14 Best Sights in Trondheim to the Lofoten Islands, Norway

One of the best-known museums in the Lofoten Islands, the family-run Galleri Lofoten is home to the largest collection of northern Norwegian artwork from the last century, including renowned painters like Otto Sinding, Gunnar Berg, Even Ulving, Adelsteen Normann, Einar Berger, Ole Juul, and Thorolf Holmboe. Take a load off at the on-site café.

Kjerringøy, located 40 km (25 miles) north of Bodø, is well worth visiting. This gem on the Nordland coast is famous for its pristine fjord landscape used as the location for several feature films. Check out the Knut Hamsun Gallery, dedicated to the Nobel Prize–winning author. Kjerringøy is great for hiking, cycling, boating, fishing, and much more. To get here, take the 10-minute ferry across a fjord at Festvåg.

Amid narrow fjords edging the peninsula, the Old Kjerringøy Trading Post has 15 well-preserved 19th-century buildings where Erasmus Zahl once made handsome profits buying and selling fish. Take a guided tour of the manor—many of its original furnishings are intact. There is an on-site café where you can enjoy fresh coffee and baked goods.

Hidden on the northern side of Moskenesøy, the only way to reach this beautiful beach is by walking. Wedged between the mountains, this golden-sand beach is a gem. Once you are parked, the hike here takes around 45 minutes. Amenities: parking. Best for: walking.

A labor of love, this brewery has been supplying the Lofoten Islands with refreshing craft beer since 2014. You can take a tour of the brewery and learn about the fermentation and brewing process.

One of the top historical sites in Europe, this museum 13 km (8 miles) north of Leknes portrays the lifestyle and culture of the Vikings through magical reconstructions of typical buildings and ships. The re-created Viking chieftain's longhouse, on the foundations of a real chieftain's home, has been built according to authentic methods, including grass-turf walls, load-bearing poles, and fireplaces. Inside, it's divided, just like the original, into a lobby, living quarters, great hall, and byre (barn). Nearby, several other reconstructed buildings include a smithy and boathouse, and three ships that can be boarded in summer. The exhibition halls display more Viking artifacts and show a 12-minute film about the history and people of the region. Artisans are at work on-site, and there's a chance to taste Viking food. There's even an activity area for kids, which makes the museum a popular choice for families.

Trondheim's cathedral was built on the grave of King Olav, who formulated a Christian religious code for Norway in 1024. The town quickly became a pilgrimage site for Christians from all over northern Europe, and Olav was canonized in 1164. Construction of Nidarosdomen began in 1070, but the oldest existing parts of the cathedral date from around 1150. It has been ravaged on several occasions by fire and rebuilt each time, generally in a Gothic style. Since the Middle Ages, Norway's kings have been crowned and blessed in the cathedral, and the crown jewels are on display here. Guided tours lasting 45 minutes are offered in English from mid-June to mid-August, and the guides are enthusiastic about the relics and its visiting artworks---they may even show you the crypt complete with a saintly skeleton.

About 15 minutes from the town's center, the massive Norwegian Aviation Museum is housed in a building shaped like a propeller. The high-ceilinged rotunda illustrates "Man's Primeval Dream of Flight." On either side are smaller exhibition halls, one for civilian aviation and the other for military aviation. Here you'll find a Spitfire, a CF-104 Starfighter, a Junkers Ju 88, a U-2 spy plane, and much more. Take a turn on the flight simulators for a glimpse of the controls of an F-16. Climb the control tower for an unforgettable view of the wild landscape.

Truly magnificent, this 3-km-long (2-mile-long) and 500-foot-wide strait joins the inner fjord basin with the sea. During high tide, the volume of water rushing through the narrow sound is so great that powerful whirlpools form. This is one of Norway's legendary maelstroms, and here you can see the strongest one in the world. The rush of water brings an abundance of fish, including cod, saithe, wolffish, and halibut, making this a popular fishing spot.

Built in the 1770s, Stiftsgården is now the official royal residence in Trondheim. The architecture and interior are late Baroque and highly representative of 18th-century high society's taste. Guided tours---the only way to see the interior---offer insight into the festivities marking the coronations and blessings of the kings in the cathedral.

Near the ruins of King Sverre's medieval castle is this open-air historical museum that depicts everyday life in Trøndelag during the 18th and 19th centuries. The stave church here, built in the 1170s, is the northernmost preserved church of its type in Norway. In the Old Town, you can visit a 1900s dentist's office and an old-fashioned grocery store that sells sweets. In the summer there are farm animals on-site, and a range of activities for children. There's a copy of the main house at Walt Disney World's Epcot in the Norway pavilion.

This imposing granite mountain rising up from the Torget Island is pierced with an enormous hole dead center. A famous landmark in Norway, the mountain's soaring interior—which measures nearly 250 feet high, 525 feet long, and 90 feet across—is reached via a 20-minute walk on a well-marked path and can be easily explored on foot. Torget Island is about 9 miles from Brønnøysund center and is connected to the mainland via the Torghatten bridge. The mountain can also be seen from the southbound Hurtigruten coastal ferry.