Oslo and the Norwegian Fjords

Six summer nights, two in Oslo and four above the Storfjord near Ålesund. The Kon-Tiki and Fram museums after hours, then wildlife by boat, the old postal path above Geirangerfjord, the hotel's own boat into Hjørundfjord, and dinners cooked over an open fire in a forest lavvo and in a boathouse on the water.

Length: Six nights
Pace: Two stays
Style: Summer, fjords, walking, boating
Route: Oslo to The Storfjord and Ålesund

OsloTwo nights
The Storfjord and ÅlesundFour nights

Days 1 to 3 · two nights

Oslo

Met at the airport, then the Kon-Tiki and Fram museums after hours: the Kon-Tiki takes private groups outside its opening hours, and the Fram hosts private evenings beside the polar ships, with a menu drawn from the recipes of the polar expeditions' cook. A walk past City Hall, Karl Johans gate, Akershus Fortress and the Opera House, the Munch Museum or the National Museum, the Holmenkollen ski jump and Vigeland Sculpture Park. On a spring or summer afternoon, a walk through the gardens of the Royal Estate to the greenhouse and farm, with the groundskeepers and producers, the season's harvest and the making of cheese and cider, and a lunch cooked by a chef from what grows there. At Akershus Fortress, a private historian can walk you along the ramparts and through the royal rooms. In Norway, an intimate dinner in the private home of a Michelin-starred chef can also be arranged.

Where you stay

Hotel Continental

Hotel Continental has stood in the centre of Oslo for over a century, with 151 rooms and suites, each decorated with hand-picked art. Five restaurants and bars share the building, Theatercaféen among them, and some suites look out over the National Theatre, the palace park or the Oslofjord.

Ålesund's rooftops spread across islands in a blue sea, with mountains on the horizon.

Days 3 to 7 · four nights

The Storfjord and Ålesund

A one-hour flight to Ålesund. A private RIB to a seal colony and the bird island of Runde, a hike on the old postal route above Geirangerfjord with a mountain-farm lunch, and a ferry to Hellesylt to cycle towards Norangsdalen. A day on one of the hotel's private boats from its own pier into Hjørundfjord, with lunch at Hotel Union Øye. On Monday evenings from May to August, a short walk into the forest for a chef's dinner over an open fire in the lavvo, and from Thursday to Saturday in summer, seven courses cooked over the flames at a table for 12 in the hotel's boathouse on the fjord. Then home via Oslo.

Where you stay

Storfjord Hotel

Storfjord sits on a hillside above the Storfjord and the Sunnmøre Alps, with 30 rooms across four timber buildings of handcrafted log walls. Dinner is seasonal and regional, sometimes cooked over an open fire in the boathouse on the fjord, and there are outdoor hot tubs and a forest sauna.

Arranged on request

Kon-Tiki after hours

The Kon-Tiki Museum takes private groups outside opening hours, with or without catering.

An evening with the Fram

A private evening at the Fram Museum, with polar storytelling and a menu inspired by Adolf Lindstrøm, cook on the polar expeditions.

The lavvo

Every Monday from May to August, a short hike into the forest for a chef's dinner cooked over an open fire in a traditional tent; it can also be reserved privately.

The Boathouse

A restored boathouse on the Storfjord, a long table for 12 and seven courses cooked over the fire from the day's catch; Thursday to Saturday from May to September, or privately on request.

Hjørundfjord by private boat

From the hotel's own pier into Hjørundfjord, with lunch at Hotel Union Øye.

The King's Garden

On a spring or summer afternoon, the gardens, greenhouse and farm of the Royal Estate with the people who run them, cheese and cider in the making, and a chef's lunch from the estate's own produce.

Subject to availability.

Ways to make it yours

A last night in a staffed lighthouse on a private island, with sauna, hot tub and the day's catch.
A flight over the fjords, glaciers and open sea in Storfjord's own helicopter, which seats five.
Two nights on the Sognefjord, for the Stegastein lookout, the craftspeople of Aurland and a summer pasture farm where cheese is still made, with lunch at the farm and a wood-fired hot tub and sauna to end the day; the summer farms open in summer only.
A few nights at a private lodge on a fjord north of Bergen, with no online presence and open to only a few guests each year, for complete privacy among the fjords.

This is a sample. The hotels, the pace and the order are where we start, not where we finish: every journey is designed around the people taking it.

Made around you

Most travel is bought. This is designed.

Before anything is booked, we talk: who is travelling, how you like to spend a morning, and the hotel preferences below the obvious, from the kind of bath you like to the time you wake and how much daylight you need in a room. You see options where options matter and clean recommendations where they don't.

The same person remains your point of contact from the first reply to the trip after next. No handovers. No team.