Before I start my 15 best places to visit in Norway, I would like to first give you an introduction. It is impossible to overestimate the drama of Norway’s natural ecosystem. Impossibly steep fjords of outstanding beauty cut splashes sharply into the interior from a jagged coastline.
It is a land of glaciers, great and majestic, which are snaking off the ice-fields that rank among Europe’s highest. The fjords are all well worth it. The rugged landscape within Norway parallels the walls of many natural fortifications and yields to rocky coastal islands that unlikely to emerge as appearances from seas. And then, inevitably, there is the Arctic’s primordial appeal. These shapes are the backdrop to a few of the most typical animals in the world: polar bears in Svalbard, renes and musk bovine birds, to name only three.
1-Geirangerfjord
Geirangerfjord, a UNESCO world heritage site, is 20 km long and must be the most beautiful ferry trip in the world. The farms are now long deserted and clinging to the fast-growing fjord cliffs, while ice-cold cascades tumble and sway into spring-green waters. Take it from Geiranger, admire the tranquilly when you leave the little port or jump in Hellesylt, which is completely quieter. Pick up an open-air top deck and enjoy the only way to go across the remote reaches of Geirangerfjord.
2-Lofoten Islands
Few people miss their first Lofoten Islands sighting. Sprinkling green and yellow or the blue and sparkle white of winter, the jagged embankments of this amazing island chain rise sharply from the sea, its razor-sharp peaks poured into a bright, cobalt sky or covered with enigmatic swirls. Great postcard villages with wooden rorbuer (fishermen’s huts) are attached to the shoreline while the A-frames say of a land and history closely interwoven with the sea.
3-Northern Lights
No celestial occurrences are more elevating than northern lights or auroral borealism. They dance the skies in green or white curtains of light and take on strength, taking shape that seems to come from the vibrant imagination of a child during the long night of Arctic winter from October until March. While there is certainly no assurance that the northern lights show again, it is an experience that will live with you for life if you are lucky enough to see them.
4-Hiking the Jotunheimen
Central Norway is one of the leading summer destinations in Europe. While there are a great many national parks, interwoven with well-maintained hiking trails, it is the National Park of Jotunheimen, whose surname means ‘Home of the Giants.’ Jotunheimen is incredibly spectacular with 60 glaciers and 275 high-altitude mountains spanning over 2000m and it features legendary trails like Besseggen, Hurrungane and Galdhøpiggen, Norway’s highest point. The proximity of Jotunheimen to the fjords increases his attractiveness further.
5-Hurtigruten Coastal Ferry
The famous Hurtigruten coastal ferry will take you on one of the most scenic coastal journeys in the world rather than just a simple way of getting around. It dives into coastal fjords on its every day journey from Bergen to Kirkenes, docks in secluded towns that are scarcely accessible by rail, dramatized headlands and just a few days later reaches the Arctic Circle. It displays the whole length of the majestic coast of Norway.
6-Bryggen, Bergen
Bergen is one of Europe’s most stunning towns and villages in a picturesque and very Norwegian coastal landscape of fjores and mountains. The city is left over with a famous tradition of maritime trading by Bryggen, an archaic tangle of wooden structures, as well as the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Bryggen’s headlined vibrant wooden buildings are now a landmark for a prosperous and turbulent past, sheltering the craft shops and traditional restaurants that have become more and more popular in the area.
7-Oslo–Bergen Railway
The Oslo-Bergen railway line is frequently cited as one of the most fantastic rail lines in the world. It provides the chance to see some of Norway’s finest landscapes. It climbs up to the Hardangervidda plateau after going through the woods of Southern Norway and then heads down to the lovely land of Voss and Bergen. On the way it crosses the fjords to the steep branch line (on the river Myrdal) to the fjordland that fans from Flåm.
8-Pulpit Rock
Preikestolen has few rivals as lookouts go. Pulpit Rock stands on the surface of an almost entirely pure cliff, hanging above 600 meters above the waters of the beautiful Lysefjord. It’s the kind of position where you would not appear like travelers hang well over the precipice, even though you are inexorably attracted to the cliff. The journey from Stavanger takes two hours and takes a day.
9-Svalbard
Svalbard’s subpolar archipelago is a real heart spot. Svalbard is the most suggestive slice of Europe’s polar north and one of the last great wilderness regions in the world, deliciously rugged and yet surprisingly available. Shapely peaks and vast icefields (60% of the glaciers are protected by Svalbard) and picturesquely stunning fjords provide a backdrop for a rich arctic life (around one-sixth of the polar bears) as well a snow-sweeping summer and winter sports.
10-Kystriksveien Coastal Route
The levelled coastal path through Nordland is a special and amazing experience. You do not have time for the whole length of 650Km, but if you drive north it is obligatory to have a sample (preferably from Sandnessjøen to Storvik). It’s not like you’re going to hurry. The weekly ferry hops deliver obligatory, integrated breaks and amazing seascapes while seductive diversion is made from inland glaciers and accessible offshore islands, such as Vega, famed for its duck eiders and Lovund, which is home to over 200 000 buffins.
11-Tromsø
Tromsø, a cool 400 km north of the Arctic Pole, is the most important northern town in Norway with the most important church, brewery and botanical garden in the world, amongst other superlatives. The busy clubs and bars of the university (the northernmost) and its students are more per capita than any other city in Norway. In season, Tromsø is a 24-hour daytime operation centre for the whole clock. The local residents go down on their skis or snowshoes until the first snow comes and go out from town and look up at the northern lights.
12-Wildlife-Watching
For some of the most interesting animals of Europe, Norway is the last sanctuary. Whereas during your explorations of the Norwegian wilds, you may stumble over polar bears (in Svalbard), Arctic foxes, Eurasian lynx, wolverine, rendees, etc. devoted safaris can take you into view of the world’s Other Musk Ox and the more loving elk (moose). The bird life of Norway is plentiful and full of interest along the coast, while whaling outings are an essential element of the Nordland Coast, especially around Lofoten and Vesterålen.
13-Art Nouveau in Ålesund
Nice, clever, clever A devastating fire which broke out over its wooden buildings a hundred years ago destroyed all but the jail and a church owes Ålosund much of its charm. A new city, mainly stone and mostly built by young Norwegian architects educated in Germany, emerged from its ruins. They built buildings rich in ornamentation, with towers, spires, gargoyles and other imaginary elements based on local motives that were inspired strongly by the Jugendstil (the art-new) movement of the times.
14-Stave Churches
You will meet wooden stave churches in southern and central Norway. They come in every way from the colossal to the adorable and cute pocket size. But regardless of the shape they take, everything about them can evoke hazy childhood memories. The stave churches in Norway are without any doubt the very definition of the fairytale churches, all of them wrapped in the tales of goblins and embelled with fantastically sculptured animals.
15-Oslo
Oslo’s itself being reinvented. It is a city aimed only at being a world-renowned art and culture Centre. There are still high-end museums, art galleries and a glacier-white opera house bursting at the seams that might make Sydney jealous, but over the past few years the district of Sydney has achieved a striking revival, full of bold architecture, a contemporary Art Gallery, new restaurants and even a beach.
Final thoughts:
Scandinavian Sophistication
In the vivid cultural life of Norway, the counterpoint to so much natural beauty is sought. Norwegian towns are cosmopolitan and architecturally brimful, displaying Scandinavian penchant for building throughout the centuries. At the same time, you can schedule your journey through a busy calendar of festivals, many of them internationally renowned.
The Call of the Wild
Norway is very interested in nature and its desire to explore the natural environment has created one of the most thrilling and diverse tourist attractions in Europe. Norway is a major tourist destination. There is a number of events that may be just for the young, energetic, fearless, but most of them – for example, world-class trekking, cycling and white-water rafting in the summer.
We have found snowmobilers of 93 years old and entire families racing fast on our journeys. If you are here in autumn, with infinite possibilities or in winter for the northern light spectacle, these events are an exciting way towards nature.
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