With its rearing mountains and deep, blue-black fjords, Norway remains a wilderness outpost in a tamed and crowded continent. Everything here is on the grand scale with the country boasting some of Europe’s harshest and most beautiful land- and seascapes. Read our run-down of the best things to do in Norway.

The information in this article is inspired by The Rough Guide to Norway, your essential guide for visiting Norway.

1. Explore the beauty of Geirangerfjord

Arriving by ferry reveals the village tucked away in a hollow at the eastern end of the fjord while approaching from the north by road involves thundering along a fearsome set of switchbacks on the Ørnevegen (‘Eagle Way’) for a first view of the village and the fjord glinting in the distance.

Enjoy a tour of Norway's most picturesque locations including Ålesund, Hellesylt, Stranda, Sykkylven, Geirangerfjord, and Eidsdal.

Find accommodation options to stay near Geirangerfjord

2. Go to wildlife safaris in Svalbard

Guided tours are big business in Svalbard and you can choose anything from hiking and snowmobiling to kayaking. Or try ice-caving, dog-sledging or boat trips. For those who wish to see wildlife, Zodiac offers boat and snowmobile safari trips. The most prized sighting of course is of the local polar bears. However, there there are all manner of other Arctic fauna too.

Or, try taking a trip to one of the former coal mines. Tours of glaciers — and glacier tunnels — are also popular.

Find accommodation options to stay at Svalbard

3. Have a look at the intricate sculptures in Vigelandsparken

From the monumental wrought-iron gates on Kirkeveien, the central path takes you to the footbridge over the river and a world of frowning, fighting and posturing bronze figures – the local favourite is Sinnataggen (The Angry Child). Beyond, the central fountain is an enormous bowl representing the burden of life, supported by straining, sinewy bronze Goliaths.

Discover Oslo's unique attractions and learn about the city's history on a comprehensive guided tour. See panoramic views of the city from Holmenkollen Hill and learn about Gustav Vigeland.

4. Take a train ride on the Flåmsbana

The lonely railway junction of Myrdal, just forty minutes or so by train from Voss, is the start of one of Europe’s most celebrated branch rail lines, the Flåmsbana, a 20km, 900m plummet down the Flåmsdal valley to Flåm. This fifty-minute train ride should not be missed if at all possible, despite the hordes of tourists – it’s part of the ‘Norway in a Nutshell' route.

Embark on Guided Full-Day Tour to Nærøyfjord & Flåm Railway. Experience the Nærøyfjord, one of the narrowest fjords in the world, and travel by road, rail, and water while admiring the panoramic views.

5. Visiting Bergen - one of the first things to do in Norway

There’s plenty to see in town too, from sturdy old stone buildings and terraces of tiny wooden houses to a veritable raft of museums and art galleries, while just outside the city limits are Edvard Grieg’s home, Troldhaugen, as well as the charming open-air Gamle Bergen (Old Bergen) museum.

Where to stay in Bergen:

• Best for location: Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Bergen
• Best for unique and charming vibes: Det Hanseatiske Hotel

Find more accommodation options to stay in Bergen

6. Be surprised by the intricate architecture in Ålesund

Instead, there’s a proud conglomeration of stone and brick, three-storey buildings, whose pastel-painted facades are lavishly decorated and topped off by a forest of towers and turrets. Neoclassical and mock-Gothic facades, decorative flowers and even a pharaoh or two, the whole ensemble ambling around the town’s several harbours.

Where to stay in Ålesund:

• Best for Art Nouveau design: Hotel 1904
• Best for the bay views: Scandic Parken

Find more accommodation options in Ålesund

7. Go whale-watching at Andenes

There’s no denying that Andenes feels rather like the end of the world, but the combined effects of the Gulf Stream and the proximity of the Eggakanten continental shelf make the waters off Andenes especially rich in wildlife – enough to spawn a small tourist industry built on whale-watching and wildlife safaris.

8. Visit medieval Nidaros Domkirke in Trondheim

Gloriously restored following several fires and the upheavals of the Reformation, the cathedral, which is dedicated to St Olav remains the focus of any visit to Trondheim and is best explored in the early morning, when it’s reasonably free of tour groups. In the summertime, there are free English-language guided tours and you can climb the cathedral tower for a panoramic view over the city and its surroundings.

Where to stay in Trondheim:

• Best for high-quality stays: Britannia Hotel
• Best for B&B: Thon Hotel Prinsen

Find more accommodation options to stay in Trondheim

9. Explore the Jostedalsbreen glacier

The glacier’s myriad arms – or nodules – nudge down into the nearby valleys, the clay particles of its meltwater giving the local rivers and lakes their distinctive light-green colouring. Catching sight of the ice nestling between peaks and ridges can be unnerving – the overwhelming sentiment being that somehow it shouldn’t really be there.

10. Have a look at medieval woodcarvings in Urnes stave church

Parts of the building date back to the twelfth century, and its most remarkable feature is its wonderful medieval carvings. On the outside, incorporated into the north wall, are several exquisite door panels, alive with a swirling filigree of strange beasts and delicate vegetation.

11. Feel the Viking spirit alongside the Oseberg longship

The Oseberg longship is thought to be the burial longship of Åse, wife of the early ninth-century Yngling king, Gudrød the Hunter. She was also the mother of Halfdan the Black, whose body had a very different fate from her own – it was chopped up, and the bits were buried across his kingdom to ensure the fertility of the land.

12. Experience the Northern Lights

The Northern Lights are typically visible in Norway between late September and early April when the nights are long and the sky is clear. The best time to see the lights is when the solar activity is at its highest, which is typically between November and February.

If you are intrigued by the phenomenon of the northern lights, read the impression about a magical journey to Norway’s Arctic north from one of our Rough Guide authors.

This tailor-made Aurora tour in Finland, Norway and Sweden is perfect for people who want to explore the Arctic. Begin your journey from the southern part of Finland via Sweden up to the northern part of Norway. Most importantly, you will be hunting for the Northern Lights in the best locations!

13. Appreciate the art of Edvard Munch

"The Scream," one of Edvard Munch's most famous works, is housed in the Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway. The Munch Museum is a dedicated museum of art and cultural history that is home to a collection of over 28,000 works by Munch and other Norwegian artists.

Where to stay in Oslo:

• Best for boutique stays: Saga Hotel
• Best for budget: Citybox Oslo

Find more attractive accommodation options to stay in Oslo

14. Explore Alta rock carvings

The town does have a one-star attraction, the Alta Museum, home to the most extensive area of prehistoric rock carvings in northern Europe. Alta also makes an excellent base for explorations out into the Finnmarksvidda plateau, whether it be hiking, riverboat safaris, dog-sledging, snowmobiling or cross-country skiing.

15. Immerse yourself in the Norwegian way of life at Henningsvær

Tourism is the big deal here today and consequently, the town is well supplied with places to eat, drink and sleep – and there’s even some congestion as tour parties are bussed in and out. Nonetheless, it’s a lovely spot that well deserves an overnight stay at the very least.

Where to stay in Henningsvær:

• Best for modern stays: Tobiasbrygga
• Best for central location: Henningsvær Guesthouse

Find more accommodation options to stay in Henningsvær

16. Cross-country skiing - one of the best things to do in Norway in winter

Wherever you are in wintertime Norway, you’re never far from a cross-country ski route, whilst at major ski resorts sets of parallel ski tracks called loipe are cut in the snow by machines with the cross-country skier in mind: they provide good gliding conditions and help keep the skis parallel; some loipe are floodlit.

Find some more information about skiing in Norway in our A to B by cross-country ski in Norway guide.

17. Visit the Norsk Fiskevaersmuseum in Å

Pretty much left to its own devices for many decades, Å is something of a late nineteenth-century museum piece, where the pride of the historic place goes to the engaging Norsk Fiskerværsmuseum (Norwegian Fishing Village Museum).

There are about fifteen buildings to explore here, including a boathouse, forge, cod-liver-oil processing plant, rorbuer, and the houses of both the traders who dominated things hereabouts and the fishermen who did their bidding.

18. Go swimming at the Oslofjord

On sunny, summer days, the city’s youth troop off to the less populated islands to party in earnest – with a bit of beach life added to the stew – though the prettiest island, Hovedøya, with its pocket-sized beaches and wooded walks, avoids the high jinks.

19. Observe the Værøy's sea-bird colonies

The island is well known for its thriving bird colonies: Måstadfjell hosts well over a million puffins, eiders and gulls that breed noisily in the summer months. Værøy’s most important bird cliffs occupy the southwest corner of the island, but their sheer rockfaces are much too steep and slippery to approach on foot, so your best bet is to take a boat trip.

20. Embrace the beauty of Hjørundfjord

Perhaps appropriately, it takes its name from the terrible times when the Black Death swept Norway, leaving the fjord with just one inhabitant, a woman called Hjørund, who wandered its peaks crying out at the heavens.

21. Take a cruise on the Hurtigruten coastal boat

To many, the Hurtigruten remains the quintessential Norwegian experience, and it’s certainly the best way to observe the drama of the country’s extraordinary coastline. Eleven ships combine to provide one daily service in each direction, and the boats stop off at over thirty ports on the way.

22. Spend a night in a lighthouse

Some of the lighthouses can be reached by road, but others can only be reached by boat and, with one or two lavish exceptions, the accommodation on offer – where it is on offer – is fairly frugal and inexpensive. The reward is the scenery – almost by definition these lighthouses occupy some of the wildest locations imaginable.

Norway is stunningly beautiful and is considered one of the most beautiful countries in the world for a reason. For even more breathtakingly beautiful countries, check out our list of the most beautiful countries around the world.

23. Stay at Juvet Landscape Hotel

Seven of the guest rooms feature deep, dark woods, playful bathrooms and unique Japanese-Norwegian recliners, each of which is perched so that you can gaze out at the wilderness beyond.

24. Walk in the Jotunheimen mountains

Covering no less than 1152 sq km, the park offers an amazing concentration of high peaks, more than two hundred of which rise above 1900m, including Norway’s (and northern Europe’s) two highest mountains, Galdhøpiggen (2469m) and Glittertind (2452m). Here also is Norway’s highest waterfall, Vettisfossen.

25. Witness the midnight sun in the Arctic Circle

Obviously, the midnight sun is best experienced on a clear night, but fog or cloud can turn the sun into a glowing, red ball – a spectacle that can be wonderful but also strangely unsettling. All the region’s tourist offices have the exact dates of the midnight sun, though note that these are calculated at sea level; climb up a hill and you can extend the dates by a day or two.

If you prefer to plan and book your trip to Norway without any effort and hassle, use the expertise of our local travel experts to make sure your trip will be just like you dream it to be.

Ready for a trip to Norway? Check out the snapshot of The Rough Guide to Norway. If you travel further in Norway, read more about the best time to go and the best places to visit in Norway. For inspiration use the itineraries from The Rough Guide to Norway. A bit more hands-on, learn about getting there, getting around the country and where to stay once you are there.

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