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?
