Southern Norway

Southern Norway is the home of the Norwegian summer and is known for a rocky coastline and small villages with white wooden houses.
The largest city in Southern Norway is Kristiansand. Outside of Kristiansand you will find the idyllic islands of Flekkerøy, Oksøy and Grønningen. These islands teem with life in summertime. Other main cities are Mandal, Arendal and Skien.

The rocky coast with skerries and islands are where many Norwegians have their summer cabins. The inland offers agricultural areas with old farms and mountain regions around Gaustatoppen and Rjukan.

Cities and Areas
With their white-painted houses nestled between flowering gardens and sun-bleached rocks, the little white southern towns of Lillesand, Tvedestrand, Risør, Brekkestø, Gamle- and Ny Hellesund are like pearls strung together on a necklace. And then there is Lyngør, which has been designated Europe's best-preserved village.

The Telemark Canal from Skien to Dalen and offers a changing landscape from the open coast, trough forests to the mountains.

From Stave churches and trolls to Henrik lbsen and Edvard Munch. The Telemark Canal is the only watercourse in Europe to receive EUROPA NOSTRA´S highest award. The Canal was awarded the medal in 1994 for restoration and preservation. The Europeans have given the Canal their seal of approval and deemed it worth a visit. Dalen is the terminus for traffic on the Telemark Canal.

Kristiansand Kristiansand is the administrative, business and cultural capital of Southern Norway. Nicknamed "the coolest Riviera" by the media, it is a modern city with a cosmopolitan history. Towns and villages in the region are relatively small and have easy access to nature. The region is known to be child-friendly, clean and safe. Scenic landscape and fresh air abounds.