The Ultimate Travel Guide to Norway: History & Attractions

The land of fjords — where glacier-carved waterways plunge between mountains rising 1,000 metres from sea level, the Northern Lights dance across Arctic skies, and the midnight sun illuminates a landscape of extraordinary wild beauty.

A Glimpse into History

Norway's history is one of the most dramatic in Europe — a small seafaring nation that punched far above its weight for a thousand years. The Viking Age (793–1066 AD) transformed Scandinavia from peripheral backwater to the dominant force in Northern and Western Europe — Norwegian Vikings raided and settled Scotland, Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, and famously reached North America 500 years before Columbus, establishing the L'Anse aux Meadows settlement in Newfoundland around 1000 AD. Harald Fairhair unified Norway around 872 AD. The country was Christianised by the end of the 10th century. Norway's union with Denmark (1397–1814 under the Kalmar and later Danish Union) and subsequent union with Sweden (1814–1905) were periods of cultural suppression and political subordination. The peaceful dissolution of the Swedish-Norwegian union in 1905 — a referendum in which only 184 Norwegians voted to maintain the union — created the modern Kingdom of Norway under King Haakon VII. Norway discovered the massive Ekofisk oil field in the North Sea in 1969, and subsequent oil revenues — channelled into the Government Pension Fund of Norway (now worth $1.4 trillion, the world's largest sovereign wealth fund) — transformed the country into one of the world's wealthiest per capita. Norway's human development index consistently ranks it first in the world. WWII occupation by Nazi Germany (1940–45), Norwegian resistance, and the flight of the royal family to London are defining national memories. Norway voted against EU membership in 1994, preferring its independent oil prosperity.

Top Attractions in Norway

Geirangerfjord

UNESCO-listed Geirangerfjord — 15 km of deep blue water flanked by 1,400-metre walls of bare rock, with waterfalls including the Seven Sisters and the Suitor cascading in ribbons from the plateau above — is Norway's most spectacular fjord. The Eagle Road zigzag above the fjord and the view from Ørnesvingen lookout of the cruise ships miniaturised below are Norway's most photographed vantage points.

Northern Lights — Tromsø

Tromsø, at 69°N above the Arctic Circle, sits within the 'auroral oval' — the optimal zone for Northern Lights viewing. On clear nights from September to March, the Aurora Borealis dances in green, pink, and violet curtains across the sky. Tromsø itself is a lively Arctic city with Norway's oldest wooden cathedral, reindeer sled tours, and the world's northernmost botanical garden.

Lofoten Islands

The Lofoten archipelago — dramatic peaks rising directly from an Arctic sea, red fishermen's rorbu cabins on stilts, the world's richest cod fishery, and midnight sun or Northern Lights depending on season — is arguably Norway's most beautiful landscape. The villages of Reine, Henningsvær, and Svolvær combine spectacular scenery with hiking, kayaking, and world-class seafood.

Bergen & Bryggen Wharf

Norway's second city and gateway to the fjords — Bergen's Bryggen wharf (UNESCO World Heritage) is a row of coloured Hanseatic timber warehouses from the 14th–16th centuries, when Bergen was the most important trading city in Northern Europe. The Fløibanen funicular provides the panoramic view over Bergen's seven mountains, and the fish market below is Norway's most atmospheric food experience.