Norway Travel Guide
There is nowhere quite like Norway.
We’ve been to Norway twice, and both trips rank among the most spectacular we’ve ever taken. On our first visit, we road tripped through the fjord region in summer, hiking Trolltunga, Kjeragbolten, Pulpit Rock, and Romsdalseggen Ridge and cruising past some of the most dramatic scenery in Europe. On our second trip, we headed into the Arctic Circle, driving from Tromsø down through Senja and the Vesterålen Islands to the Lofoten Islands, with a side trip to Svalbard.
Whether you’re planning an epic hiking adventure, a scenic road trip through the fjords, or a journey to the far north to see the Northern Lights, Norway will not disappoint.
This Norway Travel Guide is your starting point. Use it to choose the right itinerary, find your region, and navigate to our detailed guides so you can build the perfect trip.
Start Here: Planning Your Norway Trip
If you’re just getting started, here’s where to go next:
- Want a classic Norway road trip? → Read our 10 Day Norway Itinerary: Fjord Region
- Headed to Northern Norway? → Start with our 10 Day Northern Norway Itinerary with the Lofoten Islands
- Combining the fjords and Lofoten? → See 10 Days in Norway: The Fjords and the Lofoten Islands
- Focusing on the Lofoten Islands? → Use our Lofoten Islands Itinerary
- Visiting Svalbard? → Read our Svalbard Travel Guide & Itinerary
- Looking for the best hikes? → Browse 14 Epic Hikes in Norway
Norway At a Glance
Official Language: Norwegian (Bokmål and Nynorsk)
Population: 5.5 million
Capital City: Oslo
Currency: Norwegian Krone (NOK)
Power Outlet: Type C and F
Norway Itineraries
Here are a few Norway itineraries to help you plan your trip. Spend 10 days in southern Norway, exploring Bergen, Stavanger, and the fjords or spend 10 days in northern Norway and the Lofoten Islands. Or, combine both areas into one epic trip.
10 Day Norway Itinerary: Summer Road Trip through the Fjord Region
For hikers and outdoor enthusiasts, this Norway itinerary is perfect. In 10 days, you will be able to do four amazing hikes. Be daring and stand on Kjeragbolten, hike out to Trolltunga and pose for the camera, enjoy epic views out to the Atlantic Ocean from Romsdalseggen Ridge, and hike Norway’s most popular hike, Pulpit […]
10 Days in Norway: How to Combine the Fjords and the Lofoten Islands
After two trips to Norway, one through the fjord region, one through the far north, we started getting the same question over and over in our comments: Can we combine both into one trip? How do we do the fjords AND the Lofoten Islands in 10 days? That’s exactly what this post is for. We’ve […]
10-Day Northern Norway Itinerary: Tromsø to the Lofoten Islands
We’ve done a lot of road trips in Europe, through the Italian Dolomites, across the Scottish Highlands, and down into the fjord region of southern Norway. This Northern Norway itinerary is one of our all-time favorites. We drove this route in early July, starting in Tromsø and working our way south through Senja and the […]
Norway Inspiration
Here are a few articles about things to see and do in Norway.
Best Hikes in Norway: 14 Epic Trails for Every Level
For hikers, few places in Europe can match Norway. The hikes in Norway are endlessly varied and genuinely world-class, from the fjords of southern Norway, the jagged peaks of the Lofoten Islands, and the remote coastline of Vesterålen and Senja. Alongside the Dolomites and the Swiss Alps, this is one of our absolute favorite places […]
Norway Bucket List: 20 Epic Things to Do in Norway
Norway is the land of fjords, quaint fishing villages, Vikings, trolls, the northern lights, the midnight sun, scenic drives, and some of the best hikes in the world. If you are planning a visit to this amazing country, here are 20 of the best things to do in Norway. So far, we have visited Norway […]
Southern Norway
In southern Norway, you have several amazing hikes to choose from, such as Trolltunga, Kjeragbolten, Pulpit Rock, and Romdalseggen Ridge. You can also do Norway in a Nutshell, explore Bergen and Stavanger, and go on scenic drives past the fjords.
10 Day Norway Itinerary: Summer Road Trip through the Fjord Region
For hikers and outdoor enthusiasts, this Norway itinerary is perfect. In 10 days, you will be able to do four amazing hikes. Be daring and stand on Kjeragbolten, hike out to Trolltunga and pose for the camera, enjoy epic views out to the Atlantic Ocean from Romsdalseggen Ridge, and hike Norway’s most popular hike, Pulpit […]
How to Hike Trolltunga: Everything You Need to Know
Trolltunga was the third hike on our first Norway trip, and by then we had a pretty good read on what Tyler and Kara could handle. They’d already done Pulpit Rock and Kjeragbolten, two hikes that would have been on most adults’ bucket lists, and they hadn’t complained once. Tyler was 10. Kara was 8. […]
How to Do Norway in a Nutshell on Your Own
Norway in a Nutshell is one of the most popular ways to see Norway’s fjords, and you don’t need to book the official package to do it. When we were planning our first trip to Norway, Tim did the legwork on how to see the fjords without the packaged tour eating into our budget. Norway […]
Kjeragbolten: Our Favorite Hike in Norway
Kjeragbolten is one of Norway’s most iconic and nerve-wracking hikes: a boulder wedged 1,000 meters above Lysefjord, reached by a strenuous 12 km trail from the Stavanger area. When Tim and I first researched Norway as a travel destination, we repeatedly saw photos of what looked to be crazy people standing on a boulder with […]
Hiking Kjeragbolten: Is It as Scary as It Looks?
The Kjeragbolten hike is one of the most spectacular hikes in the world. We have hiked on some amazing trails around the globe, in countries like Australia, South Africa, China, and Nepal. The four of us agree that the Kjeragbolten hike is still our favorite in the world. To read about our 20 favorite hikes in the […]
Hiking Pulpit Rock (Preikestolen): What to Expect, Trail Guide & Tips
The hike to Pulpit Rock (Preikestolen) was the first hike our kids ever did in Norway and it set the bar high. Tyler was 10, Kara was 8, and we’d spent the previous months wondering whether they were really ready for Norwegian hiking. We’d taken them on Old Rag in Shenandoah as a test run, […]
Hiking Romsdalseggen Ridge in Norway (+ Photos & Helpful Tips)
The Romsdalseggen hike is a point to point hike that traverses the Romsdalseggen Ridge, with views over the fjords, the town of Åndalsnes, and even out to the western coastline of Norway to the Atlantic Ocean. On our first trip to Norway, this was the hike that I was looking forward to the most. The […]
Where to Stay Near Trolltunga: Budget Hotels to Apartments with a View
Trolltunga is a 10 to 12 hour hike. The last thing you want at the end of that day is a long drive back to Bergen. Trust us on this one: stay nearby, give yourself a proper night’s rest before the hike, and you’ll have a much better experience. The good news is you have […]
Northern Norway
Northern Norway is a beautiful road trip destination in Europe. The Lofoten Islands are one of the most popular areas to visit, but Senja and the Vesteralen Islands are also well worth your time.
10-Day Northern Norway Itinerary: Tromsø to the Lofoten Islands
We’ve done a lot of road trips in Europe, through the Italian Dolomites, across the Scottish Highlands, and down into the fjord region of southern Norway. This Northern Norway itinerary is one of our all-time favorites. We drove this route in early July, starting in Tromsø and working our way south through Senja and the […]
Lofoten Islands Itinerary: 4 to 5 Days in Norway’s Most Spectacular Islands
There are places that stop you in your tracks the moment you arrive. The Lofoten Islands are one of them. We pulled over constantly, not because we planned to, but because we couldn’t drive past another mountain plunging straight into the fjord, another stretch of white sand beach backed by jagged cliffs, or another cluster […]
Best Things to Do in the Lofoten Islands: 16 Epic Experiences
We arrived in the Lofoten Islands after driving down from the Vesterålen Islands, and on our very first day, we climbed Svolvaergeita and hiked Svolvaer Fløya. It was a long, exhausting, unforgettable day, and somehow, it set exactly the right tone for everything that followed. By the time we left four days later, we were […]
Hiking Ryten: Kvalvika Beach Views & Lofoten’s Mini-Trolltunga
The hike to Ryten has all of the ingredients of a perfect Lofoten Islands hike: sweeping vistas across the mountains and fjords, a fun but slightly strenuous hike to a mountain peak, and a breathtaking view of a white, sandy beach. The icing on the cake is a “mini Trolltunga,” an outcropping of rock where […]
Best Hikes in Norway: 14 Epic Trails for Every Level
For hikers, few places in Europe can match Norway. The hikes in Norway are endlessly varied and genuinely world-class, from the fjords of southern Norway, the jagged peaks of the Lofoten Islands, and the remote coastline of Vesterålen and Senja. Alongside the Dolomites and the Swiss Alps, this is one of our absolute favorite places […]
Complete Guide to Climbing Svolvaergeita in the Lofoten Islands
Svolvaergeita, also called “The Goat,” is a pinnacle of rock that is a popular rock climbing spot in the Lofoten Islands. It is named The Goat because of the two horns of rock that sit atop the rock. Those with a sense of adventure can climb to the top of Svolvaergeita and those who are […]
How to Hike Segla, An Iconic Peak in Senja, Norway
The hike up to the summit of Segla is one of Senja’s most popular hikes. And this was our main reason for visiting Senja. Many visitors skip past Senja, heading directly to the Lofoten Islands. But those people are missing out seeing a gorgeous part of Norway and some hidden gems. That’s fine…that means less […]
Where to Stay in the Lofoten Islands: Rorbuer, Hotels & More
If you’re trying to figure out where to stay in the Lofoten Islands, the first thing you need to know is this: the islands have their own iconic accommodation type, and it’s unlike anything else in the world. Rorbuer, traditional Norwegian fishermen’s cabins, typically perched on stilts over the water, are the reason so many […]
How to Hike Svolvaer Fløya & Djevelporten in the Lofoten Islands
There are two ways to get a spectacular view over the town of Svolvaer…hike to the top of Svolvaer Fløya or climb Svolvaergeita. We did both on the same afternoon, making this one of our most memorable days in the Lofoten Islands. Svolvaer is one of the largest towns in the Lofoten Islands. Fløya is […]
How to Hike Reinebringen (+ Where to Park)
Reinebringen, with its dazzling view over the fishing villages of Reine, Sakrisøy, and Hamnøy, is the most popular hike in the Lofoten Islands, and one look at the panorama from the top tells you exactly why. We hiked Reinebringen in 2018 with our kids, who were 13 and 15 at the time, before most of […]
Hiking to Måtind on the Stave-Bleik Coastal Trail, Vesteralen, Norway
Norway has a way of exceeding every expectation, and the Stave-Bleik Coastal Trail on Vesteralen’s Andøya island is a perfect example. We hiked to Måtind in early July as part of a road trip from Tromsø to the Lofoten Islands, squeezing it in after a morning ferry crossing from Senja, and it turned out to […]
Ørnfløya, A Short but Sweet Hike in Sommarøy, Norway
Sommarøy doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Most visitors drive straight past it on their way to Tromsø or the Lofoten Islands, never realizing what they’re missing. We visited it as part of a road trip through northern Norway, and it immediately became one of the highlights of that trip. The hike up Ørnfløya is […]
Hiking Festvågtind in the Lofoten Islands, Norway
From the top of Festvågtind, the views over the fishing village of Henningsvaer are breathtaking. This hike is very similar to Svolvaer Fløya and Reinebringen, in that it’s a steep, somewhat unexciting climb to an awesome viewpoint. It’s absolutely worth it on a clear day but consider skipping this hike on a cloudy, rainy day. […]
Svalbard
Svalbard is a Norwegian archipelago that is located in the Arctic Ocean. This is a land of glaciers, the northern lights, the midnight sun, and frozen tundra. Svalbard is a very cool destination to add onto your Norway itinerary (pun intended). Here are some articles to help you plan your visit.
Top Ten Things to Do in Longyearbyen, Svalbard
Longyearbyen is the world’s northernmost city. This is a town where the streets have no names, reindeer wander through town, and there are more snowmobiles than people. If you have plans to visit Svalbard, Longyearbyen is where you will eat, sleep, and fill your time in between arctic adventures. The best thing to do in […]
Svalbard Travel Guide & Itinerary for First Time Visitors
Svalbard. An arctic playground where there are more polar bears than people. This is a land of glaciers, the northern lights, the midnight sun, and frozen tundra. Svalbard may seem barren, but it is filled with arctic wildlife like reindeer, walrus, and polar bears. If you like the idea of exploring the great outdoors, your […]
Svalbard Packing List: What to Pack for the Summer Months
One of the biggest questions we had while planning our trip to Svalbard was “what do we pack?” Svalbard is located so far north that it’s easy to assume that it will be ice-cold all year round. Good news! That’s not the case, at least not during the summer months. Even so, we packed an […]
Our Svalbard Budget: How Much Does it Cost to Visit Svalbard?
Do you have big dreams of visiting Svalbard? Then you probably also have the question how much does it cost to visit Svalbard? The short answer: it can be very expensive. We spent four days in Svalbard at the end of June 2018. Here is our Svalbard budget, with a full cost breakdown of flights, […]
Kayaking Adventfjord and Hiking Hiorthfjellet: A One Day Adventure in Svalbard
Svalbard offers a wide range of adventure activites. Ride on a rib boat and search for walrus, kayak in front of an active glacier, or cruise out to an abandoned mining town. For a really cool one day adventure, how about kayaking across Adventfjord and then hiking to the summit of Hiorthfjellet, one of the […]
Glacier Kayaking in Svalbard, Norway
Does the idea of kayaking in icy waters to get up close to a glacier sound like fun to you? If so, put the Icebreaker excursion with Better Moments on your list of things to do in Svalbard. We had a lot of awesome experiences in Svalbard, and this just may be the best one. […]
Cruising to Pyramiden, a Russian Ghost Town in Svalbard
Cruising to Pyramiden, an abandoned Russian mining town near Longyearbyen, is one of the most popular excursions in Svalbard. On the way, you also get to see a massive glacier, go whale watching, and if you’re really lucky, you could even spot a polar bear. According to National Geographic, Pyramiden is one of the top […]
Norway Highlights
Norway is one of those countries where it’s genuinely hard to know where to begin. Here are a few of the experiences that define a trip here.
The Fjords. Southern Norway is laced with some of the most dramatic waterways in the world. Cruise Geirangerfjord and Naeroyfjord, drive along the water’s edge, or get a bird’s-eye view from a hike above. This is Norway at its most iconic, and it lives up to every photo you’ve ever seen.
Epic Hiking. Norway has some of the best hiking trails in the world, from the well-known Trolltunga and Pulpit Rock to the lesser-visited gems of the Lofoten Islands and the far north. We’ve hiked across the country and still feel like we’ve barely scratched the surface.
The Lofoten Islands. These jagged, dramatic islands above the Arctic Circle are like nowhere else on earth. Fishing villages cling to the shoreline beneath soaring peaks, and hiking trails wind through scenery so beautiful it almost doesn’t feel real. The Lofoten Islands are the single most stunning place we have ever visited.
The Northern Lights. Northern Norway, and in particular Tromsø and the Lofoten Islands, is one of the best places in the world to see the aurora borealis. The winter months offer the best odds, and even the landscapes in winter are extraordinary.
Svalbard. Sitting between mainland Norway and the North Pole, Svalbard is an Arctic wilderness of glaciers, polar bears, and near-endless light (or dark, depending on the season). It’s one of the most remote and unforgettable add-ons you can make to a Norway trip.
Scenic Drives. Norway has some of the most spectacular roads in Europe. Trollstigen, the Atlantic Road, and the drives through Senja and the Vesterålen Islands are road trip highlights in their own right.
For the complete rundown of everything not to miss, read our post 20 Epic Things to Do in Norway ↓
How Many Days Do You Need in Norway?
How long you need in Norway depends on which part of the country you want to explore, and Norway is big enough that you really do need to choose.
For southern Norway and the fjord region, plan on a minimum of 7 days, though 10 days gives you enough time to do it properly, visiting Bergen and Stavanger, going on a fjord cruise, and squeezing in several major hikes.
For northern Norway and the Lofoten Islands, 10 days is the sweet spot, giving you time for Tromsø, Senja, the Vesterålen Islands, and at least 3 to 4 days in the Lofoten Islands themselves.
If you want to combine both regions, plan for at least 2 weeks, or be prepared to choose fewer stops in each area. We’ve done both regions separately and would recommend that approach if you have the flexibility. Each one deserves more time than a 10-day combined trip can give it.
Adding Svalbard onto either itinerary works well with an extra 3 to 4 days.
Best Time to Visit Norway
We’ve visited Norway twice, both times in summer, and we can tell you firsthand that the timing makes a real difference.
On our first trip through the fjord region, we visited in August. We had plenty of sun but also some rainy days, which is simply part of life in Norway. On our second trip, we started in Svalbard in late June before road tripping from Tromsø down through Senja and the Vesterålen Islands to the Lofoten Islands in early July. The long daylight hours on that second trip were extraordinary. The midnight sun meant we could hike late into the evening and still have light to spare.
Here’s a quick breakdown of what to expect by season:
- Winter (November–March): Not ideal for road trips or hiking, but magical for the Northern Lights. The Lofoten Islands in winter have a dramatic, moody beauty, and Tromsø and Svalbard are top Northern Lights bases.
- Spring (April–May): The fjords are beautiful and crowds are lower, but many high-elevation hiking trails are still snowbound. Good for scenic drives and lower-key sightseeing.
- Summer (June–August): The best all-around time to visit. Warm weather, long daylight hours (including the midnight sun in the north), and all trails and roads open. Expect the biggest crowds, especially in July.
- Fall (September–October): Crowds drop significantly, the fall colors in the mountains are gorgeous, and early September is often still quite hikeable in the south. Northern Norway starts to see the first Northern Lights displays by late September.
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