Found it! Top places to go geocaching

Since thousands of Norwegians are active geocachers, it goes without saying that Norway has plenty of good caches to offer, whether you want to stay in the city or venture into the wild.

If you are a geocacher, you probably plan to find caches on your holiday – or maybe even plan your holiday around caching. Is there a better way to discover the nooks and crannies of a country? So gather your family or friends and start caching!

Geocaching in Norway's cities

The cache count is high in cities including Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger, Tromsø, and Kristiansand, where there are both easy finds and more creative locations. Four of Norway’s five oldest caches are hidden in Bergen and Oslo.

The beauty of a big city is that it offers so much more than just geocaching – museums, concerts, shops and parks, and an abundance of restaurants in all price ranges. Want to go for pizza with your mates or the children after a long day of caching? Check! Or do you and your spouse prefer gourmet food in a Michelin-starred restaurant? Check! No matter where you go, you’ll probably find a cache near your restaurant.

Get insider tips from locals on exciting weekend breaks in Norway’s biggest cities.

Along the coast

You want to see the fjords while you’re here, right? The UNESCO-listed fjords on the west coast have geocaches in all the famous and not-so-famous spots. Some are easy to reach by car, while others require a longer hike. For the latter, you’ll want to bring lunch – so why not try the area’s world-famous ciders and cheeses?

You can find caches of high quality all along the Norwegian coast. If you want to stay near the capital, the area around the Oslofjord is absolutely packed with caches both on the mainland and on many of the islands. From there, you can cache your way south to the summer island paradise of Southern Norway.

If you want to really explore the coastline of Norway, a hot tip is to board the coastal express Hurtigruten in Bergen and try to find a cache in all the 34 ports on your way to Kirkenes in Northern Norway.

By the Norwegian Scenic Routes

Take your time and go caching with a view. Along Norway’s 18 Scenic Routes, natural wonders combine with art, design, and architecture to bring you closer to nature in new and surprising ways. Unbeknownst to the creators, though, there are plenty of geocaches close to the roads. If it takes longer to find all your planned caches than you thought, you can stop somewhere and eat delicious local food, or even camp for the night or stay in a cabin, guest house, or venerable hotel.

On some roads you might have to wait in line for a ferry to cross the fjord. But fear not – a cache is almost certainly strategically placed to keep you from being bored during your break. And ferries are a good chance to leave your car for a while and experience the fjords up close.

Geocaching in Telemark

Geocaching in Grenland is one of the most enthusiastic geocaching groups in the country. Telemark, where the group resides, is therefore full of both quality caches and power trails.

Cache your way to the top of Mount Gaustatoppen, where you can see as much of one sixth of mainland Norway while enjoying a mandatory waffle. While you're in the area, don't miss the UNESCO-listed city of Rjukan. Go cycling along the Telemark canal (can be combined with a cruise through a series of 18 locks), or cache in Edvard Munch’s footsteps in Kragerø, which the renowned Scream artist called the “Jewel of the coastal towns”.

In Northern Norway

The beauty of this region, at least in summer, is that you can cache through the night in broad daylight. As a matter of fact, the midnight sun – and a chance to catch the northern lights in winter – mean that your stay will be unforgettable no matter the season.

Visit the famous Lofoten Islands or The North Cape, and explore some of the places with fewer people and more space on a whale safari in Vesterålen and by island hopping along the Helgeland coast. Get to know the fascinating Sami culture in Karasjok and Kautokeino.

In the mountains

If you hike in the mountains all over the country, you will be rewarded with caches (not to mention lovely nature). You don’t even have to reach the top, although there is usually a cache there as well.

Bear in mind that the weather can change quickly – always bring extra clothes, food, and water, and make sure that you stay safe. Go with a guide or join an organised trip if you’re not an experienced mountain hiker.