Shannon O'Brien Travel Itineraries

The best destinations

Photo of Norway
Photo of Norway

The Best of Norway

#23 best destination in the world

Map view

Troldhaugen, Bergen

Photo of Bergen

Best time to visit: May-Aug

Cost: $

  • Troldhaugen is the former home of Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg and his wife Nina Grieg
  • Troldhaugen is located in Bergen, and consists of the Edvard Grieg Museum, Grieg's villa, the hut where he composed music, and his and his wife's gravesite
  • In the villa's living room stands Grieg's own Steinway grand piano, which he was given as a silver wedding anniversary present in 1892

Preikestolen

Photo of Preikestolen

Best time to visit: May-Aug

Cost: $

  • Attraction in Strand known for its steep cliff which rises 604 metres (1,982 ft) above Lysefjorden
  • The cliff was formed during the ice age, approximately 10,000 years ago, when the edges of the glacier reached the cliff
  • The water from the glacier froze in the crevices of the mountain and eventually broke off large, angular blocks, which were later carried away with the glacier
  • Due to deep cracks, the plateau will at some point fall down, but all the geological investigations have revealed that this will not happen in the foreseeable future, and geologists have confirmed the safety of the plateau

Frogner Park

Photo of Frogner Park

Walk difficulty: Easy

Best time to visit: May-Aug

Cost: $

  • Public park located in the borough of Frogner in Oslo
  • The park is historically part of Frogner Manor and is Oslo's largest park
  • It includes the manor house which is the seat of Oslo Museum, the nearby Henriette Wegner Pavilion, the Vigeland installation of sculptures, created by sculptor Gustav Vigeland, Frogner Baths, Frogner stadion
  • The park features the largest collection of roses in the country with 14,000 plants of 150 species

Bryggen

Photo of Bryggen

Best time to visit: May-Aug

Cost: $

  • Series of Hanseatic heritage commercial buildings lining up the eastern side of the Vågen harbour in the city of Bergen
  • The city of Bergen was founded around 1070 within the boundaries of Tyskebryggen
  • As the town developed into an important trading centre, the wharfs were improved and the buildings of Bryggen were gradually taken over by the Hanseatic merchants
  • The warehouses were used to store goods, particularly stockfish from northern Norway, and cereal from Europe
  • Today, Bryggen houses museums, shops, restaurants and pubs

Lofotr Viking Museum, Lofoten

Photo of Lofoten

Best time to visit: May-Aug

Cost: $

  • Historical museum based on a reconstruction and archaeological excavation of a Viking chieftain's village on the island of Vestvågøya in the Lofoten archipelago
  • In 1983, archaeologists uncovered the Chieftain House at Borg, a large Viking Era building believed to have been already established around the year 500 AD, and was abandoned around 950 AD

Harbor Promenade and Akershus Fortress

Photo of Akershus Fortress

Walk difficulty: Easy

Best time to visit: May-Aug

Cost: $

  • Medieval castle in the Norwegian capital Oslo that was built to protect and provide a royal residence for the city
  • Since the Middle Ages the fortress has been the namesake and centre of the main fief and later main county of Akershus
  • The castle has also been used as a military base, a prison and is currently the temporary office of the Prime minister of Norway

Oslo Opera House

Photo of Oslo Opera House

Best time to visit: May-Aug

Cost: $

  • Home of the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, and the national opera theater in Norway
  • The angled exterior surfaces of the building are covered with marble from Carrara, Italy and white granite and make it appear to rise from the water
  • It is the largest cultural building constructed in Norway since Nidarosdomen was completed circa 1300