Norway

Survey a few lists of the world’s most beautiful countries, and Norway’s invariably going to show up near the top. From fjords to icecaps, from birch-cupped lakes to reindeer tundra, this enormous Scandinavian country has a glorious excess of natural showstoppers.

Mother Nature dominates the Norwegian experience. And there are no more famous expressions of wild Norway than the country’s many massive fjords, those drowned, glacially bulldozed inlets of the western coast. The king of Norwegian fjords is the Sognefjord, the lengthiest and deepest of all. There’s plenty of raw beauty away from the steep-walled tidewater, too: the rocky, lake-sprinkled moor of the Hardangervidda Plateau, the ice-latticed peaks of the Hurrungane. And then there are the 50,000-odd islands, including the jaggedly mountainous Lofoten archipelago—a popular hiking, fishing, and whale-watching destination—and the Arctic wilderness of Svalbard is one of the best places in the world to see polar bears, walruses, and other polar wildlife.

The Arctic mainland of northern Norway is the traditional homeland of the Sami people, those indigenous fishers (“Sea Sami”) and reindeer herders (“Mountain Sami”) who historically ranged across the region of Lapland from Norway to the Kola Peninsula. The high-latitude city of Tromso is the region’s remarkably cosmopolitan gateway (“Paris of the North” they call it), and one of the preeminent hubs anywhere for viewing Northern Lights, basking in the Midnight Sun, and otherwise engaging in full-bore Arctic sightseeing.

And speaking of cities, Norway’s manage to be all-around delightful counterpoints to all the scenic sightseeing and outdoor recreation that anchor many a Norwegian vacation. An excellent stop for orienting yourself to Norway’s human backstory is Oslo’s Museum of Cultural History; at its Viking Ship Museum, you can learn about the golden age of Norse seafaring. Stroll down to Bergen’s medieval-era waterfront and admire the famous multi-hued wooden houses, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In Trondheim, the Gothic Nidaros Cathedral stands as one of Norway’s mightiest landmarks.

Any of these cities—and Lillehammer, Stavanger, and others—also supplies a nice taste of that acclaimed Norwegian quality-of-life: the shockingly high-functioning social order, the perfectly calibrated mixture of high-class cultural institutions and fun-loving nightlife.

Keep in mind that Norway's among Europe's more expensive destinations, so this is a trip to save ahead for to make sure you're doing it justice.

An up-fjord cruise, a Svalbard safari, a meet-and-greet with Sami reindeer, a night on the town in Oslo or Trondheim, a winter camp beneath the aurora: Norway never fails to impress. It's a talked-up enough place to make a cynical traveler suspicious, but it doesn't take long to surrender to its spell.