"You’d be forgiven for mistaking this bold design hotel inTjuvholmen for one of the neighborhood’s many art galleries. Billionaire owner Petter Stordalen is a sponsor of the Renzo Piano–designed Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, which allows him to borrow worksby the likes of Andy Warhol, Cindy Sherman, and Jeff Koons from its collection to exhibit in the hotel. (Your room key grants you free admission to the museum). In addition, the former director of Norway’s National Museum of Art curated original pieces from international and local artists for all 118 of the hotel’s private spaces. The rooms—which have floor-to-ceiling windows, many overlooking Oslo Fjord—blend neutral blues and grays with sexy gold accents; amenities include interactive TVs showing “art on demand,” Norwegian wool slippers, and woolen blankets for wrapping up on the balcony. The Thief’s commitment to creative expression also extends to the soundtrack: Twice a month, the hotel enlists Scandinavian musicians to perform acoustic sets in its lounge or, during the summer, the rooftop bar."

"Astrup Fearnley Museum, Oslo The once seedy Tjuvholmen, or “Thief Island,” is the city’s newest arts district. Its showpiece is the Astrup Fearnley Museum, which reopened last September in an elegant, sail-shaped complex designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano. The open floor plan offers a relaxing environment in which to take in contemporary artwork in galleries featuring both permanent and visiting exhibits. The museum lends contemporary works to the neighboring hotel, the Thief, where guests can view video art on in-room TVs while warming their toes in Norwegian wool slippers. This appeared in the August/September 2013 issue. Image courtesy of Astrup Fearnley Museeet/Nic Lehoux"

"Winter Sports close to City Center Not the biggest ski resort in Norway (a country where skiing is as much a national obsession as hockey is in Canada ), the Oslo Winter Park nonetheless wins points hands down for being one of the few ski resorts in the world just a few minutes outside of a major urban center. Just 20 minutes from downtown Oslo, the park offers several ski lifts, snow cannons for an extended ski season lasting from Early December to Mid-April, and floodlights for night skiing. Folks in Oslo sometimes skip out of their offices for lunch, head here for a few hours of skiing and get back to town before the sun goes down, no mean feat in a city with notoriously short winter days."

"A Charming Nordic Town The few episodes of the Netflix show Lilyhammer didn't prepare me for my visit to the actual town of Lillehammer itself. With its bricked pedestrian mall filled with boutiques and other high-end shops, the town seemed more like a nordic Boulder, Colorado , outpost than something toward which a mafia wise guy acclimated to a New York state of mind would gravitate. But that's television for you. Though my time in town was brief, I could see the charm of the town that hosted the 1994 Winter Olympics. Strolling the hilly residential area above the main drag on a dark midwinter evening, I came across dozens of locals commuting with ski-poles and mountain bikes tricked out with studded ice tires, seemingly unperturbed by the layer of ice on the town's every horizontal surface. On the main drag, I visited pastry shops and sipped steaming coffee next to a small creek. I dallied too long to make it to either the Norwegian Olympic Museum or the Lillehammer Art Museum, but there'll always be another trip."

"Skiing, Biking, and More Two and a half hours by car north of Oslo and a quick trip from the picturesque village of Lillehammer, the Hafjell Resort is considered among Norway 's top three ski resorts. The park has seven ski lifts and slopes ranging from child friendly to challenging to nigh-suicidal. In the summer, the park shifts gears from skis and snowboards to off-road cycling, offering some of the most challenging single-track trails in the area."

"Fishing, Wilderness & Maelstroms, Oh My! Bodø is known as a prime fishing destination due to the town's proximity to Saltstraumen, the world's strongest maelstrom which brings millions of gallons of ocean water rushing through a narrow sound, water carrying with it a plethora of North Atlantic fish. For this reason, the town is a prime destination for fisherman of both the sport and career variety. Outside of town the area has Cross-country skiing, Alpine skiing catering to all levels, and backwoods skiing as well. Though not as far North as Tromsø, Bodø is also an excellent spot to catch the Northern Lights. For a full list of accommodations and attractions, check out the Visit Norway site for the town. http://www.visitnorway.com/us/where-to-go-us/northern-norway/bodo/what-to-do/winter/"

"Spend the Night in Tromsø But bring a change of underwear (or two), as "the night" in Tromsø lasts from November 21 until January 21, with the short dawn bringing stunning light conditions. Despite the dark, the town is alive with festivals and cultural events, with an even livelier nightlife than during the rest of the year. After the sun returns, you'll have a few hours of daylight to enjoy downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, and snowboarding. A high latitude means there'll be snow until May. Tromsø is also considered the best place on the planet to view the northern lights, which tend to come between 6 pm and 1 am from November to March."

"Chasing the Auroras Borealis in Northern Norway If you are in Tromsø and want to see the Northern Lights outside the city, away from the light pollution, choose Arctic Guide Service. For about an hour, they drive towards dark places while they give information about Tromsø, explanations about Northern Lights and also the best way to prepare your camera for the show. They took us to three awesome spots: a beach, a frozen lake and a fjord. At the fjord we could even hear the whales and see their blow. Of course, they can't promise you the Auroras, but if they appear, just enjoy them because the guides also take pictures which are included in the price."