Destination of the Week: Norway
Photo credit: Visit Norway.
This week, Daily Travel Source is spotlighting the amazing country of Norway. We caught up with Nina Kjønigsen, PR Lead, Visit Norway, to learn about the best times to see the Northern Lights, must-have dishes and family friendly vacation locations to adventure in!
Norway has such stunning views whether on the water or hiking in the mountains. What are a few of your favorite locations to take in nature?
Norway is such a vast country and what I like is that it is so varied and has so much space to enjoy nature. The archipilago in the south of Norway offers coastal peace, where you can enjoy all sorts of boating and swimming, saunas and seafood. There are plenty of quaint villages along the southern coast as well, perfect to visit and enjoy a slower life. On the west coast, the fjords are spectacular. The colors, the nature and the mountains are a must see. And then if you go further north, the coast is more dramatic, the weather can be more dominant, but the beaches are awesome, perfect for surfing or simply being outside to enjoy the midnight sun. Here the sun never sets during summer so there is no reason to go to bed!
As someone with two young children, where would you recommend our family visit on our first trip to Norway?
I would visit Oslo and then drive or take the train down south to Kristansand. This takes approximately 3.5 hours. If you come during the summer months, Oslo is full of life, culture, ice cream and things to do as a family. There are wonderful museums, you can go swimming, biking, visit parks, festivals, enjoy shopping and great food, and our ice cream is really yummy! If you want to go hiking, there are great trails less than 20 minutes away from the city centre in Oslo.
Kristiansand is a perfect city for families with kids. The beaches and water park are really popular, there are loads of great restaurants, great art and culture, and you can do so much outdoors. They also have Dyreparken—a park filled with lots of animals, pirate land and other fantasy worlds. It is a super-fun place for all ages. You can even reserve a room in the park and be a full-time pirate! So much fun!
The food in Norway looks so fresh and unique! What are some local dishes that every visitor has to try on their trip to Norway?
Norway has a lot of different dishes. We love our bakeries with bread and sweet treats. We also love waffles and coffee. A great bonus in Norway is that most hotels include breakfast in the price and this breakfast is really nice. Here you can taste the local specialities such as home made breads, jams, juices and cheese, to name a few. In summer we love strawberries and all the berries in season, also enjoy a lot of fresh sea food so you have to try fresh prawns and crab, and we also barbecue a lot.
In fall and winter, we eat a lot of moose and deer, also reindeer, in addition to fish.
So, we eat varied and different things depending on season, but there is something for everyone, I promise!
What time of year should visitors come to Norway to possibly see the Northern Lights and where do they need to travel to?
In order to see the Northern Lights you need to travel up north where there's less light pollution, starting from Bodø and going up north. Northern Norway is dark from afternoon until late morning, when the northern lights frequently soar across the sky. The season starts in late September and can last until end of March. Peak time to see the lights are often between 11 pm and 2 am.
May is a really good time to see them. Northern lights activity started peaking in 2024. From then until 2026, aurora borealis activity is expected to reach its highest levels in 11 years.
Do you have any other must-see adventure recommendations for families or young couples that want to explore Norway?
Norway has a lot to offer and many are surprised to learn how vast the distances are. So you need to choose a region or two and spend time exploring. The regions all have lots to offer, wonderful nature experiences, great outdoor activities, unique places to stay and great food, and then some. You can go on a Viking trail and visit great viking sites, or find time to go hiking and re-enegizing on hikes in the mountains, along the fjords or coast. Try a floating sauna, go kayaking. All of our cities are walkable, and most of them combines the urban life with nature trails within short proximity. I think you would find some great options no matter if you travel as a couple or with your whole family.
We just made a new travel route planner called Fairytale Finder. You can download this in your appstore or similar, and this app will suggest routes and fun things to do all over Norway. It even has some fun games to play along for the kids. I recommend that.
Our website also has loads of great tips and inspirations.
A warm welcome to Norway!
