Norway

Norway's western coastline is cut by fjords — glacially carved inlets where mountains and waterfalls drop straight into the sea. Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord, both UNESCO World Heritage sites, are the most-visited, often combined with the Flåm Railway, one of the steepest standard-gauge rail journeys in the world, connecting the fjord to the mountain plateau above. Bergen, the gateway to the fjords, retains its Hanseatic-era Bryggen wharf of colorful wooden warehouses. Further north, the Lofoten Islands offer dramatic peaks rising straight from the sea, and above the Arctic Circle, the Northern Lights become visible on clear nights between September and March. Norway's tourism splits cleanly by season: summer (June-August) for fjord cruising and hiking under near-endless daylight, and winter for aurora viewing, though at meaningfully higher cost and shorter days.