Horrible one day, stunning the next: This country is a worthwhile gamble

Norway is undoubtedly one of the world’s most magnificently scenic destinations. Well, on a good day, that is. At other times, not so much – and that’s quite a lot of the time. Norway is one of Europe’s wettest countries. Bergen gets 200 days of rain a year, Tromso 150. Parts of the coast are drenched in five metres of precipitation annually.

So, for roughly half the time, Norway is one of the world’s worst destinations, especially since its chief attraction is landscapes. Half the time, Norway drips and shivers and is grey as slate. In the rain, mountains and fjords won’t wow you if you can see them at all, and Norway’s modestly interesting small towns are no fun. Norway on a bad day is dreich, as the Scots call it: a mix of dreary and bleak.

You gamble with the weather when you visit Norway, and given the wincing prices – $9 for a coffee at times – the stakes are high. And yet, I keep coming back, like an itch I can’t stop scratching.

Norway is the best and worst of places but, when at its best, it might make you fall to your knees and shout hallelujah. If you haven’t seen Norway, you’re missing one of the Earth’s most splendid sights.

Cruising is the best way to see it. Few people realise how stretched out Norway is. Bergen to Tromso is 1750 kilometres by the most direct route, which seldom touches the coast. That’s a lot of driving on small, winding roads, with many detours to see Norway at its most splendid, which means its fjords and islands.

Behind the wheel you can never relax and absorb the landscapes, which is what you want to do all the time in Norway. Besides, the best way to see fjords is from the water.

Take a cruise. Choose a smallish ship that can dodge into Norway’s crinkled crannies and dock in small ports. Go luxury if you can. You’ll appreciate the comforts in a cold climate, and your all-inclusive expenses will be upfront – a wise idea in this uber-pricey destination.

And so I’m back, on a Silversea cruise between Southampton and Copenhagen that takes in nearly all of Norway’s marathon coast. Our first port of call is Alesund. The pleasure of Norway is one beautifully located port and fjord after the other, but Alesund perhaps takes the crown.

The town, on an island itself, is hidden behind several islands in a deeply indented bay, with the town centre crammed into a narrow peninsula framed everywhere in water.

Alas, rain is dribbling from the sky, half-hearted yet determined to stick around. But you can’t let that deter you in Norway. The 418-step hike up Mount Aksla – a hill – is one of the best little walks anywhere from a cruise ship, and unfurls scenery that is arresting, even when grey.

After the day’s damp sightseeing, Silver Dawn is warm and welcoming. This dignified luxury ship, a haven afloat in a chilly landscape, is the place to be when doing Norway.

I stop by the Arts Cafe for a proper Italian coffee. Later there will be red wine in the Panorama Lounge, and dinner in Atlantide: veloute of vine tomatoes and baby meatballs, salmon with caviar and capers.

We sail north, dodging oil rigs, snow peaks to starboard. The sea is restless grey, then effervescent with sparkles. The sun emerges. The Lofoten Islands’ humped mountains, cliffs and startling blue waters are glorious enough to appear on many a jigsaw puzzle.

Wherever you sail in Norway, you get the same symphony of landscape, but it reaches a crescendo here.

Above the Arctic Circle, Norway’s landscapes become more minimalist and solemn: the abode of Norse gods rather than happy gnomes. Seabirds screech mournfully. Erratic Nordic sunlight comes and goes in a show of moving shadows and slanted illuminations.

The sun lingers so long into the evening I can enjoy the scenery over dinner – Silversea’s SALT Kitchen tonight, a showcase of Norwegian dishes – and long after.

It pays to be up early on a Norwegian cruise, because arrivals are a gloriously drawn-out affair along deep fjords. Now the terrace of breakfast buffet venue, La Terrazza, is the spot to be, albeit with my coat on, enjoying waffles and berries as the scenery slides past.

Tromso is another typical Norwegian port, approached through a maze of islands and backed by mountains tentative with summer snow. We’re so far north that the sun barely wobbles below the horizon at night and early-morning chill mists my breath. Against nature’s odds, Tromso thrives: a lively university, trendy restaurants, a glass cathedral that looks like a washed-up iceberg.

That morning Tromso is grey and indifferent, but here patience often rewards you. By afternoon the sun has brought out the colours in the flowerbeds and on the wooden houses, and Tromso is the prettiest of places, ringed in pavlova peaks.

Locals make the most of the sunshine. They converge on outdoor cafe tables like starved gulls, stroll the waterfront, and leap in their underpants off rocks into frigid water.

The sail away is, of course, wonderful. The interior decor of the ship, chic but muted in its palette, doesn’t try to compete with what’s outside, and the ship’s ample windows suck up the scenery.

The Panorama Lounge at the ship’s rear has a lively bar and large terrace from which to get even closer to the splendour. The Observation Lounge, higher and to the front, is a quieter eagle’s perch from which I can look down on red farmhouses and green ferries.

A few days later we’re in Andalsnes, and here is the 88-kilometre long Romsdalsfjord, one of Norway’s finest, making Andalsnes a centre for hiking and mountaineering. But, as always, the weather must be with you. There are cruise days when your only sight might be ghostly birds drifting out of fog, though fortunately this isn’t one of them.

Towns like this rely on their setting. Andalsnes has no sights and precious little prettiness. It’s a workaday town. Such places are brilliant in the sunshine, though, and with a ta-da, it appears as we dock.

Without urban must-see pressures, I can stroll about and be happy about pansies in flower boxes, the fresh green glint of birch trees, kids on play frames and locals forking up meatballs in cafes.

As in every town, there are parks or promenades where I can sit and appreciate the cry of gulls, twittering of songbirds, the smell of lilac blossom and grand scenic outlook.

The cruise line torments guests with difficult excursion choices in Andalsnes: the infamous hairpin Troll Road, the scenic Rauma Railway line, e-biking through the Venjedalen Valley.

I’m heading upwards on the Romsdalen cable car, whose base terminal is a short walk along the quay. The views are of yet more mountains and water, but I never get used to them, and I feel as if I’ve ascended into heaven.

The throw of the dice here has paid off. That evening, the skies remain brilliant blue. The ship makes a long, graceful glide out towards the open sea past cliffs where waterfalls hiss, open meadows dotted with farmhouses, and islands patrolled by eagles.

The scenery is my constant companion over cocktails on the deck and dinner (prime rib-eye steak, sweet-potato fries, skewered vegetables) in The Grill. This outdoor venue is located along the deck’s edge around the swimming pool, whose water sloshes like a lullaby.

My head is perennially turned towards the sheltering glass screens. At 9pm, Norway is still lovely enough to make me stare in admiration and distract me from my dessert of roast pineapple with spiced caramel.

Evenings like this in Norway could make you teary-eyed at the beauty of nature – until the next bout of rain.

THE DETAILS

CRUISE
Norwegian itineraries on Silver Dawn link Copenhagen with Bergen, Stockholm or Belfast between May and August 2026. Silversea also operates expedition cruises in northern Norway and onwards to Svalbard and Iceland.
A 10-day southern Norway cruise return from Copenhagen departing on June 21, 2026, costs from $13,800 a person twin share, all inclusive. See silversea.com

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visitnorway.com

The writer travelled as a guest of Silversea.