Lonely Planet Norway , livre ebook

Norway

Contents

Plan Your Trip

Welcome to Norway
Norway's Top 15
Need to Know
If You Like...
Month by Month
Itineraries
Outdoor Activities
Travel with Children
Regions at a Glance

On The Road

Oslo
Sights
Activities
Tours
Festivals & Events
Sleeping
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Entertainment
Shopping
Oslofjord & Ostfold
Drobak
Fredrikstad
Halden
Southern Norway
The Coast
Tonsberg
Sandefjord
Larvik
Around Larvik
Kragero
Risor
Arendal
Grimstad
Lillesand
Kristiansand
Mandal
Lindesnes
Flekkefjord
Egersund
The Interior
Kongsberg
The Telemark Canal
Rjukan
Seljord
Setesdalen
Central Norway
Central Norway Highlights
Eastern Central Norway
Lillehammer
Hunderfossen
Hamar
Trysil
Roros
Femundsmarka National Park
Oppdal
Trollheimen
Dombas
Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella National Park
Otta
Rondane National Park
Ringebu
Western Central Norway
Lom
Jotunheimen National Park
Hardangervidda
Geilo
Finse
Bergen & the Southwestern Fjords
Bergen & the South western Fjords Highlights
Bergen
Bergen in Colour
Voss & Around
Voss
Myrkdalen
Stalheim
Hardangerfjord
Norheimsund
Oystese
Ulvik
Eidfjord
Kinsarvik
Lofthus
Utne
Odda
Roldal
Folgefonna National Park
Rosendal
Haugalandet
Haugesund
Karmoy Island
Stavanger
Lysefjord
The Western Fjords
Sognefjorden
Aurlandsfjorden
Flam
Aurland
Naeroyfjord
Laerdal
Lustrafjorden
Vik
Balestrand
Sogndal
Fjaerland
Jostedalsbreen & Nigardsbreen
Briksdalsbreen & Kjenndalsbreen
Nordfjord
Olden
Loen
Stryn
Floro
Kalvag
Maloy
Selje & Selja Island
The Northern Fjords
Andalsnes
Valldal
Geirangerfjorden
Hellesylt
Norangsdalen
Runde
Alesund
Molde
Bud
Averoy
Kristiansund
Trondelag
Trondelag Highlights
Trondheim
The Route North
Stiklestad
Steinkjer
Namsos
Rorvik
Leka
Nordland
Nordland Highlights
Arctic Highway
Mosjoen
Mo i Rana
Saltfjellet-Svartisen National Park
Fauske
Narvik
Kystriksveien The Coastal Route
Bronnoysund
Vega
Sandnessjoen
Traena
Lovund
Bodo
Saltstraumen
Lofoten
Austvagoy
Vestvagoy
Flakstadoy
Moskenesoy
Southern Islands
Vesteralen
Langoya
Andoya
Hinnoya
The Far North
Troms
Tromso
Lyngen Alps
Ovre Dividal National Park
Senja
Western Finnmark
Alta
Hammerfest
Nordkapp & Mageroya
Lakselv
Stabbursnes
Eastern Finnmark
Tana Bru
Vadso
Vardo
Kirkenes
Pasvik River Valley
Inner Finnmark
Karasjok
Kautokeino
Svalbard
Svalbard Highlights
Longyearbyen
Barentsburg
Pyramiden
Ny Alesund

Understand

Understand Norway
Norway Today
History
Landscapes & National Parks
Wildlife
Environmental Issues
Norway's Sami
Arts & Architecture
Norwegian Cuisine

Survive

Directory A-Z
Accommodation
Customs Regulations
Discount Cards
Electricity
Emergency & Important Numbers
Health
Internet Access
Language Courses
Legal Matters
LGBT Travellers
Maps
Money
Opening Hours
Public Holidays
Safe Travel
Taxes & Refunds
Telephone
Time
Tourist Information
Travellers with Disabilities
Visas
Transport
Getting There & Away
Getting Around
Language
Behind the Scenes
Our Writers

Special Features

Spectacular Norway
Welcome to Norway

Norway is a once-in-a-lifetime destination and the essence of its appeal is remarkably simple: this is one of the most beautiful countries on earth.


Scandinavian Sophistication
The counterpoint to Norway's ever-present natural beauty is found in its vibrant cultural life. Norwegian cities are cosmopolitan and showcase the famous Scandinavian flair for design through the ages. Bergen, Trondheim and Ålesund must surely rank among Europe's loveliest cities, while contemporary Arctic-inspired architectural icons grace cities and remote rural settings alike. Food, too, is a cultural passion through which Norwegians push the boundaries of innovation even as they draw deeply on a heartfelt love of tradition. At the same time, a busy calendar of festivals, many of international renown, are worth planning your trip around.

Stirring Landscapes
Impossibly steep-sided Norwegian fjords of extraordinary beauty cut gashes from a jagged coastline deep into the interior. Glaciers, grand and glorious, snake down from icefields that rank among Europe's largest. Elsewhere, the mountainous terrain of Norway's interior resembles the ramparts of so many natural fortresses, and yields to rocky coastal islands that rise improbably from the waters like apparitions. Then, of course, there's the primeval appeal, the spare and staggering beauty of the Arctic. And wherever you find yourself in this most extraordinary country, these landscapes serve as a backdrop for some of Europe's prettiest villages.

The Call to Action
Enjoying nature in Norway is very much an active pursuit, and this is one of Europe's most exciting and varied adventure-tourism destinations. Some activities may be for the young, energetic and fearless, but most – world-class hiking, cycling and white-water rafting in summer; dog-sledding, skiing and snowmobiling in winter – can be enjoyed by anyone of reasonable fitness. On our travels we've encountered 93-year-old snowmobilers and whole families racing down rapids. Whether you're here for seemingly endless summer possibilities, or in winter for the soul-stirring Northern Lights, these activities are an exhilarating means of getting close to nature.

Wonderful Wildlife
When it comes to wildlife, Norway has few peers in Europe. Here you can watch whales – humpback, sperm and orca, depending on the season – off Andenes, Stø or Tromsø, while the interior offers up wild reindeer atop Hardangervidda and elsewhere, prehistoric musk oxen, ponderous elk (moose) or beguiling Arctic foxes. Birdwatching, too, is a highlight, from the puffins of Bleik to the migratory seabirds of Runde and Varanger. But the real prizes inhabit Norway's high Arctic, in Svalbard, where polar bears and walruses are the poster species for a wilderness of rare and dramatic beauty.

Aurora borealis | KOLBEIN SVENSSON / 500PXGETTY IMAGES ©


Why I Love Norway
By Anthony Ham, Writer
The first time I stood on the waterfront at Aurland and contemplated the fjords, not long after having passed among the peaks of Jotunheimen National Park, I was utterly convinced that there was no more beautiful country anywhere on earth. On my many Norwegian journeys since then, in winter and in summer, I've never lost that feeling. Even more than the fjords and the high country, I now find myself drawn to the gravitas of Svalbard, to the perfect juxtaposition of water, rock and human habitation in the Lofoten Islands, and to the far horizons and Sami encampments of Norway's Arctic North.
Norway's Top 15

Geirangerfjord
1 The 20km chug along Geirangerfjord , a Unesco World Heritage site, must rank as the world's loveliest ferry journey. Long-abandoned farmsteads still cling to the fjord's near-sheer cliffs while ice-cold cascades tumble, twist and gush down to emerald-green waters. Take it from Geiranger and enjoy the calm as you leave this small, heaving port or hop aboard at altogether quieter Hellesylt. Prime your camera, grab a top-deck open-air seat and enjoy what's literally the only way to travel Geirangerfjord's secluded reaches.

ANDREY ARMYAGOV/SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Top Experiences
Lofoten Islands
2 Few visitors forget their first sighting of the Lofoten Islands . The jagged ramparts of this astonishing island chain rise abruptly from the sea in summer greens and yellows or the stark blue and white of winter, their razor-sharp peaks stabbing at a clear, cobalt sky or shrouded mysteriously in swirling mists. Postcard-perfect villages with wooden rorbuer (fishing huts) cling to the shoreline, while the A-frame racks for drying fish tell of a land and a culture intimately entwined with the sea.

RAT007/SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Top Experiences
Hurtigruten Coastal Ferry
3 So much more than merely a means of getting around, the iconic Hurtigruten coastal ferry takes you on one of the most spectacular coastal journeys anywhere on earth. On its daily path between Bergen and Kirkenes, it dips into coastal fjords, docks at isolated villages barely accessible by road, draws near to dramatic headlands and crosses the Arctic Circle only to return a few days later. In the process, it showcases the entire length of Norway's most glorious coast.

RONNY KVANDE/500PX ©


Top Experiences
Bryggen, Bergen
4 Set amid a picturesque and very Norwegian coastal landscape of fjords and mountains, Bergen is one of Europe's most beautiful cities. A celebrated history of seafaring trade has bequeathed to the city the stunning (and Unesco World Heritage–listed) waterfront district of Bryggen , an archaic tangle of wooden buildings. A signpost to a history at once prosperous and tumultuous, the titled and colourful wooden buildings of Bryggen now shelter the artisan boutiques and traditional restaurants for which the city is increasingly famous.

GRISHA BRUEV/SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Top Experiences
Northern Lights
5 There is no more uplifting natural phenomenon than the aurora borealis , or Northern Lights. Visible throughout the long night of the Arctic winter from October to March, they dance across the sky in green or white curtains of light, shifting in intensity and taking on forms that seem to spring from a child's vivid imagination. While there's no guarantee that the Northern Lights will appear at any given time, if you are lucky enough to see them, it's an experience that will live with you forever.

V. BELOV/SHUTTERSTOCK ©


Top Experiences
Hiking the Jotunheimen
6 The high country of central Norway ranks among Europe's premier summer destinations. Although there are numerous national parks criss-