Highlights
- Travel back in time to the fascinating Maihaugen Museum
- Whiz past waterfalls on a RIB boat safari
- Channel your inner goatherd in picturesque Geiranger
- Make friends with the puffins on spectacular Runde Island
Brief Itinerary
| Day | Highlights | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrive in Oslo, Norweigan Folk Museum | Oslo |
| Day 2 | Oslo's Museums & Guided Akerselva River Walk | Oslo |
| Day 3 | Transfer to Lillehammer, Visit the Maihaugen Open-Air Museum | Lillehammer |
| Day 4 | Transfer to Geiranger, Explore | Geiranger |
| Day 5 | Geirangerfjord, RIB Boat Safari | Geiranger |
| Day 6 | Guided Goat Farm Tour & Traditional Norwegian Lunch | Geiranger |
| Day 7 | Transfer to Ålesund, Explore | Ålesund |
| Day 8 | Day Trip to Runde island | Ålesund |
| Day 9 | Transfer to Trondheim, Visit the Trøndelag Folk Museum | Trondheim |
| Day 10 | Depart Trondheim |
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Oslo, Norweigan Folk Museum
Velkommen til Oslo! Norway's pint-size but rapidly growing capital has charm and character in spades. Surrounded by mountains and sea, this small city is easily toured on foot and perfect for families. Check in to your hotel, rally the kids, and head out to explore. Your first stop is the buzzing core around Karl Johan's Gate—the main thoroughfare from the city center to Palace Park. Wander around Aker Bryyge, a scenic area on the waterfront filled with great restaurants, museums, and boutiques.
Stop for tebrødstenger (a delicious jam-filled pastry) at one of the cafés along the promenade before taking in the modernist architecture of the Munch Museum and Oslo Opera House. Travel back in time at Oslo's Open-Air Folk Museum, where kids will have a blast wandering through centuries of traditional Norweigan life. Discover over 160 historic buildings from the 13th century until the present day, including the Gol stave church built in the 1200s. Stroll through the nearby pastures and farm animals as you encounter storytelling, folk dancing, and even baking.
Day 2: Oslo's Museums & Guided Akerselva River Walk
Spend the day getting to know Oslo with a scenic, family-friendly tour that takes you along the Akerselva River and through Oslo's beautiful woodland, with waterfalls, recreation areas, and even a sculpture-lined Fairytale Bridge. First, you'll head to the Norweigan Museum of Science and Technology and explore over 100 interactive installations before heading to the Maker Space. If you can tear the kids away from trying their hand at 3D printing, head south to the Labor Museum, where your guide will bring to life stories set at the heart of Oslo's history.
Continue by the river and enjoy the views from Lake Maridalsvannet before reaching the popular outdoor swimming spot of Nydalsdammen. If the weather is warm, stop here for a paddle and play with the kids on the river bank. Hungry bellies can be sated at the adorable Hønsa-Lovisa's Hus in the Myraløkka area, where you can grab a bite to eat and enjoy the view from the café's prime position over the river's waterfall.
Day 3: Transfer to Lillehammer, Visit the Maihaugen Open-Air Museum
Enjoy a leisurely second breakfast at Oslo's harbor and prepare for the next leg of your family adventure. Your destination is Lillehammer, perfectly positioned for active families, with the stunning Rondane, Jotunheimen, and Langsua National Parks with their soaring peaks and forest-clad hills all within easy reach. Alongside the Hunderfossen Amusement Park, the town is best known for Norway's largest open-air museum, Maihaugen.
Take the kids on a journey back through the ages as you experience life in the 13th century. Explore over 200 historic houses, glimpse school life in 1866, and meet the museum's farmers, carrying on centuries-old traditions. With its prime location in the beautiful countryside surrounding Lillehammer, bring a picnic, take the kids to meet the friendly farm animals, and discover the true meaning of friluftsliv, the deeply ingrained Norweigan concept of open-air living.
Chat with a local specialist who can help organize your trip.
Day 4: Transfer to Geiranger, Explore
Day 5: Geirangerfjord RIB Boat Safari
With a reputation as one of the most distinctive and beautiful fjords in the world, Geraingerfjord, and its stunning waterfalls are best explored by boat. After breakfast, create family memories to last a lifetime as you head to the edge of the fjord, ready to spend an adrenaline-filled day on board a speedy RIB (rigid inflatable boat).
Don your waterproofs and zip along the water, getting as close as possible to the famous Seven Sisters, The Suitor, and The Bridal Veil waterfalls. Stop for photos along the way and task the kids with keeping a beady eye out for the porpoises, known to show themselves now and again. Once back on land, either head back to the village or continue exploring the area's great hikes. The easy trail to Vesteråsfjellet is particularly family-friendly, where kids will love the sheep, goats, and llamas that line the route up to the beautiful viewpoint overlooking the fjord.
Day 6: Guided Goat Farm Tour & Traditional Norwegian Lunch
After yesterday's fun-filled adventure on the water, today's excursion takes you on a thirty-minute guided tour inland, with terrific views above Storfjord, to Yste Kilsti, a traditional goat farm run by Jannicke and her family. Spend time with the owners as they share stories of rural Norweigan life before a gentle 1.25-mile (2 km) hike to the Lake Klisti cabins. Watch the kids' faces light up as they hear they'll be helping walk the adorable goats up to the cabin.
These friendly animals love pets and hugs, so your only struggle of the day will be prying the kids away for lunch—a traditional Norweigan affair with plenty of homemade goat's cheese and local specialties. Relax and enjoy the views overlooking the glorious alpine lake before returning to the farm and returning to Geiranger. The rest of the day is yours to spend as you wish.
Day 7: Transfer to Ålesund, Explore
It's a leisurely day today and a chance to catch your breath after yesterday's excitement. You'll transfer a couple of hours west to Ålesund. This charming port town was almost entirely rebuilt in Art Nouveau architecture after a devastating fire swept through it in 1904 and destroyed 75% of its timber buildings. Check in at your hotel before heading out to explore. It's an accessible town to navigate with a bijou center, perfect for strolling and admiring the fairy-tale buildings as you get your bearings and grab a bite to eat.
Don't miss the walk up to the famous Aksla viewpoint. Get the kids to count the steps (there are 418), and once at the top, take in the city's panorama, backed by the Sunnmøre Alps. If the weather isn't great, head to Atlanterhavsparken, northern Europe's largest saltwater aquarium, where you can get up close and personal with all manner of ocean life, including otters, seals, and Humboldt penguins! In the evening, take advantage of the town's thriving dining scene, and if it's the freshest seafood you're after, you've come to the right place.
Day 8: Day Trip to Runde island
Prepare for another exciting excursion as a bus and the high-speed ferry take you and your family to Runde Island—famous in the summer months for its teeming birdlife as hundreds of thousands of puffins make their home in the cliffs. Either take one of the many guided boat tours that take you as close as possible to these charming, colorful birds or hike up the mountain along one of the designated paths. See if the kids can guess how many times the puffins flap their wings every minute (400!) and watch as they fly through the air at speeds of 55 miles (88 km) an hour.
It's not just puffins that inhabit this remote island; along with a population of just 113 inhabitants, you'll also find fulmars, ring ouzels, great skuas (nicknamed "the pirates of the sea"), and white-tailed eagles. Enjoy a leisurely few hours marveling at these creatures in their natural habitat, then head for a play on the beach with the kids. Regale them with the story of the 1725 Akerendam shipwreck—a Dutch merchant vessel whose 57,000 gold and silver coins (including the rare 1724 Dutch Gold Ducat) were unearthed by sport scuba divers on the nearby sea bed!
Relax on the journey back to Ålesund before heading to dinner and putting the sleepy kids to bed, whose dreams will no doubt be filled with pirate birds and discoveries of shipwrecked treasure.
Day 9: Transfer to Trondheim, Visit the Trøndelag Folk Museum
The bustling city of Trondheim is today's destination. After checking in at your hotel, spend the morning exploring the city on foot or enjoy a family cycle by renting red-painted bicycles at bike racks scattered around the city. Stroll the scenic streets, and admire the colorful and slightly out-of-kilter antique wooden houses as you head to the historic Old Town Bridge that dates to the 1600s. Carry on to the impressive Nidarosdomen Cathedral and check out the town's numerous museums, including Rockheim, Norway's national museum of popular music.
After lunch (the city is making a name for itself on the global foodie scene), it's time to take the kids for one final excursion. You'll spend the afternoon at the open-air Sverresborg Trøndelag Folk Museum. Explore over 80 historical buildings, including a stave church that dates back to 1170 CE. A fascinating place to dive deeper into Norway's cultural history, the picturesque surroundings around the ruins of King Sverre's Castle (Norway's oldest medieval castle) make a perfect playground for the kids, where they can let their imaginations run riot.
Day 10: Depart Trondheim
With hearts full of adventure, it's time to bid Norway farewell. Make your way to the airport and board your flight home. Safe travels!
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