Holidays in Norway

Get advice

Kristiina Gaillard

Alps and Scandinavia travel expert

Write

Laura Kankaanpää

Alps and Scandinavia travel expert

Write

Thomas Praire

Technical Travel Manager

Write

The most mountainous of the Nordic countries stretches 1,800 km from north to south and has more than 2,500 km of fjord-indented coastline, even before counting its countless archipelagos. The Scandinavian Mountains form its border with Sweden and contain Scandinavia’s highest peak, Galdhøpiggen at 2,469 m. Norway is also home to the legendary North Cape.
In Norway, nature is everywhere; hiking and Nordic skiing are part of everyday life.

Norway’s classic Nordic ski tours

Southern Norway, above Oslo, combines broad mountain landscapes with some of the country’s finest and most accessible Nordic ski touring. It is well served by trains from Oslo. Its mountain ranges lie close together, making it possible to link several appealing routes. The DNT mountain huts, scattered generously across the mountains, provide comfort, safety and a distinctive atmosphere.
This is where you will find the classic multi-day Nordic ski routes, which can also be explored on snowshoes. Jotunheimen, with 20 peaks above 2,300 m, including Galdhøpiggen at 2,469 m, offers spectacular high-mountain scenery. Rondane is smaller but still mountainous, with deep, beautiful cirques; its traverse begins across the plateaux to the north of Lillehammer. Hardanger is a glacially sculpted plateau of lakes, wild reindeer, rounded hills and small summits. The Finse–Fillefjell area has especially varied terrain for a relatively easy crossing: summits, plateaux, lakes, valleys and passes. For a group seeking a longer, tailor-made journey, consider the “Grand Norwegian Traverse”: Hardanger, Fillefjell and Jotunheimen.

Cross-country skiing in Norway

Wooded hills, plateaux and valleys with mountains beyond: some of the finest cross-country skiing is in the wide expanses of southern Norway, with its excellent trail networks and cosy hotels known for their character and food. Choose Sjusjøen, near Lillehammer, Venabu to the north or Gol to the west. If you enjoy travelling from place to place, the Troll Löypa (Troll Trail) is a marked route, groomed in parts, with luggage transport from Rondane to Lillehammer. Another route crosses Peer Gynt country, west of the Gudbrandsdalen valley near Lillehammer, with views of Jotunheimen and Rondane.

See all ski trips in Norway and cross-country skiing holidays in Norway →.

Hiking in Norway

In summer, Norway is a wonderful place to explore, with the midnight sun and abundant, unspoilt wildlife and plant life. Walking is the best way to experience it closely.
North of the Arctic Circle, the Lofoten Islands in the Norwegian Sea live up to their reputation: majestic mountains plunging into deep-blue fjords, colourful fishing harbours, white beaches and turquoise water, mirror-like lakes and bright-red fishermen’s cabins, or rorbu. Hiking here is an immersion in wild nature, even in winter when you can explore on alpine touring skis.
Jotunheimen National Park offers extraordinary routes among peaks and lakes, including the famous Besseggen ridge.
You can also explore Norway by bike, for example around the fjords of Bergen or Oslo.

Svalbard: the High Arctic

In the Arctic Ocean, the Svalbard archipelago, also known as Spitsbergen, with Longyearbyen as its capital, has a stark and unusual beauty. It is home to exceptional wildlife, including seals and polar bears. In summer, explore Spitsbergen on foot and by sea kayak: from the water, you can see glacier fronts and sometimes paddle among floating ice. In winter, Nordic ski touring takes you across sea ice and frozen wilderness.
Svalbard is certified as a Sustainable Destination.

Our articles about Norway