Insight Guides Norway

Insight Guides

• Publisher: Insight
• eBook ISBN: 9781780058733
• Edition: 5
• Topic: Développement personnel
• Subtopic: Voyage

Insight Guide Norway is a comprehensive full-colour guide to the culture, history and people of this land of contrasts.

Be inspired by our Best of Norway section highlighting unmissable sights and experiences and lavish Photo Features on topics such as Norwegian folklore, culinary traditions, architecture and natural wonders.

Our unrivalled coverage of history, landscape and culture provides an essential introduction to Norway's untamed land and contemporary life, to complement the in-depth coverage of the arts, activities and modern culture.

A detailed Places section, with stunning travel photography and full-colour maps, shows you where to go and what to do, from the world's most spectacular fjords and stunning coastal scenery to historic old towns and the best in modern architecture - making sure you don't miss anything.

The comprehensive Travel Tips section gives you all the travel advice you need to plan your trip, with our selective, independent reviews to guide you to the most authentic hotels and restaurants.

A-Z: A Handy Summary of Practical Information

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Admission Charges

You can expect to pay between NOK 50 and NOK 80 for admission to a museum or gallery, and over NOK 100 for admission to some of the most popular attractions. Several museums and galleries in Oslo are free, and many museums have a day when they don’t charge admission; check individual venues for more information. Family tickets are usually good value for money, so opt for these if you are travelling with children. Some places have discounts for students and senior citizens. The Olso Pass and Bergen Card offer free entrance to museums and attractions together with free public transport and parking (for more information, click here).

Accommodation

Hotels, like everything else in Norway, come expensive, but, in common with the rest of Scandinavia, they reduce their rates during the summer holiday period, when business visitors are fewer. Weekends (usually Friday and Saturday but sometimes Sunday too) are also usually cheaper. The official visitors’ site, www.visitnorway.com, can be a good starting point for tracking down hotels.

Hotels

A very high percentage of Norwegian hotels belong to or are affiliated to local chains. Most offer passes and discount schemes. In return for a modest one-time fee (around NOK 100), you get discounted rates, mostly in the summer and at weekends. Fjord Pass (www.fjord-pass.com) is not bound to one chain and offers discounts of up to 50 percent. A a breakfast buffet is almost always included in the room rate.

Hotel chains in Norway include:

Best Western Hotels

www.bestwestern.no

Nordic Choice Hotels

www.nordicchoicehotels.no

Radisson Blu Hotels

www.radissonblu.com

Rica Hotels

www.rica.no

Scandic Hotels

www.scandic-hotels.com

Thon Hotels

www.thonhotels.com

Two splendid associations of quality historic hotels with charm are:

De Historiske

www.dehistoriske.no

A group of around 40 historic hotels, manor houses or timbered lodges, plus a dozen or so selected restaurants.

The Great Life Company

www.thegreatlifecompany.com

Some 20 mostly historic inns and restaurants, with a few modern surprises.

Booking in Oslo/Bergen

In Oslo, the tourist information centre at Roald Amundsen Gate, beside the city hall (tel: [phone]; www.visitoslo.com) will book accommodation in the capital for those requesting it in person. This service covers private rooms, pensions and hotels.

The tourist office in Bergen offers a similar reservation service for hotels in Bergen and the surrounding area. It is located at Vågsallmenningen 1 (tel: [phone]; www.visitbergen.com). Here too, the service is only available for callers-in.

Chalets (Hytter)

There are abundant holiday hytter (cabins or chalets) available for rent. These usually house four to six people. If you want to spend just one night in a chalet and then move on, you can stay in one on a campsite without booking ahead.

Fishermen’s Cabins (rorbuer)

On the Lofoten Islands in northern Norway, and at many places elsewhere along the north coast, you can rent a rorbu, once a fisherman’s cabin. Nearly all have been modernised – and many, in fact, are attractive recent constructions, built in traditional style.

Lofoten Tourist Office

Tel: [phone]

www.lofoten.info

Camping

Norway has more than 1,000 campsites, classified by 1–5 stars, depending on the standard and facilities available. The fixed charge per plot is usually NOK 90–200, with additional charges per person.

Many campsites have cabins that may be booked in advance. Most are small and basic with simply a bunk bed and a single electric ring but some are larger and well equipped.

For further information, log onto www.camping.no.

B&Bs

Look out for signs for Rom ...

Table of contents

• How To Use This E-Book
• Norway’s Top 10 Attractions
• Editor’s Choice
• Introduction: Northern Contrasts
• An Untamed Land
• Decisive Dates
• Beginnings
• Kings and Christianity
• The 400-Year Sleep
• Union with Sweden
• An Independent, Modern Country
• Who Are The Norwegians?
• Epic Explorers
• The Sami: People of Four Nations
• Insight: Folklore: Sagas and Folktales
• Wild Norway
• An Outdoor Life
• Sporting Passions
• Fishing: Sport and Sustenance
• Insight: Nature’s Larder
• The Traditional Arts
• Art and Culture
• Insight: Architecture
• Why Does Everything Cost So Much?
• Introduction: Places
• Oslo, Nordic City of Light
• Around Oslo and Its Fjord
• The Heart of Norway
• Western Central Norway
• Telemark and the South
• Rogaland
• Stavanger
• Hordaland
• Bergen
• The Most Beautiful Voyage
• From Sogn to Nordfjord
• Møre og Romsdal
• Trondheim
• Into the Arctic
• Insight: Land of the Midnight Sun
• The Far North
• Svalbard
• Transport
• Eating Out
• Activities
• A-Z: A Handy Summary of Practical Information
• Understanding the Language
• Further Reading