Now let’s get started talking about the 20 Best Things to do in Norway! Whatever your fitness level is there’s something for everyone to enjoy their incredible landscapes. In the cities, there’s plenty of culture and absolutely incredible food. All in all, your main problem is going to be how to do everything in a short vacation! Norway is also home to any number of scenic drives that are truly incredible. We thought this was a bit funny though because everywhere we went in Norway was scenic to us. Although their designated ‘scenic drives’ are extra scenic if you will.
#1 Explore the city of Bergen
Bergen sits right on the coast and it’s also home to the famous UNESCO world heritage site called Bryggen, (pictured below). It’s a fun place to explore on foot with lots of fun places to eat and often there’s live music at night in Bryggen.
#20 Drive Trollstigen or Atlantic Ocean Road
This stunning road switchbacks down a mountain into the valley below through incredible scenery. You’ll pass the beautiful Stigfossen which is a very large waterfall just inches from the road. They advise not to be in a hurry to see too much but to enjoy what you’re doing and be in the moment. ‘Just let the Norway magic happen!’ We had several magical moments in Norway. But one morning stands out in particular! We had paid to stay overnight in the parking lot for Kvalvika Beach hike because we knew it would be hard to find parking for our van. So when we work up in the morning we simply paid for more parking to be there for the day and made some coffee. The sun was finally shining after some foggy/rainy weather and we took our coffee down to the little dock they have for this parking lot complete with the little red chairs you see in the above photo. For some reason, it was a quiet morning in this touristy area and we enjoyed our breakfast and 2 cups of coffee in solitude with the glassy smooth water stretching out before us and the sun shining on our tired faces. It truly was pure magic and we just relaxed into it rather than hurrying off to start our next hike. Then later after hiking to the beach and the mountain next to it, we got back to the parking lot to make dinner in the dark. Just as we finished dinner, the northern lights broke out and we got an unexcepted show that wasn’t predicted on the radar. You just can’t plan for things to go so right, but when they do, simply sit back and enjoy the Norway magic! There was even an antique shop along the way where I picked up a couple of things to use in my recipe photos. We also stopped for snacks along the way including fish and chips from the famous family restaurant called Jaffs. And we went to the Dråpe Ålesund Kaffehus as well and enjoyed the carrot cake they’ve become famous for. After all, if you’re not enjoying something sweet in a coffee house while traveling in Europe – what are you even doing? From there we also did the ‘hike’ that climbed up over 400 stairs to overlook the city of Ålesund, called Aksla. It was a beautiful view and I definitely recommend it. Even so, there are areas where you can get on a ferry to sightsee. They have boats going out from downtown Bergen for tours and the famous Geiranger fjord as well. If you visit the island of Senja from #6 you’ll be taking a ferry out to the island. And there are so many more options beyond these as well. Most of the ferries have some very scenic parts of the journey and are a nice break from driving. You also don’t want to miss the cinnamon buns from the historic bakery in the city of A, called simply The Bakery in A. They’re not like American cinnamon buns, they’re not nearly as sweet, and are really good with a cup of coffee. There are also plenty of restaurants and museums to enjoy as they’re open. We enjoyed touring the Viking museum called Loftr to see the Viking way of life and the Viking ships. Part of the exhibit is outside as an open-air museum which was a fun change of pace. But we missed quite a few places in Lofoten because they were only open a few hours a day when we were there in September. That was ok with us because we were mostly there for the hiking. We had a spectacular day hiking to the Munkebu Hut, (see 2 photos below) but not so much for the famous Reinbringen. The weather was good when we started out, but a storm blew in and we missed quite a bit of the view, but it was worth the 1,972 stairs anyways! (See photo below.) There’s also a sauna down by the waterfront you can rent times in. And it’s really popular to sit in the sauna, then jump into the icy cold water. But when we were there, it was booked and all the restaurants we wanted to try were closed. So all in all, we definitely wished we had done a bit more research for Tromso in the off-season. But we still enjoyed exploring the city on foot. We also had some really tasty burgers at Burgr which is a sister restaurant to the seafood restaurant we wanted to go to that was closed. Contrary to rumor, polar bears don’t roam around Norway in this area of the Arctic Circle. You need to go as far north as the island of Svalbard to even have a chance of seeing them. This island is incredibly beautiful for scenic driving as well as hiking and we really enjoyed our time there. Brikdalsbreen is a small arm of Jostedalsbreen glacier which is the largest glacier in mainland Europe. Pictured 2 photos below is the massive amount of glacier that spreads out before you when you climb one of the peaks next to Briksdalsbreen. This climb and the incredible view were one of our favorite experiences in Norway! We were very lucky to see anything that day because the fog just wouldn’t lift, but we did get 15 stunning minutes at the top. We also happened to be the only climbers to see anything at all that day, so we were beyond lucky. But you don’t need climbing experience to see a glacier, Briksdalsbreen is beautiful and accessible by foot or cart ride. And the meltwater below it is truly stunning. All in all, this area was one of the highlights of our trip. The funny thing was my sister and I had been making this very same whey cheese from goat’s milk on our small farm growing up so I was already familiar with it. We started making it as a way to use up the extra whey after cheese making. But Tyler had never had it and really enjoyed tasting it. There seems to be a love/hate relationship with this cheese, but the fun of traveling is to try new things! Even if you’re cooking for yourself for some meals as a way to save money, you can still get their fresh seafood from any grocery store. We enjoyed shrimp mac and cheese with spinach and parmesan. And I’m head over heels for their fish cakes which are pre-formed and sold in packages at the grocery store. They were super simple to cook up and I served them for dinner several times with local potatoes, carrots, and a lemon cream sauce. The brand we bought was naturally gluten-free and made with potatoes as a binder, but be sure to check/translate the labels if you have allergies. This area is incredibly busy and it helps to book ahead with anything you’d like to do. We had originally planned on taking the ferry to see the Seven Sisters Waterfall. But we ran out of time through this trip after it took 5 days to get us and our luggage to Norway! If you can book ahead in advance, there are kayaking tours here that look incredible. But everything was completely booked by the time we were planning our trip. Don’t worry if Geirangerfjord doesn’t work out for you though, the other fjords are incredibly beautiful as well! Even if you don’t end up doing this tour by yourself or guided, you can still take the funicular in Bergen or other areas that have short train rides that end in a view. We started the day at the other end of that mountain ridge, hiked up, and summited small peaks all day before ending up at the restaurant, (the hike is called Romsdalseggen). Having some dinner sounded really nice. So we stopped and had a wonderful dinner as the sun set over the water surrounding Andalsnes 1,000’+ below. The fog rolled in and we took the cable car down emerging into the city lights below. It was a straight-up magical day and the cable car ride down the mountain was amazing after so many days of hiking. Pulpit Rock is considered an ‘easier’ hike in Norway, and it’s definitely not as hard as Trolltunga. So it might be a good option if Trolltunga seems like too much. Kjeragbolten is the hike where you can go out and stand on a boulder that’s suspended between 2 cliffs over thin air. They both look like incredible adventures, and since we missed it, we’d better start planning a 2nd trip to Norway! We did a triple summit that day with barely any path to follow and tracked ourselves using GPS. If you don’t have route-finding skills, this is definitely not advised. But the point still stands to find something, anything away from the typical tourist spots, and enjoy the view. We saw countless people having picnics in small pull-offs throughout our trip and that’s a perfect ‘off the beaten path’ thing to do. The pull-offs are small, usually only room for 1 vehicle, so you can really enjoy nature without the crowds. But Olso is chock full of incredible things to do. And it’s also a great place to start a road trip in Norway. So if it works out on your trip, enjoy this incredible-looking city. Top attractions in Oslo include the Vigeland Sculpture Park, Museums in Akershus Fortress, Munch Museum, (museum for the famous artist Edvard Munch) Norway Folk Museum, a tour of the Royal Palace, Olso Opera House, and so much more. Don’t miss the seafood burger from Annie’s Seafood in Sakrisoy. I got the ‘Winnie the Pooh’, (pictured 5 photos above) which is a fish burger topped with smoked salmon and shrimp – and it’s incredible. It’s the perfect 2:1 stop because you can also pick up some seafood from their market if you’re cooking for yourself. Or get their really tasty fish soup to go to reheat for dinner that night. From their parking lot, it’s just a short walk back down the road to get a photo of the Sakrisoy yellow houses, (pictured above). You can see this famous view pictured above. It’s sometimes called the ‘postcard’ view of Norway because you will find it on so many postcards. It’s definitely worth a stop, and there’s a pull-off right before the bridge. The bridge has a pedestrian lane to walk out on and get the photo. Please respect the private property in this area! We had an oversized van so we choose to drive through these switchbacks earlier in the morning to avoid traffic. This turned out to be a great idea! There was very little traffic before 9 am in September, but we did have to get over and wait for a large semi truck to pass. It helps to look ahead for oncoming traffic and pull over in wider areas to allow both vehicles to pass each other safely. Depending on the size of the vehicle you rent this may or may not affect you much. Since we had a large vehicle in relation to the width of the road, we pulled over a lot during our trip. Nevertheless, this drive is definitely worth it, just come prepared to take your time if your vehicle is oversized. The famous Atlantic Ocean Road is another scenic drive you don’t want to miss if at all possible, but it was out of our route.
