Norway is a long stretched country, reaching from an idyllic rocky coast with skerries in the south, to a wild and untamed meeting between land and sea in the north. In fact the distance from south to north is almost 2,400 kilometres and it takes one and a half day continuously driving a car from one end to the other. The south coast is home to the Norwegian summer, the north is home to the Sami people.

Travelling in Norway you might experience a nature you never have seen before. Steep mountains are rising hundreds of meters high, and beautiful fjords all along the coast. You can see small farms spread out in the countryside, not clustered in villages like in the rest of Europe. In the Northern part during summer the Sun stays in the sky at midnight and in winter the opposite is true, a day without daylight.

The Norwegians are proud of the natural beauty and they are often out going for walks, all the family together, summer as winter and especially on Sundays and holidays.

Many foreigners know the history of the Vikings. They went by boats to other countries and pillaged small towns before they went back home to celebrate. The fighting will of the Vikings was extreme, and fortunately, the Norwegians of today do not have the same need for fighting.

On the west coast is the hanseatic city Bergen, the second largest city. The history of trading with the Germans characterised by the look of the town, even today. A lot of tourists visit Bergen every year.

The capital Oslo was founded around 1,000 BC. and is the largest town with 575,000 inhabitants. The government and the finance centres are here in the centre of the city.

From 1400 - 1814 Norway was ruled by the Danes and until 1905 by Swedish dominance. In the years before the separation from Sweden, a national period of art and culture started. Several well known people enjoyed a period of success, such as the composer Edvard Grieg, the poet Henrik Ibsen and the painter Edvard Munch.

Norway is well known as a country for winter sports like skiing. A lot of Norwegians find cross country skiing good recreation. You also find several skiing destinations for downhill skiing all over the country. Even in the summer a lot of Norwegians find recreation in walking in the mountains.

As in many European countries football is a popular team sport. But handball is also very popular. More then 100,000 people play handball in Norway, two thirds are under the age of 17 and half of them are women. Altogether the Norwegian Handball Federation organises between 90,000 and 100,000 handball matches every year.

As a TV sport the international championships are among the most watched programs every year. The former coach of the women´s national team is Marit Breivik, she is a well known representative of Norwegian handball. She brought the team to the Olympic Gold medal in Beijing 2008. Another popular handball personality is Gro Hammerseng, the captain of the national team, she won the prize of Player of the Year awarded by the IHF for 2008.

Going to Larvik

Nearest airport: Sandefjord Lufthavn, Torp, 22 km from Larvik, connection by bus or train. See connection
Alternate airport: Oslo Lufthavn, Gardermoen, 180 km, connection by train. See connection

Going to Lillehammer

Nearest airport: Oslo Lufthavn, Gardermoen.
Going by train: Every hour. Duration: 1 hour 40 minutes. See connection
Going by car: 180 km, 1 hour 50 minutes. See map.

Going from Larvik to Lillehammer

by car: 316 km, 3 hours 45 minutes. See map
by train: every hour. Duration: 4 hours 30 minutes. See connection

On the website www.visitnorway.com you will be able to get all the information you need before planning a pleasant stay in our wonderful country.