Lonely Planet Best of Scandinavia

Effortlessly chic cities meet remote forests, drawing style gurus and wilderness hikers alike. Endless day, perpetual night. Rocking festivals, majestic aurora. Scandinavia: anything but bland.

The great outdoors is rarely greater than in Europes big north. Epic expanses of wilderness - forests, lakes, volcanoes - and intoxicatingly pure air mean engaging with nature is a viscerally pleasurable experience. National parks cover the region, offering some of Europes best hiking as well as anything from kayaking to glacier-walking. Spectacular coasts invite exploration from the sea. Wildlife, from whales to wolverines, awaits the fortunate observer.

Stolid Nordic stereotypes dissolve in the regions vibrant capitals. Crest-of-the-wave design can be seen in them all, backed by outstanding modern architecture, excellent museums, imaginative solutions for 21st-century urban living, internationally acclaimed restaurants and a nightlife that fizzes along despite hefty beer prices. Live music is a given: youre bound to come across some inspiring local act, whether your taste is Viking metal or chamber music.

Despite scary subzero temperatures in winter, theres a wealth of things to do: skiing, sledding behind huskies or reindeer, snowmobile safaris to the Arctic Sea, ice fishing, romantic nights in snow hotels, visiting Santa Claus and gazing at the soul-piercing aurora borealis. Summers long, long days are filled with festivals, beer terraces and wonderful boating, hiking and cycling.

Landscapes of unrivalled and dramatic beauty

cut deep gashes into the interior, adding texture and depth to the map of northwestern Scandinavia. Sognefjorden and Hardangerfjord are extensive fjord networks, but Nryfjorden, Lysefjord and Geirangerfjord, with their quiet, precipitous beauty, are possibly Scandinavias most beautiful corner.