Must See
Bergen
Possibly Norway's most beautiful city, Bergen is set on a peninsula between mountains and sea. Crooked streets climb to give hilltop views over Norway's second largest city, which was once the medieval capital. Home to a large university population, the city supports a number of theatres, museums, an orchestra, and a thriving rock music scene. Big for Norway, by most standards, the city still retains a village-like atmosphere.
The city has many museums (Municipal Museum of Art, Museum of Applied Art, Museum of Technology, Old Bergen Open-Air Museum and the Fishery Museum). There's also the Hanseatic Museum, which gives an excellent impression of the interior of a merchant's establishment, with displays of domestic furnishings, weapons and equipment, mostly dating from the last days of the counting-house.
In the city's harbour, you'll find the Bergen Aquarium, one of the largest in northern Europe. You can also catch some outstanding views over the city and coastline by boarding the funicular railway to the summit of Mount Floyen or the cable car to Mount Ulriken.
Fjordland
Norway is well known for its deep fjords, and Fjordland is Norway's most important tourist area, thanks to its magnificent scenery. Sognefjorden is the best known of the fjords, and the deepest and longest. Running for 204 kilometres, it is 1,308 metres deep at its deepest point. Some areas have sheer vertical walls, rising straight up for more than a kilometre. The cliffs and waterfalls make for spectacular views between Naeroyfjorden and Gudvangen.
Fordefjorden, Hardanger Fjord and Nordfjord are among other notable scenic attractions in the region.
Jostedalsbreen
Jostedalsbreen, or Jostedal Glacier, is the largest glacier in continental Europe (over 480 sq km - making it larger than the country of Andorra). It lies to the north of Sognefjorden, at the west coast of southern Norway. Daily glacier walks are organised in summer in the company of experienced guides. To the east of this area is the Jotunheimen National Park, which is home to Norway's highest mountain, Galdhopiggen (2,469 m/8,100 feet).
Lofoten Maelstrom
The Lofoten Maelstrom (Moskstraumen) is a system of tidal eddies and whirlpools, that forms in a strait adjacent to the Lofoten archipelago, high above the Arctic Circle off the coast of Norway.
The Moskstraumen forms twice a day when the tidal current changes direction and can reach sppeds of up to 6 knots. It has inspired many authors, notably Jules Verne and Edgar Allan Poe (in their respective "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" and "A Descent into the Maelstrom").
North Cape
North Cape is located on the island of Mageroya in northern Norway, 2,102 km from the North Pole. Its 307 m high, steep cliff is often referred to as the northernmost point of Europe, although as it is an island, this honour actually falls to Cape Nordkinn, on the Nordkyn peninsula.
The North Cape Hall, built into the side of a mountain, and with panoramic views out to sea, is the main visitor centre on the island, and houses a number of exhibits on the Cape's history. The Cape is a particularly good place to experience the summer Midnight Sun.
Oslo
The capital combines the delights of urban living - cafes, museums and nightlife - with an easy access to nature. Ski trails surround the city in winter, which double as hiking areas in summer.
The city has a strong arts culture, with a good choice of galleries and museums. The Munch Museum is the main draw among these, and others include:
- The Holmenkollen Ski Museum
- The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology
- The Museum of Modern Art
- The National Gallery
- The Norwegian Folk Museum (with a large open air museum)
- The Viking Ships Museum
- The Norwegian Home Front Museum, which tells the story of the country's occupation during WWII
- The Oslo City Museum
- The Norwegian Maritime Museum
- The Thor Heyerdahl Kon-Tiki Museum
- The Norwegian Museum of Applied Arts
Some of the architectural gems include the Kongelige Slott (Royal Palace), Stortinget (Parliament Building), the Cathedral and the 13th century Akershus Castle and Fortress. There's also the City Hall, which hosts the annual Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. Visitors to the city will have plenty of choices for entertainment, with the Norwegian Opera House; the Norwegian National Theatre; the New Theatre; Konserthuset (the Concert House); and Oslo Spektrum, the main rock and pop concert venue.
The Frognerparken (Frogner Park) should be visited by all travellers in the region. This green space 3 km northwest of the city centre is home to 200 granite and bronze sculptures by Gustav Vigeland, set over an area of 80 acres.
The Oslo Fjord area is dotted with prehistoric and historic sites of varying importance, along with stone churches (most are built of wood in Norway), manor houses and fortifications.
Roros
Known for its copper mines, Roros is a small but picturesque mountain town near the Swedish border. It was founded in 1644 after the discovery of large deposits of copper ore in the surrounding area, and during the 17th century many German miners were brought in to work here. With its authentic wooden buildings, Roros is now on the UNESCO World heritage list. Visitors can discover the Old Town, with its restored and preserved miners' houses, its 18th century church and the Mining Museum.
Saltstraumen
Saltstraumen is located some 30 km east of Bodo. The sound has the strongest tidal current in the world, where up to 400 million cubic metres of seawater forces its way through a 3 km long and 150 metres wide strait every six hours, with water speeds reaching 20 knots. When the current is at its strongest, vortices up to 10 metres in diameter and 5 metres in depth are formed; these are known commonly as whirlpools. The waters are also abundant in marine life, and fishing is very popular here.
Skien
Skien, situated on the north bank of the Skienselv near the Skagerrak, was the birthplace of the author and playwright, Henrik Ibsen. His childhood home provides many insights into the life of this distinguished Norwegian writer, including a multimedia exhibition.
Trondheim
Founded in 997 AD by a Viking king, Norway's third largest city is bursting with medieval history. Renaissance features were added to the city after a fire destroyed some parts.
Norway's early capital has a number of major attractions, not least the Nidarosdomen Cathedral, which dates from the late 11th century. Built over St Olav's grave, it has been a centre of pilgrimage since medieval times. All the monarchs of Norway since 1814 have been crowned in this magnificent bluish-grey soapstone cathedral.
Trondheimsfjorden, which although not spectacular scenically when compared to the fjords of the southwest, is one of the country's largest, stretching more than 70 km (44 miles) inland. There is a magnificent view of the city and its fjord from the revolving restaurant in the Television Tower to the east of the city (120 m/395 ft; restaurant at 80 m/260 ft).
Skiing
As the birthplace of skiing, Norway has approximately 30,000 km (18,750 miles) of marked ski trails, winding their way through unspoiled scenery. Both downhill and cross-country skiing are available from November until the end of May, and it is also possible to go skiing in summer in some parts of Norway. Some of the best facilities can be found at the centres of Lillehammer (site of the 1994 Winter Olympics), Elverum, Kongsvinger and Hamar (contains the Olympic Hall, which staged skating events during the 1994 Winter Olympics). To the south of Trondheim, the mountain village of Oppdal is also an excellent skiing resort.