🎄 Christmas in Norway 2026: Oslo's Jul i Vinterland opens 7 Nov, Bergen's Gingerbread Town 14 Nov, Røros 3–6 Dec. See every date →

About Vacation in Norway

Hei! I’m Brian

I’m Brian 👋 an American dad living in Kiefersfelden, a small village on the Bavarian–Austrian border. I live there with my wife Shauna, our boys Noah and Elijah and our pups Scout & Moose. We moved to Bavaria in June 2024, and we’re a train-first family.

Why Norway?

Because Norway in winter is hard to beat: a gingerbread town baked by a whole city, Christmas markets in the snow, fjords you can reach by train and boat, and the northern lights above the Arctic Circle. And much of it works without a car, which is how we like to travel.

How I write these guides

  • Research, clearly labeled. I don’t live in Norway, and I won’t pretend I do. These are planning guides: how I would plan each trip for my own family, built from official timetables, operator websites and event organizers.
  • Checked, then dated. Opening dates, hours, fares and ticket rules come from the official websites. Each guide has an “Updated” line and a list of sources at the bottom, so you can check them yourself.
  • Train-first. Every guide tells you how to get there by train, bus or boat. If a place really needs a car, I’ll say so.
  • Family-friendly. I plan with two boys in mind: reasonable travel times, breaks between big sights, and something fun for kids nearby. It works just as well for couples.
  • Kind about every place. The famous places are famous for a reason. When somewhere is very popular, I’ll suggest the quieter time to go instead of telling you to skip it.

A note on links

Some links on this site are affiliate links, for example to hotels or tours. If you book through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes what I recommend.

Say hello

Questions about your Norway trip? Write to contact@vacationinnorway.com. I answer as many as I can, and the best questions become guides.

Ha det (bye for now),
Brian