering, intimate enough for a quiet midweek dinner with just two of you.
Three bedrooms handle the sleeping arrangements across the main floor. The master takes a double bed without compromise. The other two work well for kids, for guests, or — honestly — as a proper reading room or dedicated hobby space if you're not filling the cabin to capacity every trip. Then there's the loft. Around 30 square meters up there, accessible and usable, not some cramped afterthought. Extra mattresses for a crowd, a place for teenagers to disappear to, a quiet corner for whoever needs one.
Two bathrooms, one in the original section and one added during the 2013 extension. The newer bathroom has a bathtub alongside the shower — a detail that earns its keep after a long day of hiking or skiing. Both are well-fitted and maintained in good condition throughout.
The terrace at the front of the property is where you'll spend most of your waking hours in summer. South-facing light, mountain views, room enough for a proper outdoor table and loungers. The plot itself gives you space to breathe — mature vegetation, a natural feel, no sense of being crowded by neighboring properties.
Now, the location. Skare sits in Ullensvang municipality, tucked between the Hardangerfjord and the high plateau of Hardangervidda — Norway's largest mountain plateau and one of Europe's great wilderness expanses. The nearby Røldal valley gets more snow per season than almost anywhere else in the country, which is why the Røldal ski center has built a devoted following among serious skiers from across Scandinavia and beyond. The resort runs until late spring most years. The Korlevoll cross-country stadium is three minutes by car — proper groomed tracks, lit in the evenings, used by locals who know exactly what good skiing looks like.
Summer in Hardanger means something entirely different and equally compelling. The Hardangerfjord is a 20-minute drive from the cabin, and in early June the entire valley from Odda to Ulvik explodes in apple and cherry blossom — the Hardanger blossom festival draws visitors from all over Norway and abroad, and it's genuinely one of the more quietly spectacular natural events in the country. The fjord itself offers kayaking, fishing for trout and salmon, and boat trips past cascading waterfalls like Låtefoss, which thunders down beside the old road just outside Odda. Odda town itself, 20 minutes away, has a good selection of shops, restaurants, and the Trolltunga trailhead — one of the most photographed hikes in Norway, around 10 hours return, with views that people genuinely travel from other continents to see.
Closer to the cabin, the trails around Seljestad and into the Seljestad gorge are accessible directly on foot. The gorge is dramatic — sheer cliffs, a river, old suspension bridges, wildflowers in summer. For a shorter outing, the lakes dotted across the plateau hold brown trout that local anglers are fairly possessive about, reasonably so.
A quick word on practical matters for international buyers considering a Norwegian mountain property as a vacation home or second home in Europe. Norway is outside the EU but within the European Economic Area, and there are no general restrictions on foreigners purchasing property here. The freehold ownership structure at Hjallen 22 means you own the land outright — no ground lease, no annual ground rent to a third party. Municipal fees are modest. The cabin's construction and 2013 extension were carried out to Norwegian building standards, and the current condition reflects careful ongoing maintenance. It's move-in ready; you could be here for the first snowfall of next season without needing to lift a screwdriver.
Public transport stops are roughly a four-minute walk from the property, a detail that matters more than it might seem — many mountain cabins in Norway require a car for absolutely everything, so having a bus connection nearby adds genuine flexibility. Haugesund Airport is approximately two hours away, Bergen Airport Flesland is around two and a half hours by car. Bergen itself, one of Norway's most compelling cities with its Bryggen wharf, fish market, and summer music calendar, makes for an excellent long day trip or an overnight extension to any visit.
A summary of the key features at a glance:
- 128 sqm mountain chalet on a 1,428 sqm freehold plot in Skare, Hardanger, Norway
- 3 bedrooms plus a 30 sqm loft with additional sleeping capacity
- 2 bathrooms, one with bathtub and shower, one with shower — both in good condition
- Spacious open-plan living room, kitchen, and dining area with high ceilings and mountain views
- Wood-burning stove plus air-to-air heat pump for year-round comfort
- Large south-facing front terrace with unobstructed mountain panorama
- Cross-country ski trails 1.6 km away; Røldal ski center 10 minutes by car
- Korlevoll ski stadium 3 minutes by car
- Odda town center (shops, restaurants, Trolltunga trailhead) 20 minutes by car
- Public transport within 4-minute walk
- Parking 40 meters from the cabin — accessible in winter conditions
- Freehold ownership, no ground lease
- Built 1993, extended and modernized in 2013
- Listed at €229,000 — strong value for the size, plot, and location
The Norwegian mountain property market has drawn increasing interest from international buyers over the past several years, and Hardanger in particular holds a specific appeal: genuine wilderness access paired with reliable infrastructure and a culture that treats outdoor life as simply how you live, not a weekend novelty. A chalet of this size and condition in this location, at this price point, represents real value for buyers looking at vacation homes in Scandinavia or second homes in Europe more broadly.
If you've been considering a Norwegian holiday home and want to see Hjallen 22 for yourself, get in touch with the team at Homestra today. We can arrange a viewing, connect you with local legal and financial advisors familiar with international purchases in Norway, and walk you through everything you need to know about making this property yours before winter arrives.
