9 Oslo Airbnbs That Capture Norway’s Charm and Cozy-Chic Aesthetic

Tourists in Norway are facing travel delays in the aftermath of an extreme weather event known as ‘Storm Hans’. Several days of heavy rainfall—the highest in 25 years in some parts of the country—have led to widespread flooding and landslides in Southern and Eastern Norway.

Simply put, Norway is spectacular. Along the west coast, shimmering blue fjords carve deep into the interior, with picture-perfect villages hugging the shores and gravity-defying farms clinging to the steep slopes above. Elsewhere, the coastline is less dramatic but still stunning with white-painted towns and countless islands, while interior Norway has some of Europe’s wildest, most beautiful mountains, interspersed with green agricultural valleys and stretches of deep forest.

Drammen is the seventh most populous municipality in Norway but most international tourists only know the city’s name because it’s the terminus of the Oslo Airport express train.

In much of Europe, summer 2023 will be remembered as a season of bad news for the travel industry. Wildfires have brought a new kind of danger to many southern resorts already suffering from a heatwave, forcing the British government amongst others to issue travel warnings at the height of the summer vacation period.

A new restaurant in the middle of the Hardangerfjord in Norway is wowing — and scaring — TikTok. 

As you wind your way along the narrow coastal road of Langøya island in Northern Norway’s Vesterålen archipelago, you wonder how anyone could possibly live here.

Let’s not beat around the bush: Norway is expensive. However, the historically weak krone has made it a bit less so recently, and even if exchange rates change, there are plenty of ways to stretch your budget without missing out on the fantastic experiences the country has to offer.

This past may in Malta, under a domed tent beside the Valletta harbor, I watched as Harry Connick Jr., bathed in the soft glow of chandeliers, crooned “It Had to Be You.” I'd come, alongside hundreds of other guests, to witness the christening of Oceania Cruises' Vista cruise ship, the company's first new offering in more than a decade, which became official when TV personality Giada de Laurentiis, the godmother, pulled a lever that initiated the requisite whack of a bottle of Champagne against Vista's hull. Like most baptisms, this was a multigenerational affair. “Family is the bedrock of this organization,” declared Frank A. Del Rio, Oceania's new president. Standing beside him was his father, Frank Del Rio Sr., the outgoing Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings CEO, who founded Oceania with two small ships more than 20 years ago. “And it will continue to be how we define ourselves.”

It's getting dark at the end of the world, and the snow is falling fast. It's too dark to see the sea below—for all I know, krakens are churning the water white. The cliff top I'm standing on is Norway's North Cape, the northernmost point on continental Europe (71°10′21,″ to be exact). To reach it, my group steered Ski-Doos over frozen lakes and drove through a blizzard on fat-tired quad bikes, our headlamps turning the snow into brazier sparks. As we return to our cruise ship, we pass wind-carved formations as the northern lights appear and swirl across the night sky.

If you have a prepaid travel accommodation you find you can’t use, TransferTravel will list it for a possible resale to someone else. Although based in the U.K., TransferTravel is targeting an international market including the U.S. and Canada. The idea sounds great, but the travel industry throws up a lot of roadblocks to any sort of trade.

Enter the Jarlsberg “Perfect Pairing” sweepstakes by September 12, 2016, for a chance to win the grand prize: a four-night trip for two people to Oslo, Norway, including air and hotel.

There’s been a lot of talk lately about discount airlines providing low-fare flights to European cities. London, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen are now an inexpensive Wow Air or Norweigan Air flight away from the U.S.—that is, if you’re willing to forego an in-flight meal and deal with a layover. But many business travelers and membership-savvy flyers aren’t looking for a cheap, lengthy flight sans free food.