5 Weeks in Norway and the Netherlands: Northern Lights, Fjords, Tulips & More

tgandco2
Jul 23
8 min read

Teresa and I normally plan a vacation for mid-winter or early spring. The inspiration for this year’s trip came from an article I read in the Toronto Star about the Hurtigruten cruise line in Norway. What caught my attention — besides the fact that they are the longest-serving cruise line in Norway and still provide transportation between small northern ports — was their Northern Lights cruise.

In addition to sailing through prime Northern Lights viewing areas, they offer two unique perks. First, you don’t have to stay up all night watching the sky; the crew monitors for the lights and notifies passengers when they appear. Second, if you don’t see the lights during your trip, they offer a second (shorter) cruise for free.

Teresa and I had a call with one of their customer service representatives, who did a great job explaining the different options. Although it sounded interesting, we realized we’re not really “cruise people.” Still, the idea of seeing the Northern Lights in Norway — specifically around Tromsø — stuck with us. I started researching other ways to experience them and eventually landed on a combination of staying in a glass hotel and joining a “chasing the lights” tour. You’ll be able to read all about that later.

The second big motivation for our vacation this year was seeing the tulips blooming in the Netherlands. I planned to experience them on a self-guided bike tour. A friend of ours had done a tulip-season cycling trip in the Netherlands years ago and said it was spectacular.

It looked as if we planned a five-week vacation starting in Tromsø and ending with a tulip bike tour in the Netherlands; we could hit both the peak Northern Lights season and the tulips in full bloom. Those two incredible experiences became the bookends of our trip, and from there I started planning the five weeks in between.

One thing I quickly realized was that Norway is a reasonably large country, and if we wanted to maximize our time, we were going to need help with the logistics. Norway would involve flights, trains, ferries, and rental cars, and I wanted to make sure we didn’t waste valuable time during our three weeks there.

Fortunately, I came across Solo Female Wanderer. In addition to the wealth of information on her site, the author, Sarah, has extensive experience travelling in Norway and offers trip-planning services. Teresa and I had used similar services when travelling to Scotland and Australia, and it made a huge difference in the overall experience. We decided to work with Sarah, and it turned out to be a great decision — well worth the planning fee.

I’ll be posting a series of articles about the different places and experiences from the trip, but this post is meant to serve as a general overview.

After consulting with Sarah, we settled on Tromsø, Dovrefjell National Park, Oslo, the Norway in a Nutshell excursion from Oslo to Bergen, Bergen, and Stavanger. In the Netherlands, we used Rotterdam and Amsterdam as our main bases, with day trips to Delft, The Hague, Aalsmeer, and Giethoorn. We also spent one night in Utrecht before our tulip bike tour and one night in Haarlem afterward before flying home.

It was an incredibly exciting trip filled with a huge variety of weather, landscapes, activities, culture, and experiences. Packing was definitely a challenge since we went from full-on winter conditions in Norway to cool spring cycling weather in the Netherlands.

Here are just a few of the highlights, with much more detail coming in future posts:

Northern Lights

Since this was the original reason for the trip — and something Teresa and I had wanted to see for years — it tops the list. Seeing the lights is not nearly as easy as social media makes it seem. It’s definitely hit-and-miss, although there are ways to improve your chances, which I’ll talk about in a future post.

Our second night seeing the lights, very different but still amazing

Tulips, Tulips, and More Tulips

The second “bookend” of the trip was every bit as amazing as we had hoped. The tulips are breathtaking, and eventually, you almost reach “beautiful scenery overload.” The key is to slow down, stop often, and appreciate the subtle differences between the fields. Every stretch of road seemed to offer another incredible view.

Our tulip experience was part of a five-day self-guided bike tour. Teresa isn’t really a cyclist, but she enjoyed it so much that it ended up being her favourite part of the Netherlands portion of our trip. We may even try another bike tour in the future.

One of the many stops on our five-day bike tour in front of beautiful tulip fields

So many tulip fields. Spectacular each time we stopped. We tried to take our time and soak it all in.

Lysefjord Cruise and Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock) Hike

This cruise and six-hour hike had been on my list since the early planning stages of the trip. Because we were travelling in March, the weather can often make the hike impossible.

We got very lucky. The day before our scheduled hike was extremely windy, and the excursion was cancelled. The next day, however, was absolutely beautiful — sunny, calm, and clear. That said, it was still winter. We hiked in winter boots, snow pants, heavy jackets, and trudged through snow that was sometimes nearly two feet deep.

We went on three fjord cruises during the trip, and Lysefjord was by far our favourite. Almost immediately, you’re surrounded by towering cliffs, dramatic rock formations, and waterfalls. It was spectacular.

The cruise stopped to let hikers disembark, and Teresa and I were the only two people getting off. That meant we had our guide — and the mountain — entirely to ourselves. Our guide took us up an alternative route called the Horse Trail, and during the three-and-a-half-hour climb, we didn’t see another person. Not one.

Preikestolen itself was surreal. It was one of the filming locations for Mission: Impossible – Fallout (where it supposedly represented India). Another couple was just leaving as we arrived, so for a while we had the famous platform completely to ourselves. It made for some incredible — and slightly terrifying — photos.

Yes, that's us. It looks closer to the edge than it was, but having said that, it was a little scary.

Lysefjord was our favourite fjord, and you can see why. Wow!

Dovrefjell National Park and the Musk Ox Safari

Dovrefjell National Park is home to wild musk ox, and staying there turned into one of the surprises of the trip.

Dovrefjell Lodge offered a very personalized musk ox safari. Our guide took Teresa, me, and one other couple into the park after scouting the animals earlier that morning. We found the musk ox fairly quickly, and over time, managed to get better and better views.

Visitors are required to stay at least 200 feet away, so I’ll leave it at that, but seeing a massive 450-kilogram bull musk ox in the wild was incredible.

The lodge itself was also a highlight. A couple from Bergen purchased the property a few years ago and transformed it from a campground into an all-season lodge. Winters are still relatively quiet for them, so the experience felt very personal.

Although they hire a chef in the summer, the owner taught himself to cook and prepared fantastic meals during our stay. On two nights, Teresa and I were the only guests in the dining room, so after serving dinner, he sat and chatted with us about Norway, travel, and life in the region.

The standout meal was his roasted reindeer — cooked over four hours at three different temperatures. It was so good that Teresa and I never ordered reindeer again during the trip because we knew nothing else would compare.

450 kg (over 1,000 lbs), this majestic creature was amazing to see in its natural habitat.

Museums, Museums, and More Museums

Teresa and I are not huge museum people, and neither of us enjoys wandering through exhibits for hours. But when you have the opportunity to see works by some of the world’s greatest artists — or visit historically important museums — you take advantage of it.

We learned that the key is not to overdo it and, whenever possible, to hire a knowledgeable guide for a small-group tour. It makes a huge difference.

Our museum visits included the Munch Museum in Oslo (including multiple versions of The Scream), the Fram, Kon-Tiki, and Holocaust museums in Oslo, the Mauritshuis in The Hague (Girl with a Pearl Earring), and the Rembrandt House, Van Gogh Museum, Rijksmuseum, Anne Frank House, and Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam.

Bloemencorso Bollenstreek (Flower Parade)

We completely lucked out with this one.

The 2026 Bloemencorso Bollenstreek flower parade was being prepared while we were in the Netherlands. Volunteers decorate massive floats using thousands of real tulips and flowers, and visitors can actually watch the construction process before the parade itself.

Our bike tour operator, Holland Bike Tours, arranged our route so we could stop at JUB Holland and see the float preparation in progress. It was fascinating — and something we probably never would have discovered on our own.

While we missed out on the parade, seeing the volunteers assemble the floats was fantastic.

Norway in a Nutshell

If you Google “Norway in a Nutshell,” you’ll find several variations, but the classic route runs from Oslo to Bergen. That’s the version Teresa and I chose.

The journey included three trains, a fjord cruise, an overnight stay, and a bus ride through some incredible scenery. Although we’ve travelled extensively by train before, this was our first true “scenic rail journey,” and it absolutely lived up to the hype.

Snowshoeing in Tromsø

This ended up being a last-minute addition after our land-based fjord tour was cancelled because of bad weather.

Our travel planner, Sarah, had recommended Tromsø Outdoors, so we stopped by and booked a snowshoeing excursion. It turned out to be a lot of fun. Teresa and I don’t snowshoe very often, so trekking up a snowy hill in deep powder definitely felt like an adventure.

Although it looks like we are standing on ground, there was lots of snow for snowshoeing.

Saunas… and a Gentle Fjord Plunge

As you probably know, saunas are a huge part of Norwegian culture. I’m not really a sauna person myself — sitting in an extremely hot room, sweating, isn’t usually my thing. I much prefer Japanese onsens.

But when in Norway… you do saunas.

Every hotel we stayed at either had a sauna or access to one nearby. We visited public saunas, booked private sessions, and eventually tried the full experience: sauna followed by a fjord plunge.

For context, fjord temperatures in March are around 2–5°C. So no, we did not jump in. We slowly and cautiously climbed down the ladder into the water.

It was shockingly cold. The kind of cold that literally takes your breath away.

But it was also fun — and one of those experiences we’ll always remember.

Teresa (slowly) making her way into the frigid fjord.

The Adventure Itself

Teresa and I genuinely enjoy travelling together, and fortunately, our travel styles are very similar. We both like arriving early for flights, activities, and reservations. We prefer active vacations over resorts, and we love walking, hiking, exploring, and trying new experiences.

We also prefer travelling independently rather than joining organized tours, even though that sometimes means getting lost, taking the train in the wrong direction, or occasionally missing a restaurant or activity despite all my research.

But honestly, that’s part of the adventure.

It was an amazing five weeks.

So that’s a quick overview of our trip to Norway and the Netherlands. For more in-depth stories about different parts of the journey, check out the other posts in this series: