Norway – Nature at its Best!

Norway, situated in the northern Europe, Scandinavia; is the country of nature’s bliss in form of its incredible fjords, stunning glaciers, unusual midnight sun in summers, and meager backwoods. The nation shares its borders with the Arctic Ocean on its north; Finland, the Russian Federation, and Sweden on its east; the Skagerrak on its south; and North Sea on its west.

Over 20,000 km long coastline offer deep fjords enclosed by tall mountains as its outstanding attraction. The northern landscape is simple as most of it is ahead of the Arctic Circle, while the southern landscape is full of forests, sheer valleys, high hilly lakes, rivers, and mountains. This layout offers the different combination of attractive activities ranging from thrilling skiing and rock-climbing to serene natural views.

The country’s principal cities offer something different for each visitor. Oslo being the current capital is the commercial centre; while, Bergen is a scenic past trading port and a convenient start to Fjordland. Stavanger is famous for its oil industry and Trondheim is a spot of Christian pilgrimage and technical research.

Tourists’ Attractions

• Oslo Museums
  These are the capital’s outstanding museums; some famous ones bring the Thor Heyerdahl Kon-tiki Museum, the Munch Museum, and the Viking Ship Museum.

• Historic Oslo:
  Do not forget to explore the Kongelige Slott (Royal Palace) that is allowed for visit from late June to mid August and the military history at Akershus Fortress located at the city centre in Oslo accessible by foot if you are within the centre.
• Bergen:
  Do visit the World Heritage Site of this town known as the Bryggen area that holds the scenic wooden warehouses by the harborside. This is best explored by simply strolling around. In addition, do visit Troldhaugen that is the ex-home of the composer Edvard Grieg. For mountain lovers, do not miss to trip towards one of the peaks of among the seven mountains. Do also explore the UNESCO World Heritage site of the medieval wooden dockside buildings.
• Trondheim:
  A former capital of Norway, this city offers the superb Nidarosdomen (Nidaros Cathedral) and the Ringve Museum exhibiting vast historic musical instruments.
• Medieval Wooden Churches:
  Do not miss the opportunity to explore Norway’s 28 surviving medieval churches found in the south. Among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites comes the oldest Urnes Stave Church built by Sognefjord in 1130 A.D.
• Skien:
  Famous as the birthplace of Ibsen, a literary play writer; this town holds its childhood home that makes us familiar with his life and provides with a multimedia display.
• Fredrikstad:
  This is the best-maintained fortress town of Scandinavia. Do not miss Gamlebyen and the nearby Hvaler archipelago that is a summer haven offering hundreds of small islands. In addition, this archipelago holds first marine national park of the country inaugurated in 2009.
• Røros:
  This is the small, scenic mountain town adjacent to the Swedish border. In the past, it was famous for its copper mining since the 17th century until the 1980s. For visitors, do explore the medieval lanes, the wooden church, and the Mining Museum.
• Maelstrom:
  Visit Saltstraumen here that is powerful maelstrom on Earth by visiting a multimedia visitor centre hosting this phenomenon. Saltstraumen is a powerful tidal current situated at a distance of 30 km (19 miles) east of the city of Bodø.
• Vøringsfossen Waterfall:
  This is considered as the most spectacular waterfall of the nation located near the main road between Oslo and Bergen. One more waterfall that is known for its longest drop in the continent is the Mardalsfossen at almost 300 m.

• Skiing and Snowboarding:
  The country offers many trails that makes up a network of thousands kilometers. The 1994 Winter Olympics complex at Lillehammer is worth visiting that is situated north of Oslo and is accessible by road in just a few hours.
• Coastal Voyage:
  Be at the North Cape in the Arctic region and view the phenomenal midnight sun. Take up an itinerary with the comfortable Hurtigruten ships that takes you through the numerous ports in the north of the country.
• Tromsø:
  Attractions here are the university and cathedral.
• Glacier Hiking:
  Try this out on Jostedalsbreen that is the largest glacier of Europe and focus of a large national park. You can also explore mountain kayaking and the Glacier Bus.
• Folk Culture:
  Reach the Norske Folkemuseum that is an open-air series of ancient structures on the Bygdoy Island outside Oslo during the regular summer events. At these events, you will become familiar with the traditional folk culture, music, and dance of Norway.
• Saint Olav Festival:
  This is the annual festival that commemorates the arrival of Christianity in Norway in 1030 A.D. at Stiklestad. A symbol of pride and joy is the St. Olav Drama that is an open-air regeneration of events held in the event of July. You can reach here in some more little time after two hours of driving from Trondheim.
• Lakeside Cabin:
  If you tired from being in the sights of crowd and want some isolation, divert your trip to spend some days in a lakeside mountain hytte or cabin. Take a leisure walk around the natural outlooks, but be alert from elks and other wild animals roaming here.
• Sami Culture:
  Turn your journey towards the Varjjat Sami Musea at Varangerbotn in eastern Finnmark to explore the culture of the semi-nomadic Sami people of Norway’s northern Lapland. You can also do so by staying in a Sami tepee during an organized tour of Lapland.
• Scenic Journeys:
  To discover Norway concisely, join the ‘Norway in a Nutshell’ tour starting from Bergen. This trip takes place through the picturesque rail, bus, and cruise journeys along the Norway’s ideal inlets. You can opt to spend days ranging from one and three on this breathtaking journey.