But Norway’s appeal is not reserved solely for the blue-rinse cruise ship crowd. Its scenery and laid-back lifestyle make it ideal for de-stressing from a busy workload, even if you decide to tour the country.

I kicked off mine in Bergen, gateway to the fjords and Norway’s second city (despite having only 220,000 people). It’s a wonderful starting point for acclimatizing to the fjord’s stillness and sheer beauty.

There’s the fish market’s daily city bustle at the pretty harbor, just across from Bryggen, the historic heart of Bergen. But for a more exhilarating city experience, take the Floibanen funicular, and within minutes you’ll be climbing high above the city to the panoramic views of Mount Floyen. You just can’t help but breathe deeply and feel very pleased you came.

Back in Bergen, I was envying the locals with their cute wooden houses, cobbled streets and blooming spring flowers when the express ferry blew its horn. It was time to move to the first stop on my tour: the village of Balestrand.
The three-and-a-half hour sail through the outer coastal islands and the Sogne Fjord gives you time to gaze at the eerily quiet view and the mirror-calm water. Balestrand is popular with artists, thanks to the soft, clear light.

I took a late-night stroll from the historic Kvikne’s Hotel along rural paths, gazed at the sky where the sun still loitered and paused to watch some brave souls plunging into the bracing fjord. This is also a good place for viewing the Northern Lights, though tiredness, too much fresh air and the hotel’s excellent buffet got the better of me, and bed seemed more enticing.

Another day, another spectacular scenery experience. This time, I boarded a smaller ferry for the hour’s journey to the village of Fjaerland, home to the Norway Glacier Museum and the colossal Jostedal glacier. It’s tempting to make a beeline for the glacier, but visit the museum first because it answers some basic questions that may arise when you get to the Jostedal (Why is the ice blue? How were the fjords formed?). Its hands-on approach means you can conduct your own glacial ice experiments and play with lots of interactive exhibits—great fun.

The trip to the glacier was the highlight. I scrambled about on the ice, slipping excitedly like a child seeing snow for the first time, but I pulled myself together in time to nod intelligently while the guide explained the science bit.

A short pit stop at the Fjaerland hamlet of Sogn was next. It’s known for its numerous wooden shacks selling all manner of secondhand books, but there are only so many antiquarian tomes you can leaf through in a day. Perhaps I should have visited in June when the book fair festivities continue into the midsummer nights.

From Sogn, I headed via Express Boat to Flam to catch the mountain railway to Myrdal. The steep, hour-long climb provides yet more mountain views, but my favorite moment was when the train stopped among the snowy mountains. A mermaid emerged from a waterfall in the distance, combed her locks and sang. You’re not supposed to laugh, but it seemed so hilariously whimsical that this cynical Londoner couldn’t help it.

After Myrdal, train and bus took me to Ulvik, an absurdly cute village in the Hardanger Fjord. I intended to flop on my bed at the Hotel Brakanes, but the view stopped me—a glorious postcard vision of snowy mountains, dead-calm water and blue, blue sky.

It would have been a crime to sleep, so I went for a stroll, inhaling the scent of the blooming fruit trees and keeping an eye out for elk and deer in the distant forest. In the early evening, I headed to Oydbin Farm in Osa (tel. 56 52 64 66), which cooks homegrown dinners for tourists for around $43. It had the warm, cozy feel of Sunday lunch at your grandma’s, with lamb and mint jelly and apple pie laid out on a gingham tablecloth. Our hostess chatted about farm life, while waving to her husband working on a tractor, and I stared out the window at the sun’s orange glow hovering over the fields. I hope the cruise ship crowd doesn’t get to hear about this place.

Kvikne’s Hotel, Balholm, N-6898, Balestrand, Norway, tel. 4757 6942 00, fax 4757 6942 01, http://www.kviknes.no. Rates from $72. Hotel Brakanes, P.O. Box 100 N-5730, Ulvik, Norway, tel. 4756 5261 05, fax 4756 5264 10, rica.brakanes.hotel@rica.no. Rates from $160