Norway is a card-first country. From coffee stands in tiny fjord villages to taxi rides in Oslo and lift tickets in the mountains, you can tap or insert a card almost everywhere. Cash is rarely expected. Many shops do not even keep a cash drawer anymore, and staff will look mildly startled if you try … Read more
Senja is Norway’s second largest island, a rugged slice of the north where jagged peaks plunge into teal fjords and tiny fishing villages huddle against the wind. If you love dramatic coastal scenery, quiet roads, wildlife, and friendly local communities, Senja belongs on your itinerary. I grew up visiting family in Northern Norway and have … Read more
Jotunheimen is where Norway goes big. Home to the country’s highest peaks, sapphire lakes, and a legendary network of mountain huts, this region is a dream for hikers, scramblers, and skiers who want serious scenery with accessible logistics. Whether you want a classic ridge walk like Besseggen, a summit day on Galdhøpiggen, or a hut-to-hut … Read more
Few places in Norway capture our coastal history as beautifully as Bryggen in Bergen. The colorful wooden gables facing Vågen Harbor are more than a postcard scene. They are the living remnants of a trade network that shaped Northern Europe. As a Bergen local, I grew up passing these crooked alleyways on rainy school trips … Read more
Driving in Norway is part road trip, part sightseeing tour. Our roads wind along deep fjords, climb over high mountain passes, and disappear into some of the world’s longest road tunnels. You will meet roundabouts, car ferries, and the occasional sheep standing confidently in the lane. With a bit of preparation, it is safe, straightforward, … Read more
Rondane is one of those places that quietly gets under your skin. Norway’s first national park, established in 1962, is a high-mountain world of round, gray peaks, wind-brushed plateaus, and light that seems to stretch forever. It sits between Gudbrandsdalen and Østerdalen in Eastern Norway, with trailheads like Høvringen, Mysuseter, and Dørålseter opening the door … Read more
Norway’s right to roam, known in Norwegian as allemannsretten, is one of the country’s most cherished traditions. It gives everyone the freedom to explore nature, walk across open land, pitch a tent in the hills, and pick berries in late summer. As someone who grew up with it, I see it as both freedom and … Read more
Valldal is one of those valleys that quietly steals the show in Western Norway. Tucked between fjords and high peaks along the famous Route 63, it is a place of green slopes, glacier-carved rock, and a river that runs clear enough to make you want to drink from it. People often pass through on the … Read more
Åndalsnes is a small fjord town with big-mountain energy, tucked where the Rauma River meets Romsdalsfjorden and ringed by sharp granite peaks. We locals call it the mountaineering capital of Norway for a reason. It is a place where you can step off a train and be on a trail within minutes, ride a scenic … Read more
Trollstigen is the kind of road people dream about and then tell stories about for years. This steep, narrow section of Route 63 links the fjord village of Åndalsnes with the Valldal valley and is part of the Norwegian Scenic Routes program. With dramatic cliffs, a roaring waterfall, and tight hairpins stacked like a staircase, … Read more