DESTINATION/ Norway – Fjords, Lakes, and Mountains

When temperatures drop drastically and the holiday season approaches, most people’s instincts are to either stay where they are, cozy up to the fireplace and their loved ones, or to go on a tropical vacation, where the weather is sure to be much more appeasing. Very few of these people would trade their comfort for a trip up north into chilly Norway, but there are a few good reasons why they should. The Northern Lights, for instance, are one of nature’s most spectacular displays, and one each...

Situated between Byfjorden and seven surrounding mountains, spectacular Bergen is a starting point for experiencing the wild, breath-taking scenery of Western Norway. As one of Europe’s major Hanseatic cities and trading centers, the first German merchants arrived here in 1270; traded from the 14th-16th centuries and the powerful Hanseatic League existed until 1784 to be disbanded. In the 19th century, Bergen was Europe’s largest wooden city. Old and architecturally unique Bryggen included in...

2014 was a great year for Norway’s tourism industry, with more tourists coming to the country and spending more money there, thus showing positive signs of development for the industry. The year was, however, an exceedingly positive for the whole world, and Norway’s numbers – tourism represented only 2.9% of the country’s GDP – were still lower than most other countries’. But while numbers are modest, it is encouraging to see that they are on a rising trend which goes beyond last year’s uncharac...

Although cruise tourists visited almost 40 Norwegian ports in 2014, passengers and port call numbers have registered a decrease since the previous year. While most of the tourists chose to visit Bergen, nine other ports in Norway can brag about large numbers, with 100,000 daily cruise visitors. Out of those, the majority hailed from Germany and the UK, Norway's primary cruise markets. Bergen registered 442,759 cruise tourists in 2014 with a 2 percent decrease from 2013's 453,015. The numbers...