Norway, from the fjords to the Northern Lights

Aurora hunting & Arctic life

Tromsø, the Northern Lights capital

Above the Arctic Circle, Tromsø makes an ideal base for hunting the Northern Lights from early September to late March: the Fjellheisen cable car gives the best view over the city, and Telegrafbukta beach lets you watch them without even leaving downtown. On the culture side, the Polar Museum traces the life of hunters and fishermen of old, and the Arctic Cathedral is worth a look. Nearby, the island of Kvaløya and the Lyngen Alps, reachable by ferry, round out the picture.

• Northern Lights: Sep–Mar
• Whales: Oct–Jan

• Dog sledding and snowmobiling, November to April
• Evening cruise to watch the Northern Lights at sea

Wild fjords and fishing villages

Senja, Norway without the crowds

A short hop from Tromsø, Norway's second-largest island can be explored on just a handful of roads, each delivering its own panorama: the Tungeneset viewpoint and its jagged 'devil's teeth', the Bergsbotn platform suspended above the fjord, and the view from the Gryllefjord bridge. Fishing villages like Husøy, Fjordgård and Mefjordvær, perched at the road's end, add to the end-of-the-world feeling.

• Hiking: Jun–Oct

• Hike to the head of the Gryllefjord
• The turquoise waters of Hamn i Senja

Villages on stilts and Arctic beaches

The Lofoten Islands

Reine, Hamnøy, Sakrisøy and Å, clustered together at the south end of the archipelago, form Lofoten's postcard heart — best seen from the Reinebringen trail overlooking Reine village. Henningsvær, perched on its own tiny archipelago, and the well-preserved village of Nusfjord round out the must-sees. On the beach side, Uttakleiv, Haukland and the Arctic surf cove of Unstad have nothing to envy the tropics, except water temperature.

• Jul–Aug: very busy
• Hiking: late May–mid Oct

• Reinebringen hike, a dizzying view over Reine
• Trollfjord cruise

The world's strongest tidal current

Bodø & the Saltstraumen

'Like Lofoten, but without the tourists,' locals say — and they're not wrong: Bodø offers the same spectacular mountain ranges without the crowds. The town is best known for the Saltstraumen, the world's most powerful tidal current, visible from the bridge or on a boat trip right into the maelstrom. It's also the departure point for the Lofoten ferry.

• Norway's windiest town

Norway's prettiest city

Bergen

The UNESCO-listed historic docks of Bryggen, with their colourful wooden facades, make Bergen the country's most photogenic city. The Fløyen funicular climbs to a full panorama over the city and surrounding fjords, while the Ulriken cable car reaches the region's highest point for a hike. Also not to miss: the fish market, Bergenhus Fortress, and the wooden lanes of the Nordnes peninsula.

• Best: Apr–Oct

• Fantoft stave church
• Hike up Mount Ulriken

Rack railways and Viking-era villages

The fjord road, from Flåm to Ålesund

From Bergen, combining the Flåm railway (the Flåmsbana, one of the most spectacular rail lines in the world) with a cruise on the Nærøyfjord, the narrowest of Norway's fjords, makes for a full day. Further north, Geiranger and its UNESCO-listed fjord are best admired from the Dalsnibba viewpoint or the Ørnevegen scenic road. Ålesund, a harbour town with Art Nouveau architecture, is the launch point for the island of Runde to watch puffins, or for the Trollstigen road, one of the country's most dizzying drives.

• Roads open: Jun–Oct

• Puffins on Runde island, May to September
• The stave churches of Borgund and Urnes

Polar museums and a sculpture park

Oslo

Less imperial than the other Scandinavian capitals, Oslo is best explored on foot, between the historic centre and the new Opera-to-Aker-Brygge waterfront. Vigeland Park brings together more than 200 outdoor bronze and granite sculptures. On the Bygdøy peninsula, reachable by shuttle boat, sit the city's standout museums: the FRAM, dedicated to polar expeditions, and the Kon-Tiki, on the Pacific raft crossing. Akershus Fortress and the Royal Palace round out a visit to the centre.

• The Munch Museum
• A cruise around the Oslo archipelago