Norway

Northern Lights

Tromsø is a great place to see the aurora, or northern lights.

Midnight Sun

Tromsø should also be visited during summer to see the midnight sun. The duration of the Polar Day period depends on how far north you are. The further north you go, the longer the period lasts and the earlier it begins. The North Cape, Bodø, and Lofoten are ideal to experience the Midnight Sun. The frequency and intensity of Northern Lights coincide with high solar sunspot activity, that cycle in approximately eleven-year intervals.

Fjords

Norway is widely recognized for its plethora of fjords (even the word “fjord” is Norwegian). Two of Norway’s most prominent fjords, Nærøyfjord and Geirangerfjord have received a UNESCO world heritage site listings, due to their outstanding natural beauty and scenery. Other notable mentions are Lysefjord, Oslofjord, and Sognefjord.

Lofoten Archipelago

Lofoten, is an archipelago north of the Arctic circle. During the summer the islands have 24 hours of daylight. It is a great place to cycle, rock climb or mountaineer. Reinebringen is a popular hiking destination due to the stunning panoramic view from its peak.

A great introduction to Norway is the one-day Norway in a Nutshell package on a single ticket from Oslo or Bergen into the mountains, with a boat trip through the fjords. You can break the trip at several interesting cabins for walking or just admiring the view, and even hire a mountain bike for part of the journey. One of the highlights of the ‘Norway in a Nutshell’ package is Flåmsbana [22], a 20km railway that’s one of the steepest in the world. Along the way you’ll see beautiful mountains, rivers, valleys, waterfalls, and other beautiful sights on your way to the town of Flåm.

Another great way of experiencing and learning all about Norway is by going on a guided excursion. Norway Excursions provides all sorts of excursions, from sightseeing to hiking. A local guide will take you to the most interesting and beautiful places and tell you all about the fjords and mountains, history and culture of the particular region you visit.

Norway Travel Guide provides detailed information on everything relating to travelling in Norway and services with great value and insider tips on what to do and see while in Norway They offer you to contact with locals all over Norway who can help you out with everything you need for your trip.

Hiking

Norway has endless opportunities for hiking in its wide wilderness, from easy walks in Oslo’s city forest to alpine climbing in Jotunheimen or Troms. A number of areas are protected as national parks, but most the country is equally attractive and available to the public.

In Norway, travellers enjoy a right to access, which means it is possible to camp freely in most places for a couple of days, as long as you’re not on cultivated land and provided you are at least 150m away from houses and farm buildings. Don’t leave any traces and take your rubbish away for recycling.

Den Norske Turistforening (DNT) (The Norwegian Mountain Touring Association) operates many staffed and self-service mountain cabins, marks mountain routes, offers maps and route information, guided tours, and several other services for mountain hikers in Norway.

Mountainous areas are popular among both Norwegians and tourists. Why not visit Galdhøpiggen (2469), the highest mountain in Norway, or join a [[musk ox safari]] in Dovrefjell!

For maps, bypass Google Maps, whose coverage of Norway is poor, and try the national mapping agency’s Norgeskart.no site, which concords with their excellent printed hiking maps.

Drinking water from larger streams, rivers, and lakes are always safe. Avoid drinking bog water, and water in marshy regions unless absolutely necessary.

Skiing

Both cross country and alpine skiing are popular sports in the winter, and the largest areas, Trysil,Hafjell or Hemsedal for example, compete well with the Alps. Telemark is also a nice area to ski in. (The birth place of cross country ski.) Voss, Geilo and Oppdal are other major ski resorts. Around Oslo there is large park ideal for cross-country skiing. In Stryn, at Galdhøpiggen and at Folgefonna there alpine ski centres that are open in summer only (May-September), offering unique opportunities for alpine skiing in T-shirt and short pants.

Cycling

In Norway, you can rent, virtually everywhere, a bicycle. Cycling routes exist usually near bigger cities; you can find some tours at Cycle tourism in Norway. Some roads and tunnels are forbidden for cyclists as they are life-threatening; read the section By bicycle above. Some city dumps may have a special section where you can pick up discarded bicycles (and other stuff) for free. The charity thrift-stores (FRETEX/ELEVATOR/NMS Gjenbruk)sometimes stock used bicycles.