Frommer's Norway

I have come to depend on Frommer's as resource when I am traveling to a new place. We are going to Norway this summer and this guide is helping with the outline of our trip.

This book is a great travel book for Norway. I think Frommers offers the best travel books on the market for travelers. I went to Bergen and Oslo and the book offered great suggestions for both cities. Get this book if you're going to Norway. Don't bother looking at the competition.

I like this and and the Rough guide best for Norway. They both have good maps and good information on a lot of the places you would like to visit and good info on the best tours. You do have to be careful that either a tour hasn't been cancelled or the time has changed since the book was written. We found that in Bergen. I thought both the Rough Guide Norway and Frommer's had much more specific info on tours and things to do than the Fodor's and Lonely Planet books do. I generally like Rick Steve's guides but his Scandinavia guide is not complete enough unless you are doing his intinerary. His book does have a lot on Oslo and Bergen. But, for example, it has nothing on Alesund (pronounced Oh-le-sund) which is a great coastal town to visit. And in general it has limited info on the coastal towns, which are pretty cool. Just as an aside, I really liked the Geiranger fjord. Lysefjord was neat with all its cliffs (and goats)but the Geiranger fjord is just beautiful and there are many excursions from the little town of Geiranger with fabulous views from above. Norway is a great place to visit. Most people speak English (though not all). In my mind it is still not quite as spectacular as Alaska but it is really beautiful. The views from the windy, hillside, hairpin-turn roads are breathtaking. Also, I found the views from a car or bus through the country better than the famous railroad from Flam to Myrdal. The views from the train were great but it moves so fast and you go through so many tunnels that it was hard to really appreciate the spectacular views.

Frommer's certainly gives a great deal of very specific travel information. Lots of "Best Finds", & "Best Values". The guide provides great ideas on how to see specific cities, and attractions. I find that it works well in conjuncion with other travel guides that provide more visuals. In fact that is the only challenge with Frommers - limited pictures, and overall maps. But how many needs can one book meet? Frommers meets most of them. I would highly recommend this guide.

This guide is great for reading ahead and taking along. This guide contains a fair amount of in depth information about the customs, practices, manners, etc. of the country and can be read while in the plane or a few days ahead. The guide also contains a lot of detail about what to do, where to go, and how much it costs to do if you are in certain cities for a day or a few days. I like the fact that they have current hotel and restaurant reviews as well as maps indicating where they are. This allows for being able to plan financially ahead as well. I have visited Norway several times and I have purchased updated Frommer's Guides every time because is well worth it. If you want pictures, this is not the book. If you want useful information in an easy to find format this is the book for you.