🇳🇴 Inspiration - lesser known destinations in Norway

English Forum Community 🌍 Destinations
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I take the liberty to start a thread about lesser known destinations in Norway, and hope it’s ok. I’ll mention some suggestions in this post, but hope that others will share their experiences and hidden gems as well.

Northern Norway: Everybody wants to go to Lofoten, which unfortunately is on the verge of overtourism, in particular during summer. Look for Vesterålen, Senja, Karlsøy municipality outside of Tromsø, or the islands near Bodø, like Gildeskål municipality instead. There are also many hidden gems along the coast of Helgeland, Nordland county. Or you could go further north, to Finnmark county, like Alta, for example, or Hammerfest, the Northern Cape and the north-eastern town of Kirkenes.

Mid-Norway: The city of Trondheim, Norway’s former capital, is worth a visit, and there are many nice places in Trøndelag county, also along the coast. Then there is Røros, a UNESCo World Heritage site. It’s a very well preserved old mining town and really unique. If you get an exchange near Røros, count yourself lucky!

Western Norway: If you want to see the western fjords, there are many other places than Bergen, Flåm or Geiranger (the two latter can be crowded during summer) to look for. You could go to the neighbouring municipalities to Bergen, like Askøy, Øygarden, Voss or Alver.
Or what about the Sognefjord, like Lærdal, Sogndal or Luster? Or you could go to the south, to the town of Haugesund, with neighbouring municipalities Bømlo or Sveio.

South-western Norway: There are many beautiful areas near the city of Stavanger, like Sola, Strand or Hjelmeland, or the Jæren area (Klepp and Hå). From here you can go to beautiful Lysefjorden and the Pulpit Rock.

Southern Norway: The southernmost part of Norway is extremely popular among Norwegians during summer, but also beautiful in other seasons. Here you find the bigger town of Kristiansand, the beautiful town of Arendal and many pittoresque small towns and villages, like Lillesand, Tvedestrand, Grimstad etc.

South-eastern Norway: The municipalities on both sides of the Oslo fjord are also very popular among Norwegians during summer, and there are many summer cabins in these areas. Visit the county of Telemark, it’s like Norway in miniature, with coast, lakes, mountains, the towns of Skien and Porsgrunn and canals. The coastal village of Kragerø is a summer paradise, and so is the town of Tønsberg (Vestfold county), Norway’s oldest town, and the islands nearby, like Hvasser, Tjøme, Nøtterøy and more. The beautiful village of Åsgårdstrand is also worth a visit.

On the other side of the fjord, to the east, you find Østfold county with the coastal towns of Moss, Fredrikstad and also Halden, which is close to the border to Sweden. The island municipality of Hvaler outside of Fredrikstad, and other coastal communities are also very popular among Norwegians in summer, but hardly known internationally. Our home is located in such a community, in a small coastal hamlet within the municipality of Fredrikstad.
Closer to Oslo, in Akershus county, there are also charming coastal villages, like Drøbak (my favourite) and Son on the eastern side of the fjord. Or Nesodden, a municipality and peninsula, from where you can take a ferry to Oslo in less than 30 minutes. The same goes for Lysaker in Bærum and Vollen in Asker.

Inland Norway: Last, but not least! Here you will find the mountain regions, like Rondane, Valdres and Hallingdal, very different from eachother but all perfect for hiking and skiing.

Then there is Norway’s largest inland lake, Mjøsa and the nice smaller towns surrounding it, like Lillehammer, Gjøvik, Hamar and Eidsvoll. From here you can catch the train to Oslo for a day trip. There are also other bigger lakes, like Randsfjorden and Tyrifjorden, and small villages near them.

Please let me know if you have any questions, I’ll be happy to assist.

And, most important, please share your own hidden gems in Norway!

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Thank you very much for sharing such detailed information! :heart_hands:

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Thank you!

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Yes it is certainly ok! :star_struck: I love this so much, thank you for contributing with these great suggestions. This is what HomeExchange is all about - sharing local knowledge :slight_smile: Personally i’m super interested in this information as my local (ish) airport now flies to Tomsø so I was considering a trip.

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Thank you so much, Melissa!
Happy to hear that you find this useful.

Tromsø is quite unique for a city or town, and surrounded by beautiful scenery. If you need some advice on where to look for exchanges except for Tromsø town, don’t hesitate to let me know. You shpuld definitely have a car while staying there, as there are so many beautiful places to see outside of Tromsø as well, like Sommarøy (means Summer island), with its pristine beaches.

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Thank you very much. We hope to visit there next year.

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I just came back from an exchange 30 minutes from Bergen, in Hordvik. I wanted to say that we ONLY found tourists in Bergen city. Out of the city there are hundreds of trails, beaches, fishing spots, islands, huts, small villages, bathing places and lakes with NO tourista at all. We drove maximun one hour of our house and enjoyed a full wonderful week on our own.

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Thank you, happy to hear that. Do you know where you want to go? Don’t hesitate to ask if you have questions.

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Good to hear! That was exactly the point of this post. There are so many wonderful places in Norway a bit off the beaten track. And you don’t have to travel far at all from Bergen, Oslo, Trondheim or Trondheim to find them.

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Lots of good suggestions here . Being from Oslo and living in Bergen as well as having travelled a lot in europe i can tell that vacation in norway is mostly for those enjoying being outdoor also in bad weather . Bring an outdoor kitchen as well to save money .

It is not without reason the coast between Kristiansand and tonsberg is a hidden gem for tourists and extreneky popular by locals ;

The towns are very pretty and they are lively during summer in contrast to winters . Not many tourists , lots of concerts and some festivals

The climate is the best in Norway

The sea temperaturere is often around 20 and the water is clear

I spent my childhood summers near Kragerø . The coastline is amazing BUT 90 % percent is private property and not accessible .The best way solving this is to rent a boat and spend the days at skerries, bathing , diving , sunbathing, fishing , BBQ.. you can rent private boats through the app ship O’Hoi . Private cars app is nabobil

Western Norway has cold sea temperatures though very clear waters . Same problems here with private properties. I have got a new hobby here : SUP . The coast here in Bergen and nearby is absolutely amazing for that on summers , i would easily say the best in Norway and maybe among the best in the world . I spend entire days on my SUP board , parking food , drink , books , bbq coal , fishing rod and spend the days on the sea and Islands . I have two boards for your use by the way ! Bergen is a bit boring during summers . Lots of tourists and few interesting events . But is a great base for exploring western Norway and making daytrips. You can also include some days in denmark through Fjordline Bergen - Hirtshals .

Bergen is GREAT visiting in autumn / winter / spring - if you don’t mind some dreadful weather but enjoy a world class cultural scene

Oslo is great during summers . Warm weather and sea (though not so clean) and lots of things happening . Try a swim in the small lake Lutvann , one of the clearest in eastern norway .Hurum, Tønsberg , Hvaler is within 1-2 h drive of you want more clear sea .

There is a signifikant difference between mountains in east and west. Want to see spectacular nature ? Head west and especially sunnmørsalpene

Want predictable weather and dry terrain ? Head to Rondane , Gudbrandsdalen , Hallingdalen in east .

My favourite cities / towns / villages in Norway I have visited

Oslo Bergen Stavanger Røros Ålesund Kragerø Tønsberg Risør Grimstad Kristiansand Rosendal Bekkjarvik Møkster Tjøme Fredrikstad / Hvaler Vinstra Lillesand

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Ok you’ve sold it - I HAVE to go to Norway :smiling_face: Thank you for sharing all of this great local knowledge

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Thank you for all of the wonderful information. I am looking forward to my 2026 visit to Norway staying as a guest with @TrineK . Cheers from Canada

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Thank you, Susan! We are very much looking forward to welcome you to our small coastal paradise!