The classic routes

The backbone of most first trips. Two or three days in Oslo, then the Bergensbanen railway over the mountain plateau to Bergen — around seven hours, and one of Europe's great train rides in its own right. A day or two in Bergen, plus a fjord day trip from its harbour, rounds it out. Fly home from Bergen rather than backtracking.

Want the famous fjord scenery en route? The Flåm branch line + fjord cruise combination (sold as "Norway in a Nutshell" among others) folds into this same train line — it makes the journey a full day instead of an afternoon.

From Oslo, the Raumabanen branch line runs down the Romsdalen valley to Åndalsnes — the trailhead town for the Romsdalseggen ridge. From there it's a bus or drive on to Ålesund for the art nouveau streets and the open sea. Works as a loop with a flight back from Ålesund.

Tromsø is a roughly two-hour flight from Oslo and doesn't combine well with the fjord route by land — treat it as its own leg. In winter you go for the northern lights (give it two or three nights, not one); in summer for the midnight sun. It pairs naturally with the start or end of an Oslo trip.

Three of Norway's most famous day hikes, each hours from the nearest guide city and each worth building a day around: Preikestolen (from Stavanger), Besseggen (from Oslo via Gjendesheim), and Romsdalseggen (from Åndalsnes). Details, seasons and warnings are on each hike's page — all three here.