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99 AMAZING Things to Do in Norway
So, I am home from wonderful Norway and still reeling from the excitement of that country. I can’t believe how much I did in just three weeks and I can’t believe how much of Norway still remains to be explored.
Such is the nature of travel–it only makes you hungry to come back for more! Thus I compiled this little list of things I’ve done and things I still want to do some day whenever I make it back to Norway (you may notice a lot of them include climbing, water, and eating, ahem). Feel free to grow the list by adding your own suggestions of all the amazing things you can do in Norway!
- Hike Preikestolen.
- Eat a pølse with everything on it!
- Taste licorice ice cream at Gangstad Gårdsysteri.
- Sleep in a lighthouse.
- Walk in the woods and hear the gransanger sing.
- Sail the entire coast of Norway on the Hurtigruten.
- Watch a play at Den Nationale Scene.
- Roam through the Vigeland sculpture park in Oslo.
- Fish for your own dinner at Havfruen in Trondheim.
- Join Trondheim students & indulge in the Sunday cake buffet at Mormors Stue.
- Compare versions of The Scream (By Edvard Munch) at the Munch Museum and Norway’s National Gallery.
- Climb the longest wooden staircase in the world.
- Watch the midnight sun.
- Visit the world’s largest halibut farm.
- Drive through the world’s longest road tunnel at Laerdal.
- Hunt for trolls along the jaw-dropping Trollstigen mountain road.
- Snowshoe in June.
- Wave a Norwegian flag on the 17th of May!
- Sample aquavit that’s crossed the equator twice!
- Kayak the islands of Ålesund.
- Fish for ling in a fjord.
- Learn a Norwegian folk song.
- Explore the Jugendstil architecture of artsy Ålesund.
- Be a pilgrim! Walk St. Olaf’s Way from Stiklestad to Trondheim Cathedral (90 km on a well-marked path, allow 4 days).
- Ride the famous Flåm Railway.
- Take a spa day at Hotel Union in Geiranger.
- Conquer Mt. Hoven by scaling the brand new Via Feratta.
- Sunbathe at Bergen’s best beach at Helleneset!
- Go to Hell! (Hell, Norway)
- Hike up to the ultra-isolated Skalefllå farm in Geirangerfjord.
- Drive the Golden Road of Inderøy.
- See any member of Norway’s royal family (they get around!)
- Run the famous Skåla Opp (1,848 m uphill race!)
- Milk a goat!
- Drive through the incredibly scenic Gudbrandsdalen.
- Try 6 different kinds of salmon at the Hotel Alexandra Norwegian buffet.
- Taste some fjord-brewed beer.
- Practice your allemannsretten.
- Take the kids to Stavanger!
- Stay in Juvet, one of Norway’s ultimate experiential design “hotels”.
- Try Norwegian sushi made by Lithuanians.
- Find the perfect bouquet in Oslo’s flower market.
- Ride the ferry through spectacular Lysefjord.
- Look for moose in the forest.
- Find out everything you ever wanted to know about leprosy at Bergen’s very cool Leprosy Museum.
- Lick a glacier.
- Explore Trondheim’s canals and cobblestone alleys by citybike!
- Visit a century-old farm (and taste the bread!) at Gulburet.
- Go clubbing in Oslo and see how hard Norway parties at night.
- Learn to say the same word in Norway’s dozens of different dialects.
- Catch the dive show at the Atlantic Ocean Park in Ålesund.
- Go to composer Edvard Grieg’s home in Bergen.
- Check out the street art in Stavanger & the art scene at Tau Scene.
- Eat Norway’s “Best Breakfast” (and biggest) at Rica Nidelvan Hotelin Trondheim.
- Ride a helicopter through the fjords (worth it!)
- Stay in Husfrua, a whitewashed B&B from 1867 (serving all local food).
- Drink from St. Olaf’s blessed spring (and be healed!) in Valldal.
- Drink the water (‘cuz it’s the best).
- Take a wild ride in a rib boat.
- Eat brunost.
- Dine with an unforgettable view of Oslo at Ekebergrestauranten.
- See fur seals.
- Ride Bergen’s funicular all the way to the top.
- Retreat into the sagas by walking along the roaring ravine of Gudbrandsjuvet.
- Admire the dandelions.
- Visit Holmenkollen, Norway’s iconic ski jump, and the fascinating ski museum.
- Try the klappkak at Baklandet Skydsstation.
- Grab a backpack and jump headfirst into Frilufstliv.
- Ride a bike all the way down the Flåm valley.
- Drink 8 cups of coffee a day.
- Get addicted to boller.
- Visit Undredal stave church, one of the oldest in the country.
- Buy a sheepskin rug (I did!)
- Try the goat cheese chocolates at Fjordnær Geiranger Sjokalade.
- Go white-water rafting in Voss.
- Count all the blonde people.
- Spend a day at the Vitenfabrikken (Science Factory) in Sandnes. So much fun.
- Be kissed by a goat.
- Sleep in a Viking longhouse at Stikelstad.
- Climb up to Kjerag and conquer your fear of heights!
- Jog along the Oslo waterfront.
- Drink eplemost.
- Go canyoning
- Drive from Oslo to Bergen and count the tunnels you go through (dozens!)
- Put flowers on Ibsen’s grave.
- Find your relatives.
- Eat reindeer.
- Nap all day, stay up all night–and not know the difference.
- Get a room with a balcony at Hotel Continental.
- Enjoy the one-of-a-kind, otherworldly view at Flydalsjuvet.
- Tease the Swedes.
- Attend the ceremony for the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo.
- Swim in the fjords (not as cold as you think!)
- Climb up the tower and onto the roof of Trondheim Cathedral.
- Discover the awesomeness that is Norwegian Country Music!
- Stay at my favorite hostel in Norway: Eplet Bed & Apple.
- Ski all year round in the country that invented skiing.
- Take the train and gawk at the landscapes that pass you by.
- Be happy. You’re in Norway.
- Nat Geo Expeditions