Here are some of Norway’s best Christmas markets

One of the capital’s Christmas fairs lasts for well over a month. It takes place by the Spikersuppa skating rink on the main street, Karl Johans gate, a mere stone’s throw away from the Royal Palace. Due to the corona situation, this year’s edition of the Christmas market will be smaller than usual. There will not be sale stands, nor workshops or other activities. The popular Ferris wheel will most likely be operating, together with a few other rides and some food stalls.

At Hadeland Glassverk, you can easily combine Christmas gift shopping and pre-Christmas cosiness. Here, you’ll find ten shops, five restaurants, an art gallery, and Norway’s largest indoor Christmas market.

Blow your own Christmas ball, say hi to big and small elves, and join a sleigh ride through the Christmas-decorated glassworks village. This year the market also has an indoor ice rink in Gallery 2.

If you’re looking to get into the holiday spirit, there are few places on this earth more suitable than Røros, the town that inspired Disney’s megahit “Frozen”. With its old wooden houses, a multitude of crafts shops, and cosy cafes, Røros is the kind of place where it’s hard not to feel a touch of Christmas the first day the snow settles in the streets.

And then the real magic starts. Children with rosy cheeks and locally produced artisan wares like knitted gloves, glassware, cured sausages, smoked salmon, and woodwork line the streets during what could conceivably be named the mother of all Christmas fairs.

This is where you go for a horse-drawn sleigh ride underneath a sheepskin blanket, or to have close encounters with actual reindeer. For kids, the real adventure will probably be a visit to Santa.

One of Norway’s most popular Christmas markets is Norsk Folkemuseum’s annual Christmas fair, and understandably so. At the open-air museum in Oslo, visitors can buy Christmas gifts from more than a hundred stalls as they wander through a historical retelling of Christmases both decades and centuries past.

The whole museum is decorated in line with various customs and eras, allowing you to experience anything from Christmas Eve in a fancy merchant’s home in 1769 to the home of a rural Norwegian family in 1959.

At the Christmas market in Trondheim, you’ll come in close contact with farmers and craftspeople eager to tell the stories behind their wares, whether you’re showing interest in a ceramic bowl at the wooden stalls or some exotic jam in the tent that is home to the Farmer’s market.

Large lavvo tents serve as both café and indoor stage, featuring fireside troubadours, local food, and a theatre performance for children.

Lastly, at the Torvscenen stage, you’ll find a constant stream of talented artists and bands putting on concerts for the benefit of the Salvation Army’s charity work.

Northern Norway is about much more than the midnight sun – especially as the Christmas spirit is lurking around the corner. And few places in Norway convey the mood of this holiday like Henningsvær bathed in northern lights.

With tall mountains and deep fjords as a picturesque frame you can buy local glass crafts and ceramic (or make your own!), dive into regional delicacies such as the Lofot caviar and paté, or borrow a kicksled for cruising the wintry streets.

Experience a good, old-fashioned pre-Christmas celebration at Bærums Verk, with Christmas trees, horse and cart, Christmas music and performances.

Here, you can listen to Christmas stories at Verket 1814 and admire crafts in the old workers’ houses. Join a historical walk or a sculpture park tour and let the little ones take part in fun Christmas workshops. The last four Sundays before Christmas Eve, you can buy locally-sourced treats – for yourself or to put under the Christmas tree – at the Farmer’s Market.

From the end of November until Christmas Eve, there’s a large Christmas market at the public square in Kristiansand. The market is inspired by Christmas markets found in other European cities and consists of several charming stalls filled with everything from handicrafts to tasty Christmas treats.

Right next to the market you can test your skating skills at the big ice skating rink called “Kompis”.