Things to do in Norway

The 18 best things to do in Norway

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1. 1Bergen

   Wander the wooden passages of Bryggen in Bergen

   Bryggen, Bergen's old wharf, is where the city began. The Hanseatic League set up a trading office here in 1350, and German merchants controlled the stockfish trade from Northern Norway for centuries. Fires struck again and again, but each time the wharf was rebuilt on the old plan, so its long rows of gabled wooden houses, separated by narrow wooden passages, still show how the merchants lived and worked. About 62 buildings remain, and the site is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Walk the harbor front for the classic photo, then slip into the alleys behind it, where old storerooms now hold artists' studios, knitwear, jewelry and small galleries.

   Tip: Come early in the morning or in the evening during the summer months, when Bryggen is calmer, and note there are no public toilets on the wharf itself.

   Pay as you go
   Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre; Visit Bergen (official); Visit Bergen (official)
2. 2Flåm

   Ride the steep Flåm Railway up to Myrdal

   The Flåm Railway climbs about 20 km from the fjord at Flåm to Myrdal station, 867 m above sea level, in roughly an hour. It is one of the steepest standard-gauge lines in the world: 80 percent of the route has a gradient of 5.5 percent. Built between 1923 and 1940, the line has 20 tunnels, 18 of them dug by hand, and one turns 180 degrees inside the mountain. On the way up you pass the old Flåm Church from 1670, small farms clinging to the valley sides and the Kjosfossen waterfall, where the train stops for about five minutes so you can step onto the platform. At Myrdal you can change to the Bergen Line or ride back down to Flåm.

   Tip: Round-trip tickets go on sale 120 days before departure and summer trains can sell out, so book once your date opens, and sit on the left going up for the Kjosfossen side.

   NOK[fee]; book with VyKnow the fee?
   Sources: Norway's Best (operator of the Flåm Railway, Fjord Cruise Nærøyfjord and Flåm buses); Flåmsbana (the Flåm Railway); Fjord Tours (fjordtours.com)
3. 3FlåmBook ahead

   Cruise the narrow Nærøyfjord from Flåm to Gudvangen

   The Nærøyfjord is one of the narrowest fjord arms in Europe, and together with the Geirangerfjord it has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2005 as an archetypal, largely untouched fjord landscape. With no road along it, a boat is the way to see it properly. From Flåm the cruise first follows the Aurlandsfjord, then turns into the Nærøyfjord, passing old farms, small villages such as Undredal and waterfalls under peaks of up to about 1,700 m, before ending at Gudvangen. The trip takes around two hours one way on quiet, fully electric boats with big windows and outdoor walkways, and a bus links Gudvangen back to Flåm.

   Tip: Book the connecting bus between Gudvangen and Flåm with your boat ticket if you want to end where you started, and pack a warm layer for the outside decks.

   NOK[fee]; book a sailingKnow the fee?
   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Norway's Best (operator of the Flåm Railway, Fjord Cruise Nærøyfjord and Flåm buses); Fjord Tours (fjordtours.com)
4. 4Oslo to Bergen

   Cross the mountains on the Bergen Line

   The Bergen Line links Norway's two largest cities over 471 km of track, and the train takes about 6.5 to 7.5 hours. Opened in 1909 after some 15 years of building, it is Northern Europe's highest railway line, topping out at 1,237 m above sea level and passing through 182 tunnels. From Oslo the first stretch runs past rivers, forests and the lake Tyrifjorden. After Geilo the train crosses Hardangervidda, Northern Europe's largest mountain plateau, home to a large wild reindeer herd, and near Finse you pass the landscape used for the ice planet in The Empire Strikes Back. West of Myrdal, where you change for the Flåm Railway, the line drops toward Voss and the fjord country around Bergen.

   Tip: Take a daytime train for the views, and walk to the café car, which has big windows on both sides, rather than staying in one seat the whole way.

   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Vy (Norwegian state train operator); Vy (Norwegian state train operator); Fjord Tours (fjordtours.com)
5. 5Oslo

   Walk across the Oslo Opera House roof

   The Oslo Opera House rises straight out of the harbor in Bjørvika, and its sloping roof is meant to be walked on. The architects, Snøhetta, designed it as a public space open to everyone, a new landscape tying the city to the Oslo Fjord. The building is clad mostly in white Carrara marble, with aluminum on the roof and oak inside, where a large undulating oak wall in the foyer hides the three stages. Walk up the slope for wide views over the fjord and the new waterfront, then look through the large glass windows on the production side, where you can catch the scene painters and costume makers at work. MUNCH and the Deichman Bjørvika library stand close by.

   Tip: Go at sunset for the best light on the fjord, and wear shoes with good grip if the roof is wet or icy.

   Roof free to walk
   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Den Norske Opera & Ballett; VisitOSLO
6. 6Oslo

   See the Monolith's 121 figures in Vigeland Park

   Vigeland Park, inside Frogner Park, is the life's work of the sculptor Gustav Vigeland: more than 200 sculptures in granite, bronze and wrought iron, set up mainly between 1940 and 1949 after over 40 years of work. Start at the Bridge, lined with 58 bronze figures of children, women and men, including the much-loved Angry Boy. Continue past the Fountain to the highest point of the park, where the Monolith rises 17 m above the ground. It was carved from a single block of stone brought from a quarry at Iddefjord, and shows 121 human figures clinging and floating together, with children at the top. The park is always open, and photography is welcome.

   Tip: Come early in the morning, when the Bridge is quiet enough for photos, and take tram 12 or bus 20 from the center.

   Free to visit
   Search tours on TiqetsSources: Vigeland Museum and Park (City of Oslo); Vigeland Museum and Park (official); Vigeland Museum and Park (official); Vigeland Museum and Park (City of Oslo)
7. 7Bergen

   Take the Fløibanen funicular up Mount Fløyen

   Bergen sits between seven mountains, and Mount Fløyen is the easiest to reach. The Fløibanen funicular starts a few minutes' walk from the Fish Market and takes about six minutes to the top, running every day of the year, with departures every 10 to 15 minutes at most times. From the top the whole city spreads out below you. Stay a while: marked trails lead into the forest, many of them easy enough for a stroller, and the lake Skomakerdiket is a short walk from the top station, with a level path around it. There is a café and a restaurant at the top, and in summer you can rent bikes or try a zipline.

   Tip: Skip the ticket office queue by buying online or in the Fløibanen app, and ride before 10:00 or after 14:00, since late morning brings the longest waits.

   Free to visit
   Search tours on TiqetsSources: Visit Bergen (official); Fløibanen AS (floyen.no); Fløibanen AS (floyen.no)
8. 8OsloBook ahead

   See Munch's The Scream at MUNCH

   MUNCH, the museum on the Bjørvika waterfront devoted to Edvard Munch, owns several versions of his most famous motif. Munch made The Scream as paintings, drawings and a lithograph; the museum's own versions include a painting probably from 1910, a crayon drawing from 1893 and six lithographs, one colored by hand. The museum keeps a version of The Scream on display at all times. Audio guides are offered in several languages, including English, Spanish and Japanese. The museum is about a 10-minute walk from Oslo Central Station, near the Opera House.

   Tip: Leave backpacks in the lobby lockers before you go in, since bags, food and drink are not allowed in the exhibition halls, and keep the flash off.

   Entry: NOK 220 (about $24) · Book a time slotFee changed?

   Last verified Nov 7, 2026

   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: MUNCH (official); MUNCH (Munchmuseet)
9. 9Oslo

   Board the polar ship Fram on Bygdøy

   The Fram Museum on the Bygdøy peninsula is built around the polar ship Fram, described as the world's strongest wooden ship and a symbol of Norway's part in the age of polar exploration. You can walk on board and go below deck to see the cabins, the cargo hold, the galley, the engine room and the saloons. Another building holds Gjøa, the first ship to sail through the entire Northwest Passage, and exhibitions cover Roald Amundsen and close to 100 Arctic expeditions. The museum is open every day of the year. Bus 30 runs out from the city center, and boats leave from the City Hall pier, so it pairs well with the Kon-Tiki Museum next door.

   Tip: There is no need to book ahead here, and a joint ticket with the Kon-Tiki Museum pays off if you visit both on the same day.

   Entry: NOK 180 (about $19) · Pay at the doorFee changed?

   Last verified Nov 7, 2026

   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Fram Museum (Polarskuten Fram)
10. 10Oslo

    Step inside a stave church at Norsk Folkemuseum

    Norsk Folkemuseum on Bygdøy is a large open-air museum where historic houses from all over Norway stand along wide gravel paths, with farm animals and craft workshops between them. Its best-known building is the 13th-century stave church from Gol, moved here from Gol in 1884, which you can step inside. In summer hosts in traditional costume, music and folk dancing bring the farmsteads to life, while autumn brings fall colors and a quieter feel. Indoor exhibitions and period interiors around the main square cover more recent everyday life. Most visitors spend two to four hours, and it is about 5 km from the city center by bus 30.

    Tip: Join the free guided tour of the stave church that is included with admission, and wear comfortable shoes, since some paths are steep.

    Entry: NOK 200 (about $21) · Pay at the door or onlineFee changed?

    Last verified Nov 7, 2026

    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Norsk Folkemuseum (Norwegian Museum of Cultural History); Norsk Folkemuseum (official); Vy (Norwegian state train operator)
11. 11Oslo

    Explore 700 years of history at Akershus Fortress

    Akershus Fortress has watched over Oslo's harbor for more than 700 years. Building began around 1290, probably under King Håkon V Magnusson, who made it a royal residence when Oslo replaced Bergen as the capital. In the 1600s it was turned into a bastion fortress and the castle into a Renaissance palace; its last battle came in 1716, when King Charles XII of Sweden attacked. During the German occupation from 1940 to 1945, 42 Norwegian resistance members were executed here. Today the grounds are a green park that is free to enter, and the castle, the Armed Forces Museum and the Norwegian Resistance Museum each tell part of the story.

    Tip: Walk the grounds in the late afternoon, then follow the harbor promenade west to City Hall and Aker Brygge.

    Grounds free
    Sources: Forsvarsbygg (Norwegian Defence Estates Agency); VisitOSLO
12. 12Bergen

    Graze on seafood at the Bergen Fish Market

    The Fish Market in the heart of Bergen has been a meeting place for fishermen, farmers and townspeople since the 1200s; fishermen who lived outside the city once rowed in to sell the day's catch from their boats and rowed home the same day. Today the stalls sell fresh fish and shellfish, fruit, berries and vegetables, and several restaurants cook seafood on the spot. The indoor market, Mathallen, opened in 2012 and is open all year, while the outdoor market opens from May 1 and runs through the summer. It is a short walk from Bryggen and the Fløibanen funicular, so it fits naturally into a first morning in Bergen.

    Tip: Visit in summer for the full outdoor market, and in the colder months head straight for the indoor Mathallen hall, since the outside stalls close for winter.

    Pay as you go
    Sources: Visit Bergen (visitbergen.com); Visit Bergen (official)
13. 13FlåmBook ahead

    Look down on the Aurlandsfjord from Stegastein

    Stegastein is a viewing platform that juts out from the mountainside 650 m above the Aurlandsfjord, with the village of Aurland far below and the peaks across the fjord stretching toward Flåm. Built in 2006 and designed by Todd Saunders and Tommie Wilhelmsen as part of the National Tourist Routes, it is a steel structure clad in pine that reaches 30 m out from the slope and is 3.3 m wide. It sits on the Aurlandsfjellet mountain road, which is narrow, steep and winding. A sightseeing bus from Flåm or Aurland runs all year and makes the round trip in about 90 minutes, with around 30 minutes at the viewpoint.

    Tip: Take the bus rather than driving in high season, when the narrow road is busiest between 10:00 and 16:00 and delays are common.

    NOK[fee] for the sightseeing bus from FlåmKnow the fee?
    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Norway's Best (operator of the Flåm Railway, Fjord Cruise Nærøyfjord and Flåm buses)
14. 14Oslo

    Stand beside the Kon-Tiki raft on Bygdøy

    On 28 April 1947 six men and a parrot set off from Callao in Peru on a balsa raft, aiming for Polynesia. Their skipper, the 33-year-old Thor Heyerdahl, was testing a theory he had formed while living on the Pacific island of Fatu Hiva. The Kon-Tiki Museum on Bygdøy displays the original Kon-Tiki raft, along with Ra II, the reed boat Heyerdahl and his crew sailed across the Atlantic in 1970, and finds from his later expeditions, including Easter Island. Films, objects from the voyages and a free audio guide fill in the story, and interactive stations suit children too. It is open every day, next door to the Fram Museum.

    Tip: Pair it with the Fram Museum next door on a joint ticket, and in summer take the boat from the City Hall pier rather than the bus.

    Entry: NOK 180 (about $19) · Pay at the doorFee changed?

    Last verified Nov 7, 2026

    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Kon-Tiki Museum (official); Kon-Tiki Museum
15. 15Oslo

    Walk Oslo's harbor promenade past City Hall

    Oslo's harbor promenade runs for almost 10 km along the waterfront, on land that until recently held shipyards and container docks. Orange information towers mark the way. A good stretch for a first visit starts at the Opera House and heads west past Akershus Fortress to Oslo City Hall, opened in 1950, whose tower holds the largest carillon in the Nordic countries; its bells play every hour. Inside, art by Norwegian painters such as Henrik Sørensen and Per Krohg tells the country's history, and the halls are open to visitors Monday to Saturday. Across the square stands the Nobel Peace Center, then the National Museum, the restaurants of Aker Brygge and the modern architecture and galleries of Tjuvholmen.

    Tip: Allow time for the security check at the City Hall door, and visit on a weekday or Saturday, since the building is closed to visitors on Sundays.

    Security check at the door
    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: VisitOSLO; City of Oslo (official); City of Oslo; City of Oslo (official)
16. 16Oslo

    Tour the National Museum's collection of Norwegian art

    The National Museum, on the harbor near Aker Brygge, shows around 6,500 works from Norway's largest collection of art, architecture and design, arranged in order from ancient times to today. On the first floor you find design and crafts, Roman emperor busts, the nearly thousand-year-old Baldishol tapestry and royal costumes from the collections of Queen Maud and Queen Sonja. The second floor holds still lifes from the 1600s, the earliest paintings of Norwegian landscapes and a room of Edvard Munch's work, including The Scream, plus a room for Theodor Kittelsen's fairy tale pictures and a gallery for the architect Sverre Fehn.

    Tip: The museum is closed on Mondays and stays open into the evening on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, which makes them good days to go after sightseeing elsewhere.

    Entry: NOK 220 (about $24) · Pay at the door or onlineFee changed?

    Last verified Nov 7, 2026

    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Nasjonalmuseet, The National Museum (official); Nasjonalmuseet (National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design); VisitOSLO
17. 17Bergen

    Step into medieval Håkon's Hall at Bergenhus

    At the far end of Bryggen, Bergenhus Fortress was the royal seat when Bergen was Norway's largest and most important city. Its centerpiece, Håkon's Hall, was built by King Håkon Håkonsson between 1247 and 1261 as a royal residence and banquet hall, the first of its kind in Norway built in stone. Its first great feast was his son's wedding in 1261, with 2,000 guests. The hall later became a storeroom and was almost lost in 1944, when an ammunition ship exploded in the harbor below and left only the walls standing. Restored in the 1950s, it is still used for royal dinners and concerts. The fortress grounds are free to walk.

    Tip: Combine it with the nearby Rosenkrantz Tower from the 1560s and walk back along Bryggen afterward, since the two sit at the same end of the harbor.

    NOK[fee]; fortress grounds freeKnow the fee?
    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Bymuseet i Bergen (City Museum of Bergen); Visit Bergen (official)
18. 18Bergen

    Dig into medieval Bergen at Bryggens Museum

    After a fire swept through part of Bryggen in 1955, a 13-year archaeological dig uncovered hundreds of thousands of objects from medieval daily life, and Bryggens Museum opened in 1976 to show them. The museum is built over the remains of Bergen's oldest buildings, from the first half of the 1100s, and you walk among those foundations in the main exhibition. Runic inscriptions carry gossip, poems and spells, ceramics from Europe and the Middle East show how far Bergen traded, and the Guddal garment is one of very few nearly intact pieces of Norwegian medieval clothing. It makes a good first stop before you walk the wharf itself.

    Tip: Ask at the desk about the English guided walk that starts here and continues through Bryggen's wooden buildings, which is the easiest way to understand what you are seeing.

    NOK[fee]; buy at the door or onlineKnow the fee?
    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Bymuseet i Bergen (City Museum of Bergen); Visit Bergen (official)

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