Everyone who visits Oslo will tell you it’s a really clean city, bright and lively, friendly and easy to get around. They’re right. Norway’s capital is all that and much, much more. It’s historically cultured and very contemporary. You’ll find over 50 museums here, it’s the city of Munch and the opera house rivals Sydney for grand design. New art’s actively supported, live music is as normal as eating and very little is off limits to kids: the next generation of musicians, writers, artists and innovators in the making as far as Oslo’s concerned. Part of the reason the city feels so fresh is hundreds and hundreds of square kilometres of forest as a backdrop and Oslofjord’s sparkling waters to the fore. Add in hectares of parkland, gardens and even a scattering of city beaches and it’s hardly surprising ‘fresh’ is the description of choice and ‘green’ goes without saying.

• From great value, high quality hostels to Nordic brands like Scandic, spacious self-catering apartments, heritage hotels and design originals, Oslo has family accommodation across a wide budget range.
• Don’t miss: the Vigeland Sculpture Park, Holmekollen Ski Jump, a walk on the roof of the Opera House, free Museum Thursday, paddle-steamer fjord cruises, Oslomarka Forest and the Rådhusplasen Christmas Market.
• In Oslo you can see Edvard Munch’s ‘The Scream’ in the National Gallery and then climb up to Ekebergskrenten and see where it was first imagined – years before it was painted.
• Oslo is Norway’s main transport hub and has air, road and rail links to almost everywhere else in the country.

Bergen is famous for so much, it’s hard to know where to begin. Norway’s second largest city is gatekeeper to the breathtaking Western Fjords, a medieval Hanseatic port, can trace its origins back almost 1000 years and mixes Viking history with a young, easy going atmosphere. An ideal base for a family adventure holiday, Bergen is surrounded by soaring mountains, trimmed with spectacular seas and thrilling in every direction.

• Bergen excels at family hostels and campsites, amazing fjord-view hotels and pretty, traditional self-catering cottages.
• Lively Bergen is all city fun but close to skiing in winter; part of The Atlantic Road and the Trollstigen tourist route; in the thick of the dramatic Western Fjords and not far from Flåm for one of the world’s greatest rail journeys .
• Bergen’s historic Bryggen Wharf is enchanting to explore and one of the city’s thriving art districts.
• Don’t miss: the world’s tallest wooden house, the Hanseatic Wharf, Bergen Fish Market, fjord cruises, cycling in Rallarvegen, Bergen Aquarium, the Fløibanen Funicular and Bergen City Museum.

City for cyclists, explorers and young historians, Trondheim is Norway’s third largest and surrounded by fjords, mountains, rivers, national parks and ancient pilgrim walking routes. Bikes are the preferred mode of transport here, the atmosphere’s young and energetic and it’s a foodie capital, home to the country’s best Farmer’s Market, museum-rich and packed with incredible only-in-Norway experiences for kids.

• Trondheim has a wide variety of family-friendly hotels in the city centre. This is also a good area for lodges, cabins and camping in nature reserves and national parks.
• Don’t miss: Bakklandet Old Town, the Archbishop’s Palace, Trondheim Museum of Art, the Lade Trail round the Lade Peninsula, Sverresborg Trøndelag Folk Museum and Rockheim – Norway’s National Museum of Pop Music.
• Catch the Gråkallbanen (the world’s northernmost tram) for the short journey to 80km² Bymarka: amazing for walking and hiking in summer and even better for family skiing during winter.
• Trondheim’s also close to Vassfjellet Alpine sports centre for an excellent Snow Park and range of downhill runs.