Chase the northern lights
Clear, dark skies away from town lights are the only requirement besides luck, Tromsø and the Lofoten Islands give the best odds of both.
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Home › Destinations › Northern Europe › Norway
Northern Europe
Things to do in Norway
Fjords carved by ice, wooden wharves, and a sun that barely sets in summer.
Explore Norway on the map →Budget$$$
Best for7-10 days
CapitalOslo
VisaVisa-free 90 days (Schengen) for US/UK/EU
CurrencyNorwegian krone (NOK)
LanguagesNorwegian
InternetExcellent
Typical lodging$80–$210/night
Driving sideRight
Power & voltage230V / 50Hz (Type C/F plug)
Time zoneUTC+0 to UTC+1
Emergency number112
Dialing code+47
★★★★★ Adventure★★★★★ Photography★★★★★ Wildlife
Visa rules and emergency numbers can change without notice. Confirm the specifics for your nationality and dates before you travel.
Travel smart
Tap water is safe to drink. Not expected. Rounding up is enough.
Norway's coastline, fjords included, is long enough to circle the earth roughly one and a half times, and almost none of it is straight. Daylight is the country's real variable, near-endless sun in June, four or five hours of it in December, and what's worth doing changes completely depending on which one you get.
When to go
Midnight sunJune–August
Long light, open mountain roads, sunny fjord cruises and the warmest hiking weather. Also the busiest and priciest months.
Shoulder seasonMay & September
May brings waterfalls at full snowmelt power and green valleys before the crowds; September starts to bring the dark back for aurora hunting.
Northern lights windowSeptember–March
Needs real darkness, so this only works once the midnight sun ends. Tromsø, Alta and the Lofoten Islands are the reliable bases.
Deep winterDecember–February
Snowshoeing, dog sledding, whale watching off the north coast and the best statistical odds for aurora, alongside short days and closed mountain passes.
20 things to do
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Wildlife & nature
2Watch orcas and humpbacks off Tromsø
Herring overwinter in the fjords north of Tromsø, and whales follow them in, boat trips run from the town most winter mornings.
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Culture & history
1Visit a Sámi reindeer herd
The indigenous Sámi have herded reindeer across the Arctic north for centuries, some family operations now host visitors for a meal and a look at the herd.
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Food & markets
2Eat at a harbourside fish market
Bergen's Fisketorget and Oslo's harbour stalls sell what came in that morning: king crab, cod, prawns eaten standing up.
Sample brunost and open sandwiches
A caramel-brown goat cheese that divides visitors, usually served on flatbread or crispbread alongside cured fish and cold cuts for a typical breakfast.
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Adventure & outdoors
5Hike to Preikestolen
A flat rock plateau 604 metres above Lysefjord, a demanding but non-technical hike that ends at one of the most photographed views in the country.
Hike Trolltunga
A longer, tougher day than Preikestolen: a rock ledge jutting horizontally over a lake, ten to twelve hours round trip.
Go dog sledding
Run by mushers across Finnmark and around Tromsø, usually paired with a night in a lavvo tent or cabin under whatever the sky is doing.
Ski or snowboard in the fjords$50
Norway's downhill scene doesn't get the attention of the Alps, but resorts like Hemsedal and Trysil, and heli-skiing around the Lyngen Alps, deliver serious terrain.
Stand at the North Cape
A cliff plateau marketed as continental Europe's northernmost point, with the midnight sun visible from mid-May to the end of July.
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Coast & water
6Cruise or drive the Geirangerfjord$50
A UNESCO-listed fjord with waterfalls dropping straight into the water and farms clinging to ledges that look impossible to reach.
Ride the Flåm Railway
One of the steepest standard-gauge railways in the world, twenty minutes down a mountainside past waterfalls, connecting to Sognefjord below.
Explore the Lofoten Islands
Jagged granite peaks rising straight from the sea, red fishing cabins called rorbuer, and white-sand beaches that look tropical until you touch the water.
Ride the Norway in a Nutshell route$50
A single-day chain of train, fjord ferry and mountain bus connecting Bergen and Oslo through Flåm and the Aurlandsfjord.
Kayak a fjord at your own pace$50
Rentals are available on most of the accessible fjords, Nærøyfjord and Geirangerfjord both have calm enough water for a half-day paddle.
Take the Hurtigruten coastal ferry
A working mail-and-passenger route running the length of the coast from Bergen to Kirkenes, stopping in dozens of small ports along the way.
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Cities & design
3Walk the wooden streets of Bergen
Bryggen's tilted, colourful timber buildings along the harbour are what's left of a Hanseatic trading post, now a UNESCO site and the gateway to the fjords.
Spend a day in Oslo
A compact capital mixing Viking ship museums, a fjord-side opera house you can walk on the roof of, and forest right at the edge of the city limits.
Visit the Arctic Cathedral in Tromsø
A glass-and-concrete triangle on the edge of the fjord, striking by day and lit from within after dark.
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Slow days
1Stay up for the midnight sun
North of the Arctic Circle the sun simply doesn't set for weeks, a hike or a fjord kayak at what should be midnight is a genuinely disorienting pleasure.
Common questions
▾Is Norway safe to visit?
Yes. Norway is one of the safest countries in the world for tourists, with very low crime rates. The main risks travelers actually encounter relate to weather and terrain on hikes and fjord excursions rather than crime, so proper gear and checking conditions matter more than typical safety precautions.
▾How much do Norway's fjord cruises and hikes cost?
Many of Norway's most famous views, like the hike to Pulpit Rock (Preikestolen), are free: the cost is in getting there and, often, a paid ferry or bus connection. Fjord cruises and boat tours vary widely by length and route, typically running anywhere from roughly $50 for a short scenic ferry to $150-plus for a multi-hour fjord cruise.
▾How many days do you need in Norway?
10-12 days covers a fjord-focused route well: Bergen, the Sognefjord or Geirangerfjord region, and time in Oslo. A tighter one-week trip usually means picking one fjord region rather than covering the full west coast.
▾Do I need a visa for Norway?
US, UK, Canadian and most other Western passport holders can visit visa-free for up to 90 days within the Schengen Area, which Norway is part of despite not being an EU member. Longer stays or nationalities outside the visa-waiver list need a Schengen visa arranged in advance.
▾What's the best time to visit Norway?
June through August offers the longest daylight hours (the midnight sun in the north) and the most reliable weather for fjord hikes and cruises. Winter (December-February) is the season for the northern lights but comes with short days and much colder conditions.
▾Is Norway expensive?
Norway is one of the most expensive countries in Europe, if not the world, for dining out and alcohol in particular. Self-catering and camping, both well-supported by Norway's right-to-roam access laws, are the main ways budget travelers keep costs down.
