Background information
Norway is a rich Scandinavian country that stretches 2500 km between its most northern and southern tips. Only 6 million people live here. Outside of Oslo, the capital, Bergen and Trondheim there is a whole lot of space.
Norway is one of the most expensive countries in Europe both for living and travel. Residents pay high taxes (50%), but get free education and highly subsidized healthcare in return. Norwegians are not complaining but enjoy this very social state.
Winters are long in Norway. It may snow between October and April. For good reason Norwegians have more medals in the Winter Olympics than any other country. Alpine skiing, cross country skiing, biathlon and speed skating are some specialties. Many say that the 1994 Games in Lillehammer were the best ever. Snow and ice may be beautiful, but even Norwegians sometimes have enough. In summer (July) most take their vacation and enjoy the Great Outdoors with walking, canoeing and fishing.
Scandinavia, including Norway, has quite a bit of wildlife. This includes lots of moose, bears, wolves and fox on the mainland. Coastal areas also feature orcas, whales, seals, walrus, puffins and (on the island of Svalbard) polar bears.
I know Norway well. My sister lives there with her family for more than 30 years and regular visits bring me back to this great place. I also travelled there several times and lived & worked in Oslo for 7 months. It is almost like another home country. Unfortunately I never learned the language.
Capital Oslo and beyond
Oslo is the largest city and economic and political centre of the country. Just over 1 million people call this home. The old city has a nice harbour at the start of the Oslo fjord with a historical fortress and many good restaurants. The opera house (in shape of a cube) opposite the train station is well worth a visit. Other sites are the Vigeland Parken (a park full of naked statues) and the Holmenkollen Ski Jump.
Norway’s national day is on the 17th of May. People celebrate with happy parades, lots of flags and traditional costumes and dresses, as inherited from generations of families. It is really a nice thing to experience, especially in Oslo.
All Nobel Prices are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden, with one exception: the Nobel Price for Peace is awarded in Oslo every December. This may be seen as a sign of friendship and respect between these and all Scandinavian countries.
Norway offers some very nice train journeys. This includes for example from Oslo to Bergen and Oslo to Andalsness / Alesund. You will encounter amazing landscapes, snowy mountains and waterfalls. Besides trains, there is also the option to take a comfortable overnight ferry from Oslo to Copenhagen in Denmark. Recommended.
The Fjords and the South
Norway is famous for its amazing fjords where the sea or ocean enters a mountainous region. Fjords can be found all along the South-Western part of the country, between Stavanger, Bergen and Trondheim.
The Sognefjord is the largest, 200 km long and 1300 meter deep. The Geiranger Fjord is probably the best known and most visited: in summer there are a lot more tourists than residents. There are a few unique natural platforms where you can see the fjords, for example Pulpit Rock (“Preikestolen”) near Stavanger.
You can visit the fjords in many ways, for example by private car, bus or on a tour. The Hurtigruten is a famous Norwegian cruise line that – originally – brings mail to and from coast cities. Now it is a real cruise line with comfortable cabins, even conducting cruises to Antarctica.
Norway is planning and implementing restrictions on cruise travel into its fjords. Only those ships with clean engines, will be able to enter.
Fjords can be found everywhere, not only in Norway. The most southern Fjord in Europe is located in Montenegro and the largest fjord is in Eastern Greenland. The fjord landscapes in Alaska, southern Chile and New Zealand are also famous.
The North and the Northern Light
The North of Norway is empty. There aren’t many large cities north of Trondheim. Days in summer may never end, but in winter these days may never really start.
The Lofoten, west of Narvik, is an isolated part of the country with fisherman’s villages. Orcas are spotted here regularly. Hammerfest claims to be the northernmost city in the world, even though there is a smaller city (Honningsvåg) a bit more north and the town of Longyearbyen (on Svalbard) 875 km more north.
The North Cape, also known as “the top of Europe”, is one of the most famous spots here. In the middle of summer, on a nice day, you will be able to see sunset flowing into sunrise over the water smoothly. It is an amazing sight when the sun does not touch the water. The large metal globe marks the spot.
In the winter months between October and April, the Northern Lights may be visible anywhere in Scandinavia. To see this phenomena, you will need a dark spot (outside the city) and a dark, clear night without (rain or snow) clouds. You may have good eyesight, but your camera can see these lights better than you. Tromso is one of the best places in the world to see the Northern Lights.
The island of Svalbard, also known as Spitsbergen, is also Norwegian and the furthest North you can get in Europe. It is located halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. Longyearbyen is the city where almost everyone people enter either by flight or ship. More polar bears live here than people. Svalbard is also home of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, where plant seeds are kept for recovery in case of a world disaster.
Electric Cars
Norway is the leader in Europe and the world when it comes to electric cars. The country is beautiful and Norwegians like to keep it that way by reducing pollution. 98% of all new cars sold in Norway in 2025 were electric! This means, that almost no new cars with combustion engine were bought. The EU likes to make this mandatory by 2035, but Norway is obviously leading the way.
Norway is large country with low population density. Yet, charging poles are available everywhere and it is possible to drive all over the country in an electric car. Even in winter.
The fact that all new cars now and in the foreseeable future are electric, means that petrol stations will run out of customers within 10-20 years? They will likely disappear in Norway, because their businesses will no longer be viable. Tourists from abroad (from Sweden, Germany, England, etc) can only come to Norway if they drive an electric car as well or rent a car here, because otherwise they may run out of gas and be stuck very soon. China, also very advanced with electric cars and trains, sees a similar trend.
One could wonder, is Norway - a major oil exporter - shooting itself in the foot by electrification?
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