Beyond the Med: 8 exciting reasons to visit this European jewel in 2024

Escape the crowds in the Mediterranean and explore some of the must-do activities of a Norwegian summer.

Southern Europe heaves under its summer tourist load, the most popular destinations resorting to number caps, daily fees and cruise-ship bans in a bid to regain some control. By contrast, a summer in Scandinavia is a breath of fresh air. Holiday in Norway over the same period, and you'll be privy to abundant space and nature. Plus, the slightly cooler days mean there's a whole other category of summer experiences outside of swimming and boating to try.

Though it's just a 20-minute ferry ride from the heart of Stavanger, stepping foot on Flor og Fjaere's private island feels as though you've landed in another country altogether. Palm trees and flower beds bursting with fuchsias, lavender and roses welcome you, and a koi-filled pond, bamboo forest and white-sand-fringed lagoons beckon.

There are about 20-plus hectares of thematic landscaped gardens to explore, but not before a 40-minute tour and three-course sit-down lunch (all included in the ticket price). Dine in the indoor jungle, just metres from where the garden team cultivates the season's plants and flowers, then migrate to the "beach bar" before roaming the island at leisure. florogfjare.no

If endless daylight isn't novelty enough, try adding a round of golf in the wee hours of the morning into the mix. At Bodo Golfpark - in the northern Norwegian city of Bodo - the attitude is that, so long as there's sunlight, the greens are open for a game. That means, come summer, they welcome golfers 24 hours a day. But, even in broad daylight, this scenic course is a challenge. It's flanked by the ocean, mountains, and woodlands, so one mistake and your ball could be sailing off into the surf, landing in the marsh, or finding itself a new home in a pile of seaweed. bodogolfpark.com

Summer and lakeside picnics go hand in hand. Make it a glacial lakeside picnic - framed by verdant rocky mountains and the snowy spillover of Folgefonna Glacier - and you're in for something extraordinary.

It's a short hour's walk from the carpark to Hardanger's Bondhusvatnet Lake, the accessible gravel trail following alongside a pine forest and rushing river of glacial melt. Head out early to snag the picnic table by the jade-coloured lake, or follow the trail further around to find a more secluded spot.

It wouldn't be a trip to Norway without boating or hiking up one of the country's more dramatic fjords. There's Geirangerfjord, southeast of Lesund; Aurlandsfjord, inland of Bergen; and Lysefjord, just outside Stavanger. The latter is home to one of the country's more spectacular hikes, and summer is the prime time to tackle it. Preikestolen - or Pulpit Rock - is a 604 metres high rock plateau jutting out above the fjord, rewarding hikers who complete the eight-kilometre round trip with cinematic mountain and water views. Busses and guided tours leave Stavanger daily, or you can self-drive to the trailhead. gofjords.com

The elusive golden cloudberry (or multebaer) is perhaps one of Norway's most prized (and most expensive) foraged goods. Find yourself walking through a boggy mountainous area around August or September, and you might just stumble upon a patch from which to pick a small bounty. Balbaer - the deep purple blueberries in abundance across the country - and flavourful wild raspberries are much more readily found, lining hiking trails and even growing at bus stops from mid-July to August. Wild berries are free for anyone to pick, so long as there's no trespassing involved to get to them.

Make the most of a sunny day wandering through Oslo's Vigeland Sculpture Park and the wider Frognerparken. More than 200 of the late Gustav Vigeland's bronze, granite and cast iron sculptures are installed around the park, the most recognisable being the 17-metre-tall The Monolith, covered in hundreds of sculpted nude bodies.

Angry Boy (Sinnataggen) also has quite a reputation, but it isn't as conspicuous as the towering column, sitting among 57 other sculptures on the Vigeland bridge. After visiting the main attractions, head to the park's 15,000-strong rose collection or picnic on the grass.

With a leg span of up to 1.8 metres, the cold water-dwelling red king crab is no joke. It's difficult to grasp their true enormity until you hold one yourself, which is part and parcel of a king crab safari in Norway's most northern reaches. Over three hours, you'll head out onto a fjord just outside Kirkenes and watch as a guide pulls the heavy (and hopefully full) crab pots aboard the RIB boat. Whatever is in the pot becomes lunch, served hot with bread, mayonnaise and lemon in a rustic, waterside wooden shack. snowhotelkirkenes.com

Join an experienced SUP-boarding guide at Lustrafjord to spend a few hours exploring the innermost arm of Sognefjord, the world's deepest navigable fjord. Floating on the surface of an almost kilometre-deep body of water, as mountains that reach even higher tower above you, is a humbling experience.

It's not unusual for a pod of porpoises to cruise by as you paddle through the countryside or for a curious seal to pop its head out to say "hi". Keen adventurers can embark on an all-inclusive multi-day SUP expedition, navigating through different fjords and camping along the way. adventuretours.no; supnorway.com

The Norwegian countryside is riddled with summer waterfalls, making for impressive long-exposure holiday photos. But, seeing some of the country's many "fossefall" looks very different for thrill-seekers. Slide down and zipline across the cascades as you swim, climb and abseil through deep gorges on a half-day guided canyoning adventure in Valldal. The season runs from May to October, and all safety equipment and warm wetsuits are provided. uteguiden.com

Getting there: Qantas, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly to Oslo from all Australian capital cities daily (with one stopover).

Staying there: Spend a few nights at the famed Grand Hotel Oslo, about $500 a night, before adventuring further around the country. For an experience you'll never forget, journey to Odda, where you can stay in one of Woodnest's modern Scandinavian treehouses overlooking the fjord, from $500. grand.no; woodnest.no

Getting around: To enjoy more of the spectacular scenery, consider catching a train. The Bergen line - running between Oslo and Bergen - is known to be one of the most beautiful train journeys in the world, as is the Flam Railway, which connects Bergen with Flam. Alternatively, you can self-drive by hiring a car from any one of the major car-rental companies.

Explore more: visitnorway.com