Norway · best-of list
35 Top Things to Do in Norway
All 35 things to do our route editors picked in Norway, across 7 destinations, gathered in one list. 1 spot on this list appears on more than one of our routes.
Our curated picks
35 things to do in Norway, grouped by destination. Destinations with the most picks come first; this is not a ranking.
Bergen 6 picks
Bryggen
Bergen · On our Norway in a Nutshell route
UNESCO-listed row of wooden Hanseatic wharf buildings on the harbor.
Tip: Wander the narrow alleys behind the facades.
Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0
Bryggens Museum
Bergen · On our Norway in a Nutshell route
Medieval finds from excavations under the wharf.
Photo: יעקב · CC BY-SA 4.0
Fløibanen Funicular
Bergen · On our Norway in a Nutshell route
Funicular to Mount Fløyen, with forest trails and a city view.
Tip: Walk back down through the forest.
Photo: Marek Wiercioch · Google
KODE Art Museums
Bergen · On our Norway in a Nutshell route
Art museums by Lille Lungegårdsvann with a large Munch collection.
Photo: Kode Art Museum - Lysverket · Google
Troldhaugen
Bergen · On our Norway in a Nutshell route
Edvard Grieg's lakeside villa with a concert hall and summer recitals.
Tip: Grieg's villa closed for renovation until summer 2027; grounds, museum and composer's hut open.
Photo: Andreas Sandberg · CC BY-SA 3.0
Ulriken643
Bergen · On our Norway in a Nutshell route
Cable car to Bergen's highest mountain and the ridge hike to Fløyen.
Photo: Ulriksbanen · Google
Oslo 6 picks
Akershus Fortress
Oslo · On our Scandinavian Capitals route
Medieval fortress and castle on the harbor with free grounds.
Photo: Ralf Roletschek · GFDL 1.2
Fram Museum
Oslo · On our Scandinavian Capitals route
The polar ship Fram, which you can board, plus polar exploration exhibits.
Tip: Take the summer ferry from City Hall pier to Bygdøy.
Photo: Tore Storm Halvorsen · CC BY-SA 4.0
Holmenkollen Ski Museum & Tower
Oslo · On our Scandinavian Capitals route
Ski jump with a top-of-tower view and a ski history museum.
Tip: Take T-bane line 1 to Holmenkollen.
Photo: Ben Chester · Google
MUNCH
Oslo · On our Scandinavian Capitals route
Waterfront museum with the largest collection of Edvard Munch's work.
Photo: Premeditated · CC BY-SA 4.0
Norwegian Museum of Cultural History
Oslo · On our Scandinavian Capitals route
Open-air museum with 160 old buildings, including a 13th-century stave church.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.5
Oslo Opera House
Oslo · On our Scandinavian Capitals route
Marble roof you can walk straight up for views over the Oslofjord.
Photo: Pierre Blaché · CC0
Tromsø 6 picks
Arctic Cathedral
Tromsø · On our Lofoten & Tromsø route
Tromsdalen's 1965 triangular church, lit from within at night, with a huge glass mosaic on its east wall.
Tip: Evening concerts run through the winter; check the schedule.
Photo: Harald Groven · CC BY-SA 3.0 no
Fjellheisen
Tromsø · On our Lofoten & Tromsø route
Cable car up to Storsteinen, 421 m above sea level, for the view over the island city and the bridge.
Tip: Go up before dusk and stay for the lights; it is windy and cold at the top.
Photo: Peter Fiskerstrand · CC BY-SA 4.0Polar Museum
Tromsø · On our Lofoten & Tromsø route
Museum in an 1830s customs warehouse on the harbour covering trapping, sealing and Amundsen and Nansen's expeditions.
Polaria
Tromsø · On our Lofoten & Tromsø route
Arctic aquarium in a building shaped like toppled ice floes, with bearded seals and polar-region exhibits.
Tip: Time your visit for the seal feeding.
Photo: Lee Dyer · CC BY-SA 2.0
Tromsø Cathedral
Tromsø · On our Lofoten & Tromsø route
One of Norway's largest wooden churches, built in 1861 in the middle of the pedestrian centre.
Tip: Christmas concerts are held here through December.
Photo: Illustratedjc · CC BY-SA 3.0Tromsø Villmarkssenter
Tromsø · On our Lofoten & Tromsø route
Husky kennel on Kvaløya running dog-sled trips, kennel visits and evening aurora camps.
Tip: Book sled trips ahead; pickups run from the city centre.
Reine 5 picks
Å and the Norwegian Fishing Village Museum
Reine · On our Lofoten & Tromsø route
The village at the end of the E10, where old rorbuer, a bakery, a cod-liver-oil works and a boathouse form an open-air museum.
Tip: Winter opening is limited to shorter weekday hours.
Photo: Jules Henze · CC BY 2.0
Hamnøy
Reine · On our Lofoten & Tromsø route
Fishing hamlet of red rorbuer at the Hamnøy bridge, with the classic view across the water to the Reine peaks.
Tip: Park at the bridge lay-by and walk; the E10 shoulder is narrow and icy.
Photo: Eric Kilby · CC BY-SA 2.0
Nusfjord
Reine · On our Lofoten & Tromsø route
One of Norway's best-preserved fishing villages, with red rorbuer, a general store and a sawmill around a narrow harbour.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Reine Church
Reine · On our Lofoten & Tromsø route
White wooden church from 1890 at the edge of Reine, set right under the snow-covered Olstinden massif.
Photo: El Coleccionista de Instantes Fotografía & Video · CC BY-SA 2.0
Sakrisøy
Reine · On our Lofoten & Tromsø route
Islet of yellow rorbuer between Hamnøy and Reine, often photographed with Olstinden behind it.
Photo: Svein Magne Tunli · CC BY-SA 4.0
Flåm 4 picks
Flåm Railway
Flåm · On our Norway in a Nutshell route + 1 more
20 km train climb from fjord to mountains past waterfalls.
Tip: Sit on the left side going up.
Photo: Flåmsbanamuseet · Google
Nærøyfjord cruise
Flåm · On our Norway in a Nutshell route
Electric boat cruise through the narrow UNESCO-listed Nærøyfjord.
Photo: Peter Babel · Google
Otternes Bygdetun
Flåm · On our Norway in a Nutshell route
Hillside farm cluster of 27 old buildings above Aurlandsfjord.
Photo: Otternes Bygdetun · Google
Undredal
Flåm · On our Norway in a Nutshell route
Tiny fjord village with Scandinavia's smallest church and goat cheese.
Photo: Micha L. Rieser · Attribution
Geiranger 4 picks
Geirangerfjord cruise
Geiranger · On our Norway in a Nutshell route
Boat trip past the Seven Sisters and other falls on the UNESCO fjord.
Photo: Geiranger Fjordservice AS · Google
Norwegian Fjord Centre
Geiranger · On our Norway in a Nutshell route
Museum on fjord life, farming and avalanches.
Photo: Dileepa Sandaruwan · Google
Skageflå
Geiranger · On our Norway in a Nutshell route
Hike to a cliff farm perched above the fjord, facing the Seven Sisters.
Tip: Best combined with a boat drop-off.
Photo: Konrad Baginski (Konrad.baginski at en.wikipedia) · Attribution
Trollstigen
Geiranger · On our Norway in a Nutshell route
Hairpin road down a sheer mountain wall, with a viewing platform.
Tip: Usually open late May–Oct.
Photo: Clementp.fr · CC BY-SA 4.0
Svolvær 4 picks
Henningsvær
Svolvær · On our Lofoten & Tromsø route
Fishing village spread over skerries south of Svolvær, with galleries, cafes and a harbour of working boats.
Tip: Allow a half day; the 20 km road along the Gimsøystraumen is well cleared.
Photo: Christoph Strässler · CC BY-SA 2.0
Henningsvær Stadion
Svolvær · On our Lofoten & Tromsø route
Football pitch laid out on a flat rock skerry at the tip of Henningsvær, surrounded by sea.
Tip: Walk out past the harbour; winter snow often covers the pitch.
Photo: Patrice78500 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Lofoten War Memorial Museum
Svolvær · On our Lofoten & Tromsø route
Private collection in a 1923 post-office building covering the German occupation of Lofoten and the 1941 commando raids.
Photo: Wolfmann · CC BY-SA 4.0
Vågan Church
Svolvær · On our Lofoten & Tromsø route
The 1898 'Lofoten Cathedral' in Kabelvåg, a wooden church built for the fishermen who crowded in each winter.
Photo: Siri Wolland · CC BY-SA 3.0 no
How we picked these
Every entry is a stop on at least one of TripsCircle's hand-curated routes, chosen by our route editors, who wrote the reason to go shown with each place. These are our curated picks, not a scored ranking: we haven't rated or reviewed them against each other. The list is grouped by destination, and within each destination places that appear on more routes come first.
Prices ($ to $$$$) and visit lengths are rough guides from our route notes, not quotes. Check opening hours before you go.
About this list
How did you choose the things to do in Norway?
Each one is a stop on a TripsCircle route that our editors built by hand, and each comes with a written reason to go. This page shows all 35 of them. They are curated picks, not a ranked score.
Which part of Norway has the most things to do on this list?
Bergen, Oslo and Tromsø lead with 6 each; the other picks are spread across 4 more destinations.
Are any of these free?
13 picks on this list are marked free in our route notes: Bryggen, Skageflå, Henningsvær, Hamnøy, Trollstigen, and more. Check ahead, since parking or special exhibits can cost extra.
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Turn this list into a plan
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