Visit Scandinavia

Polar World: The world's largest polar bear park

Polar World, the world's largest polar bear park, opened in 2009 in Dalarna in middle Sweden. The 41,000 square meter facility incorporates a large deep water area, its own snow-making machinery and space for the bears to fish.

Polar World is the first polar bear park to engage in breeding of the endangered species and is a part of a broader project to preserve them. Visitors will be able to learn about the bears in the park's exhibition premises, amphitheatre and visitor information stations.

Dyrehaven Park

Dyrehaven Park offers a great combination of outdoor activities such as cycling, trekking and horse riding but it also holds Bakken amusement park, one of the oldest in the world. Dyrehaven is a popular retreat for both locals and tourists who seek a bit of tranquility.

Nearest station: Klampenborg

Access: 15 minutes by train from Copenhagen

Tel: +45 7022 2442 (Tourist Information)

Live with the Sami

If you are seeking a cultural experience out of the ordinary, discover the Sami, one of the oldest surviving cultures in the world. Visit the northern parts of Scandinavia and stay with the Sami people. Eat a traditional meal, learn about their culture, stay in their traditional huts and experience life as never before. Why not compete with your friends in a reindeer race or go on a guided hiking tour in the snow?

Website: www.swedishlapland.com

Ski in Norefjell

Norway, the land of mountains, offers excellent ski resorts. ‘Norefjell’ is a good all-round ski resort, which is only located about 11/2h from Oslo. The terrain is suitable for all type of ski and snow lovers. Choose between country skiing, ‘telemark’, down hill skiing, snowboarding and sleigh rides. The winter season normally lasts from November until May.

Website: www.visitoslo.com

Kingcrab Safari in Kirkines

Go on a Kingcrabsafari by snow mobile or by boat, and try ice-fishing in the Barents Sea near Kirkenes, in the far north of Norway. The king crab can grow to 2 metres and gain a weight of 15 kg, so you are guaranteed to see and taste the biggest and freshest crabs in the world! At the end of the trip you can eat fresh crabs for lunch in the restaurant near the fjord. URL  http://www.visitnorthcape.com/

Website: www.visitnorthcape.com/

Geirangerfjord

The Geirangerfjord is situated in south western Norway, northeast of Bergen, Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord, set 120km from one another are considered as archetypical fjord landscapes and among the most scenically outstanding anywhere. Their exceptional natural beauty is derived from their narrow and steep-sided crystalline rock walls that rise up to 1,400m from the Norwegian Sea. The Geirangerfjord stands proudly as one of the most popular sightseeing spots in the world that portrays the forces of nature. The main sightseeing spots include the Briksdal Glacier in Sogn og Fjordane and the Dalsnibba Observatory Access is possible from Oslo, Bergen and Ålesund with the use of trains and buses.

Longyearbyen

Longearbyen is the central town at Svalbard Islands and it is located on the largest island called Spitsbergen. Mining plays a major part of the community and you can even enjoy a mining guided tour. But Longyearbyen offers more exotic excursions than that such as glacier trekking, dog sledding, fjord cruising, hiking, skiing during the summer period, and snow mobile riding.

You can view the midnight sun between April 19 and August 23 and if you want to experience the period when the sun doesn’t rise you should visit this area between October 28 to February 14

Access: Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes from Tromsø to Longyearbyen by Scandinavian Airlines SAS. There are no roads connecting the islands so you will have to travel by plane.

Møn

Møn is an island in south-eastern Denmark. It is connected to Jutland with a bridge. Møn is known for its natural beauty, good beaches, fresco-decorated churches, Stone Age and Bronze Age passage graves and monuments, chateau Liselund, and Møns Klint ("The White Cliffs of Møn"), the island's most popular attraction. The main town of Mon is Stege and this town was established in the middle of the 13th century.

Website: www.visitmoen.dk

Reine

Reine is a small village that is situated in the southern region of Lofoten. It is surrounded by jagged rock-faced mountains and as a resalt the village captivates photographers from around the world. There is also a fishery harbour, cafés and restaurants that are converted from fishing cottages that are worth visiting during your journey.

Sognefjord

The Sognefjord is the world's longest and deepest fjord stretching 204km eastwards from the west coast, with a depth of 1,308m. The fjord can be reached by trains and other public transport from Oslo and Bergen and it can be accessed all-year round. It is recommended to take the Fraam Railway through villages located at the inland part of Sognefjord.

Riksgränsen

A resort area located up in the mountains of the border where you can enjoy the northern wilderness. The ski resort, which opens in mid February to mid June has a variety of trails and bustles with skiers and snowboarders enjoying the Aurora and the midnight sun.

Website: www.riksgransen.nu

Hardangerfjord

With a length of 179 km (111 miles), the Hardangerfjord in the county of Hordaland in Norway is the third largest fjord in the world and the second largest in Norway. The surrounding district is called Hardanger. The Hardangerfjord is surrounded by gently sloping mountains that are covered in colourful tree blossoms, which creates an idyllic scenery. The fruit trees were planted by a monk who visited these lands approximately 800 years ago. Highlights in this region include: Hardangervidda National Park and the Folgefonna glacier which is the third largest glacier in Norway and is highly commended for hiking.

Öland island

The island of Öland, located across a bridge from Kalmar, is a very narrow island only 4km in diameter. Öland island, which was used as a hunting ground for the royal family until the beginning of the 19th Century, has been called the"island of sun and wind" and is a very popular resort area for the Swedish people. Even now, due to the natural environment being protected, migrant birds come to rest here and bird watching can be enjoyed. To the south of the island are farm lands, and this area has been registered as a World Heritage Site. The inner northern area, like all resorts, has many restaurants and cottages. There is also the VIDA museum with displays of products from top designers of the Crystal Kingdom, and the handicraft gallery is very popular.

Website: www.olandsturist.se

The Golden Route to Geiranger

This organized round trip aims to fulfil the dreams of all visitors to Norway, the Geirangerfjord - one of Norway’s most beautiful fjords, the steep, narrow hairpin bends of the Trollstigen road and the magnificent mountain scenery on the Rauma Railway.

Website: www.fjord-tours.com/geiranger/

Ilulissat

Ilulissat is the third largest settlement in Greenland and situate about 200 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle. Illulisat also means "The Icebergs” and is Greenland's most popular tourist destination. At its eastern end is the Jakobshavn Isbræ glacier which is the most productive glacier in the northern hemisphere. The glacier flows at a rate of 20-35 metres per day, resulting in around 20 billion tonnes of icebergs calved off and passing out of the fjord every year. The Ilulissat Icefjord was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004. In the summer, you can catch the "Midnight Cruise" under the midnight sun (end of May - end of July). You can also enjoy activates such ice hiking to the "Ice Fjord," dog sledding and glacier cruises.

Website: www.greenland.com