Norway

Norway is a country shaped by water and rock. Its coastline is cut by deep fjords, some over 200 kilometres long, and the mountains behind them are laced with waterfalls, glaciers and some of the most spectacular roads and railways in Europe. Distances are big and prices are high, but the landscapes and the quality of everything, from hotels to ferries, reward a well-planned trip.

Oslo, the capital, sits at the head of the Oslofjord. It is relaxed and easy to walk, with the Viking Ship collection, the Munch Museum, the sculpture park at Frogner and a waterfront opera house you can walk across the roof of. Bergen, on the west coast, is the gateway to the fjords. Its row of painted wooden merchants' houses at Bryggen is a UNESCO site, and from here boats and trains head into the Sognefjord and Hardangerfjord. Between the two, the Flåm Railway and the "Norway in a Nutshell" route combine train, boat and bus through Nærøyfjord, a UNESCO-listed arm of the Sognefjord where the mountain walls close in tightly on either side.

Norwegian food centres on the sea. Salmon, cod and prawns are superb, and the fish market in Bergen is a good place to try them. Brown goat's cheese (brunost), cinnamon buns, reindeer in the north and, at Christmas, lutefisk and pinnekjøtt are all part of the table. Coffee is drunk in quantity, and waffles with jam and sour cream are a staple of mountain huts and ferries.

Our Norway tours include an Oslo city break, a private walking tour of the capital and festive Christmas walks in Oslo and Bergen. For a wider journey, Norway features on our Scandinavia private van tour, the Oslo, Stockholm and Copenhagen rail tour, and a self-drive itinerary through Denmark, Norway and Sweden.