Europe
Norway
Europe's wildest coastline
The routes I design through Norway take us to explore gastronomy, architecture, and, of course, the incredible natural beauty of the fjords, passing through Bergen, Oslo, and Ålesund, all the way to the far north in Lofoten, where the sun never sets.
Norway here isn't a postcard, it's a maneuver: a helicopter crosses a fjord while below a private boat keeps searching for the perfect angle of light. Bergen opens with wooden streets declared a heritage site and a cuisine that blends Japanese technique with fish fresh off the dock; Ålesund answers with Art Nouveau facades raised after a fire and a fishing harbor that never sleeps. Further north, in Lofoten, the trip changes pace: an isolated house accessible only by boat, glass dome, wood-fired sauna, and a sun that doesn't set over waters where you catch your own dinner's cod. Between one fjord and the next, deliberate contrasts appear: a contemporary art gallery hidden in a former caviar factory, orcas spotted from a speedboat, a museum that brings Munch together under the same roof as Scandinavia's most orderly city. It suits those who want speed and silence at once: landing by helicopter in the morning and filleting your own catch over the fire at night.
Datos del viaje
Experiences
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Fjords seen from the helicopter
A private boat crossing and a thirty-minute flight back to the city.
View experience: Fjords seen from the helicopter
After a private boat crossing through the fjords, with a stop to eat by the water, a helicopter picks up the group directly from the shore and flies over valleys and rock walls back to the city. The thirty-minute flight completely changes the perception of the scale of the landscape seen from the sea that morning: waterfalls, hanging glaciers, and fjords that from the air become clear at a glance.
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Cod and halibut at sunset
A guided fishing trip and filleting your own catch to cook it that night.
View experience: Cod and halibut at sunset
A guided boat trip to fish for cod and halibut, the species that give these icy waters of northern Norway their fame. The guide teaches how to fillet the catch following the local technique, to cook it over the fire that same evening, with the sun still high past midnight thanks to the region's characteristic midnight sun in the summer months.
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On the trail of the orcas
Speedboat along the south coast in search of orcas, eagles, and seals.
View experience: On the trail of the orcas
A speedboat runs along the south coast in search of orcas, which spend the summer sheltering among the islands feeding on herring. Ospreys and seal colonies often appear along the way, and the day's route is decided on the fly, depending on where the latest signs of activity have been spotted, rather than following a fixed predetermined route.
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Cuisine that changes with the weather
A daily menu built around what the boat brings in that morning, in Bergen and Ålesund.
View experience: Cuisine that changes with the weather
On a small island by the sea, the restaurant's menu is put together each day according to what the boat brings in that morning, with no fixed menu. The same seasonal, local-produce logic repeats in the best restaurants of Bergen and Ålesund, where the cuisine revolves around freshly caught fish and shellfish, in one of Europe's most interesting — and least known — culinary regions.
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Contemporary art in the archipelago
A former caviar factory turned contemporary art gallery.
View experience: Contemporary art in the archipelago
A former caviar factory converted into a contemporary art gallery, off any usual tourist circuit, exhibits international artists right in the middle of the Lofoten archipelago, an unexpected contrast with the traditional fishing landscape surrounding the building. In Oslo, the contrast repeats on another scale: a newly built museum brings together Nordic design, contemporary craft, and Edvard Munch's best-known works under one roof.
Itinerary ideas
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10 days
Bergen, Ålesund, and Lofoten
Bergen, Ålesund, Lofoten, Oslo
View itinerary idea: Bergen, Ålesund, and Lofoten
Bergen as the gateway to the land of fjords, Ålesund and its Art Nouveau architecture with fjords seen by helicopter, several days in the Lofoten islands with fishing and orca watching, and a close in Oslo.
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8 days
Oslo, Bergen, and Ålesund
Oslo, Bergen, Ålesund
View itinerary idea: Oslo, Bergen, and Ålesund
Oslo as the gateway, with its contemporary architecture and urban fjord, a stretch in Bergen — the city of seven mountains and the Hanseatic wharf of Bryggen — and a close in Ålesund, with its Art Nouveau architecture and fjords seen by helicopter.
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6 days
Essential Norway: Oslo and Bergen
Oslo, Bergen
View itinerary idea: Essential Norway: Oslo and Bergen
A shorter getaway, just between the two big cities: Oslo, with its contemporary architecture and urban fjord, and Bergen, the gateway to the fjords, with the Hanseatic wharf of Bryggen and a cruise through the nearby fjords.
Traveller testimonials
We just finished our second big trip with Will. The first was last summer to Tanzania, and this time we traveled through Norway. It's been absolutely amazing. Once again, better than we expected, which is hard given how high the bar already was. Having visited Oslo, Bergen and Ålesund (and the nearby fjords), the Lofoten Islands, in the north of the country, felt like being on another planet. We had a dream house on a small island, and got around by our own boat. Landscapes and endless sunsets — you have to go there to really understand it. The whole trip came together perfectly again: wonderful hotels, exquisite meals at the best restaurants, and incredible activities in dreamlike settings: a river cruise, a fishing boat, a speedboat safari. And all of it with excellent guides. That said, we're already thinking about our next destination with Will...
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to travel to Norway?
From May to September if you want the midnight sun: official Norwegian tourism states that from late June to early August the nights never get really dark anywhere in the country, and the further north you go, the more nights of midnight sun. For the northern lights, winter is another story.
When can you see the northern lights in Norway?
From late September to late March, according to official Norwegian tourism. Activity is statistically higher in spring and autumn, but they are also seen in November, December, January and February. No aurora is guaranteed, so it is best to allow several nights and move away from city lights.
How long should a trip to Norway last and how long does it take to get there?
Between 9 and 10 days lets you combine fjords and a city without rushing. The flight from Spain takes 3.5 to 4 hours, direct or with a connection depending on the season. Fjords involve long transfers, so I prefer few bases and two nights in each.
Do I need a visa or passport to travel to Norway from Spain?
You don't need a visa and can travel with a passport or national ID card, although with a stopover in the United Kingdom a passport is required. No vaccinations are required of travellers arriving from European countries either. As of November 2026 that is what Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs states; check its official page before booking.