Hotels in Norway

Norway is a country that is located in North-western Europe which is one of the portions of the Scandinavian Peninsula. This country is near to Denmark and Scotland. It is also had borders with Sweden, Finland, and north-western Russia. This country is popular for its amazing sceneries.

Back then, Vikings from Norway attack a few countries such as Scotland, England, Ireland, Spain, and France. The Norwegians have also make a raid the Isle of Man which is between England and Ireland in the 9th century. At that time, Norway was divided into several kingdoms. During the rule of Olaf Haraldson who was the king of Norway, he managed to convert the coastal and inland area in the country to Christianity. In 1066, Harald Hardrada wanted to become the king of England. However, he was killed during Stamford Bridge war in Yorkshire. Due to the incident, the political relationship between Norway and England ended. The society in Norwegian was divided into three classes. From the bottom, it is classified for slaves or thralls. Above them were the freemen. Freemen is for wealthy. The highest class among them are the nobbles. In the 11th century, the country converted to Christian and the king of Norway was Ola Tryggvason. During the rule of Haakon IV, the country is stable and in peace. His son, Magnus is known as the Lawmender. Magnus sold Shetlands and Orkneys to Scotland in 1468. At the same time, black death has happened in Norway from the year 1349 to 1350. A half population of people in Norway was killed during the incident. Then, Norway was joined to Denmark and Sweden. Margaret I is the queen of Denmark and Sweden. Her nephew was crowned as the king of 3 kingdoms. Nevertheless, Sweden has broken the ties between Denmark and Norway. Therefore, Norway remained united with Denmark.

The Reformation has come to Norway in the 1530s. The people in Norway accept Lutheran doctrines by following the Danes. Trades and commerce have become bigger in Norway during the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. The towns in Norway started to build in the early 17th century. The country exports fishes, coppers and irons in the 17th and 18th century. After that, Swedish try to attempt to attack Denmark in 1813. Sweden forces Denmark to give up on Norway to them. However, there are some people do not agree with the move. It was led by Crown Prince Christian Frederick. Then Sweden attacked Norway in July 1814. At that time the king of Norway was Christian Frederick. He had to step down and give his power to the Swedish king. In 1816, Bank of Norway was established. The economy in Norway was not very good because the British timber market was lost to Canada. The agriculture became flourished in the late 19th century. At that time, the population in Norway has also increased. Besides that, the country has also become a parliamentary democracy. In 1905, the Swedish king failed to appoint a new government, and it was argued by a politician named Christian Michelsen. Therefore, the Norwegians voted in a referendum to gain independence for Norway. Norway got their independence from the Swedes on September 1905. During World War I, Norway remained neutral. Then, there was a high unemployment rate in the 1920s and 1930s. At the same time, Norway successfully had taken over Spitsbergen in 1925. Norway has also remained neutral during World War II. A year after, the Germans attack Norway and also other regions such as Narvik, Trondheim, Bergen, and Oslo. In 1949, Norway joined NATO. Soon after that, Norway has recovered from the war although the unemployment rate was still high in the late 1980s. The Norwegians were against in joining EU in another referendum. Today, Norway has improved a lot regarding the economy and the rate of unemployment. Other than that, the citizens have a very high standard of living.

Based on the statistics in the year 2017, the population of Norway is about 5.3 million. For religion, about 71.5 percent of the population are practising Lutheran Christianity. The second largest religion in Norway is other Christians with 3.9 per cent. Roman Catholic and Muslim has the same percentage of the population with 2.8 per cent, and the remaining are other religion and atheist. Majority of the people in Norway speaks Norwegian which is the North Germanic language that is related to Swedish and Danish. This country has two written language forms such as Bokmal and Nynorsk. Besides that, the citizens have also learned to speak and write in the Sami language which the language is recognised in certain states in the country. Other foreign languages are spoken by the Norwegians such as English, French, and German. To enter Norway country, tourists need to apply for a visa. The tourist visa can allow them to stay in Norway to a maximum of 90 days. However, for Singapore tourists, they do not need a visa instead their passport need to be valid at least three months after the date of departure from the area of Schengen. The best period to visit Norway is during summer. The summer season will be in June and July. Norway received many tourists during summer because Norway has longer daylight. Tourists can visit many places and do outdoor activities because of Norway’s longer days. However, if the tourists want to avoid crowd during summer, they can visit Norway in May or September. The weather in the country will be mild. The visitors can still go sightseeing and visits to a few places. During the winter season in the between November and March, there are not many tourists will come to Norway since the country will have a lack of daylight hours and bitterly cold conditions.

Most of the traditional cuisines in Norway are using conserved materials concerning the long winters. As for the modern cuisine, some of the dishes are influenced by traditional dishes, and there are dishes like tacos, pizza, meatballs and other dishes that can find in the western European cities. There are a few dishes that are very well recommended to the tourists. One of them is Kjotboller. It is one of the famous dishes in Norway.  This dish has a beef patty that is flavoured with ginger and nutmeg before frying. It is served with mashed potatoes and cream sauce. The next dish is called Pinnekjott. This dish usually will be served on Christmas Eve. It is a dried, salted rib sheep. The ribs are steamed over, and it will be served with mashed kohlrabi. For deserts, the tourists can try Krumkake. Krumkake is a paper thin rolls pancake, and it is filled with whipped cream or any other filling that can fulfil the tourists’ desire. This dessert will be cooked on a two-sided iron griddle. When the pancake has cooked, the seller will create a cone-shaped and then it will fill with sweet fillings. The tourists can get Krumkake at any bakeries in Norway.

How to Get There?

By Flight

For tourists who came from Singapore, they will need to travel to Norway by aeroplane. There are a few a flights available that will make their route to Norway. The flight ticket per person ranging between SGD 1600 to SGD 1980. The journey from Changi Singapore Airport to Oslo Airport takes about 15 hours and 25 minutes. Oslo airport is the second largest airport in Scandinavia. It is also the main international airport that serves Oslo and Norway in the country. Once the tourists have landed at Oslo Airport, they can choose to take public transport such as train, bus or taxi to go straight to their hotel.

What to Do There?

Geirangerfjord

Geirangerfjord is a long, narrow with steep sides created by a glacier which is called as fjord in the region of Sunmore. It is situated in the Stranda Municipality. This place is one of the attraction places for the tourist to come by. It is also list as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tourists can do some sightseeing by taking a boat. The trip will run from the Geiranger small town to the towns in Hellesylt. Along the trip, they can see some farms, several impressive waterfalls such as Seven Siter Falls and The Suitor. The waterfalls are facing one another across the fjord. Besides that, there is another waterfall that can be seen over the rocky edge which is called The Bridal Veil. To get a better picture, the tourists can go to the climbing parking. The tourists can see the panoramic view from the place. Moreover, they can take some great pictures that can keep as memories during visits in Norway.

Kjerag

There are a lot of mountains in Norway. For those who love hiking, the perfect destination to visit is the Kjerag. It is in the Rogaland country, Norway. The highest point of this mountain is3640 feet tall and it sits on the shore at the south of the Lysefjorden. Kjerag is a popular hiking destination because of the difficult trails that will lead up its steep faces. The hiking route starts from the parking at Oygardstol. It is not recommended for the tourists to hike the mountain during the winter season. The visitors are advised to wear mountain shoes with warm clothes and bring along foods and drinks. It is necessary to have good physical fitness to hike the mountain. Along the way, the visitors can see the Kjeragbolten. It is a boulder with a five cubic metre that placed by the edge of the mountain. Besides hiking activity, the visitors can try doing parachuting from a cliff of the mountain. Once they reached the peak, they can witness the beautiful view of the surrounding area.

Norwegian Museum of Cultural History

Located Bygdøy, Oslo, Norway, Norwegian Museum of Cultural History is an open-air museum that houses a total of 160 historic buildings. The visitors can see collections of artefacts from all region of the country. This museum has also showcased the Norwegian folk costumes, folk art, church art, and Sami culture. The main attraction of this museum is the Gol Stave Church which was built around 1200. After finishing the tour in the museum, there will be some programmes for adults and activities for children to enhance their understanding the culture in Norway.

Where to Stay?

Smarthotel Oslo

Smarthotel Oslo is located at Gamle Oslo District in Oslo. The location of this hotel is very strategic. The guests can conveniently travel to a few tourist spots such as museums, gallery, theatre and a few other places by taking a few minutes of walking. Other than that, this hotel provided a few types of rooms for their customers. All the rooms are equipped with useful amenities such as a flat-screened television, a heater, desk, soundproofed rooms, a private bathroom, hairdryer, and a shower. The rooms will have limited hours of housekeeping service. The guests can stay connected with their families and friends using a free Wi-Fi in their rooms. Besides that, this hotel prepares a few facilities for the comfort of their guests. Among them are a 24-hour receptionist, concierge, laundry service, an express check-in and check-out, newspapers in the lobby area, luggage storage, multilingual staff, computer station, coffee shop, conference room, and meeting facilities.

Norwegian Hotels and Apartments

Norwegian Hotels and Apartments is also a nice accommodation to stay in Gamle Oslo District. The guests can enjoy a few facilities and services that are provided by the hotel. Among them are laundry service, luggage storage, a 24-hour receptionist, a business centre, meeting facilities and parking spaces with surcharge. The guests can easily ask for any assistance from the 24-hour front desk at any time. Besides that, all the rooms in this apartment are equipped with basic amenities such as television, a desk, in-room safe, a private bathroom, a shower, and free toiletries. The guests can request infant beds. Other than that, they can get wired Internet access in their rooms. This hotel has always kept the rooms in clean condition. It is because there is a daily housekeeping service for each room of this apartment. Apart from that, this hotel is a good location because of near public facilities such as mosque and church, parks, and museums. These places are only walking distance from the apartment.

Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Bergen

Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Bergen is a four-star hotel that is located in the city of Bergen. The location of this hotel is very good. It is because it is near to the Flesland airport which the journey will take about 26 minutes. Besides that, the guests can easily get to a few interesting places such as museums, parks, and religious sites which takes a few minutes of walking from the hotel.  They can comfort themselves using a few facilities and services that is provided by the hotel such as a 24-hour receptionist, laundry service, newspaper in lobby area, luggage storage, multilingual staff, tour service, wedding service, business centre, conference room, meeting facilities, parking spaces with surcharged, fitness centre, and airport shuttle with surcharged. There is also a restaurant and a coffee shop that serves different types of cuisines and a few types of coffee drink which will meet the taste of the guests. For those who want to have light snacks and drinks, they can drop by to a nightclub in this hotel.