Arendal
One of the larger south-coast towns, has an undeniable buzz throughout summer, with the outdoor restaurants and bars around the harbour (known as Pollen) filling up with holidaymakers, and a full calendar of festivals and open-air concerts by the water most weekends. Even in winter, some of the larger bars stay open and have live music on weekends. It's a nice place to spend a few days, with enough going on to keep you amused while retaining an intimate village-like vibe.
- The matchbox-sized old district of Tyholmen, with its tightly wound core of timbered houses, adds considerable charm, while those seeking greater communion with the sea than a harbourside cafe can set off to the offshore islands of Merdø, Tromøy and Hisøy.
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Grimstad
Grimstad is at its most lovely in the pedestrianised streets that lie inland from the waterfront; these are some of the most atmospheric on the Skagerrak coast. The town has a number of interesting calling cards. It was home to young playwright Henrik Ibsen and has a good museum in the pharmacy in which he once worked. And it is the sunniest spot in Norway, with an average of 266 hours of sunshine per month in June and July. The town also has an unmistakably, and welcome, young vibe, thanks to its large student population.
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Kristiansand
Kristiansand is Norway's fifth-largest city and styles itself as 'Norway's No 1 Holiday Resort'. That can be a bit misleading: sun-starved Norwegians do flock to this charming big town in the summer, and there's a petite town beach and flash marina, but it tends to serve as a gateway to the villages of Norway's southern coast and the inland region of Setesdalen.
What Kristiansand offers in spades, though, is a lively cultural and shopping scene, some excellent restaurants and very healthy nightlife. In addition, anyone travelling with children will more than likely find themselves cajoled into visiting the town's outstanding children's park and zoo.
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Rjukan
Sitting in the shadow of what is arguably Norway's most beautiful peak, Gausta (1883m), Rjukan is a picturesque introduction to the Norwegian high country as well as southern Norway's activities centre par excellence.
The town stretches like elastic for 6km along the floor of the steep-sided Vestfjorddalen and while the centre, which consists of a couple of blocks of pastel-painted wooden buildings, is attractive, the remainder stands in utter contrast to its majestic setting.
If you're here from late September to March, you'll notice the expected winter gloom is absent, with the town's valley floor illuminated by 'concentrated solar power' – three giant remote-controlled mirrors track and reflect the much needed sunshine from the mountain above.
- The **[Gaustabanen Cable Railway](http://www.gaustabanen.no/)** runs 860m deep into the core of Gausta before a different train climbs an incredible 1040m, alongside 3500 steps at a 40-degree angle, to 1800m, just below the Gaustahytte, not far from the summit. It was built by NATO in 1958 at a cost of US$1 million to ensure it could access its radio tower in any weather. Taking the railway is an incredible experience, although it's not for the claustrophobic. The base station is 10km southeast of Rjukan.
- The **[Krossobanen cable car](http://www.krossobanen.no/)** was constructed in 1928 by Norsk Hydro to provide its employees with access to the sun. It now whisks tourists up to Gvepseborg (886m) for a view over the deep, dark recesses. The best panoramas are from the viewing platform atop the cable-car station. It also operates as the trailhead for a host of hiking and cycling trails.

Oslo
The bustling, cosmopolitan city of Oslo is the capital of Norway. Everyone who comes to Norway usually passes through here. Some of the most spectacular natural landscapes in Norway surround the city, making it a perfect staging area for a day of hiking, biking, boating, skiing, or camping.
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Bygdøy
Best accessed by ferry, pretty, residential and rural-feeling Bygdøy is home to the city’s most fascinating, quintessentially Norwegian museums, featuring Vikings, traditional architecture and modern-day explorers.
- Around 1100 years ago, Vikings dragged two longships (**[Viking Ship Museum](www.khm.uio.no)**) from the shoreline and used them as the centrepiece for grand ceremonial burials, most likely for important chieftains or nobles. Along with the ships, they buried many items for the afterlife: food, drink, jewellery, furniture, carriages, weapons and even a few dogs and servants for companionship. Discovered in Oslofjord in the late 19th century, the ships have been beautifully restored and offer an evocative, emotive insight into the Viking world.
- **[Polarship Fram Museum](www.frammuseum.no)** is dedicated to one of the most enduring symbols of early polar exploration, the 39m schooner Fram (meaning ‘Forward’). You can wander the decks, peek inside the cramped bunk rooms and imagine life at sea and among the polar ice. There are detailed exhibits complete with maps, pictures and artefacts of various expeditions, from Nansen’s attempt to ski across the North Pole to Amundsen’s discovery of the Northwest Passage.
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Lillehammer
After Lillehammer won its bid for the 1994 Winter Olympics, the Norwegian government ploughed more than two billion kroner into the town's infrastructure. In an example to other Olympic host cities, most amenities remain in use and visitors can tour the main Olympic sites over a large area called the **[Olympic Park](http://www.olympiaparken.no/)**.

Røros
Røros, a charming UNESCO World Heritage–listed site set in a small hollow of stunted forests and bleak fells, is one of Norway's most beautiful villages. The Norwegian writer Johan Falkberget described Røros as 'a place of whispering history'. This historic copper-mining town (once called Bergstad, or mountain city) has wonderfully preserved, colourful wooden houses that climb the hillside, as well as fascinating relics of the town's mining past. It feels a little bit like a Norwegian version of the Wild West. Røros' historic district, characterised by the striking log architecture of its 80 protected buildings, takes in the entire central area. The two main streets, Bergmannsgata and Kjerkgata, are lined with historical homes and buildings, all under preservation orders. The entire area is like an architectural museum of old Norway.
- Røros has become something of a retreat for artists, who lend even more character to this enchanted place.
- Røros is one of the coldest places in Norway – the temperature once dropped to a mighty bracing -50.4°C.
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Jotunheimen National Park
The high peaks and glaciers of the 1151-sq-km Jotunheimen National Park whose name means the 'Home of the Giants', make for Norway's best-loved, busiest and, arguably, most spectacular wilderness destination. Seemingly hundreds of hiking routes lead through ravine-like valleys past deep lakes, plunging waterfalls and 60 glaciers to the tops of all the peaks in Norway over 2300m; these include Galdhøpiggen (the highest peak in northern Europe at 2469m), Glittertind (2452m) and Store Skagastølstind (2403m). By one count, there are more than 275 summits above 2000m inside the park
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Trondheim
With its colourful warehouses, waterways and wooded hills, Trondheim is without doubt one of Norway's most photogenic towns. Norway's third-largest city and its historic capital is a pleasure to explore, with wide streets and a partly pedestrianised heart, some great cafes, restaurants and museums to visit – plus Europe's northernmost Gothic cathedral. Fishing boats putter around the harbour, gulls wheel and screech overhead, and beyond the city's outskirts there's a wealth of wilderness to explore.
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Bergen
Surrounded by seven hills and seven fjords, Bergen is a beguiling city. During the early Middle Ages, it was an important seaport and a member of the Hanseatic League, as well as Norway's capital – a heritage that can still be glimpsed in the beautifully preserved wooden houses of Bryggen, now protected as a Unesco World Heritage site. Colourful houses creep up the hillsides, ferries flit around the fjords, and a cluster of excellent art museums provide a welcome detour in case Bergen's notoriously fickle weather sets in. Meanwhile, a large student population ensures the city has a buzzy bar scene and nightlife.
Making time just to wander Bergen's historic neighbourhoods is a must. Beyond Bryggen, the most picturesque are the steep streets climbing the hill behind the Fløibanen funicular station, Nordnes (the peninsula that runs northwest of the centre, including along the southern shore of the main harbour) and Sandviken (the area north of Håkonshallen). It's a maze of winding lanes and clapboard houses, perfect for a quiet wander.

Voss
Voss (also known as Vossevangen) sits on a sparkling lake not far from the fjords and this position has earned it a world-renowned reputation as Norway's adventure capital. The town itself is far from pretty, but everyone is here for white-water rafting, bungee jumping and just about anything you can do from a parasail, most of it out in the fjords.
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Hardangerfjord
Running from the Atlantic to the steep wall of central Norway's Hardangervidda plateau, **Hardangerfjord** is classic Norwegian fjord country. There are many beautiful corners, although our picks would take in Eidfjord, Ulvik and Utne, while Folgefonna National Park offers glacier walks and top-level hiking. It's also well known for its many fruit farms, especially apples – Hardanger is sometimes known as the orchard of Norway. You can easily explore Hardangerfjord from Bergen; www.hardangerfjord.com is a good resource.
**Eidfjord** is one of the most beautifully sited towns in this part of Norway, dwarfed by sheer mountains and cascading waterfalls. Eidfjord's beauty does, however, come at a price. Although it's only accessible by ferry or spiral tunnels, in summer cruise ships arrive on an almost daily basis, and the town can get overwhelmed.
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Stavanger
There's a reason this coastal town has been twinned with Houston and Aberdeen: it's sometimes known as Norway's 'Oil City' for its importance in oil exploration in the North Sea since the 1970s (Norway's largest oil company, Statoil, is based here). But while much of the outskirts are modern, you won't find too many skyscrapers – Stavanger's old centre has some of the most beautiful and best-preserved wooden buildings anywhere in Norway, many dating back to the 18th century. It's all very pretty, and in summer the waterfront comes alive in the best port-town style.
What Stavanger's oil boom has brought, however, is suburban sprawl and sky-high prices, even for Norway. It's notorious as one of the country's priciest locations, and finding a bed and a bite comes with a hefty price tag. Nevertheless, it's a perfect launch pad for exploring nearby Lysefjorden, and for tackling the classic hike to Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock).

Lysefjord
ll along the 42km-long Lysefjord (Light Fjord), the granite rock glows with an ethereal light and even on dull days it's offset by almost-luminous mist. This is the favourite fjord of many visitors, and there's no doubt that it has a captivating beauty.
There are two compelling reasons to explore this wonderful place: a cruise along the fjord, or the four-hour hike to the top of **Preikestolen**, the plunging cliff face that's graced a million postcards from Norway, not to mention as many Instagram posts. Daredevils might also want to brave standing on the **Kjeragbolten**, a boulder wedged between two sheer cliff faces.
The ferry ride from Stavanger takes you to the fjord head at **Lysebotn**, where a narrow and much-photographed road corkscrews spectacularly 1000m up towards Sirdal in 27 hairpin bends. From Lysebotn, the road twists up the mountain and on into the Setesdalen region and Oslo.
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Sognefjorden
Sognefjorden, the world's second-longest (203km) and Norway's deepest (1308m) fjord, cuts a deep slash across the map of western Norway. In places, sheer walls rise more than 1000m above the water, while elsewhere a gentler shoreline supports farms, orchards and villages.
The broad, main waterway is impressive but it's worth detouring into its narrower arms, such as the deep and lovely Nærøyfjord, for idyllic views of abrupt cliff faces and cascading waterfalls.
There's a comprehensive guide to the area at www.sognefjord.no.
- At the head of Aurlandsfjorden, **Flåm** sits in a truly spectacular setting beside Sognefjord. The main attraction here is the stunning mountain railway that creeps up into the surrounding peaks and offers truly eye-popping panoramas.
- Peaceful **Aurland** is much less hectic than its neighbour, Flåm, a mere 10km south along the fjord. These days it's renowned as one end of Lærdalstunnel (24.5km), the world's longest road tunnel. This is an essential link in the E16 highway that connects Oslo and Bergen; before its completion, traffic had to ferry-hop between Lærdal and Gudvangen. It’s a fast alternative to the sinuous, 45km-long Aurlandsfjellet, sometimes known as the Snow Road, which crests over the mountains via one of Norway's loftiest road passes. As such, it's generally only passable from June to October.
- High above the valley, **Stalheim** is a place of extraordinary natural beauty with an interesting, lively past. Between 1647 and 1909, Stalheim was a stopping-off point for travellers on the Royal Mail route between Copenhagen, Christiania (Oslo) and Bergen. A road was built for horses and carriages in 1780. The mailmen and their weary steeds rested in Stalheim and changed to fresh horses after climbing up the valley and through the Stalheimskleiva gorge, flanked by the thundering Stalheim and Sivle waterfalls. Although a modern road winds up through two tunnels from the valley floor, the old mail road (Stalheimskleiva) climbs up at an astonishing 18% gradient. As tour buses, improbably, use this road, it's one-way only: you can drive down it, but not up.
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Jostedalsbreen National Park
For years mighty Jostedalsbreen, mainland Europe's largest ice cap, crept counter current, slowly advancing while most glaciers elsewhere in the world were retreating. Now Jostedalsbreen itself has succumbed and is also withdrawing. It's still a powerful player, though, eroding an estimated 400,000 tonnes of rock each year. With an area of 487 sq km and in places 600m thick, Jostedalsbreen rules over the highlands of Sogn og Fjordane county. The main ice cap and several outliers are protected as the Jostedalsbreen National Park.
The northern and southern sides of the national park are some distance apart, so they need to be visited separately – and you'll have a tough time without your own car. For accessing the southern side of the park, the towns of **Solvorn, Sogndal and Fjærland** are the most useful gateways, while on the northern side, **Stryn, Loen and Olden** are within easy driving distance and have plenty of accommodation.
- If you're still looking for that perfect fjord-side village, **Fjærland** is a mighty strong contender. Beautifully sited at the end of Fjærlandsfjorden, it's a sleepy one-street town lined with clapboard buildings and surrounded on all sides by huge cliffs. Most people come to experience its pair of particularly accessible glacial tongues, Supphellebreen and Bøyabreen, but Fjærland is also known as the *Book Town of Norway*.
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Geirangerfjorden
The world-famous, UNESCO-listed, oft-photographed fjord that every visitor to Norway simply has to tick off their bucket list. And in purely scenic terms, it's impossible to argue against the case for its inclusion: it is, quite simply, one of the world's great natural features, a majestic combination of huge cliffs, tumbling waterfalls and deep blue water that's guaranteed to make a lasting imprint on your memory.
Unfortunately with prestige comes popularity. Some 600,000 visitors come here to see the sights every year and scores of cruise ships dock at the port every day in summer. You're unlikely to enjoy much peace and quiet, especially around the main port of Geiranger. Thankfully, out on the fjord itself, peace and tranquillity remain and a ride on the Geiranger–Hellesylt ferry is an essential part of your Norwegian adventure.
- Somewhere you've seen that classic photo, beloved of brochures, of the overhanging rock **Flydalsjuvet**, usually with a figure gazing down at a cruise ship in Geirangerfjord. The car park, signposted Flydalsjuvet, about 5km uphill from Somewhere you've seen that classic photo, beloved of brochures, of the overhanging rock Flydalsjuvet, usually with a figure gazing down at a cruise ship in Geirangerfjord. The car park, signposted Flydalsjuvet, about 5km uphill from Geiranger on the Stryn road, offers a great view of the fjord and the green river valley, but doesn't provide the postcard view down to the last detail.

Åndalsnes

Ålesund
The far northern port of Ålesund might be far from the bright lights of metropolitan Norway, but it's rich with some of the country's finest examples of Jugendstil (art nouveau) architecture – a legacy of a huge rebuilding project that took place after a devastating fire in 1904. Set out over a hook-shaped peninsula, the town is now the home base for Norway's largest cod-fishing fleet, and it's an attractive, lively town and unsurprisingly has some superb seafood to try.

Bodø
Bodø, the northernmost point of the staggeringly beautiful Kystriksveien Coastal Route and 63km west of Fauske on the Arctic Highway, is the gateway to Norway's true north. It's also the northern terminus of Norway's railway system and a jumping-off point for the Lofoten Islands.
The town centre, rebuilt after being almost completely levelled by WWII bombing, is unexciting architecturally. The city's main charm lies in its backdrop of distant rugged peaks and vast skies. Dramatic islands that support the world's densest concentration of white-tailed sea eagles – not for nothing is Bodø known as the Sea Eagle Capital – dot the seas to the north.

Narvik
Narvik has a double personality. On the one hand, its location is spectacular, pincered by islands to the west and mountains in every other direction, while spectacular fjords stretch north and south. At the same time, heavy industry casts a pall of ugliness over the rather scruffy downtown area – the town was founded in 1902 as the port for the coal-mining town of Kiruna in Swedish Lappland and the trans-shipment facility bisecting the city still loads several million tonnes of ore annually from train wagons on to ships.
But Narvik's appeal lies elsewhere, with unique sporting and sightseeing activities offered by its majestic surroundings and the spectacular Ofotbanen Railway to Sweden.

Lofoten Islands
You'll never forget your first approach to the Lofoten Islands. The islands spread their tall, craggy physique against the sky like some spiky sea dragon. The beauty of this place is simply staggering.
The main islands, **Austvågøy, Vestvågøy, Flakstadøy** and **Moskenesøy**, are separated from the mainland by Vestfjorden, but all are connected by road bridges and tunnels. On each are sheltered bays, sheep pastures and picturesque villages. The vistas and the special quality of the Arctic light have long attracted artists, represented in galleries throughout the islands. One of the best ways to appreciate the view is to follow the E10 road, which runs along the islands from tip to toe, taking just about every detour you have time for en route.
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Vesterålen
Although the landscapes here aren't as dramatic as those in Lofoten, they tend to be much wilder and the forested mountainous regions of the island of Hinnøya are a unique corner of Norway's largely treeless northern coast. There are many reasons to visit, but our top three would be whale-watching from Andenes or Stø, a drive along Andøya's lovely west coast and a visit to the reborn hamlet of Nyksund.
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Tromsø
Located 400km north of the Arctic Circle at 69˚N, the small town of Tromsø bills itself as Norway's gateway to the Arctic, and there's definitely more than a hint of polar atmosphere around town. Surrounded by chilly fjords and craggy peaks that remain snowcapped for much of the year, Tromsø sits on the eastern edge of Tromsøya, and is linked to the mainland by a gracefully arched bridge.
In previous centuries, the town was a centre for seal hunting, trapping and fishing, and was later a launch pad for several important Arctic expeditions, including some led by Roald Amundsen. These days it's best known as one of the better places in the north of the country to spot the Northern Lights.
It's also a notoriously lively city, with a large university, a happening cultural calendar and an animated nightlife. (Tromsø prides itself on having more pubs per capita than any other Norwegian town.)

Hammerfest
Norway's, and perhaps even the world's, northernmost town – other Norwegian communities, while further north, are, Hammerfest vigorously argues, too small to qualify as towns!
If you're arriving on the Hurtigruten coastal ferry, you'll have only 1½ hours to pace around, pick up an Arctic souvenir or two and visit the Royal & Ancient Polar Bear Society. For most visitors that will be ample, Hurtigruten or not.

Nordkapp
Nordkapp is the one attraction in northern Norway that everybody seems to visit. It is a tourist trap, however – billing itself as the northernmost point in continental Europe, it sucks in visitors by the busload – some 200,000 every year.
Nearer to the North Pole than to Oslo, Nordkapp sits at latitude 71°10'21" N, where the sun never drops below the horizon from mid-May to the end of July. Long before other Europeans took an interest, it was a sacrificial site for the Sami, who believed it had special powers.
Yes, it's a rip-off, but Nordkapp is a stunning, hauntingly beautiful place. Even after the novelty wears off, it's the view that thrills the most. In reasonable weather you can gaze down at the wild surf more than 300m below, watch the mists roll in and simply enjoy the moment.
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Kirkenes
This tiny, nondescript place, anticlimactic for many, has a distinct frontier feel. You'll see street signs in Norwegian and Cyrillic script and hear Russian spoken by trans-border visitors and fishermen, who enjoy better prices for their catch here than in their home ports further to the east.
The town reels with around 100,000 visitors every year, most stepping off the Hurtigruten to spend a couple of hours in the town before travelling onward. But you should linger a while here, not primarily for the town's sake but to take one of the many excursions and activities on offer.

Karasjok
Kautokeino may have more Sami residents, but Karasjok (Kárásjohka in Sami) is Sami Norway's indisputable capital. It's home to the Sami Parliament and library, NRK Sami Radio, a wonderful Sami museum and a Sami theme park. This is also one of the best places in Norway to go dog-sledding in winter.
It's a lovely forested drive between Karasjok and Kautokeino, following, for the most spectacular stretch, the River Jiešjokka.

Svolvær
The port town of Svolvær is as busy as it gets in Lofoten. The town once sprawled across a series of skerries, but the in-between spaces are being filled in to create a reclaimed peninsula. Although the setting is beautiful with a backdrop of high mountains, the hotchpotch of modern buildings clutters things somewhat. It's a good place to eat and refuel, but the magic of Lofoten lies elsewhere.

Kabelvåg
Kabelvåg, 5km southwest of Svolvær, is an intimate and cosy place. At its heart is a small square and tiny harbour, while its Storvågen district, 2km off the E10 to the south, has an enticing trio of museums and galleries.

Henningsvær
A delightful (and rather narrow) 8km shoreside drive southwards from the E10 brings you to the still-active fishing village of Henningsvær, perched at the end of a thin promontory. Its nickname, 'the Venice of Lofoten', may be a tad overblown, but it's certainly the lightest, brightest and trendiest place in the archipelago.
It's also been an important fishing centre for many centuries. There's even a local saying dedicated to the town's piscatorial heritage: 'A real Lofoten cod am I, for I was born in Henningsvær.'

Nusfjord
If you take one detour off the E10 between Svolvær and Å, make it Nusfjord, one of the loveliest villages in Norway's north. The road in here, just 6km long, is a stunning byway, hemmed in by towering bare crags. The ox-blood-red wooden buildings of Nusfjord, which feels like a hidden treasure, hug its tiny, tucked-away harbour. Many artists consider it to be the essence of Lofoten but be warned: so do tour operators and in summer it gets so crowded that parking attendants manouevre vehicles this way and that. But don't let this put you off – even with all this, it's worth every second you spend here.

Reine
Reine is a characterless place but gosh, it looks splendid from above, beside its placid lagoon and backed by the sheer rock face of Reinebringen. You get a great view from the head of the road that turns to the village from the E10 at the southern end of town. This is one of the signature Lofoten views you'll have seen on postcards across the archipelago – pray for some sun.

Sakrisoy
In the heart of some stunning country on an arm of Reinefjord, Sakrisøy is a small, pretty island with services far out of proportion to its size – two places to eat, a place to stay and plenty to do.
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At the southern tip of Moskenesøy and the Lofoten Islands, the bijou village of Å (appropriately, the last letter of the Norwegian alphabet), sometimes referred to (and signposted across Lofoten) as Å i Lofoten, is something of a living museum – a preserved fishing village with a shoreline of red rorbuer (fisher's huts), cod-drying racks and picture-postcard scenes at almost every turn. It's an almost feudal place, carved up between two families, now living very much from tourism but in its time a significant fishing port (more than 700,000 cod would be hung out to dry here every season until as recently as WWII).
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Svalbard
Svalbard is the Arctic North as you always dreamed it existed. This wondrous archipelago is a land of dramatic snow-drowned peaks and glaciers, of vast ice fields and forbidding icebergs, an elemental place where the seemingly endless Arctic night and the perpetual sunlight of summer carry a deeper kind of magic. One of Europe's last great wildernesses, this is also the domain of more polar bears than people, a terrain rich in epic legends of polar exploration.
Svalbard's main settlement and entry point, scruffy Longyearbyen, is merely a taste of what lies beyond and the possibilities for exploring further are many: boat trips, glacier hikes, and expeditions by snowmobile or led by a team of huskies. Whichever you choose, coming here is like crossing some remote frontier of the mind: Svalbard is as close as most mortals can get to the North Pole and still capture its spirit.
**Longyearbyen** is like a portal to a magical sub-polar world. Just about every Svalbard experience begins here, but if you came to Svalbard and spent the whole time in Longyearbyen (Svalbard's only town of any size), you'd leave disappointed. That's because although Longyearbyen enjoys a superb backdrop including two glacier tongues, Longyearbreen and Lars Hjertabreen, the town itself is fringed by abandoned mining detritus and the waterfront is anything but beautiful, with shipping containers and industrial buildings. The further you head up the valley towards the glaciers, the more you'll appreciate being here. Even so, Longyearbyen is a place to base yourself for trips out into the wilderness rather than somewhere to linger for its own sake.
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