Norway tends to get overlooked when people make travel plans to Europe. This is wonderful! It means that while you’re jumping from a sauna into the cool, clean Oslofjord, you’ll be free of the crowds jostling your friends who chose to go to Italy for their summer vacation.
If you’ve ever wanted a cooler, less crowded summer vacation, this Norway travel guide is for you. It’s also for you if you dream of mushing a sled dog, viewing the colors of the Northern Lights or just hiking through some of the most gorgeous mountain scenery you’ll ever see.
You might even make friends with a reindeer! (I did.)
The first time I went to Norway, I thought it would be boring. Too much like home in the United States, I thought! The truth is that Norway is like the United States, but better. The scenery, the food and the people are all amazing — and just different enough from the US to appreciate without feeling lost.
I’ve visited Norway three times now, traveling the entire length of this long, skinny country. I’ve traveled Norway by ferry, by train, by plane, by bus and by rental car. I’ve spent time in Norwegian cities as well as in extremely rural areas. I’ve slept in Norwegian hotels, rental homes, a weekend cabin — and on ferries. I’ve made heartwarming connections with the descendents of the brothers and sisters my great grandparents left behind when they emigrated to America.
And I can’t wait to go back.
The first-time Norway travel guide for American tourists
In this Norway travel guide, we’ll cover how to get to Norway, must-see Norway destinations and activities in summer and winter, where to stay and what to eat.
Why visit Norway
For a country roughly the size of Montana, with fewer than 6 million residents, Norway offers more activities and experiences than you might expect. Some highlights:
- Scenery: From coastal fjords to mountain hikes to the stunning Flåmsbana scenic railway, the natural beauty is Norway’s primary draw.
- Nordic culture: Helpful, practical, and with a dry sense of humor that will hit you when you least expect it, the people of Norway are wonderful to get to know. They have also created a nation that just works, from social welfare to transportation infrastructure. If you go up north, try to meet some Sami people, who have their own distinct culture.
- Food: You don’t often hear people rave about Norwegian food. But I dream about Norwegian fish soup these days — especially the fish soup served on Havila.
- Livable cities: If you’re an active person, you can easily walk or take public transit to all the sights of Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim and Norway’s smaller cities and towns such as Flåm or Kirkenes. If you need them, taxis and Ubers are ready to help. All these cities have great museums, public art, inviting public places to chill out, fun bars and restaurants — and nature.
- Wildlife: I’ve spotted reindeer, moose, auks and puffins. Not to mention black slugs!
- Outdoors: You can ski, hike, cycle, kayak and even mush sled dogs.
- The novelties of the North: The midnight sun in summer and the Northern Lights in winter.
Getting to Norway
If you’re coming from the United States, you’re most likely flying into Oslo or Bergen.
The bad news: Most US cities don’t have direct flights to Norway. You can fly direct from Newark Airport to Oslo on SAS year round. In summer, you can also make the direct flight from JFK airport and possibly a few other cities.
But most people will have to make a connection to travel to Norway from the United States.
The good news: One popular connection spot is Reykjavik, Iceland — a super fun place to stop! If you have time, I recommned spending at least three nights in Iceland on your way to Norway. If you go, don’t miss the penis museum!
If you’re already in Europe, you can fly to Oslo from many other European cities. You could also take a very pleasant overnight ferry to Oslo from Copenhagen, or from other destinations as well. If you’re driving in Europe, you can take your car on these ferries.
You can also take the train to Oslo or Bergen from other European cities. One look at a map of Europe will tell you that these routes can take a while. They’re not necessarily cheaper than flying, either. Of course, taking the train is more earth-friendly.
What to do in Norway
After three long visits, I still haven’t done everything I’d like to do in Norway. But here are some highlights to consider for your first visit:
Coastal fjord cruise
Before they blasted roads through Norway’s mountainous terrain, the mail ferry operated by Hurtigruten was the only lifeline connecting Norwegian communities up and down the peninsula. Today, Hurtigruten — and its upstart competitor, Havila — serve mostly as sight-seeing cruises.
Depending on how far you go, you could spend one to 11 nights cruising along Norway’s coast on Havila or Hurtigruten. Since you rarely stray from the coast, every day is full of gorgeous scenery and interesting ports. To me, a highlight of our Havila Voyage was gliding into lonely northern harbors under the midnight sun, imagining living in one of the brightly-painted houses in these isolated hamlets. Entering tiny and beautiful Trollfjord was nother highlight. The food on our Havila cruise rocked too.
Hurtigruten and Havila excursions include city tours, bus trips to see famous sights like Trollstigen (the Troll Road) or the North Cape, and dogsled trips. If you book at the right time of year, you can also see Geraingerfjord, part of the UNESCO World Heritage-designated Western Norwegian fjords.
Of course, conventional cruise lines cover Norway too. Viking, Royal Caribbean and of course Norwegian Cruise Line, among others, all offer itineraries, often including England or Iceland in the bargain.
Oslo
Most people wouldn’t go all the way to Norway without giving this capital city some well-deserved love. Nor should you!
If you have just one day in Oslo, check out my 24-hour Oslo itinerary post!
Oslo must-sees:
- See Vigeland, aka Frogner Park. This open-air sculpture garden is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. More than 200 sculptures, mostly of human beings in various states of emotion. The first time I ever visited was around 11 p.m. in June, and with the low midnight sun, the sculptures were achingly beautiful.
- Swim in the fjord from a sauna boat. This fun and relaxing activity takes just a couple hours, and you can do it year round. I’ve tried both KOK and the Oslo Sauna Association, both at the Langkaia waterfront area. I loved looking at the sloping steps to the opera house and watching tourists walk around while treading in the very clean Oslo water.
- Visit The Scream. Actually, walk all 13 floors of the beguiling Munch museum.
- Have a cocktail and a meal on the waterfront. Check out old school Aker Brygge and the newer Bjørvika, or better yet, both. Just staring out at the water, at boats and the fun floating iceberg sculpture is a treat.
- Check out the Akershus Fortress. You can walk around, or buy tickets for the museums as well. I enjoyed the castle as well as the Norway Resistance Museum. Although not all explanations are in English, enough are.
Bergen
Although it has less to see and do than Oslo, Bergen is a lovely city worth a couple of days.
- Tour Bryggen. This historic waterfront area (a UNESCO site) is the main thing you want to see in Bergen. I highly recommend taking a Bryggen Walking Tour (Bryggen Guiding), which includes entrance to the really cool Bryggens Museum and the Schøtstuene, where you learn all about the Hanseatic League.
- Ride the Floibanen. This funicular whisks you up the mountain where you can sit at a table, enjoy some ice cream or a beer, and look down on all of Bergen and its harbor.
- The Fish Market. Stroll through to ogle all the locally-caught seafood, and maybe sit down for a meal or shop for some smoked salmon and reindeer sausage to bring home.
- The Resistance Room or Theta Museum. If you’re a World War II buff at all, this tiny Bryggen museum about the Norwegian resistance is a gem. Check the Theta Museum‘s limited hours before visiting.
See my post about where to stay in Bergen and my review of the Moxy Bergen, where we stayed.
Norway in a Nutshell
This train/ferry itinerary has a few iterations, but the heart of it is the Flåm railway and the stunning Nærøyfjord (with Geraingerfjord, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Western fjords). Start from Bergen or Oslo, take a scenic train ride to a small town in the southwestern mountains, then a vintage, extgra-scenic train ride and a ferry cruise. You can be back in your starting city the same night, or make it a one-way trip from Oslo to Bergen or vice versa. You can book a package tour, or DIY your Norway in a Nutshell itinerary to save money.
Trondheim
It’s only about 300 miles north of Oslo, but already Trondheim starts to feel like the North. The crowds are smaller, the air crisper. The highlight is the soaringly beautiful Nidaros Cathedral. We also enjoyed strolling along the Nidelva River and looking at the classic wooden houses lining its banks.
Tromso
Now you’re getting up there! Tromso has an adorable wooden church, a cute downtown, tons of birds and a funicular up into the mountain. We saw patches of snow in the hills in July.
Kirkenes
Many travelers on the Havila or Hurtigruten coastal cruises go straight to the airport upon arrival in Kirkenes. They are missing out! I loved this arctic town’s Northern Exposure feel, with reindeer wandering through parking lots, signs in Russian (you can take a guided trip to the border) and quirky attractions like the WWII bomb shelter. The touristic highlight of Kirkenes is the Snow Hotel, which — besides the opportunity to sleep on a block of ice — offers sled dog tours, king crab fishing and other adventures.
Rural Norwegian life
It almost doesn’t matter where you go. I had so much fun visiting tiny farm villages like Visthus, where my great grandmother grew up. We spent our time taking walks, viewing moose and sheep, and looking across the fjord at the mountains. We visited the tiny store — which was also the town center for gossip and information, the taxi company and the post office. It reminded me strongly of the memoir of northern Norwegian life, Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube.
We also loved our stop in Kjollefjord, where we met Sami herders and entrepreneurs Elinor and Ailu at Davvi Siida.
Anywhere you go in rural Norway, you have access to basic comforts like wifi and decent roads. We met the nicest and most welcoming people out there, who all showed real pleasure and pride in making their lives in this beautiful countryside.
Getting around Norway
Over the course of three trips to Norway, I have traveled from nearly the southernmost point to the northernmost point (of Continental Europe!). I’ve taken a boat to a taxi to a train. One time I took a train to a small town where I had to walk 30 minutes to a rental car office, and made friends with a young reindeer on the way. I drove onto a ferry, a new experience for me. And we took a couple of domestic flights and the longest boat trip of my life (7 nights). I haven’t yet taken a dogsled in Norway — but maybe someday!
- Train. Norway is an environmentally friendly country, so they want you to travel by train. Unfortunately, train tracks don’t cover every mile of this long, narrow, mountainous nation. But you can get to the main attractions by rail: Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Flåm (for the Norway in a Nutshell scenic tour). The trains we took in Norway were pleasant and clean. I was particularly impressed that they had cars set aside for families, with ample stroller parking and even play areas. The staff on Norwegian trains was patient and forgiving with us as foreigners — once when I hadn’t finished purchasing our tickets in time, the conductor walked me through the process of buying them on my phone instead of fining me.
- Rental car. The roads in Norway are more narrow than we’re used to in the United States. And like most European countries (and a growing amount of places in the US) they have a lot of roundabouts. But other than that, I found driving in Norway easy. They drive on the right, the signage is clear, the roads are cared for, and people drove courteously. The one thing you need to keep in mind when driving through Norway is the ferries! Norway has a lot of water, particularly in coastal areas, and chances are you will need to drive onto one or more ferries to reach your destination. You need to time your trip to make these ferries or you could end up waiting a long time or even getting stuck overnight before you reach your destination.
- Uber/taxi. Yes, they’re expensive in Norway, as many things are. We found good availability of larger vehicles, which was handy since we traveled in a group of four or five people, including a walker and luggage.
- Bus/tram/subway. Public transit is great in Norway, even in rural areas. I was happy to find I could take a train/bus combination from the Oslo airport to the campground where my son was attending a Boy Scout jamboree. In the Oslo area, you can buy your tickets on the Ruter app while you’re waiting for the bus.
- Plane. You might be surprised by the number of small airports in Norway as you proceed north. Many little towns have their own airstrip for flights to Oslo and maybe another destination. Of course, some of these regional flights use small turbo prop planes. We found flying out of Norway’s tiny airports relaxing and fun. The security and check-in situation is naturally casual and friendly. You might not see a plane at the airport when you arrive. You’ll board when the plane gets there.
- Boat. Cruising and ferries are a fantastic way to get around Norway, because the coastline is so beautiful. There’s some overlap between what is considered a cruise and what is a ferry. For instance, the Havila coastal cruise we took is basically a fancy — and pricey — ferry. The affordable overnight ferry we took from Copenhagen to Oslo advertised “mini cruises,” basically weekend getaway packages. Many of the ferries that just connect the road across the fjord here and there are free.
Practical tips for your trip to Norway
In no particular order, here are some things I learned about Norway that I wish I’d known before I went:
- You can install an e-sim like Airalo on your cell phone and enjoy connectivity in Norway for a low price. You can also add more countries if you’re traveling beyond the borders of Norway.
- You don’t need cash. You can pay for everything with a credit card or your phone.
- ATMs have limited hours. The automatic machine might not dispense money after the bank it’s connected to closes!
- You can buy beer and wine at supermarkets, but for liquor you have to go to a government run store called a Vinmonopolet.
- If you can, book a hotel with a breakfast buffet. Scandinavian hotel breaksfasts are divine.
- Hotel check-in staff typically also serve as bartenders. Skål!
- Hotel beds typically come with no top sheet, just a quilt (often heavy even in summer) inside a duvet cover. If you have a double bed, each person gets their own quilt. As a top-sheet loving American of a certain age, I coped on hot summer nights by removing the quilt and sleeping under the empty duvet cover.
- Air conditioning is basically non-existant. Rental apartments may have one small fan — or maybe not.
- For replacing items you forgot to pack like a phone charger or a bar of soap, check out Normal, a handy “dollar store” type establishment with lots of locations.
- Trains and public transit don’t have fare gates, and the conductors don’t always check tickets. You can usually get away with buying the ticket on your phone after you board, if you’re in a rush.
- Fiskesuppe is the most delicious Norwegian food.
- Many locations offer luggage storage — not just hotels but also the Oslo airport, boat terminals and train stations.
- Excellent English is widely spoken.
- Unlike France, which is overrun by American tourists, Norway is overrun by German tourists. So people are sometimes interested to meet an American, for a change.
- Norwegian culture assumes that people will follow the rules and therefore extends a lot of trust. Like the lack of checking tickets on buses. I saw people leave their possessions unwatched, trust us to pay for things without verifying, etc. I hope that everyone respects this beautiful attitude and doesn’t ruin it!
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