Lonely Planet Norway (Paperback)

~ Graeme Cornwallis (Author), Andrew Bender (Author), Deanna Swaney (Author) "Near the end of the last Ice Age around 11,000 years ago, the first humans arrived in the area of modern-day Norway from Siberia..." (more)
Key Phrases: shorter hours rest, forestry museum, stave church, Nor-Way Bussekspress, Western Fjords, Peppe's Pizza (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

…these smart and exhaustively researched guides have become the gold standard for serious, independent travelers.' --San Francisco Chronicle
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Product Description

From the delights of Oslo's museums to the wonders of the country’s dramatic wilderness, this indispensable guide will help you experience all that Norway has to offer.

• money-saving tips to get the most out of your budget
• comprehensive coverage of Norway's fascinating history, culture and natural phenomena
• extensive coverage of Norway's many outdoor pursuits and breathtaking scenic journeys
• Norwegian and Sami language section
• 73 detailed maps

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; 2nd edition (May 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 174059200X
• ISBN-13: 978-1740592000
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #502,676 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

99 of 104 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Generally a good book, December 12, 1999

By	John Froelich (Sandy, UT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Norway (Paperback)

During my two-week whirlwind driving tour around southern Norway, I used both LP Norway along with Fodor's Norway, and found Lonely Planet to be much more informative and better at capturing the essence of the country. I'm basing my opinion on both this trip and my previous experience living in Stavanger for 3 years as a teenager. This year's journey covered a lot of ground, originating in Stavanger, heading south along the coast through Kristiansand, northeast through Oslo, north through Lillehammer, and west through Lom to Geiranger, and then south through Gudvangen, Stalheim, and Bergen and back to Stavanger. In most regards, this book was pretty much right on the mark.

One aspect of the book which bothered me was the fact that it placed too much emphasis on Svalbard, an island archipelago halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole, and not enough emphasis on central and southern Norway, where over 98% of the population lives and the bulk of the tourist kroner are spent.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Definitive Trave Guide on Norway (4 1/2 Stars), September 22, 2001

By	Allan M. Gathercoal "fdoamerica" (Norcross, GA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Lonely Planet Norway (Paperback)

Deanna Swaney (along with and Mark Griffith's outstanding mapping and design) have produced the definitive travel guide on Norway.

Deanna Swaney's writing is both engaging and descriptive. In my "must have" list, to qualify a guide as "excellent", are easy to read maps. This book has the best maps found in any Norway travel guide. The superb information and recommendations are reliable and though the publication date is 1999 (thus the information is pre '99). Norway is a stable nation with very low inflation and the prices are close to the quotes.

"Lonely Planet Norway" has a solid introduction section that covers Norway's history, government, economy, ecology, climate etc. This guide has an informative, practical, travel section and, most important, a reliable and up to date listing of recommendations that Swaney has checked out (lodging, restaurants, entertainment, places to see and things to do). At the start of each section is a regional map, more maps, and a list of highlights or "must see" for that region. Great!

Deanna must not be a motorcycle afficionado for there is no mention in her book of motorcycle rental in Norway. I rented a Harley in Trondheim for a week of travel through the Western Fjords, Central Norway and the Trondelag region. Brilliant way to see this glorious country, but, beware the weather is more temperamental than a manic Chihuahua. It can and will go from warm to cold to wet back to sun in the space and distance of one hours travel. My motorcycle rental did include the all-purpose riding gear, I brought my own helmet.

A weak area is the intermittent use of email/web site addresses. These are very helpful, especially for hotel quotes and reservations. I am sure this will be addressed when the next edition comes out.

This is the best guide out on Norway, my second choice is Norway: The Rough Guide (see my review). If you are heading to Norway, get `Lonely Planet', you will be glad you did. Highly Recommended

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good guide, altought with some weak points, July 28, 2002

By	BALDINI DIEGO (Helsinki Finland) - See all my reviews

I've been recently travelling all around Norway, from South to North, including the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. I found this guide generally very useful, but weak when it comes to talk about the Nordland, the Far North (Troms and the Finnmark) and Svalbard. For example, Lofoten is surely a fascinating place especially for hikers - like I suppose the author is - but many description are exhagerated and you might be disappointed once there - like I was. The Nordland is not sufficiently covered and the information sometimes might be poor in contents. Same about the Finnmark. The Svalbard part of the guide could be more exhaustive, altought I agree is a surely less touristic place than Bergen as a matter of fact is. There is space for improvements, but you cannot find anything better packed.