May to August is the best time to visit Norway for the fjords, with long daylight hours and the most stable weather for hiking. September to March is the best time for the Northern Lights, best seen from northern Norway. Deep snow in winter can cause delays or cancellations on some routes, so build flexibility into your itinerary if travelling between December and February. There are highlights year-round: Norway's Constitution Day fills the streets with parades every May 17th, Midsummer bonfires burn along the fjords on June 23rd, and the Røros Winter Festival brings horse-drawn sleds and markets to the historic mining town in February.

The best things to do in Norway include riding the Bergen Line and Flåm Railway, exploring the fjords, and visiting Bergen's UNESCO-listed wharves.

• Riding the Bergen Line, one of the world's most scenic railways, connecting Oslo and Bergen across snow-covered mountains and deep valleys

• Taking the Flåm Railway, descending from mountain plateaus to Aurlandsfjord past waterfalls

• Exploring the fjords, from cruises past the dramatic Trollfjord to hiking up to Pulpit Rock (Preikestolen) for its sheer 600-metre drop over Lysefjord

• Island-hopping around Lofoten, known for its jagged peaks, fishing villages and Arctic beaches

• Watching the Saltstraumen maelstrom, the world's strongest tidal current, near Bodø

• Exploring Bergen's UNESCO-listed Bryggen wharves, or its Fisheries Museum and aquarium

• Urban swimming in Oslo's harbour, or seeing Munch's "The Scream" at the National Museum

• Whale and orca watching from Tromsø, alongside its Arctic Cathedral and Polar Museum

• Travelling the Dovre Line between Oslo and Trondheim

Norway is reachable by train and ferry via Sweden and Denmark, linking Malmö, Copenhagen and Oslo. A direct ferry also runs from Kiel in Germany to Oslo. Within Norway, the rail network connects major cities including Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim, and coastal ferries link towns along the western and northern coast.