Courtesy/News Source: scandinaviantraveler.com

They love lofty mountains, speed and pulling their own fish out of the sea. And, last but not least, they like their food and having something good in their glasses. Here, three of Norway's most awesome travel bloggers talk about places you have barely heard of, but that you should check out right now.

Scandinavian TravelerTag

Oslo,
Bergen,
Norway,
Scandinavia,
hotel,
Nature & Outdoor,
Food & Drink

Gjermund Glesnes - Det vonde liv [The Hard Life]

This travel blog aims to give an insight into people's everyday lives. Blogger Gjermund Glesnes has extensive journalistic experience, writing articles for newspaper VG and travel magazine Reiselyst.

Journalist and blogger Gjermund Glesnes loves Western Norway. Photo: Tone Soldal

1. What place must every foreign tourist visit on a trip to Norway? Why?

Many people would probably say Lofoten, but as someone from the west of Norway, I would have to look to the fjords, and Flåm in particular. I recommend that you take a trip on the Flåmsbana railway, see the huldra sing in Kjosfossen, and drink a beer from the Ægir micro brewery. I also recommend that you check out the Otternes cluster collective a few kilometers northwest of Flåm to see how the fjord people lived back in the old days. Take the tourist boat to Gudvangen, through the Nærøyfjord world heritage site, and check out the idyllic Undredal, a route which will take in the smallest stave church in Scandinavia. An explosive and compact package of Norway at its very best!

2. Norway's best place to eat?

As the name of my blog perhaps suggests, I am not someone who chooses where to eat on the basis of it having a Michelin star rating. But I do care about good food  particularly seafood. That’s why I can frequently be found at Fiskeriet on Youngstorget in Oslo, particularly when the sun is shining on the outdoor tables. It’s also a fish shop, so the ingredients are as fresh as if they’d come straight off a fishing boat. My favorite? Moules marinere. It doesn’t get any better.

3) What’s your favorite place in Norway? Why?

I have to answer this question with my heart, and, in this case, my heart says Glesvær on the island of Sotra. Maybe this is because it’s where my father is from, but also because the variety of wildlife there represents coastal Norway at its most beautiful. Here you will find old boathouse environments and a fantastic archipelago with narrow straits, barren mountain ridges, herons and Eurasian oystercatchers feeding at the water’s edge, and purple heather with petals with an unparalleled intensity of color. You can stay overnight in a converted boathouse at the old trading post, which also has a café and dining facilities. And, of course: If you rent a boat, you will have the chance to fish for your own dinner.

Follow Glesnes and Det vonde liv on Twitter: twitter.com/gglesnes

10 budget places to stay in Oslo

Blogger Elisa Røtterud is an avid skier who has turned in some strong performances in the Birken ski race on many occasions.

Elisa Røtterud – MuzunguStyle

Blogger and speaker Elisa Røtterud writes about the great outdoors. She has completed the demanding 54 kilometer-long Birken skiing race several times.

You can follow Elisa Røtterud on expeditions all over the world through her blog MuzunguStyle.

1. What place must every foreign tourist visit on a trip to Norway? Why?

Sunnmøre is, without doubt, the best area for people looking to enjoy a vacation in the great outdoors, with a variety of wildlife and nature perfect for the playful and adventurous. No other place in Norway will you find an area with greater concentration of magnificent natural attractions. Dramatic fjords, snow-capped peaks and dazzling waterfalls. For a “wow” experience, I would recommend a night at the Hotel Union Øye and a climb up the Slogen mountain. Hotel Union Øye is located in a peaceful village on the shore of Hjørundfjorden, with the Sunnmøre alps towering all around.  Built in 1891, this historic timber frame hotel is a fairytale castle in the Swiss style, with an interior that comes straight from the La Belle Epoque and Victorian era. Kaiser Wilhelm, aristocratic Englishmen, salmon lords, kings and mountaineers, are just a few of the type of people who have loved to vacation here.

2. Norway's best place to eat?

Villa Vengetind in Isfjorden, Romsdalen. This fantastic guest house has been widely talked about on the international stage. In the restaurant, you can enjoy a variety of local dishes created by food enthusiast Renate. Want to taste Kraftkar, the cheese named the best in the world for the third year in a row? Or perhaps enjoy a locally brewed beer while gazing at the awe-inspiring mountain tops?  Here you get a taste experience that is truly out of the ordinary.

3) What’s your favorite place in Norway? Why?

Leirvassbu Fjellstue! For a warm welcome! And a beautiful location! Surrounded by divine 2,000-meter-high peaks, this lodge is situated at the heart of Jotunheimen. The hotel is very popular and a paradise for people who love mountain vacations. Fun fact: The horror movie Cold Prey was shot here.

Follow Elisa on Instagram: @elisarotterud

From the mountains to the sea in Ålesund

Travel blogger and journalist Odd Roar Lange in The Travel Inspector.

Odd Roar Lange - The Travel Inspector

Journalist, speaker and blogger Odd Roar Lange is the man behind the blog The Travel Inspector. In its pages, he mixes personal travel tips with news and smart advice.

1. What place must every foreign tourist visit on a trip to Norway? Why?

Foreign tourists should head for Tromsø in January, because of the northern lights and dog sledding, and Longyearbyen in February, to enjoy the light and the opportunity to see polar bears. In May, they should make a bee-line for Hardangerfjorden to enjoy the snow melt, green birches, white mountain tops and the blue-green fjord. In June and July, they should go to the Helgeland coast, an area with incredible wildlife and an authentic example of settlement and depopulation. Tourists who decide to come in September and October should head to the mountains and enjoy the incredible range of cabins offered by the Norwegian Trekking Association.

2. Norway's best place to eat?

Most agree that Norwegian seafood is world class. But how do you experience the very best? Head to Bergen and take the shuttle boat from Dreggekaien out to the Cornelius restaurant on the island of Holmen. The boat trip take just 30 minutes. The food that awaits you represents a meteorological cornucopia. Our taste buds react differently depending on the temperature. That’s why they present the seafood menu first, and the wine menu afterwards. Listen to the story of how the restaurant came into being. This is Norwegian tradition combined with modern gastronomy at its very best. Visiting Cornelius on Holmen should be part of every Bergenser’s educational journey.

3) What’s your favorite place in Norway? Why?

My favorite place in Norway could really have been lots of different places. It’s more about who I'm traveling than the destination we’re going to. I'm really bad going on vacation alone - I need someone to talk to. Give me a fire, good food, good drink and either really bad or really good weather, and I'm happy. I get a little stressed if I can’t get online, but this sense of disconnection tends to make the rest of the party happy. It’s best that the other people in the group enjoy themselves. My choice would have to be Flatflesa lighthouse on the Romsdal coast. Very high standard and a first class experience, close to nature.

thetravelinspector.no