If you're not a fan of long walks in nature and museums make you sleepy, check out Norway's amusement parks. For example, head to Tusenfryd to test out the most extreme ride on the Scandinavian peninsula, the Speed Monster (but watch out, the carriages fly at the speed of racing cars!).
See also Hunderfossen, a fairytale ice land near Lillehammer. Here, fans of unusual romance can get married in a real chapel made of ice and snow, and then sample traditional Norwegian drinks in glasses made from frozen water.
And take a ride on Kongeparken's longest bobsleigh track and try your hand at surfing one of the world's biggest artificial waves at Bø Sommarland amusement park.
Norway is famous for its gastronomic oddities and abundance of fish dishes. Once here, be sure to go to a local restaurant and order some of them. For example, lutefisk - cod soaked in an alkaline solution (which makes it look like jelly) and baked in the oven, served with boiled potatoes, spicy mustard, and pork rinds or mashed potatoes.
Or fiskemelje, a mixture of chopped cod liver and fish roe. Norwegian fish soup (Norsk fiskesuppe), made with salmon and cream, is sure to please. And for the more adventurous, we recommend salmon marinated in sugar, salt, brandy, and dill.
For dessert, try rommergrot (sour cream porridge with flour and butter flavored with sugar and cinnamon), ostekake (cottage cheese casserole with almonds and jam) or kransekake, an almond cake baked in the shape of a pyramid of rings.
What else is worth trying in Norway? Cheeses - the caramel-flavored brown goat's cheese Brunnost and the specially aged, mustard-flavored Gammalost. And be sure to try the famous multi-storey sandwiches, where Norwegians manage to stuff everything they can find in the fridge: bacon, liver, vegetables, cheese, and all sorts of "spreads". And, of course, try the national alcoholic drink akevitt, made from potato alcohol infused with caraway seeds.
It may be a rather trite piece of advice, but Norway has many museums that will appeal to even the most avid opponents of this kind of entertainment.
Start with the Viking Ship Museum on the Bøgde Peninsula. Here you'll find legendary drakkars that have been in more than one sea battle: the richly carved Osegberg ship, as well as the Gokstad and Thun ships found at the bottom of the Oslo Fjord. Equally interesting are the neighboring museums - the Kon-Tiki Museum, dedicated to the wanderings of Thor Heyerdahl, and the Fram, built specifically to preserve the famous ship of the same name that discovered the South Pole.
As a museum tour, visit the founder of Europe's "new drama," Henrik Ibsen, or see the largest collection of works by expressionist Munch. At the Norwegian Canned Food Museum, you can learn about the making of Norwegians' favorite fish delicacies, and at the ethnographic Maihaugen, you can learn about the traditions and life of the Norwegians themselves.
Are you an outdoor enthusiast? Then fishing is just what you need. In Norway, you can rent a boat or arrange a skipper and go! Cod spawn in the Norwegian Sea from January to April, and in the summer, you'll find saithe, halibut, and monkfish.
If you're not a sea angler, head to a river or one of Norway's many freshwater lakes. Sport fishing in Norway is free (as long as you follow the rules: keep an eye on the size of the fish you catch and use only portable rods).
All of Norway's beauty is centered in its fjords: narrow bays of mirror-clear water framed by majestic mountains.
To see the most beautiful of them all, cruise along the coastline to see fjords such as Lysefjord, Hardangerfjord, and Sognefjord. In Lysefjord, Preikestolen (Preacher's Chair Rock), a plateau with two 600-meter-high elevations, is worth seeing, while Sognefjord offers unforgettable scenery with almost vertical slopes, mountains, and waterfalls.
Another Norwegian attraction located by the Geirangerfjord. "The Troll Road" (Trollstigen) was built in 1936 and climbs up a steep mountain slope, looping serpentine endlessly. Here you can admire the 180-meter-high Stigfossen waterfall, and from the top of the mountain, which the road climbs, you can enjoy a beautiful panorama of the valley.
And while we're on the subject of fairytale characters, don't forget to visit the Troll Wall, a sheer cliff more than 1,000 meters high that is considered one of the most difficult climbs in the world.
As a continuation of the troll theme, one can't help but think of the legendary "soaring cliff" called Trolltunga (Troll Tongue).
The cliff is 1,100 meters above sea level and "soars" 700 meters above Lake Rindjedelsvätnet. Excursions to this place are organized from mid-June to mid-September. It is also worth considering that the round trip takes 8-10 hours, so you must be in good physical shape to be able to climb to a height of almost 915 meters. But the breathtaking photos and views are worth it!
The Bessejen mountain range in Jotunheimen National Park is also an interesting experience for travelers. Be prepared for a lot of excitement: the 17km drive goes through a rocky mountain range that separates the green glacial lake Gjend and the high mountain lake Bessejenet.
If you've dreamed of seeing real whales, the fishing village of Sto in Westeralen is the perfect place to do it.
Not only whales (particularly humpback whales), but also seals and killer whales in their usual habitat. The best time to go is late May through August. There are also many nesting seabirds, such as petrels, Icelandic gulls, and others.
Norwegians are masters of invention. They've managed to turn an ordinary music festival into a real fairy tale. In February, one of Norway's ski resorts, the village of Geilo, turns into a music festival. The only zest of it is that the instruments there are made ... out of ice! Harps, cellos, bells, and drums are the most real and made by a team of sculptors from all over the world. This is something you don't want to miss!
If you want to experience the true spirit of old Norway, head to its wooden churches (called stkarkas), built without a single nail.
The most famous of these is the 12th-century Borgund wooden church in honor of the Apostle Andrew. It is beautifully preserved to this day and, thanks to its architecture, is one of the most unusual churches in Norway.
Mode of operation: May 1-September 30 from 10:00 to 17:00 (June 11-August 21 from 08:00 to 20:00).
Ticket price: adults - 80 NOK, groups (minimum 15 people) and pensioners - 70 NOK, students/children over 5 years old - 60 NOK.
Urnes Church in Sognefjord, built in 1150. It is the only one of its kind to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Mode of operation: May 2-September 30, daily from 10:30 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.
Ticket price: adults - NOK 80, groups and pensioners - NOK 70, students/children over 5 years old - NOK 60.
And finally, the 14th century wooden Kvernes Church, located near the majestic Kvernesfjord and Freyfjord fjords.
Opening hours: June 20-August 20, daily from 11:00 to 17:00.
Ticket price: adults - NOK 50, students, pensioners - NOK 35, children - free.
Have a nice trip!
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