10 Things You Need to Do in Norway
1. Go to Bryggen, Bergen
Bryggen is a UNESCO-listed strip of
beautiful buildings in Bergen. The
entire town burnt down in 1702 and triangular, brightly coloured buildings
popped up in its place. From the front, these buildings are wonderfully
colourful and strangely slanted. If you
really want to experience the magic of Bryggen, head behind the façade and explore
the laneways. With an Escher-esque,
labyrinthine quality, layers and layers of buildings have been collaged on top
of each other, with strange doors and windows poking out into the lane.
2.
Take a boat trip through the
fjords
Whether you opt for a luxury cruise on the
Hurtigruten, an exhilarating RIB boat trip, or a self-guided kayak, you must
see the fjords by boat! From the water,
you really get a sense of how huge and dwarfing these structures are. Several of the fjords are UNESCO-listed
sites, like Næroyfjord and Geirangerfjord, while Sognefjord is the largest of
the fjords, cutting straight into the mainland.
Cruising through Geirangerfjord
3.
Get up close and personal with
a glacier
The largest glacier in mainland Europe
calls Norway home, and it’s incredibly accessible. Don’t try and tackle this one yourself, but
book in with a professional to guide you (safely!) through this unimaginably
beautiful terrain. I recommend booking
with IceTroll, who are able to cater to a huge range of abilities and make you
feel completely safe and comfortable.
They even offer some trips where you can kayak to the glacier, which I
definitely recommend!
4.
Visit a Stave Church
The ‘stave’ in Stave Church refers to the
pillar structures that hold the church up, but they’re more well-known for
their characteristic fairytale appearance.
If visiting Norway isn’t enough to make you believe in magic, these
beautiful old churches will. Urnes Stave
Church in Sognefjord is the oldest still standing and is open to the public
from May to October.
The Vikingship museum is located on Bygdøy, an island covered in wonderful museums, and houses three of the most fantastic burial ship excavations in the world. On our recent visit, many of the artefacts were in the process of being tested and preserved, because they're rapidly degrading. If any time is the time to see them, it's now!
6. Experience some crazy geology
Norway has some pretty intense rocks. I don’t say that lightly. If you’re up for something physical, try the
hike to Trolltunga or Kjerag Rock. For
something a little less full on, make the pilgrimage to the famous Pulpit Rock,
arguably one of the most visited places in Norway. These walks are most accessible in high
summer, with buses running to the starting point from late June. If you find yourself in Norway at any other
time of year (like I did), Kannesteinen Rock on the picturesque island of Måløy
can be accessed by car all year round.
Norway’s train trips are some of the most
famous in the world. The NSB train from Oslo to Bergen offers some beautiful
scenery and goes via Finse (the snowy mountainous village made famous in Star
Wars as Hoth, the ice planet). If you
book more than a day in advance, you can get the ‘mini pris’ ticket, which is
very affordable. Alternatively, the Flåm
railway is arguably the most famous rail journey in the world and offers
fantastic views of the surrounding countryside and waterfalls.
Finse! This place was insane.
8. Visit the Lofoten Islands
I wrote a whole post about why you need to add this to your itinerary. Don't ask - just go.
9. Stay with a local
Norwegians are - on the whole - really proud of their country. AirBnB provides an excellent platform if you're looking for a more authentic experience in any country, but we found that the Norwegians we shacked up with were even more keen to share local knowledge. We stayed in Moss, a small town near Rygge, one of Oslo's airports - the hosts told us all about the area and we instantly wished we'd had more time there. They even brought us down some locally made dinner. The same thing happened in Oslo, and our host helped us plan our trip. Norway's a huge country with so many hidden treasures - it's really worth staying with somebody who's in the loop.
Norway has some of the most fantastic waterfalls in the whole world, and many of them are accessible by foot. If you take a sail through any fjord or ride almost any train, you'll see the waterfalls from a distance - but it's worth scheduling a day to go for a walk to one. You don't get a sense of how huge and unbelievably dwarfing they are, until you're up close. If you're feeling particularly adventurous, you can even try climbing them in winter.
Can you spot the tiny Nick?!
About the Author
0 comments