12 best places to visit in Norway

Japan has been knocked off the top spot for the world’s most powerful passport for the first time in five years.

On the southern cusp of the Lysefjord, in southwest Norway, Stavanger is where the country’s coast begins to splinter into a thousand islands, skerries, waterways and inlets. It’s little wonder, then, that this city — the fourth largest in Norway — should have been defined by water, both geographically and culturally. It first made big bucks in fish canning, then in North Sea oil, as two of its main museums recount. Yet, today, it surprises visitors with newfound urban cool. 

In addition to booming tourism numbers worldwide, travelers this summer have experienced scorching temperatures. That blistering heat has made travel difficult and could potentially create chronic health problems.

Norwegian airline Flyr announced on Tuesday it would file for bankruptcy after failing to raise the money it needed for its operations, becoming the latest aviation casualty since the start of the pandemic.

CIC Hospitality is opening 30 boutique Aiden by Best Western hotels in Scandinavia, but they won’t come with staff in the flesh and blood standing at the front desk. 

Hurtigruten Norway has unveiled the early concept designs for its first zero-emission ship, which is set to feature ‘numerous firsts and improved solutions that do not exist on cruise ships today.’

It’s easy to assume that Norway, a country celebrated for its breathtaking fjords, northern lights, and rich Viking Age history, no longer holds any travel secrets. But with record numbers of travelers visiting popular tourist destinations throughout Scandinavia this summer, it’s time to consider some lesser-known places that are just as fascinating.

With nearly 4,000 port calls forecasted, 2023 is shaping up to be a record year for Norwegian cruise ports. The industry association Cruise Norway points to the war in Ukraine and the weak local currency as the drivers, but other factors are surely at play too.

Going from strength to strength, Oslo Runway, now in its ninth year, is a reflection of the ever increasing international interest in all things Scandinavian, particularly style and design. Copenhagen Fashion Week might still be better known but Oslo’s annual fashion showcase continues to impress with innovative Norwegian designers who have a strong sustainable ethos. And this year, Oslo Runway has introduced the CPHFW's sustainability requirements, where all brands and designers participating must report on their sustainable approach, as well as signing an ethical charter for the fashion industry, an agreement considering diversity and inclusion for models and staff.

In the very heart of the Norwegian mountains lies a road that’s not just a means to a destination but a thrilling destination in itself. Far more than just asphalt, gravel, and stones, the historic 16.7-mile-long Gamle Strynefjellsvegen (Old Stryn mountain road) provides a journey back in time to all who make the trip.

Train journeys on the Oslo to Trondheim main line railway will be disrupted for the foreseeable future following the collapse of a key bridge in Ringebu, 35 miles north of Lillehammer, Norway.

There’s something truly liberating about wild camping — deciding on a whim to forgo the journey you had planned and stay one more night in a place you never knew existed. There needn’t be a strict plan or itinerary, just a map, a tent and that exhilarating sense of solitude. It’s something Europe does particularly well, be it sheltering on the shores of a Hebridean island, gazing out towards a lighthouse from an Estonian archipelago or dozing under the glow of the midnight sun in Norway. Here we reveal five of the best wild camping destinations to discover Europe’s bountiful countryside.