Norway
EUROPE · 6 PLACES
Fjords that drop a thousand metres into black water, sun that forgets to set, and towns that treat winter as a reason to go outside.
Oslo
Fjord swims, the Munch museum and saunas on the water.
Bergen
The fjord gateway — Bryggen's gables and mountain funiculars.
Tromsø
Aurora hunting, whale season and midnight-sun kayaking.
Lofoten
Arctic peaks, white-sand beaches and rorbu cabins.
Stavanger
Pulpit Rock, Lysefjord and Norway's prettiest old town.
Ålesund
Art nouveau on the water, and the road to Geiranger.
One month here
Oslo · 5 nights
The Munch and Fram museums, the opera house roof, and the fjord islands you can swim off in summer.
Bergen · 6 nights
Seven hours on one of Europe's great train rides. Bryggen's wharf, Fløyen, and the Nærøyfjord day trip.
Lofoten · 8 nights
Fly to Bodø and ferry across. Red rorbuer cabins under 1,000m peaks straight out of the sea.
Tromsø · 6 nights
Above the Arctic Circle. Aurora and whales from October to March; midnight sun in June.
Ålesund & Stavanger · 5 nights
Art nouveau on the water, then Preikestolen's cliff and the Lysefjord on the way south.
Three months here
Month 1 · The south & the fjords
Oslo, Bergen, the Sognefjord and Geirangerfjord. Book the Norway in a Nutshell legs individually and save a fortune.
Month 2 · The north
Lofoten, Vesterålen, Tromsø and the Hurtigruten coastal ferry. Summer gives you 24-hour daylight to use.
Month 3 · Winter or the far north
Nordkapp and Finnmark, or come back in winter for aurora, dog sledding and the Sami north.
Festivals worth flying for
Midnight sun season
Late May–late July — north of the Arctic Circle the sun never sets; Tromsø and Lofoten run on 3am energy.
Northern lights season
Late Sep–late Mar — Tromsø is the world's most reliable big-city aurora base.
Bergen International Festival
Late May–June — Norway's biggest arts fortnight.
Constitution Day
May 17 — the whole country wears national dress and parades; Oslo's is the grandest.
In an emergency
Emergency numbers
112 police · 113 ambulance · 110 fire. English is near-universal, including with dispatchers.
Mountain & sea
Fjord and mountain weather turns fast — file a route with your hotel, check yr.no and varsom.no (avalanche) in winter. Rescue is free and excellent; the risk is exposure, not crime.
Before you go
EHIC/GHIC helps EU visitors; everyone else insures. Norway is very expensive — a pharmacy ('apotek') consult beats a clinic for small things.
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