Before you go….
Epic Road
The New York-based luxury outfitter can create a full itinerary based on your interests and abilities, from hotel stays and restaurant reservations to Arctic wilderness adventuring. Their overarching goal is to change your point of view and show you the unexpected, in the very best way.
Visit Oslo
The city’s official guide to what to do and where to go can offer suggestions by interest (music, architecture) or circumstance (with kids, by bike).
OSLO
Stay
The Thief
A 118-room waterfront hotel in Oslo’s trendiest neighborhood, its name is an homage to high profile art thefts of recent years, including of Munch’s “The Scream,” which is currently housed at Oslo’s National Gallery.
Eat
Arakataka
For a creative take on more expected Norwegian fare (reindeer tartare, spaghetti with bleak roe) in an informal setting, head to this Scandinavian bistro.
See
Vigeland Park
The world’s largest sculpture park made by a single artist, with more than 200 sculptures in bronze, granite and wrought iron by Gustav Vigeland, including Angry Boy, whose metal hand has faded from years of grabby tourists, who believe holding his hand is good luck.
Oslo’s become a center for contemporary architecture. Two of the city’s best new examples are the Renzo Piano-designed Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art on the waterfront and The Norwegian National Opera & Ballet, designed by Norwegian firm Snøhetta with a climbable roof.
Shop
Markveien Street, Grünerløkka
An often-overlooked street full of new and vintage shops featuring Scandinavian furniture, home goods and clothing.
TROMSØ/OLDERDALEN
Stay
Lyngen Lodge
An eight-room fjord-front luxury lodge with top-notch food and wine and opportunities for daily guided outdoor exploration. The lodge will arrange for a transfer from Tromsø Airport, but the drive is a pretty one if you’re willing—and brave. Just be sure to ask for an automatic transmission and some 4WD.
Lyngen Fjordbuer
Freestanding 3-bedroom fjord-front houses with unobstructed views of the Lyngen Alps and boats-for-hire. A more private and authentic, if less full-service, option to a hotel.
Do
Tromsø Safari
Guided day and night tours in and around Tromsø include whale safaris, cross country skiing, sea kayaking, and, of course, Northern Lights-spotting.
SVALBARD
Stay
Spitsbergen Hotel
On a hill overlooking Longyearbyen and the Longyearbyen Glacier, the hotel is a comfortable basecamp from which to explore Svalbard by snowmobile, dog, kick sled or foot. The recently renovated cellar champagne room, the island’s original alcohol store where coal miners came to collect their quota of booze, hosts regular tastings from a vast collection of bottles.
Do
Green Dog Svalbard
The more than 150 husky dogs of family-run Green Dog Svalbard love to run. Harness your dogs for a ride to an ice cave, over glaciers or for a fossil hunt. Customizable trips last from three hours to three days.
Eat
Huset
Norwegian fine dining in a building that has served as a post office, a school, a hospital and a church, among other things, with a menu mostly locally sourced. You won’t eat polar bear, but you will eat arctic char, reindeer and sea vegetables. The wine cellar is one of northern Europe’s largest, with about 20,000 bottles and a “two wine glass” rating from Wine Spectator.
Kroa
A local’s favorite with a casual setting, seasonal Nordic menus and, often, live music. Don’t be surprised to run into your excursion guides.
Shop
Don’t leave Svalbard without a reindeer pelt. Downtown Longyearbyen has a variety of shops specializing in cold-weather gear, animal skins and Nordic sweaters.
