Norway

Top 10 highlights

The selection below reflects my opinion based on places I have visited, namely the capital Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger and Tromsø. There are of course, many other areas that probably are as good or even better (like Ålesund, Geiranger or Lofoten) that I hope to visit one day and be able to add to and update the list.

Norway is generally divided into 5 main regions, the Eastern, Western, Southern, Northern Norway and Trondelag (sometimes also referred to as Central Norway).

Eastern Norway

To start with, this is where the capital city of Oslo is located. This is also your most likely entry point into Norway because of Oslo’s wider range of connections by international flights, ferries, trains and buses.

Within the capital, you will find a number of attractions catering to varying interests, such as

1. museums, including the Viking Museum, the Norsk Folkemuseum and the Norwegian Maritime Museum on the Bygdøy Peninsula (do note that the Viking Museum is closed for renovations until 2027)

2. open spaces, including Frogner Park (which also includes the Vigeland Sculpture Park) and the harbour

3. cultural places, including the Oslo Opera House and the National Theatre
4. historical places, including the Oslo Cathedral and Akershus Fortress
5. the Nobel Peace Centre, and
6. the Royal Palace 

Oslo is also the starting or ending point of the most famous Norway in a Nutshell trip, taking you through the beautiful fjords of the country.

Western Norway

This is in my opinion where the gems of Norway lie. And if you are taking the Norway in a Nutshell trip, the key highlights are all located within Western Norway. The trip takes you through lovely fjords and landscapes through a series of train, bus and boat rides. It ultimately brings you to Bergen, which is the main city of this area.

Bergen

Bergen itself is an amazing town, featuring Bryggen, a picturesque harbour area with colourful wooden houses and a fresh fish market. The town is surrounded by mountains and fjords, including Mount Fløyen which you can reach by the Fløibanen funicular. Up at Mount Fløyen, you get an impressive panoramic view of the town and there are hiking trails as well if you are there in summer.

Stavanger

Stavanger is the energy capital of Norway, with the oil industry being its main production. While it is an important business area for Norway, it is also in close proximity to many famous hikes of Norway. Hence for this reason, Stavanger is also a hub for hikers who wish to take on the Pulpit Rock (Preikestolen) and Kjeragbolten, the boulder wedged between two cliffs.

PS: Pardon the terrible photos as I was very unlucky with the weather despite doing the hike in August. 

Ålesund and Geiranger

Ålesund is frequently marketed as the place where the mountains and fjords meet the ocean. And specifically, this is where the Geirangerfjord starts. The town is also known for its art nouveau architectural style inspired by the natural world, characterised by floral and animal motifs, when it was rebuilt following a large fire in 1904.

I personally have not been to this part of Norway yet but have, without doubt, heard lots of good things. It is surely in my future plans.

Southern Norway

This area is also known as the ‘Norwegian Riviera’ and is popular among Norwegians, particularly the Skagerrak Coast. This article gives a pretty good overview of the the towns in this area: An introduction to the most popular towns of Southern Norway.

Trondelag (Central Norway)

As the name suggests, this is very much the middle of Norway. And like the rest of Norway, with no less impressive views of mountains, fjords and islands. Additionally, this area is known for its culinary experiences. Particularly, foodies may be interested in the Golden Route with numerous world-class restaurants. For more information about this area, refer to the Explore Trondelag website.

Northern Norway

The first thing that comes to mind when it comes to Northern Norway, is the possibility of viewing the impressive northern lights (aurora borealis) during the off-summer months, and the midnight sun during a few weeks in summer.

Particularly, Tromsø is a popular town where visitors use as a base for chasing the northern lights and embarking on winter activities such as snowmobiling and reindeer-sledding. With Tromsø located right within the Arctic Circle, it is without doubt one of the best places in the world to view this mesmerising phenomenon. Even better than Iceland in my opinion.

Kirkenes is a town in the far north and is usually the turning or ending point of the northern light cruises that depart from Bergen. These cruises typically take about 2 weeks both ways, hugging the coastlines of Norway and dropping off for some day tours of the towns along the way.

Getting to Norway

As I have noted above, you will most likely be entering Norway via Oslo, the capital city if travelling from outside of Europe. You have a few more different options if travelling from Europe, and more so from other parts of Scandinavia, Denmark, Sweden or Finland in particular.

By air

Norwegian Air and Scandinavian Air (SAS) are the two main carriers serving Norway, both regionally and internationally, all-year round. Many different airlines all around the world also fly directly into Oslo, the capital city.

Direct flights into Bergen and Stavanger mostly arrive only from within Europe though. For most of the other cities in Norway, it is likely that you will need connecting flights from one of the above three cities. For example, if flying to Tromsø, you probably need a transit at Oslo or Bergen.

By rail

As can be seen in the overview map above, Norway shares borders with Sweden and Finland. However, the northern areas of Norway are not as well connected by rail as the south.

Even then, land is so vast in Scandinavia that train journeys do take a long time. To illustrate, a train from Stockholm in Sweden to Oslo takes more than 5 hours. On the other hand, a flight takes only an hour. The journey from Gothenburg (the west side of Sweden) to Oslo takes slightly shorter at about 3.5 hours. For more information on trains from Sweden to Norway, you can refer to SJ. Due to the long travelling time, I would generally only consider this option if travelling from Western side of Sweden into Oslo.

By road

As I have noted above, there is so much land in Scandinavia that I don’t really recommend taking the bus from Sweden unless you are close to the border to Norway. However, if you still prefer, you can plan your journey with Flixbus.

To illustrate, driving from Stockholm to Oslo takes at least 6 hours, and driving from Gothenburg to Oslo at least 3.5 hours. Similar to my opinion on travelling by rail, I would only consider this if travelling from the western side of Sweden into Oslo.

By sea

This was actually how I arrived at Oslo, via a 19-hour ferry from Copenhagen. This is normally an overnight cruise beginning from mid-afternoon in Copenhagen and arriving mid-morning at Oslo. This is also a car-ferry, so if you have a vehicle, you are allowed to drive it on board. Despite the long journey, almost half the time was spent on sleeping and eating, and you can spend the rest of the time enjoying some entertainment on board. For more information on the cruise, you may check the cruise provider’s website DFDS.

Getting around Norway

Between cities

Land is so vast in Norway that it makes more sense travelling inter-city by flights rather than driving or public transport. To illustrate, it takes 22 hours to drive from Oslo to Tromsø but only less than 2 hours by flight. And it takes 7 hours to drive from Oslo to Bergen but only 50 minutes on flight.

Despite me saying that, I still suggest the Norway in a Nutshell trip to travel between Oslo and Bergen as it brings you to some of the most beautiful fjords of Norway while travelling between the cities. The Norway in a Nutshell trip is a combination of 5 public transport legs via trains, ferry and bus, taking you 11 hours through Norway’s scenic landscapes.

Regionally

Most of Norway’s key cities are rather small and compact, which make them walkable. Otherwise, in larger cities like Oslo, they also have a good bus network to bring you around. However, if you are intending to visit the amazing landscapes outside the cities (and you should!), I’d recommend to either drive or book yourself on tours.

To point out, if you purchase bus tickets in Oslo on board, you will have to pay a surcharge of 20 NOK. This is in addition to the 42 NOK bus fare. Hence, do buy your bus tickets in advance at convenience kiosks or service points, or obtain a 24-hour pass for 127 NOK. Refer to the ticketing information for Oslo public transport.

Summary

Hence to summarise, take the Norway in a Nutshell between Oslo and Bergen, fly between distant cities, drive or take tours to view the landscapes, and walk or take the bus within cities. You can view and book trains, boats and buses through Vy. More on Vy under ‘Costs’.

How can I manage costs?

Norway is the most expensive country I have visited, albeit the Norwegian Kroner having depreciated considerably (and favourably) in recent years. Nevertheless, I do have a couple of points which you can consider.

Norway in a Nutshell

This has to be the best place to start. In the previous section I recommended taking the Norway in a Nutshell trip to travel between Bergen and Oslo, but now I am going to tell you not to take the Norway in a Nutshell tour.

Not making any sense?

As I have said above, the Norway in a Nutshell trip is made up of 5 legs of public transport on trains, bus and boat. Fjord Tours packages and sells these 5 public transport tickets as one single Norway in a Nutshell tour/ticket, which is extremely convenient as it removes the hassle of buying individual tickets from different transport providers.

However, they can charge you nearly 50% more than if you were to individually book the tickets yourself. Furthermore, there is no additional value added to their tickets. i.e. there is no tour guide, no additional commentaries, no meals included, nothing. That essentially means you get nothing else other than convenience of a single point of purchase.

Example

To illustrate this, I tried checking the prices for a Norway in a Nutshell trip on 3 September 2024 for travel on 24 September 2024. Firstly, I looked up the price of the trip packaged by Fjord Tours. And then I checked the individual prices of the 5 journeys. I found that Fjord Tours was charging 2965 NOK, which is 44% more compared to the sum of the 5 individual tickets. Hence, unless you think the convenience is worth the premium, booking them individually can save you lots!

The 5 legs of the Norway in a Nutshell and their prices for 24 September 2024

City passes

Before you arrive at any of the towns or cities, be sure to check out the city passes and understand their benefits to see if they fit your needs. I will attempt to sum up some of the main city passes available in Norway.

Oslo Pass

The Oslo Pass comes in either 24h, 48h or 72h and covers a number of the key attractions and public transport. I generally think the Oslo Pass is priced quite reasonably and has decent coverage. To illustrate this, a 48h pass costs 760 NOK for an adult. A typical 2-day itinerary would likely cover the Akershus Castle, Nobel Peace Centre, boat ride to Bygdøy, the Norsk Folkemuseum and Norwegian Maritime Museum. The sum of these costs and two bus rides would add up to about 768 NOK.

Refer to the list of benefits for the Oslo Pass.

Bergen Card

The Bergen Card comes in 24h, 48h, 72h and 96h and covers a few attractions and public transport, as well as gives discounts to a number of other activities. However, the way it is priced does mean that I struggle to make the card worth. At least that’s the case for me and my interests. Refer to its benefits to make the call for yourself.

Tromsø Pass

Unlike most city passes, the Tromsø Pass has got four different variations – Classic, Cruise, Culture and Family. Interestingly, the Classic and Cruise passes do not have a limited timeframe. That is to say that you can use both the passes on all the attractions covered for an unlimited period of time. The Culture and Family passes are valid for a period of 7 days though, which is still fairly long enough.

However, the coverage for buses is only for 24 hours from your first bus trip, so this is one important point to take note of.

The passes are priced in such a way that I think it is worth only if you are planning to cover nearly all of the 2 to 10 attractions (depending on which variation you choose) included in it. For more information on the benefits and how to purchase the pass, refer to the Tromsø Pass website.

Finally, you can refer to this 4-Day Tromsø Itinerary in Winter (with the Northern Lights) which is based off the Tromsø pass Classic or Cruise.

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