Norway's Top 10 Cities

Millions of people voted in TripAdvisor's "Travellers Choice Awards" for 2014, and these are the 10 most popular cities in Norway. Planning on visiting any of them?

10. Stavanger

Sjokoladepiken Cafe in Ovre Holmegate, Stavanger / Via visitnorway.com

Stavanger is Norway's fourth largest city, and with a history stretching back deep into the Middle Ages it is still a destination that mixes old and new in a myriad of ways. This street, filled with adorable cafes, prides itself on being 'the most colorful street in Norway'.

9. Bodø

Andrea Giubelli/Visitnorway / Via visitnorway.com

This northern city might surprise visitors with its nightlife and closeness to outdoor adventures. Bodø, a port for the Hurtigruten ships, is situated well north of the Arctic Circle, and is also near the world's strongest maelstrom - which you can experience up close from a rib boat.

8. Lillehammer

Cross-country skiing at Sjusjoen, Lillehammer / Via visitnorway.com

Most famous for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympic Games, Lillehammer is still one of Norway's most popular skiing destinations.

7. Ålesund

Per Eide / Via visitnorway.com

After a fire in 1904 destroyed much of the city, Ålesund was rebuilt in Art Nouveau style. Today both the city's surroundings - and the popular Sunnmøre Alps - and its architecture are major attractions for visitors.

6. Trondheim

Nidaros cathedral/Sven-Erik Knoff / Via FotoKnoff.no

Trondheim has been dubbed Norway's Silicon Valley, as it's home to the country's major technical university. But, probably most famous for its incredible 11th century cathedral, Nidarosdomen, built over the burial site of Saint Olaf, Norway's Viking King.

5. Longyearbyen

Jens Henrik Nybo / Via visitnorway.com

Well, maybe not be your ideal swim destination, but it is the perfect destination for experiencing the magnificent desolation and fragile nature of the far north, Longyearbyen is the largest settlement in the Svalbard Islands.

4. Bergen

Sónia Arrepia Photography / Via visitnorway.com

Known as "the gateway to the fjords", Bergen is also a vibrant and historic city destination in its own right. No wonder the creators behind Disney's Frozen came here to find inspiration for the film!

3. Kirkenes

Terje Rakke/Nordic Life / Via visitnorway.com

In Norway's northernmost county, Finnmark, Kirkenes is the place to look for the midnight sun in the summer or the northern lights in the winter. A night in the Snow Hotel will surely provide some serious bragging rights. And be sure to order a northern lights wake up call before you go to sleep.

2. Tromsø

Tromsø, with its Arctic Cathedral, by Gaute Bruvik / Via visitnorway.com

Tromsø is also known as "the Paris of the north" and made it to the top of the list for good reasons; the famous northern lights and the midnight sun attract visitors from all over the world. And, there are plenty of adventures to choose from; dog sledding, midnight sun safaris, hiking and more. Top it all off with a stay in a traditional 'Rorbu' or fishermen's cabin, and you may never want to leave.

1. Oslo

Norway's Constitution Day Parade, May 17th - by Asgeir Helgestad/Artic Light AS / Via visitnorway.com

Ta da!

Norway's capital - and largest city - is a thousand years old, and has plenty of experiences to offer, from Michelin-starred restaurants and urban art, theatre and opera to hiking, biking and skiing in the forests of the city's outskirts. As trendy as it is traditional, Oslo has something for everyone.