If you are looking for an adventure and amazing nature Norway is the place to visit. In the eastern region and Trøndelag you will find vast forrested areas and the western and northern regions is unique with their fjords and mountains.
During the winter you will be able to see the
northern light. To get a good view of this phenomenon you should travel as far north as possible. It is possible to see it in the southern part of Norway but this does not occur that frequent. I have seen it two or three times in Oslo which is in the southern part of Norway. The downside of seeing the northern light is that it is only possible to see it during the winter in the
polar night and Norway is a cold and dark country that time of year. In some parts of Norway it may get as cold as -50 degrees during the winter. In the old days people thought the northern light where trying to catch their soul.
The opositte of winther and the polar night is the summer and the
midnight sun. The midnight sun is fantastic and at 3 am the sun is high in the sky. In summer the sun does not set in months up north. I never got used to that during the periods I lived in northern parts of Norway.
If you arrive Norway from abroad you are most likely to arrive in
Oslo airport Gardemoen. You should use the
Bergensbanen (The Bergen Line) while traveling from Oslo to Bergen from which you will view amazing nature. This train stops at
Myrdal station. The train often stops here to let the passengers have a look at the view (this is my favorite train station in Norway and one of the prettiest places I know of) while it waits for the
Flåmsbanen (The Flåm line). Flåmsbane departs from this station and if you have the chance you should have a ride with it. You will never find a place similar to the nature in this region.
Flåmsbanen ends at Flåm station. Flåm is located in Aurlandfjord which is a branch fjord of
Sognefjorden.
Transport in Norway is highly influenced by Norway's low population density, narrow shape and long coastline. Norway has old water transport traditions, but rail, road and air transport have increased in importance during the 20
th century. Due to the low population density, public transport is less built out than in many European countries, especially outside the cities. One of the best ways to travel the coastline is by using
Hurtigruten (Norwegian coastal express) which will give you an unique experience.
The western and northern parts of Norway are the prettiest in my opinion. To see the greatest nature the best route would be to travel from
Bergen on the south-western coast to
Tromsø up north inside the
arctic circle. Near Tromsø is
Lofoten. Lofoten is a group of islands and is a display of amazing nature. In Lofoten you will find
Trollfjorden (picture to the left on the link) which is quite famous. Up north you will also find
North cape which is the northernmost point of mainland Europe. A nice way of traveling from one place to another up north is using
Hurtigruten (Norwegian coastal express). The boats travel from Bergen to
Kirkenes which is located near the Russian boarder. I have not traveled with Hurtigruten myself but seen it from a distance while fishing in
Ålesund. As far as I know it is possible to travel just parts of this line. Visit the
homepage of Hurtigruten for more information about this. Traveling vith Hurtigruten you will get up close and personal with the amazing nature of the Norwegian coastline. Check out
visitnorway.com for more recomendations.
Oslo is the capital of
Norway and my hometown. One of the most popular places to visit in Oslo is the new
Opera house,
Akershus Fortress,
Norsk Folkemuseum (Norwegian Museum of Cultural History),
Kon-tiki museum,
Munch museum, the
Vigeland Park, the
Viking ship museum and
Tryvannstårnet (The Tryvann tower). From this tower it is possible to see Oslo and the surrounding area. you may see as far as to the Swedish border from this tower if the weather allows it. Oslo is located in the south-eastern (and lowland) part of Norway. The nature in this part of Norway is quite different than what you will find up north and on the west coast. While spending time in this part of the country you should also visit the
Telemark canal.
Bergen is the secound largest city in Norway and is located on the west coast. The city is situated among a group of mountains known as The Seven Mountains. The most famous places for tourists to visit are
Fløibanen,
Nordnes (where
Bergen aquarium is located) and
Bryggen (The German Wharf) which is on the UNESCO list for World Cultural Heritage sites.
The fish marked is also recommended to visit in the summer.
Trondheim and
Stavanger are two of the largest cities in Norway, next to Bergen and Oslo, and worth a visit if you are visiting Norway. Both cities have had an important role in the history of Norway. In Trondheim
Nidaros cathedral is build from 1070 and is the most important gothic building in Norway. It is the northernmost medieval cathedral in the world and the second largest in Scandinavia.
The Old town bridge,
Stiftsgården and
Munkholmen are the most famous places in Trondheim. Stiftsgården is the royal residence in Trondheim.
The traditional
Norwegian cousine is based on the raw materials available in the sea, forest and mountains. Some of the most traditional Norwegian dishes are
gravet laks (raw cured salmon),
rakfisk (trout or sometimes char is salted and fermented for two to three months and eaten raw),
fårikål (lamb's meat with bone, cabbage, whole black pepper and a little wheat flour) and
pinnekjøtt (dried mutton ribs).
Kaffistova restaurant (a restaurant in
Bondeheimen hotel) is one of the restaurants in Oslo which have spesialized in the traditional Norwegian cousine.
One of the most traditional Norwegian spirits is
aquavit. The name aquavit comes from the latin expression
Aqua Vitae which means
wather of life. You will find aquavit all over
Scandinavia and it is rarely made outside this region. The norwegian aquavit is different than the aquavit from the other scandinavian countries because it is distilled from potato (the orther ones are distilled from grain) and is aged on Sherry casks. The taste is quote distinctive compared to other types of spirit and is highly recomended. it may taste somewhat different anything you have tasted but at least you should give it a shot.
Lots of people traveling to Norway to do some kind of
extreme sport and there are lots of possibilities to do this. Snowkiting, river rafting, klimbing (both ice klimbing and mountain climbing) and basejumping are some of the sports you may attend to. The mountains in
Romsdalen and Eikesdalen are some of the best places in the world to base jump. Performing some of these sports is an extremely high risk of injury or death for participants. You must take the necessary steps to ensure your own safety. Check out the extreme sports-section in
visitnorway.com for more details.
Einar Herstad-Hansen © 2002 - 2010
