Around midnight on Saturday evening, depending on how the football gods roll the dice, Norway might become a major travel no-no for England.
Thomas Tuchel‘s squad will square up to the Norwegians under the late afternoon Miami sunshine – 10pm BST – in a quarter-final match that has the potential to be a Game of Thrones-style epic.
Whether it’s King Kane’s men or Haaland’s Vikings who triumph at the Miami Stadium, Norway should remain firmly on your ‘where to next?’ list – although, granted, perhaps when those high sporting emotions have ebbed and faded.
Make for the Land of the Vikings: Erling Haaland’s homeland has plenty to enjoy when this summer’s World Cup is a distant memory
Here’s why: Few countries can rival this Scandinavian beauty for eyes-wide-open, jaw-dropping scenery; it’s the land of the Midnight Sun, the Northern Lights, of rugged coast, wild mountains and glistening fjords and lakes.
Its capital, Oslo, has cultural gravitas beyond its compact, walkable size thanks to a gleaming suite of galleries and museums. And second city Bergen doorstep rural playground includes seven mountains, and fjords that span 238 miles.
Norway remains cheap to get to, with return flights into Oslo from around £40 return. While it’s famously not cheap once on the ground – pilfering from the breakfast buffet to avoid paying £10 for a (albeit delicious) sandwich is a common tourist tactic, it is still very much worth your holiday time.
The weather? While many parts of southern Europe have been stifling cauldrons of heat this summer, Norwegian summers are far more comfortable affairs, with the mercury rarely nudging above 28 degrees.
England forever, obviously, but here’s our guide to the best bits of Haaland’s homeland:
THE CITIES
OSLO
Oslo, Norway’s capital boasts some of Europe’s most impressive museums, including one dedicated to artist Edvard Munch and The Nobel Peace Centre
Whatever time of year you arrive in the Norwegian capital – be it when the sun refuses to dip below the horizon until nearly 11pm in summer or in the short, low-lit days of winter, Oslo very much still holds its own as a magical place to spend a few days.
There’s oodles of Scandi fun to be had; book a floating sauna, dine with a view at harbourfront area Aker Brygge, and admire a pristine catwalk of statuesque architecture.
There’s Munch, the museum dedicated to Norwegian Expressionist artist Edvard, Deichman Bjørvika – Oslo Public Library and the vision of glass-and-steel that is the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet House.
Don’t miss the best of humanity (mostly) at The Nobel Peace Centre – under 16s go free.
BERGEN
A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, Bryggen’s colourful buildings now house some of the city’s best stores for artisan goods
The west coast metropolis that was a strategic sea port in the Middle Ages is now Norway’s second city and makes for a brilliant weekender. Its historic past lives on in the creaking wooden buildings of Bryggen waterfront, a UNESCO site that’s filled with artisan shopping opps, from jewellery to leather goods and pottery.
The city’s nickname, ‘Gateway to the fjords’, reflects its enviable geography; there’s seven fjords nearby, including two of the country’s most impressive – Hardangerfjord in the south and Sognefjord in the north – and seven mountains.
Bergen’s student population ensures there’s a decent night scene and a stirring panoramic, weather permitting, can be soaked up from the top of Mount Fløyen – the slick Fløibanen Funicular can whirr you to the summit in six minutes.
THE FJORDS
Fancy a drive? A view of the nerve-shredding hairpin road that snakes through the green mountainside in Lysefjorden
A deep hewn network of channels carved out by shifting ice, Norway’s fjords – of which around 1,700 have been officially mapped, have been around for millennia. For those tourists who are lucky enough to cruise these cold, cobalt waters, the scenery flicks from verdant hillsides and farmland to imposing, craggy cliffs.
While fjords cut from the Norwegian coast across much of the country, the most picturesque tend to be found in the country’s southwest and west, with Bergen and Stavanger offering the perfect bases to explore from.
They’re all majorly aesthetic, but UNESCO site Geirangerfjord is particularly majestic, with a dusting of snow often crowning the highest peaks that flank it. Elsewhere, Lysefjorden hits a little different, with its hulking mountain formations, including Preikestolen (the Pulpit Rock) and Kjerag, making visitors feel very small.
THE MOUNTAINS
A cabin in the woods and a ski holiday? Norway’s rustic ski resorts are often more quieter than Europe’s more glitzy winter towns (Pictured: Trysil)
The Norwegians can lay claim to having invented modern skiing and yet the lion’s share of winter sports holidays will make for Italy, France, Switzerland and Austria before planning a Scandi ski adventure.
Recent decades though have seen Norwegian resorts lure skiers away from more obvious destinations, with Geilo named Norway’s Best Ski Resort for seven consecutive years in a row in the World Ski Awards. The largest mountain resort though is Trysil, in the country’s east, around 210km from Oslo.
And of course, the summer puts a different spin on the same mountains, with hiking trails, cycling routes and Nordic walking routes opening up for visitors.
THE HIDDEN INTERIOR
Who needs stone? Exploring Norway’s atmospheric stave churches, including this one, Heddal Stave Church, makes for a fascinating road trip
The best preserved stave church is UNESCO-protected Borgund stave church in Lærdal, four hours from Oslo
Few British visitors venture away from the main tourist cities and sights but they’re missing a trick – much of Norway is safe and easy to navigate by car, and a road trip unlocks the country’s pretty hinterland.
Norway’s stave churches offer a genuine segue into the country’s past. These wooden-built churches feature intricate carvings and motifs that reflect the country’s Viking heritage as well as the later Christian period.
The best preserved example is the UNESCO-protected Borgund stave church in Lærdal, four hours from Oslo, with the largest being in Heddal, which sits near Notodden – more accessible at just 1 hour and 45 minutes from the capital.
THE FROZEN NORTH
Head north of the Artic Circle to Tromsø, where the midnight sun in summer and the polar night in winter can be magical experiences
Norway’s magical Arctic city of Tromsø – 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle, has long wooed those desperate to see the showstopping Aurora Borealis, visible from October to January.
You can fly in direct and put yourself in the midst of some of the country’s most dramatic scenery – with whales also off shore during Northern Lights season.
The best view of land and water comes from the Fjellheisen cable car, including a chance to photograph the modernist Arctic Cathedral. Make like the characters of Disney movie Frozen and join Sami herders to feed Tromsø’s reindeer population.
Our tip: avoid shoulder season and go in the depths of winter or the height of summer, when the midnight sun encourages you to stay up all night.
DON’T FANCY DRIVING? TAKE THE TRAIN…
Norway’s rail network is impressive, both in terms of efficiency and scenic reach…here’s two of the country’s most alluring routes:
The Flåm Railway pictured as it crosses through a Norwegian village close to the Sognefjord fjord
OSLO TO BERGEN
How does traversing the ‘roof of Norway’ sound? When the electrically-powered Bergensbanen train leaves Oslo station, it embarks upon a seven-hour journey that chugs through the lofty Hardangervidda mountain plateau before making for the country’s second city, Bergen.
Passengers committing to the whole route are treated to a moving slideshow of some of the country’s most breathtaking scenery. Single tickets from around £100, vy.no
FLAM TO MYRDAL
It’s only a short hop, less than an hour, but the 12-mile Flåm Railway route happens to take in one of the world’s steepest standard-gauge railways.
Climbing a height of around 867m, it’s a journey that puts crashing mirror waterfalls and deep valleys in your eyeline. Single tickets from around £41, vy.no
