The Coast
A walkable 1.5km northeast of Egersund centre, this well-designed museum (squirrelled away in an unprepossessing shopping centre), houses the wares of…
Must-see attractions in Norway
Tromsø
The 11 triangles of the Arctic Cathedral (1965) suggest glacial crevasses and auroral curtains. The glowing stained-glass window that occupies the east…
Southern Norway
Gaustabanen 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…
Nordland
Even if you've never heard of the medieval Norwegian poet Petter Dass (1647–1707), don't miss this stunning museum at Alstahaug south of Sandnessjøen…
The Western Fjords
The haunting ruins of Selja monastery and the church of St Sunniva on Selja Island date from the 11th and 12th centuries respectively: this has been a…
Longyearbyen
This gallery of stunning Svalbard photos by Ole Jørgen Liodden and Roy Mangersnes is small but filled with utterly unforgettable images. A book that…
Tromsø
For a fine view of the city and the midnight sun, take the cable car to the top of Mt Storsteinen (421m). There's a terrace and (pricey) restaurant at the…
Svolvær
Stunning photos of the Lofoten Islands in all their brooding glory, most of them for sale, are the work of photographer Anders Finsland. It's worth…
Opera House & Bjørvika
Centrepiece of Oslo's rapidly developing waterfront, the magnificent Opera House (2008), reminiscent of a glacier floating in the waters of the Oslofjord,…
Southern Norway
This fairy-tale church is the largest and one of the most beautiful of Norway's 28 remaining stave churches. As always, it's constructed around Norwegian…
Oslo
When Oslo was named capital of Norway in 1299, King Håkon V ordered the construction of Akershus, strategically located on the eastern side of the harbour…
Southern Norway
The timbered houses, moats, gates and drawbridge of the Fredrikstad Gamlebyen are simply enchanting. The perimeter walls, once defended by 200 cannons,…
Aker Brygge & Bygdøy
Norwegians take pride in their role as international peacemakers, and the Nobel Peace Prize is their gift to the men and women judged to have done the…
Royal & Ancient Polar Bear Society
Western Finnmark
Dedicated to preserving Hammerfest culture, the Royal & Ancient Polar Bear Society (founded in 1963) features exhibits on Arctic hunting and local history…
Stavanger
Admittedly, the prospect of an 'oil museum' doesn't sound like the most promising option for an afternoon out, but this state-of-the-art place exploring…
Trondheim
The 12th-century archbishop's residence (Erkebispegården), commissioned around 1160 and Scandinavia's oldest secular building, is beside the cathedral. In…
Norwegian Industrial Workers Museum
Southern Norway
This museum, 7km west of Rjukan, is in the Vemork power station, which was the world's largest when completed in 1911. These days it honours the Socialist…
Central Norway
If you want to learn all about the wonders of ice, this impressive experience takes you closer than you ever thought possible. Guided tours take you 60m…
Stavanger
Don't miss this surprising museum housed in an old cannery: it's one of Stavanger's most entertaining. Before oil, there were sardines, and Stavanger was…
Lofoten
This museum takes in 14 of Å's 19th-century boathouses, storehouses, fishing cottages, farmhouses and commercial buildings. Highlights (pick up a pamphlet…
Western Finnmark
The design of Hammerfest's contemporary church, consecrated in 1961, was inspired by the racks used for drying fish in the salty sea air all across…
Trondheim
Scandinavia's largest wooden palace, the 140-room late-baroque Stiftsgården, was constructed as a private residence in the late 18th century, at the…
Svolvær
Housed appropriately in what was once a fish-freezing plant, this is the ultimate place to chill out (perhaps with something to warm the spirit). The 500…
Central Norway
After Lillehammer won its bid for the 1994 Winter Olympics, the Norwegian government ploughed more than two billion kroner into the town's infrastructure…
Stavanger
Gamle (Old) Stavanger, above the western shore of the harbour, is a delight. The Old Town's cobblestone walkways pass between rows of late-18th-century…
The Coast
This highly regarded contemporary art gallery is a 15-minute walk from the town centre on the northern reaches of Arendal. One of the largest contemporary…
Nordland
In the tiny fishing hamlet of Nes, this delightful, engagingly informative small museum celebrates the eider duck and the way the birds were nurtured as…
Longyearbyen
Deep inside a mountain, down beneath the permafrost, a vast artificial cavern, already dubbed the Doomsday Vault or a vegetarian Noah's Ark, was opened in…
Nordland
The Saltstraumen Maelstrom is one of Norway's more unusual natural occurrences, which is guaranteed to occur four times every 24 hours. At the 3km-long,…
Aker Brygge & Bygdøy
This museum is dedicated to one of the most enduring symbols of early polar exploration, the 39m schooner Fram (meaning ‘Forward’). Wander the decks, peek…
The Far North
Although technically in Troms county, Reisa National Park (803 sq km) is equally accessible by road from Kautokeino. For hikers, the 50km route through…
Bergen
Composer Edvard Grieg and his wife Nina Hagerup spent summers at this charming Swiss-style wooden villa from 1885 until Grieg's death in 1907. Surrounded…
Arctic Highway
The small (171-sq-km), scarcely visited Rago National Park is a rugged chunk of forested granite mountain and moorland, riven with deep glacial cracks and…
Bergen & the Southwestern Fjords
At the summit after a steep 20km drive, and where Hardangervidda begins, is the stunning, 182m-high Vøringfoss Waterfall. There are actually numerous…
Western Finnmark
No roads cross through the 747 sq km of Stabbursdalen National Park, which offers a spectacular glacial canyon and excellent hiking in the world's most…
Oslo
Oslo's beloved woodland sits to the north of the Holmenkollen Ski Jump and is a prime destination for hiking, mountain biking, sledding and skiing. In the…
Oslo
The Holmenkollen Ski Jump, perched on a hilltop overlooking Oslo, offers a panoramic view of the city and doubles as a concert venue. During Oslo's annual…
Bergen & the Southwestern Fjords
Norway's only baronial mansion dates back to 1665 and sits on a gentle rise above the town. The period interiors include a collection of tapestries, an…
Oslo
The gallery houses the nation's largest collection of traditional and modern art, and many of Edvard Munch's best-known creations are on permanent display…
Central Norway
A church has existed on this site since the arrival of Christianity in the 11th century. The current version, which remains the local parish church, dates…
