Reddit reviews DK Eyewitness Travel Guide Norway

My husband and I honeymooned in Norway and Sweden in December a few years back. We were coming from Washington, D.C., and the climate and darkness in Oslo/Stockholm was indeed very similar to DC (it will be darker the further north you go, of course). We had a great time! Who knew we'd end up living here a few years later... I think you'll have a wonderful visit, even if you're here when it's cold and dark. The special things to do in Norway mostly relate to the outdoors (hiking, cross-country skiing, floating around the fjords) or seeing the famous Stave churches or museums relating to Viking culture, though there are excellent art and music venues in the larger cities (you can see Munch's "The Scream" in Oslo!).

Even in the snow and rain, the fjords are gorgeous, so I would look into visits in Bergen or Stavanger. These are also two of the largest cities in Norway (and very charming), so you will have good lodging options if you stay there a bit. Oslo is a fun city with great museums, outdoor spaces and parks (we went to the Vigeland sculpture garden after it had snowed and it was gorgeous, if freaking cold), and a pretty thriving cultural scene.

Epic scenery describes most of Norway and the outdoors isn't far from anywhere you'll go. The country is fairly rural and there's a robust hiking/outdoor culture, so you can find great opportunities to hike, ski, etc. no matter where you go - I mean, you end up in the woods if you take the tram 15 minutes north in Oslo, which is the most built-up part of Norway. So any place you choose is probably going to meet your scenery requirements, both from the train window and once you arrive.

The Arctic Circle is not trivial to get to and will be really dark in Jan/Feb. If you want to go (it's during the season for the Northern Lights), note that the train will only go as far as Bodø, so you'll likely need to fly if you want to see Svalbard or Tromsø. (I mean, you could drive, but it's a 24 hour drive from Oslo to Tromsø - quite a commitment for a time-limited trip.)

Overall, it's pretty easy to travel around Norway without a car. Most towns are pretty pedestrian-friendly and there's an excellent train system linking most of the country together. Buses are affordable, there's a 130 year-old boating company (Hurtigruten) that connects the cities along the coast, etc. However, traveling between cities will take some time: Norway is about 1500 miles long and 250 miles across with mountains in between, so although the view is gorgeous, it will take a while to get from one place to another unless you fly. Both Norwegian and SAS fly between Norwegian cities, so if you're short on time or don't want to spend half a day on the train, look into flights.

I loved visiting here on our honeymoon and really enjoy living here. It's a country with a spectacular landscape, a very enthusiastic outdoor culture, and charming little towns. A few things to consider: it is a slightly expensive place to visit (on par with Manhattan in terms of food and lodging), so plan out your expenses accordingly; the quality of the food is good but Norwegian food culture is much simpler than you'll find in southern Europe (in fact, you might be surprised by the number of Italian restaurants in Oslo - I was); and basically everything is closed on Sunday, so plan accordingly.

Honestly, if your prep time is limited, I'd recommend buying a good travel book (I like the DK series) and seeing what catches your eye. Rick Steves also has good recs for visiting Norway, so check out his site. Otherwise, I read a few histories of Norway and Oslo before we came, which helped guide what I found most interesting here.

Good luck and congratulations! I'm sure you'll have a fantastic trip.