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In Douglas Adams’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Slartibartfast, designer of custom-built planets, won an award for Norway and its “lovely crinkly edges”. And indeed there is an element of fantasy to this intricately wrought land. Norway is the country a particularly imaginative child would draw: pointy mountains whooshing up above fjords in brilliant blues and greens; deep, dark conifer forests; log cabins buried in snow; and animals you’ve only seen in documentaries: wild reindeer, orcas, musk ox, goofy elk and, right up at the Arctic top in Svalbard, polar bears.

While Oslo moves to a cool, cultured beat and coast-hugging cities such as Stavanger, Tromso and Alta endear with progressive museums, eco-chic hotels, exciting food scenes and heritage expressed in timber façade-lined harbours, nature is Norway’s real prize. Friluftsliv, or a love of outdoor living, is in Norway’s DNA. The country counts 47 national parks, and the rest of the country might as well be one. Under the midnight sun or the northern lights you can hike, bike, boat, kayak, white-water raft, cross-country ski, dogsled and skidoo.

This is a land shaped by the sea, hammered into form by the elements and defined by light or the lack of it. It has forged a people who are nature-mad, quietly welcoming, independent, healthy, wealthy and wise (as evidenced by its chart-topping position in quality-of-life surveys). Beyond the coast, development is sparse and the landscapes are starkly beautiful — often inaccessible. It is here that the country hides its obscure myths and mysteries: the melancholy captured in Munch’s paintings, Knausgaard’s novels and many a Nordic noir series.

The longer you stay, the more you tease out Norway’s true beauty. Your eureka moment might not come on that longed-for fjord cruise or epic road trip. It might be more subtle than that: the taste of just-caught Arctic cod cooked over a campfire on an unmapped island; the sound of the Sami joik, poetic heartbeat of the north, as the aurora shimmers above; the morning hush in a fishing hamlet clasped between lofty mountains. But hook you Norway surely will — just whatever you do, don’t count the krone.

Main photo: The aurora borealis lights up in the sky in northern Norway (Getty Images)

The longer you stay, the more you tease out Norway’s true beauty

Norway is too dauntingly big for just one bite, so unless you have unlimited time, pick a region: south, centre or north. Scenic trains, buses and ferries stitch together a significant chunk of the country, but if you want to reach the remote bits you’re going to need your own wheels (and snow chains in winter).

Fjord-side Oslo is an engaging prelude to the country. Devote at least a day or two to its chilled cafés and restaurants, A-list galleries and revamped, architecturally striking port district, Bjorvika, home to the new Munch Museum and glacier-inspired opera house, which emerges from the water like a snow-white apparition.

South, you say? From Oslo you could sweep around the little-touristed south coast, with its open horizons, lonely lighthouses, dune-fringed beaches and inlets where the Vikings once launched their longships. Eventually you’ll hit the oil town of Stavanger, an upbeat launchpad for cruising the insanely lovely Lysefjord* and hoofing it up to freak-of-nature rock formations such as Pulpit Rock* and Kjerag*.

The fjords unravel north in all their cliff-bounded, waterfall-arced glory. Base yourself in Norway’s poster child, Bergen, where the Hurtigruten ferry begins its long, beautiful journey north to Kirkenes on the Russian border. Choosing a favourite fjord is like choosing a favourite child, but Hardangerfjord, Naeroyfjord (the narrowest arm of Sognefjord) and Geirangerfjord are sublimely wild.

You’ll never want to leave, but you should: the scenic high notes don’t stop here. There’s soul-stirring hiking and ski touring on Norway’s rooftop in Jotunheimen National Park and Europe’s largest ice cap in Jostedalsbreen. Inching further north still, you’ll be floored by the drama of the corkscrewing Trollstigen mountain road, buoyed by coastal views, art nouveau architecture and exquisite seafood in Alesund, and revived by the history and high spirits of gothic cathedral-topped Trondheim.

Northern Norway is the icing on the Arctic cake. With a generous week you can ride a RIB (rigid inflatable boat) across the world’s most powerful tidal current, Saltstraumen, near Bodo, watch whales off the coast of Andenes, and feel the polar force by dogsledding and aurora-chasing* in lively Tromso. Cap it off with a day or two in Alta, with its Unesco-listed prehistoric rock art and silver cyclone of a Northern Lights Cathedral.

Oslo gets booked solid in summer: reserve well ahead. It’s all in the mix here, from good-value, back-to-basics chain hotels to homespun B&Bs with art deco flair and Scandi-chic boutique hotels. The landmark Grand Hotel*, host to the Nobel peace prize, is pure class. At the other end of the spectrum you can camp at Ekeberg, the panoramic hill where Munch found inspiration for The Scream.

Southern Norway is filigreed with fjords. Bergen* is the dream base, with breezy sea views and brightly painted timber houses bearing the imprint of Hanseatic merchants. Accommodation-wise it swings from simple B&Bs to the coolly understated, eco-friendly brand of luxury the Scandis do so well. Alternatively, opt for the vibrant port town of Stavanger for cruises on the Lysefjord and treks to Pulpit Rock.

Central Norway delivers big-hitting national parks such as Jotunheimen and Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella, where you can wild-camp (thanks to allemannsretten, the “right to roam”), bed down in an atmospherically perched, reasonably priced Norwegian Trekking Association mountain hut, or seek out a remote lodge to hide away from the world. Edging north, coastal Alesund charms with architect-revamped warehouses by its waterfront, while Trondheim weighs in with plenty of history and accommodation, ranging from no-frills guesthouses to full-on boutique luxury.

As you shift up the country to the Arctic, the overnights get more unique. Ice hotels with prime views of the northern lights, geodome igloos with glacier views, Sami-style yurts, paddle-camp glamping — you name it, you’ll find it in Tromso*, Alta and the surrounding fjords and mountains.

Bergen is the dream base, with breezy sea views and brightly painted timber houses

If big wilderness thrills, the call of the forgotten north is irresistible. North of the Arctic Circle and sidling up to the Finnish and Russian borders, Norway’s Finnmark region is the home turf of Sami herders and their reindeer, most notably Kautokeino and Karasjok, home to the Sami parliament and museum. Hearing joik (rhythmic poems) sung round a campfire in a lavvu tent and stepping out into the chill night to see the northern lights flashing away is unforgettable.

Further north still, the Svalbard archipelago is polar bear land. Snowbound for much of the year, Spitsbergen, the main island, is a harsh, extreme, fiercely beautiful place to explore on foot in summer or by snowmobile in winter.

And don’t forget the islands. Lofoten shines, and rightly so, with phenomenal Arctic mountainscapes, frost-white beaches, wildlife — whales, elks, sea eagles and puffins — and out-of-this-world kayaking*. The E10 road knits the islands together. For fewer crowds and equally gorgeous backdrops try the less-visited island of Senja, just north, instead.

Jotunheimen (for mountains), Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella (for musk ox) and Saltfjellet-Svartisen and Jostedalsbreen (for glaciers) are national park showstoppers. But don’t overlook more peaceful wildernesses such as the Lyngen Alps for Arctic hiking and backcountry skiing, the trail-laced Hardangervidda plateau for wild reindeer, and the deliciously remote, lake-splashed Ovre Dividal National Park, home to brown bears, wolves and wolverines.

Norway’s 1,500km Arctic Highway (E6) and its less fêted yet staggeringly lovely coastal alternative, Kystriksveien, are road trips to remember. Or day-trip it along the 8.3km Atlantic Road for an exhilarating up, down and around drive across an embroidery of fjords, islands and skerries between Molde and Kristiansund.

Year round in the cities; June to September for mountain hikes and midnight sun; December to March for snow fun* and northern lights.

Is Norway safe to visit?
Few countries are safer than Norway. Crime rates are spectacularly low, though the usual common-sense precautions apply in cities. The wilderness can pose more of a threat, with the risk of exposure in the high mountains and Arctic (and in Svalbard, hungry polar bears). Check conditions and have a back-up plan before heading out on long hikes in remote places.

How much is a cup of coffee in Norway?
Norway is coffee mad — so much so that it has the world’s second-highest consumption of the stuff — and you can pay the equivalent of north of £4 for a really good cup. Norwegians are particularly fond of kokekaffe (“boiled coffee”), which is much nicer than it sounds — the steeping process produces a light, aromatic, complex brew.

What’s a typical Norwegian breakfast?
Oh, how the Norwegians love frokost — a wholesome meal never to be skipped, intended to set you up for an entire day of full-on activity. Expect to find dense rye bread, muesli, forest berries, smoked salmon and pickled herring, eggs and slices of the love-it-or-loathe-it brunost, a caramel “brown cheese” made from whey. Some hotels will even provide a lunchbox for you to raid the buffet for a small extra fee.

Currency Norwegian krone

Take me there

Inspired to visit Norway but yet to book your trip? Here are the best packages from Expedia* and British Airways*.

• Discover holiday packages to Oslo*
• Discover holiday packages to Tromso*
• Discover holiday packages to Bergen*
• Discover holiday packages to Stavanger*
• Discover tours in Norway*