Honeymoon
A Norway honeymoon among fjords, fishing cabins and the northern lights
Norway gives a honeymoon something no beach can: fjords that run deep into the mountains, red fishing cabins under the midnight sun, and the northern lights over a frozen river. It is close to home, it is quiet, and the scenery does the romance for you.
6 November 20264 min
Picolo Editorial
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Norway is a short flight from London, yet it feels a world away. In summer the days hardly end, and the fjords of the west are green, calm and full of fruit blossom. In winter the far north turns dark and white, and the northern lights take over the sky. Below we show the five places we recommend for a honeymoon, when to go, and our hotel pick in each. Picolo is based in Norway, and these are places we know well.
In short: a honeymoon in Norway
Fjords and fruit blossom: Hardanger in the west, best from mid-May to mid-June when the orchards bloom.
Art Nouveau and the fjords: Ålesund and the Storfjord, a gateway to Geiranger.
Midnight sun: Lofoten, where the sun does not set from late May to mid-July.
Northern lights: Alta or Tromsø in the far north, from mid-September to the end of March.
City and spa: Oslo or Bergen for the first or last nights.
Our hotel pick: Hotel Ullensvang on the Hardangerfjord, rated 9.0 out of 10 from 709 reviews on Hotels.com.
Our first choice for a Norway honeymoon: three nights at Hotel Ullensvang in Hardanger in early June, when the fruit trees blossom along the fjord. Check availability and prices at Hotel Ullensvang
This guide is part of our best honeymoon destinations series and our guide to honeymoon destinations in Europe.
Summer or winter in Norway
Choose the season first, because Norway is two different countries in one year. From May to August the west is green and the north has light around the clock. That is the time for fjords, hikes, boat trips and long evenings on a hotel terrace. From mid-September to the end of March the north is dark enough for the northern lights, and the snow brings husky sledding, ice hotels and saunas by the sea.
For a summer honeymoon, base yourselves in the fjords and add Lofoten if you have time. For a winter honeymoon, head north to Alta or Tromsø, and combine it with a few nights in Oslo. See our winter honeymoon guide for more snow and northern lights.
Five places in Norway for a honeymoon
Hardanger: the fjord and the fruit blossom
Hardanger is the fjord landscape of the old paintings: a long, calm fjord, the Folgefonna glacier above it, and orchards of apples, plums and cherries along the shore. From mid-May to mid-June the trees blossom all along the fjord. In summer you can kayak, row and swim from the hotel garden, and the hikes to Trolltunga and the waterfall Vøringsfossen are within an hour's drive.
Our pick is Hotel Ullensvang in Lofthus, founded in 1846 and run by the same family for five generations. The composer Edvard Grieg wrote music in a small hut in the garden, which still stands. Read our guide to Hotel Ullensvang and our guide to Hardanger, Odda and Vøringsfossen.
Ålesund and the Storfjord: Art Nouveau and the way to Geiranger
Ålesund is a fishing town on the coast, rebuilt in Art Nouveau style after a fire in 1904, with turrets and pastel facades along the canal. From here the Storfjord leads inland towards the Geirangerfjord, one of the most famous fjords in Norway, and the mountain road Trollstigen.
Our pick in town is Hotel Brosundet, a former warehouse on the canal with its own seafood restaurant, rated 9.2 out of 10 from 1,006 reviews. For a quieter stay in the fjords, see our guide to Storfjord Hotel, and read more in Geiranger and Trollstigen.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Hotel Brosundet
Lofoten: fishing cabins under the midnight sun
Lofoten is a chain of islands north of the Arctic Circle, with sharp peaks rising straight from the sea and white beaches beneath them. From late May to mid-July the midnight sun never sets, and from September to March the northern lights return. The traditional rorbuer, red fishing cabins on stilts above the water, are the place to stay.
Our pick is Svinøya Rorbuer in Svolvær, the largest town in Lofoten, with cabins by the water and its own restaurant, rated 9.4 out of 10 from 108 reviews. Read our guides to the Lofoten Islands and hotels and rorbuer in Lofoten.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Svinøya Rorbuer
The northern lights over the red rorbuer at Svinøya in Svolvær, where the cabins stand on stilts above the sea. Photo: Hotels.com
Alta: the northern lights and a night on ice
Alta lies in Finnmark, Norway's northernmost county, and is a good base for the northern lights, far from city lights. At Sorrisniva, just outside town on the Alta River, you can spend one night in an igloo hotel built of ice and snow, and the rest of the stay in a warm lodge with tall windows towards the river. The igloo hotel is rebuilt every winter, so check the opening dates before you book. According to Sorrisniva, the northern lights can be seen from mid-September to the end of March.
Our pick is a night at Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel, rated 9.4 out of 10 from 78 reviews. Read our full guide to Sorrisniva and our guide to the best places to see the northern lights.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel
Oslo and Bergen: a city start or finish
Most honeymoons in Norway begin or end in a city. In Oslo, Sommerro is a restored 1930s building with a spa, an indoor pool and a rooftop pool, rated 9.6 out of 10 from 1,450 reviews. In Bergen, the gateway to the western fjords, Opus XVI is a small luxury hotel in a former bank, a short walk from the old wharf of Bryggen, rated 9.6 out of 10 from 1,000 reviews. The train between Oslo and Bergen crosses the mountain plateau and is a journey in itself. See our guide to the Oslo to Bergen train. Read our guide to Sommerro.
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Sommerro
Book your stay: Check availability and prices at Opus XVI
A ten-day honeymoon route in Norway
In summer, a ten-day route can take in two nights in Oslo, the train to Bergen, three nights in Hardanger, and three nights in Ålesund and the fjords before flying home. In winter, spend two nights in Oslo and fly north for four or five nights in Alta or Tromsø, with one night on ice and the rest in a warm room. For more nights in one place, see our guide to how long a honeymoon should be.
Norway is expensive, especially for meals and drinks, so a hotel with breakfast and dinner included can save a lot. Hire a car for the fjords, since the best viewpoints and the smaller ferries are far from the railway.
Our pick for a Norway honeymoon
Hotel Ullensvang: a family hotel on the Hardangerfjord since 1846
Hotel Ullensvang stands on the shore of the Sørfjord, an arm of the Hardangerfjord, with a view across the water to the Folgefonna glacier. It has pools both indoors and out, a spa with a sauna facing the fjord, a private beach and kayaks to borrow, and its restaurant serves food from the farms around the fjord. The Utne family has run it since 1846, and guests rate it 9.0 out of 10 from 709 reviews on Hotels.com.
For lagoons and glaciers instead of fjords, see our Iceland honeymoon guide.
Our verdict
What Picolo recommends: a summer honeymoon in the fjords, with three nights at Hotel Ullensvang in Hardanger and a few nights in Ålesund or Bergen. For the northern lights, go north to Alta between October and March.
Why: Norway's fjords are at their best when the days are long, and no other honeymoon this close to the UK gives you this much scenery.
The trade-off: Norway is expensive and the weather changes quickly, even in summer. If you want guaranteed sun and a warm sea, choose a beach in southern Europe instead.
Frequently asked questions
Is Norway a good place for a honeymoon?
Yes, Norway is a good place for a honeymoon for couples who want scenery and peace more than beaches. The fjords, the midnight sun in Lofoten and the northern lights in the far north make it unlike any other European honeymoon, and it is a short flight from the UK. The main drawback is the cost of meals and drinks.
When is the best time for a honeymoon in Norway?
The best time for a honeymoon in Norway is June for the fjords and the midnight sun, and from mid-September to the end of March for the northern lights. In Hardanger the fruit trees blossom from mid-May to mid-June, and in Lofoten the sun does not set from late May to mid-July.
Where can you see the northern lights on a honeymoon in Norway?
You can see the northern lights on a honeymoon in Norway in the far north, in places such as Alta, Tromsø and Lofoten. The season runs from mid-September to the end of March, when the nights are dark enough. Outside Alta, Sorrisniva has an igloo hotel built of ice and a warm lodge by the river.
How many days do you need for a honeymoon in Norway?
You need seven to ten days for a honeymoon in Norway. A week is enough for Oslo and one fjord area, such as Hardanger. With ten days you can add Bergen and Ålesund in summer, or several nights in the far north for the northern lights in winter. Travel between the regions takes time, so do not plan too many stops.
Sources
The facts about Hardanger, Lofoten and Sorrisniva come from Picolo's own guides to each place, and the northern lights season at Sorrisniva comes from Sorrisniva. The guest scores come from each hotel's page on Hotels.com. Last checked: 6 November 2026.
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Picolo Editorial