Since 1870, the Britannia Hotel has stood out as Trondheim’s grande dame, a white-stone landmark that has welcomed explorers, writers and royalty through its Neoclassical doors. Both Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III have stayed here, Norwegian resistance fighters once met in its salons, and the playwright Henrik Ibsen can be counted among the cultural icons who returned regularly. Palmehaven, the palm court beneath a soaring glass canopy, has hosted great banquets for these illustrious guests for more than a century; it now serves breakfast and afternoon tea.
A painstaking restoration in 2019 polished every chandelier and marble column in the building while introducing a restrained Nordic elegance. Guest rooms are calm in soft greys and blues, with marble bathrooms and linen-draped beds. The public spaces sparkle with turn-of-the-century grandeur. Service manages to be precise yet warm, a balance rarely struck in Scandinavia, and one that sets the tone throughout the hotel.
The Britannia Spa is one of Norway’s best: its 12.5m lap pool and glowing mineral bath are flanked by saunas, steam rooms and plunge pools. Signature treatments draw deep from Nordic traditions: scrubs with Lofoten sea salt, massages scented with juniper and birch, facials enriched with cloudberry and lingonberry. The ice shower and ice bath round off the circuit with a particularly bracing Scandinavian finish.
-
(Britannia Hotel AS) -
(Britannia Hotel AS) -
(Britannia Hotel AS) -
(Britannia Hotel AS) -
(Britannia Hotel AS)
Speilsalen, the Michelin-starred dining room, is the hotel’s culinary showpiece. Under chef Håkon Solbakk, the tasting menu showcases Norway’s impressive larder: skrei (a type of Norwegian cod) from Lofoten, scallops from Sleneset, mountain char from Lierne, served with foraged herbs and precision plating. Desserts capture the short Nordic summer through flavours such as rhubarb sorbet and cloudberry with caramelised white chocolate. Sommeliers steer guests through biodynamic wines and crisp Norwegian ciders – and nobody does apple juice as well as the Norwegians do.
For something more casual, the Britannia Bar serves aquavit cocktails, while the Brasserie offers oysters, steak frites and tarte Tatin. Afternoon tea in Palmehaven remains a city institution and is something of a homage to the hotel’s name, complete with tiered trays and a theatrical backdrop of palms and stained glass.
With rooms from under £200 a night, the Britannia is surprisingly good value when visiting Norway’s third-largest city and its iconic Gothic masterpiece, Nidaros Cathedral. The Britannia combines location, history, gastronomy, wellness and service in a way that few hotels manage, and it more than earns its reputation as Norway’s finest luxury hotel.
More information: britannia.no
Read next: 7 reasons to visit Trondheim
