Northern Lights pictures and films with beautiful nature from Norway are a great way to advertise the country and its beauty. Actually, the pictures on this blog are taken by me, here in Norway. With such beauty, many people want to come and visit.

That is great, I think, yet people born and raised here may not be that happy with this development.
Apart from the stunning natural surroundings, there is a lot of history to be seen in museums and on the streets and buildings. Make sure you find a guided tour because it’s worth it. There is no way to find it on your own, as much as a good guide can say.

Plenty of festivals can be attractive to attend if you are around when they happen.

For instance, in Tromsø, where I live, plenty of happenings and festivals keep the city vibrant and interesting for people interested in culture and concerts.
A big one is TIFF, Tromsø Film Festival, which occurs every January. The Northern Lights Festival starts immediately after – a classical music festival. The two together make the dark time of the year faster because people keep busy.

Later, in the summer, there is the Bukta festival, with pop music in July; then, in the fall, there is a jazz music festival. Then there is the Tromsø World Festival with artists from all over the world, people we don’t hear about otherwise here on the Top of The World where we are.

All these festivals are running on volunteers. Therefore, it can be an excellent way to know people by working side by side and doing something fun together.

Then, there is a beer festival, food festival, and Christmas markets everywhere.

And speaking about Christmas, I see quite few people planning their winter holidays with a visit to Norway. Please don’t. I hope what I say here will be okay with the joy of traveling to Norway, at the same time, I see that nobody else says what I am about to say.

From December 22nd to January 2nd it is the Christmas holiday in Norway, and there are few to no fun things open in any town in Norway. People here sit with their families mostly and are reluctant to strangers, especially tourists, because “you are supposed to know that everybody is in their homes and do not take in guests.” – Norwegians think that everywhere in the world, people behave just like in Norway—the same with the Easter holiday and the summer holiday.

January 2nd, everything opens again: museums, restaurants, activities, etc. I am saying this so you won’t be disappointed when you come and don’t find any open stores or Christmas markets, as you would expect in the rest of the Christian World. etc. Therefore, if you plan to visit, do it outside those holy times.

Norway is very different from the rest of the world. That is because of the geographical position that influenced history and politics. You can read more about those differences in my book, which you can find on this link.

Have a pleasant visit to Norway outside the holiday times.

Best from your best