04-06-2025
Norwegian fjord paradise offers free rent to digital nomads
The village, situated at the far end of the UNESCO-listed Geirangerfjord, saw the offer taken up enthusiastically when it was launched in 2024 with 750,000 kroner in funding from the Nordic Atlantic Cooperation (NORA), with over 300 people applying for the 15 places.
The initiative, known as the
Arctic Digital Nomads Grant
, allows individuals with flexible, location-independent jobs to apply for free accommodation and office space in three sparsely populated winter destinations—Geiranger in Norway, Þingeyri in Iceland, and Vágur in the Faroe Islands.
"A colleague of mine said that we were probably not prepared for success," Katrin Blomvik Bakken, director of the Geiranger World Heritage Foundation told the public braodcaster NRK. "This time we will be more professional."
The pilot last winter saw 15 recipients settle temporarily in Geiranger and the neighbouring villages of Norddal and Eidsdal, with one of the temporary residents now planning to stay longer.
Last year's initiative included around 15 participants spread across Geiranger and neighbouring villages Norddal and Eidsdal. Some are already planning to return — and even settle.
'One family is moving back to the village of Norddal. They are coming this autumn and will stay for a year initially,' Blomvik Bakken said.
The goal, Blomvik Bakken said, was to inject life into towns village where centralisation is slowly killing off the countryside.
While Portugal and Italy have had success with similar digital nomad schemes, the Arctic variant is unusual in seeking to attract visitors during the area's harsh winter.
'We're looking for people who not only can work from anywhere but also want to engage in local life,' said Blomvik Bakken.
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Last year's nomads included freelancers, entrepreneurs, and artists, many of whom ended up forming close bonds with residents.
A key lesson from the first round was the need for better infrastructure to manage interest. A new application portal, currently being developed by previous participants, is expected to go live in October.
'Then I won't get a flood of applications to my private email address this time,' said Blomvik Bakken with a laugh. 'And we are really looking forward to that, because it was quite a big task.'
According to Marit Mellingen, director of Norway's national District Centre, success depends not just on housing and jobs but on local integration. 'What we know is important to get people to stay in a place, is that they thrive and feel included in the local community,' Mellingen told NRK.
Local residents in Geiranger seem to have taken that advice to heart. Blomvik Bakken noted that the community made a strong effort to welcome this winter's nomads — an effort her own family noticed.
Her daughter Nora, for example, was 'happy to get new playmates.'
