15 Places to Visit in Norway

Winter is coming…

If you are a fan of HBO’s Game of Thrones, then, you might have heard the Northerners say these words with conviction. As for those who are not familiar with it, it only means one thing – winter is coming and it’s HOLIDAY IN NORWAY, ALL THE WAY! (That rhymed!)

The best time to go to Norway is during the winter season when the snow is at its whitest and from a far, it looks like squishy cotton. The ambiance alone is magical and the exquisite natural phenomena that can be experienced only in Norway are beyond words.

Here are 15 of the Best Places to Visit when you’re in Norway:

1. The Northern Lights: Aurora Borealis – Northern Norway

In all of Norway, Aurora can be basked and enjoyed but there are specific places where this natural phenomenon of green, purple and violet lights cascading on the sky is best seen.

The North Cape is one of the best places to view the Northern Lights. Narvik is one of those destinations in Norway which has a lighthouse that can serve as a waiting place for the Aurora to emerge. Vesteralen in Lofoten is another scenic location to go to when planning to marvel the sky when the Northern Lights are out.

This is a list of the 15 best places to visit when in Norway. Plan your holiday well and hope you enjoy these scenic spots and things to do up north.

 

2. The North Cape – Nordkapp, Finnmark County

Arctic Ocean meets Atlantic Ocean; this is what you will see on top of the cape, the northernmost of Norway. It is a very steep cliff with a visitor center on the plateau. Various services are offered in the center like coffee shop, restaurant, and gift shop, among others. The plateau is a great viewing place for the Midnight Sun – if visiting during the summer months. (Again, this is a natural phenomenon wherein the sun can be miraculously seen at midnight.)

 

3. Svalbard Islands – In Between North Pole and Norway

You can tell your friends that North Pole can be visited and the Arctic Ocean can be stepped on because it is indeed possible. If you visit Svalbard Islands, you can do all that. You want to see polar bears? This is your chance. The community near Svalbard is called Longyearbyen and it has top-rate bars and accommodations, in case you’re wondering.

What are the things you can do there other than walking in North Pole and Arctic Ocean? Snow mobile tour is a great way to explore the snow wilderness of Svalbard. It even has the Sustainable Destination certification because the areas is being preserved and protected while tourism is flowing in.

4. Lofotr Viking Museum – Bord, Nordland County

You’ll hear stories about Valhalla, Loki, Thor and Odin because Lofotr Viking Museum is all about the Viking world. It used to be a Chieftain house back in 500 AD as believed by archeologists and it is the biggest Viking structure ever discovered in Norway.

A visit to the museum features a re-enactment of how the Vikings lived during the Nordic days. They are very great engineers of boats – replicas are found in the museum and their blacksmith’s are most skilled in creating weapons. The original blacksmith hearth is inside the building, as well.

 

5. The Telemarks Gallery & Lysbuen Industrial Museum

This is an industrial and art museum, art gallery, coffee and museum shop rolled into one. It is also part of UNESCO’s World Heritage List as of 2015 because of its industrial history. It produced the mineral fertilizer which changed the course of the world in 1905 when there was a crisis in food at the time.

Now, it is being preserved and can be enjoyed by spectators. The history the industrial site is inside the museum with an art gallery to supplement the stories.

 

6. Reindeer Sledding in Karasjok – Finnmark County

There is more of the Sami culture than art and architecture. One of their practicies is reindeer sledding and you can fully experience it Karasjok, even if you are not a Sami descendant. It is one of the oldest modes of transportation used by the Northern people and it is definitely a Sami tradition to ride a reindeer. In modern days, when you hear reindeers, it’s Rudolph and Santa Claus. So, think about that when you are in Norway, reindeer-sledding.

(Sami tour guides can assist you in this activity.)

7. Sami Culture in Karasjok – Finnmark County

Want to know more about the indigents of Norway, Sweden and Finland? Well, there are two ways to understand all about the culture and the Sami people and that is by visiting Sami Parliament Building and Sami Centre for Contemporary Art. Both of these landmarks can be found in Karasjok and it is open for public viewing.

The Sami Parliament Building is the epitome of Sami architecture. Be sure to go inside the Sami Library – the hanging bulbs are just splendid and unusual, at the same time.

The Sami Centre for Contemporary Art features modern artists who exhibit Sami art interpretations of today.

 

8. Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel – Alta, Finnmark County

Yes, Norway is a snowy fairy tale and the real sense of the words: Winter Wonderland. So, how about visiting an Igloo-type hotel? Igloo is made of ice and Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel in Alta, Norway is all ice from front desk lobby to their beds. Guests are to sleep in ice-sculpted bed. There is an ice hotel in Norway!

Each year, the hotel has a different theme and everything inside the hotel is sculpted by artists. It does have a schedule on when it will be open for accommodation because eventually, it will melt!

Note: Guests are required to wear Woolen type of under garments especially at night.

 

9. Saltstraumen Tidal Currents during Arctic Winter

The thrill-seeker in you might jump in the Saltstraumen adventure where you can literally feel the tide smashing while you watch from a safe distance. To give you an idea of how strong the tide is in Saltstraumen, if you were on a boat, you will be moving the strait in more or less 20 knots or 20-25 miles per hour. This is without motor assistance!

But the view of this natural phenomenon is one of a kind. It is a jaw-dropping moment just to witness the formation of one of the most powerful whirlpools in the whole world and you can find it in Bodo, Norway.

 

10. Rjukan Admini Hotel – Rjukan, Telemark County

This was the place where the highly-received TV mini-series “THE HEAVY WATER WAR” in Norway was filmed. This was the home of Sam Eyde back in 1908. He is the founder of Hydro. Today, it is open for public use and receives guests all around the world.

Only a select was allowed to grace the halls of Rjukan Admini until recently. The building itself is a tourist attraction because it is made of wood in the Art Nouveau style which can only be found in Norway.

 

11. Krossobanen Cable Car – Rjukan, Telemark County

Since the Frozen Waterfalls are in Rjukan, then, there is another must-try activity in the area that will surely make your trip worthwhile. You can be airlifted and try out Northern Europe’s first cable car called Krossobanen Cable Car. It is still functioning until now and has been servicing tourists and locals alike for the last 88 years.

It was a very thoughtful gift from Norsk Hydro to the people of Rjukan so that they can watch the sun as they go up. The mountains of Rjukan shielded the sun rays from reaching the town during winter months. Anyway, after 4 to 5 minutes on the lift, there is a restaurant on top overlooking Rjukan and Gaustatoppen.

 

12. Frozen Waterfalls – Rjukan, Telemark County

You read that right, FROZEN WATERFALLS. Iced waterfalls are normal and common in Norway. In Rjukan alone, there are more than 150 waterfalls that becomes ice during winter. Imagine a body of water cascading down in ice? That would be so amazing to witness.

And did you know that you can climb these iced wonders too? Anyway, if you just want a photo op or to see and touch Waterfalls of Ice, then, Rjukan is the place to be. (It is a small town in Tinn Municipality.) Rjukan Falls is their most famous scenic spot.

 

13. Dog Sledding in Tromsø, Tromsø County

This is perhaps one of the activities that you must never ever forget to do when you are in Norway – dog sledding. Hire a driver to control the blue-eyed dogs for you while you enjoy the scenic view of Tromso, a city-slash-municipality in Troms County, Northern Norway.

You can ride during the day or at night, if you prefer. It will be a drive featuring iced lakes, snow-capped green forests and grandiose peaks pulled by fluffy Alaskan huskies. This is the best way for you to enjoy the Arctic Circle and its untouched wilderness like no other.

(You can book this activity with a travel and tours agency preferably between November to March.)

 

14. Rock Art of Alta – Alta, Finnmark County

The municipality of Alta is home to the famous UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites called ROCK CARVINGS or the ROCK ART of ALTA. The carvings are from the prehistoric era (dated around 4200 to 500 B.C.) and it is the only prehistoric World Heritage Site in Norway.

Some of the images discovered were drawings of bear worshipping as part of Shamanistic rituals and there were also interpretations of hunters with their deer and gatherers of food, among others.

It would be a whole different experience when these drawings are personally viewed, right?

 

15. Knut Hamsun Centre – Hamaroy, Nordland County

If you want to explore your artistic side, then, the Knut Hamsun Centre in Hamaroy in Northern Norway will surely pique your creative juices. It features the life and works of Nobel Prize in Literature winner, Norwegian contemporary novelist Knut Hamsun who wrote the best-sellers “Growth of the Soil” and “Hunger”.

The museum was opened for public viewing in June 2010 and was recognized and given several architectural awards both local and foreign. It was initially painted by Architect Steven Holl in 1994, who based his design of the museum on a mixture of Hamaroy landscape, culture and tradition with Hamsun’s elaborate literary pieces.

This would be an interesting visit, don’t you think?