5 Incredible Things To Do In Norway

Things To Do In Norway

When planning a trip to Norway, it is easy to get information overload with all the fantastic things there are to experience. Many people hope to experience Norway by witnessing the northern lights. Others long for the amazing views in the fjord region. Boat lovers might prefer a cruise on the Norwegian Sea. No matter your travel style, this land of the midnight sun holds much to be explored and admired.

Take time to head out to the Lofoten Islands to experience the local Norwegian culture in the fishing villages. The rugged landscape of the fjord region attracts explorers who like to get out on a kayak. Staying up late to see if this really is the land of the midnight sun provides a welcome opportunity to relax and reconnect with friends.

With so much to choose from, here are just five incredible experiences to get you started with your trip planning.

Things To Do In Norway For Train Enthusiasts: Take The Flam Railway

If you are a train nut, then be sure to add this one to your Norway bucket list.

Take one of the most beautiful train journeys in the world on the Flam Railway. It’s a one-hour journey from Flam to Myrdal. The scenic 20 km (12.5 miles) trip passes through 20 tunnels and makes a brief five-minute photo stop at the Kjosfossen waterfall. Once you arrive in Myrdal, you can stay on the train for the return to Flam.

Consider booking a one-way ticket to Myrdal, so you can hike or bike back to Flam.

Things To Do In Norway - Flam Railway

Things To Do In Norway For Island Enthusiasts: Go Island Hopping On The Local Ferry From Oslo

Here is a quick and easy excursion for your Norway bucket list: Go island-hopping by ferry from Oslo to the Oslofjord islands. These small islands have beaches, hiking trails, historical sights, and amazing scenery. It’s a short ferry ride from Oslo. In the summer months, many of the local people stay in a cabin on one of the islands and ride the ferry to work each day.

Ruter, Oslo’s public transportation system, is responsible for trams, buses, metro, local trains, and boats. Purchase a ticket from one of the kiosks in town before hopping on the ferry, as tickets on board are more expensive. Taking local transportation is a great way to experience the Norwegian culture.

Ferries depart from Rådhusbrygga (the City hall pier) in Oslo, with stops at the Oslofjord Islands:

  • Hovedoya
  • Gressholmen
  • Langoyene
  • Bleikoya
  • Nakkholmen
  • Lindoya

It is possible to stay on the ferry to enjoy a ride through the fjord or hop off at any of the islands. Bring your own food and drinks, as services are limited.

Things To Do In Norway - Island Hopping By Ferry

Things To Do In Norway For Outdoor Adventure Seekers: Go Sea Kayaking In The Norwegian Fjords And Islands

Norway’s fjords provide the perfect playground for outdoor adventure. Take a self-guided kayak trip along the rugged coastline, stopping to spend the night in a cozy tent or a traditional fisherman’s cabin.

We plan tours in these areas:

  • The Lofoten Islands
  • Helgeland’s coast
  • Norway’s western fjords

We provide everything you need on our self-guided tours. Our sea kayak specialists will provide complete route details and all the equipment you need for your journey. From start to finish, we are available to provide support and make sure you have an amazing trip on the coast, in the fjords, and in the Lofoten Islands. Book your sea kayaking in Norway now!

Things To Do In Norway - Sea Kayaking

Things To Do In Norway For Hikers: Take The Hiking Trails To Pulpit Rock

This is definitely a hike that is worthy of making the top 10 on your Norway bucket list.

One of Norway’s most famous hikes is the one to Preikestolen or Pulpit rock. This unique rock formation forms a large flat area at the top of a granite cliff. Standing at the edge (not too close!) of the cliff will give you the perfect backdrop for an Instagram photo.

Some areas of the trail will require scrambling up large boulders, which is why the hike is listed as moderate. It’s a total of 8 km (about 5 miles), out and back. Most hikers will need four hours to complete the journey.

Things To Do In Norway - Pulpit Rock

Things To Do In Norway With A Car: Take A Road Trip Through The Lofoten Islands

While arguably the best way to see the Lofton Islands is by kayak, it is also possible to take a driving trip.

Plan to spend at least a week driving through the Lofoten Islands archipelago. You’ll need plenty of time to stop, pull over, and take in the stunning view. Here are just a few things you can plan to do along the way:

  • Enjoy a picnic at one of the many white-sand beaches.
  • See the midnight sun.
  • If the sky is clear, it’s possible to see the northern lights.
  • Hike the 3.5 miles (just under 6 km), out and back, on the Reinebringen trail.
  • Stay in a former fishermen’s cabin, called a Rorbu.
  • Take a fishing excursion.
  • Take an Instagram-worthy picture of a quaint fishing village, complete with red cabins perched along the water’s edge.
  • It’s even possible to go surfing in the Lofoten Islands!
Things To Do In Norway - Lofoten Islands

Jonathan Bendiksen

Jonathan Bendiksen is no ordinary waterman, he’s Norway’s most accomplished sea kayak guide with 2480 guiding days on class 1-4 seas along Norway’s fjord indented coastline; is a certified IFSKGIA/NHKGIF Senior Guide & Instructor plus an accredited IFSKGIA/NHKGIF examiner. A...

Jonathan Bendiksen Full Bio
Duration
30 days
Group Size
At least 1

The Nordland Sea Kayak Challenge

Pursuant to Kayak More Tomorrow’s leading role in the sea kayaking industry it is our obligation to challenge our product line and the industry as a whole. We bring to you Expedition Sea Kayaking, a trip that is designed for those who are looking for the next level in guided sea kayak trips.

Expedition Sea Kayaking will give you the opportunity to explore a coastline with an Expedition Leader, an accomplished professional sea kayaker who has logged thousands of sea kayaking miles exploring the world’s coastlines. KMT expedition leaders are intimately knowledgeable of Nordland’s coastline and its waterways.

An Expedition Sea Kayak Trip requires the right location with, challenging waterways, protected harbors, majestic vistas, and intriguing wildlife encounters. Kayak More Tomorrow’s sea kayak specialists after having explored a world of waterways have found that the Providence of Nordland in Norway’s Arctic is the perfect venue for a Sea Kayak Expedition Challenge.

North Norway’s Providence of Nordland is a seemingly endless island world with giant fjords, immense plains, and remote mountain borders. The landscape in Northern Norway is ceaselessly varied, unspoiled, magnificent, awe-inspiring and beautiful; the perfect backdrop for a month-long sea kayak expedition.

Nordland, Norway a sea kayaking eldorado, to the west lie the islands some only visible at low tide others tower more than a thousand meters above the sea. A long Helgeland’s coast there are thousands of tiny islands tens of kilometers from the shore whereas most are flat, but some rise up in strange mountain formations. The Lofoten Islands, dark violet, ancient craggy peaks rise like pyramids; these large islands lie like miniature continents with their mountains, forests and agricultural land, surrounded by the seaways of this awe-inspiring archipelago. Steeped in myths, sagas, fairy tales, and folklore Nordland’s many famous landmarks have contributed to these telling’s, Torghatten, Seven Sisters of Alsten, Hestmannen, Rødøyløve, Landego, Vestfjorden & Vågakallen are just a few that we will discover while paddling Nordland’s spectacular coast.

The Nordland Sea Kayak challenge begins at the southernmost end of the providence where we paddle North to the Northern border of the Troms, Providence in the Lofoten Islands. We meet in Brønnøysund, Nordland’s most southern city. Brønnøysund is a quaint coastal city that once was a major trading center on the sailing route from Bergen to the Lofoten Islands; it is here we do the final preparations of our sea kayak journey through Nordland.

The Nordland Challenge is unlike any other sea kayaking trip. There is no set route, planned stopping places or scheduled overnight campsites. This is a journey, a discovery in its truest sense with everyday unique and undetermined waiting to unfold as we navigate our way through numerous archipelagos, fjords & charming northern settlements

Your KMT expedition leader will lay out a general plan for the challenge with sectional breakdowns and daily objectives. You will discover hidden places and uncover the secrets of this ancient coastal culture. You will camp, stay in cabins, guesthouses, and rorbus and enjoy camp meals, picnics, and local specialty dishes prepared by the region’s best chefs as you paddle your way north.

This is an unprecedented trip in which bragging rights belong to those who paddle this journey; tales from the challenge will be the envy of the cocktail circuit.

★★★★★
★★★★★
from
€9,990
Duration
1 day
Group Size
At least 1

Highlights Of Ålesund’s Archipelago

This Ålesund tour highlights both place and activity; the whole experience comes together when elements of intimate local knowledge combine with a professional adventure trip designer.

The glistening waterways surrounding Ålesund entice and adventure beckons! Ålesund is a fairytale setting of green grassy parks, lush leafy hillsides, Art Nouveau facades with torrents and sexy curves, historical maritime landmarks, bustling marinas with gentle waves lapping the rocky shores. Here we slip into a sea kayak and glide along glistening waterways that give way to specular fjords dotted with a plethora of islands.

We reach a secluded campsite where a delicious supper of local delicacies prepared with natural ingredients is served in the great outdoors. A crackling fire, good company, and warming night-cap rounds off the evening before retiring to a cozy tent for a well-deserved rest. The smell of fresh-brewed coffee draws you from your tent and a wholesome breakfast energizes, pushing-off, sea kayaks aimed down the fjord to our inevitable entry back into urbanization and the beautiful Art Nouveau architecture.

An intricate archipelago that boasts untold secrets, a hidden campsite known only to an exclusive few, the eminent ingredients for micro-adventure. A visit to Ålesund is not complete without exploring the archipelago the city is built on! So make sure you save some time during your visit for KMT’s micro-tour (24 hours), paddle a sea kayak and camp out in the archipelago.

★★★★★
★★★★★
from
€700
Duration
3 days
Group Size
At least 1

Sea Kayak Norway’s Coast – 3-Day Paddle Mania of Island & Lights

The waterways of Ålesund’s archipelago boast an eldorado of magnificent paddling opportunities; gliding amongst picturesque islands, paddling along steep granite walls of jade green fjords or challenging the rolling waves of the North Atlantic where white sandy beaches speckle outer islands that abound in bird and sea life.

★★★★★
★★★★★
from
€2,100
Duration
8 days
Group Size
At least 1

Arctic Summer Solstice & Wild Fjords – 8 Day Multi Sport Trip

Bike, hike, and paddle for eight days through Western Norway; discover an adventure landscape that will leave you spellbound.

Imagine riding down narrow, winding backroads with lush green-leafy hillsides, slender valleys dotted with pasturelands where lazy livestock graze on the steps of sleepy farm villages and then launch a sea kayak onto a paddlers paradise, with rock gardens, white sandy beaches, playful seals, kelp forests, surging tides, soaring sea eagles, historical lighthouses, funky currents, long narrow winding fjords, before hiking rugged mountain trails past ancient huts to grand vistas. This is the essence of a spectacular multi-sport adventure that begins with celebrating the birth of John the Baptist before venturing into the wild fjords of the Sunnmøre Alps.

People powered we peddle, paddle and hike seeking out the highlights of Norway’s New Style city, it’s wild fjords and majestic mountains. See first-hand colorful blossoming parks, lush leafy green hillsides, a skyline of art nouveau interspersed with modern architecture, a blazing inferno and a spectacle of merry-making locals celebrating the longest spring nights upon a backdrop of pleasure-crafts bobbing on glistening fjords. Before, jumping on bikes and heading into the fjords, riding down slender valleys dotted with verdant pastures, quaint farms and grazing livestock lined by towering jagged peaks of the Sunnmøre Alps. The days fly by as we paddle, peddle and wander through these wild fjords which have cut their path deep into the Sunnmøre Alps, creating a surreal landscape that is both awe-inspiring and breathtaking.

★★★★★
★★★★★
from
€6,800
Duration
5 days
Group Size
At least 1

Sea Kayaking Norway – 5 Days Sea Kayaking Norwegian Fjords

A Quintessential Fjord Paddle – Go Kayaking in Norway!

This Classic Fjords paddle is a must do for every paddler; is well suited for beginners to advanced sea kayakers alike. Join an IFSKGIA certified Guide on a sea kayak/camping journey down Norway’s Wold-Famous Western Fjords. We have guides avaialbe for weekly departures during the summer months of July and August; we provide everything for a fabulous 5 day fully catered paddling & camping trip down Majestic Arctic Fjords.

A marvellous trip with fun-loving professional guides and best of all priced for a ‘backpacker’s’ budget!

The highlights are numerous, from gliding along jade green fjords, tasting fresh sweet water from sparkling creeks, friendly conversation around campfires, delicious camp meals, stretching our legs on well trodden footpaths, taking in majestic vistas, the catch of the day, tales and sagas of days gone by, unbelievable mountain ledge farms, long Scandinavian summer days, and friendly fun-loving KMT guides.

The journey encompasses 100 km with an average paddling duration of 5-6 hours per day, not including breaks; your guide(s) will lead you on a discovery of the world-Famous fjords where you will experience the history and culture of a rugged mountain people and the waterways that connected them.

★★★★★
★★★★★
from
€3,500
Duration
8 days
Group Size
At least 1

Sea Kayaking Norway – 8 Days Sea Kayaking in Lofoten Islands

These impressively scenic islands form an archipelago one hundred miles north of the Arctic Circle. It is a place of mystical landscapes illuminated by nearly continuous daylight. Glacially carved, shear granite spires rise out of a sea made rich by the meeting of the warm Gulf Stream and the Arctic Ocean. The Islands are fringed with green pastureland and dotted with picturesque fishing villages each with its own unique character and dramatic mountain backdrop. This is a true Arctic sea kayaking adventure with the advantage of finishing every day with a hot shower and a warm bed.

You’ll kayak the length of this remarkable chain of islands through indigo-blue fjords cutting between jagged peaks, stopping at white sand beaches and hiking to viewpoints for incredible panoramic vistas. At the end of each paddling day you’ll stay in “rorbus”, traditional fishermen’s lodges with time to explore these charming villages and sample the local cuisine. Great kayaking, spectacular scenery and Norway’s seafaring culture make the Lofoten Islands one of the world’s great paddling destinations.

★★★★★
★★★★★
from
€8,775