Norway

A breathtakingly beautiful and brutal country, Norway is the place to visit when you crave fresh, crisp air, space and majestic scenery. It's also a fine place to go when you want to fish or ski.

Even in Oslo with its Munch, Kon-Tiki and Ibsen museums and thousand year old Viking heritage, the real focus is on outdoors sports.

The calm fjord attracts boaters while Oslomarka, a massive pine-forested recreation area with over 2500km of trails, located just outside the city draws hikers in summer and skiers in winter.

These rivers, lakes and forests might lie close to the city, but they combine to make a true wilderness. Roald Amundsen, the great Polar explorer, did his practice runs outside Oslo.

Norwegians head south for family beach holidays to picturesque harbours and popular holiday towns like Lillesand. The region is criss-crossed by canals, and a trip along the Telemark Waterway from Skien is recommended.

For many visitors it's the fjords, mountains and islands that make this coastline one of the most spectacular on the planet.

Bergen is regarded as the official gateway. From the low hills and green fjords of Sogn og Fjordane to the rugged crags of Trollfjorden, the scenery is extraordinary.

At the far north of this land of Midnight Sun there's the perfect vantage point for the northern lights and the start of the Arctic Circle.

At Polaria in Tromso you can now experience a simulated snowy night and see the arctic underwater world through a glass tunnel. But there's really no need for simulation or fantasy in Norway - it's a country that manages to be naturally magical.