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Norfolk (Virginia)

Norfolk is in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia. It is a port city with a large Navy and shipping presence. But it is also known as a major cultural center, with world-class museums, opera, symphony, ballet and a vibrant arts community. The downtown area has experienced a major resurgence, with gourmet restaurants, shopping and attractions. Norfolk is one of the top cruise ports in the country.

Understand
Norfolk has always been a Navy town, home to the world's largest naval base.

Town Point Park is a waterfront park area right downtown that hosts several festivals and events throughout the year.

Granby Street is the main downtown thoroughfare, lined with restaurants and bars.

Ghent is a historic district adjacent to downtown. Filled with historic homes, tree-lined streets and beautiful old churches, it is a good mix of residential and business. Colley Avenue and 21st Street are the main shopping and dining areas, with dozens of locally-owned boutiques, shops, antique stores, restaurants and bars. The Naro theater on Colley Avenue is the region's sole movie theater with indie flicks.

Ocean View is Norfolk's beach community, and features relatively uncrowded beaches on the Chesapeake Bay. During the 1950s and 1960s, Ocean View was in its prime and was a major beach destination for families and sailors. During the following decades, the beach community fell into a bit of a slump, succumbing to crime. The city has been turning things around and now Ocean View is on its way to becoming one of the region's most sought-after neighborhoods.

Neighboring cities are Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Portsmouth.

Tourist information

 * Visit Norfolk website

By plane

 * Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport is another option which may save you money. It is about 20 minutes north of the city in Newport News, Virginia.
 * Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport is another option which may save you money. It is about 20 minutes north of the city in Newport News, Virginia.

By car
Hampton Roads is only second in the state to the suburbs of Washington, D.C. for horrendous traffic, especially during the summer season when many tourists throughout the United States and Canada flock to the beaches of Virginia Beach and the Outer Banks in North Carolina. Be aware of the alternative of I-664/Monitor-Merrimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel instead of the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, where back ups of more than 40-50 minutes usually occur, long before rush hour even begins.

Route 460 is an alternative to the heavily used I-64 route. 460 extends from Petersburg, VA (just south of Richmond, VA) to Chesapeake (a suburb city to the Hampton Roads area) and you can easily connect from 460 onto the major beltway at the I-664 and I-64 interchange.

Interstate 64 will bring you to Norfolk from points west.

By train
Amtrak runs one daily passenger train into the via the Northeast Regional route. An alternative way into Norfolk is another spur of the Northeast Regional route which terminates at Newport News. Amtrak runs Thruway buses from the Newport News train station to Norfolk and Virginia Beach.

By bus
Greyhound runs many buses through Norfolk daily. The is in downtown Norfolk.

In addition, there are Chinatown buses that run through Norfolk. These buses come from New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., and other locations in the Northeastern USA.

By boat
Norfolk is accessible by private boats via the Intracoastal Waterway, from the Elizabeth River and the Chesapeake Bay. Overnight docking is available at in downtown Norfolk.

By bus
Hampton Roads Transit (HRT) operates the bus service in Norfolk. There are many routes in Norfolk, and the service can get you to almost any spot in Norfolk. Most buses run seven days a week early morning to late evening, and are relatively reliable. The fare is $2.00 for a single trip. $4.50 will get you an all-day pass which is usable on most buses, the ferry, and Tide Light Rail. Certain express buses cost more ($4.00 single, $2.00 supplement on a regular all-day pass, $7.50 for an all-day express pass). Bus drivers do not carry cash, so be sure to bring the exact fare for each rider.

By boat
Hampton Roads Transit runs a passenger ferry from Portsmouth. Service is seven days a week and runs every half hour with more frequent service during rush hours. The fare is $2.00 one way, and $4.50 for an all-day pass. The ferry's crew does not carry cash, so be sure to bring the exact fare for each rider.

There is also a privately run boat taxi that will take you around the Norfolk and Portsmouth waterfronts. The fare is 7 dollars per person. Call 757-439-8294 and the captain will pick you up anywhere on the waterfront.

By light rail
The Tide Light Rail, a light rail line, extends from the Newtown area at the Norfolk/Virginia Beach border to Downtown Norfolk and Sentara Hospital by the Midtown Tunnel. The Tide runs seven days a week every half hour with service increasing to every ten minutes during rush hours. The Tide is air-conditioned and has free WiFi access.

The fare is $2.00 one way, and $4.50 for an all-day pass which is usable on the Tide, the ferry and HRT buses. All-day passes, multiple-day passes, single ride and multiple ride tickets are sold at vending machines, which are located at every station. The ticket vending machines accept cash, debit cards and credit cards. The light rail is operated on the honor system, meaning that there is no one to check your ticket before you get on the Tide. However, the trains are monitored by uniformed police officers who will check for tickets. Riding the light rail without a valid ticket can cost you a $250 fine.

By car
If you must drive around the city, a good map and/or a local with knowledge of the roads is an absolute necessity. Stay on interstates for as long as possible, for once you leave, any signage is the responsibility of the city, not VDOT, and it shows. If your directions tell you to follow US 58, US 460 or state route 337 through the city, be prepared for a nerve-wracking drive. Directional signage (i.e., US 460 east, turn left) is virtually non-existent, and what signage does exist is more often than not inadequate or even incorrect. If there is a difference between signage and a map, the map is correct. Routes can and do change direction and shoot off onto side streets at a moment's notice, often without any signage advising travelers as to which road to follow. It is much easier than you might think to miss a turn and end up in a dangerous area.

Do

 * Go on a 2 hour cruise around the Norfolk Naval Base. A guide will give a little bit of area history and describe some of the ships as you cruise past.
 * Watch a Triple-A baseball game between Norfolk Tides and another minor league team at the
 * Watch a concert, ice hockey game or performance at
 * Watch a concert, live music and other performance at
 * Watch a concert, live music and other performance at

Learn
Norfolk has three public and one private universities, plus a community college:

Buy
There are several main shopping areas in Norfolk.

Downtown, the (300 Monticello Ave.) is a large, 3-story shopping mall and has a variety of great shops, like Bath & Body Works, H&M, Hot Topic, Sephora, Vans, a large food court, and a Regal movie theater complex. The mall is anchored by Dillard's. There are a few shops and art galleries on Granby Street, but not many. Also downtown is the D'Art Center, which features a large selection of local art. Waterside used to be a popular shopping area, but in the late 2010s it went under a redevelopment, and is now mostly restaurants and bars.

is a popular shopping area for locally-owned boutiques and antique stores. 21st Street and Colley Avenue are the main thoroughfares, but there are plenty of unique stores on the surrounding streets. The Palace Shoppes on 21st Street and Debree Avenue have some great little stores, including a chic women's clothing store, NYFO. Colley Avenue is a pedestrian-friendly shopping and restaurant district where you can find boutiques such as Le Marche and Maison Soleil. There are also quite a few antique stores around Ghent and throughout Norfolk.

The signature symbol of Norfolk is the mermaid, and there are several stores that sell unique mermaid sculptures, pins, and jewelry.

Drink
Three sections of Norfolk have concentrations of bars and nightclubs: Ghent, Granby Street, and the Waterside Festival Marketplace. Ghent is the most laid-back, Granby Street is a trendy place for dates, and the Waterside is the wild place for the kids. Just follow the noise.

Sleep
Norfolk's good hotels are clustered downtown and near the airport.

Stay safe
Crime levels have lowered since the 1990s, but is still higher than the national average. Use caution at night, especially alone, as there's been a recent spike in violence in the Granby Street area at night. Make sure to lock your car doors, as car theft is not uncommon.

As the city is close to sea level, intense rain or high winds often can cause localized flooding on roads especially near the downtown area.

Connect
Free WiFi is available from 6AM to 8PM at MacArthur Square in downtown. offers free WiFi access inside the mall. The Tide light rail offers free WiFi on board.

Newspapers

 * The Virginian-Pilot is Norfolk's daily newspaper. The Friday edition includes Pulse, a section which has an extensive listing of festivals, concerts, and other activities in the Norfolk area.
 * The New Journal & Guide is a weekly newspaper serving the Black community in Norfolk.

Consulates

 * 🇮🇹 Italy
 * 🇳🇴 Norway
 * 🇸🇪 Sweden

Go next

 * Virginia Beach
 * Take the ferry to Portsmouth
 * Take a cruise from Norfolk to Bermuda or the Caribbean. Ships depart from the downtown waterfront.

title: Norfolk (Virginia)


text:
Norfolk Island

Norfolk Island is an island in Melanesia, administered by Australia. It is 1,600 km (1,000 mi) east of Sydney and Brisbane and 1,000 km (620 mi) northwest of Auckland. It's a great destination for relaxation, with a range of accommodation and dining, beautiful vistas, complex history and tropical reefs. It also holds a deep convict history, with the convict sites part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Tourist information

 * Norfolk Island Council tourism website

Towns
There are two settlements on the island:

 * — the historic settlement, convict ruins, beaches and the territorial capital.
 * — the commercial centre. Shopping and dining.

Although the distance between Burnt Pine and Kingston may look walkable on the map, it is a steep road with no footpath or lighting. A car is recommended.

There are other small settlements on the island, and residences and attractions are distributed throughout.

History
The first known settlers in Norfolk Island were East Polynesians, but it seems that they had already departed before Captain Cook found the island. He named it after Lady Norfolk during his second voyage around the world and observed the presence of the tall Norfolk pine (Araucaria heterophylla), which he thought would be suitable for ship's masts, and patches of flax, that were presumed to be useful for sails. They weren't.

The first European settlement was established by the British in 1788, a few months after the founded their first settlement in New South Wales. Some of the most capable men and women were sent from Sydney to the island, to exploit what Cook had observed. It was also hoped they could provide a source of food and other supplies to the struggling settlers in Sydney town. None of these hopes were realised; instead, the colonists on Norfolk Island struggled to feed themselves. When the island was evacuated, nearly all man-made structures were destroyed.

The second settlement was from 1825 to 1855. This time, the settlement had a purely punitive function. Whereas the first settlement was made up of free settlers, convicts and military, men and women, the second settlement was all male, and all convicts and military. Many of the military left their wives and children in Sydney while they served their time on Norfolk. Over 2,000 convicts were housed on the island, more than the total present-day population. Substantial structures were built. Eventually the cost of running the colony was no longer justified, the convicts were all transferred to Van Diemens Land, and the colony was evacuated.

The third settlement in 1856 was by former inhabitants of Pitcairn Island. The Pitcairn Islanders were descendants of the Bounty mutineers (Christian, Young, McCoy, Adams, Quintal) and the later Pitcairners (Buffett, Evans and Nobbs). Pitcairn Island was unable to support 200 inhabitants, and Queen Victoria offered them land grants on Norfolk Island with the convicts departing. The administrators of the island from the second settlement stayed long enough to show the Pitcairners how they ran the island, before they left Norfolk. Later influences from the 20th century were from American sealers, and migration from Australians and New Zealanders. Mutiny_on_the_Bounty Although Norfolk Island had been a self-governing territory of Australia for much of its history, in 2016, the Australian government decided to reduce the island's autonomy. Today, it's somewhat like Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands but instead of WA law applying to the island, NSW law applies. Since January 1, 2022, Queensland has been providing state health and educational services to the island. The decision was and remains controversial, and many islanders have been protesting ever since.

Many of the things to see and do in Norfolk Island relate to the three historic settlements or the current settlement of the mutineers and their descendants.

Demographics
About a third of the population consist of descendants of the Pitcairn Islanders, with the remaining residents mainly split between people from Australia and New Zealand. The permanent population of the island is about 2,188 (2021). Most residents have spent some time off-island.

Tourism and hospitality is the island's largest industry, comprising around 70% of local businesses. While there are tour groups and programs which are tailored for visitors, you'll also find many locals offering something to tourists like a mural, tour or day trip. You'll find something even it's a farm, the mall, or the island's gym! Agriculture makes up around 6% of the economy, but allows for the island to be largely self-sufficient with fresh foods, meats, and dairy.

Climate
The sub-tropical maritime climate is quite mild. There is no air-conditioning on the island, and very little heating. Temperature ranges are small, with days averaging around 24 °C in summer, and 19 °C in winter. Weather on the island is notoriously unpredictable, so don't be surprised to be caught in short downpours every now and then.

Time zone
Norfolk Island is in a different time zone from the rest of the eastern states, following UTC+11 (NFT), and does not follow daylight savings. This is the same time zone as Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT).

Talk
The main official language of Norfolk Island is English, and all the islanders speak it. However, among themselves they often use Norfuk (Norf'k), a language derived from the English spoken by the Bounty Mutineers and the Tahitian spoken by their wives. Norf'k is not readily comprehensible by speakers of any variety of English, including Australian English — though it's similar to (and, in fact, sometimes considered to be the same language as) Pitkern, spoken on the Pitcairn Islands by fellow descendants of the Bounty Mutineers.

There are books to purchase on the local Norf'k language. Most are for readers with only a casual interest, but if you are interested in scholarship on the language, Speak Norfolk Today by Alice Inez Buffett is the best source. There are audio CDs of songs written in Norf'k.

Visa and immigration control
Norfolk Island is part of Australia, so you must meet the visa requirements for Australia to visit. Travel between mainland Australia and Norfolk Island is domestic travel, but flights leave from the international terminals in Sydney and Brisbane.

Because you'll be traveling through the international terminal, be sure to factor in extra time to pass through immigration and customs, and you must have a passport or other photo identification. You can't use the automatic gates and you must queue to see a person. If you have a passport, it's probably easiest to take it with you. If you don't, then make sure you have suitable government-issued photo identification.

You are entitled to duty-free goods in line with your normal Australia allowances. Typically, duty-free liquor is cheaper on Norfolk than in Sydney or Brisbane. If you want to take advantage of duty-free allowances, you will need a passport.

There are quarantine restrictions on the movement of many items of food, including meat and fresh fruit, between the island and the mainland. You must declare all food products, plant material (including wooden articles) and animal products you bring. You can bring commercially sealed packaged foods, but you cannot bring fresh fruit, vegetables, plants, seeds, or meats without a commercial permit (which tourists are unlikely to obtain). Details on commercial permits and what's allowed can be found on the Australian Government Department of Agriculture site, and on the Norfolk Island Tourism FAQ page. The restrictions are not the same in both directions.

By plane

Qantas operate direct flights from Brisbane every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and direct flights from Sydney once a week. All flights from $300 one-way. (Nov 2021) Air Chathams offer flights to Norfolk Island every Wednesday from Auckland from NZ$570 one way, 2 hr 20 min (Aug 2021).

By boat
3 or 4 cruise ships per year call at Norfolk Island. The local shipping agent, Transam Argosy lists details of cruise ships calling at Norfolk Island on their local website and in local newspapers; also Norfolk Online News has the schedule. All passengers are tendered ashore, weather permitting. If you are tendered into Kingston, and only have a few hours on the island, you shouldn't be in a rush to get to Burnt Pine — unless you are desperate for a good cappuccino. Kingston is the unique and picturesque part of the island. Spend your time walking along the coast to Emily Bay and the cemetery. Call into the Golf Club, and give the queues for the shuttle bus a miss.

There is no regular passenger service to Norfolk Island by sea, but there is a regular freighter service, which you might be able to travel with.

By car
There is no public transport system on Norfolk Island. The hilly terrain and distance between attractions make getting around on foot impractical for most visitors. Independent travellers tend to rent a car. There are a variety of tours available daily.

It costs about $70 a day to rent a car and $20 a day for a scooter. It is usual when booking accommodation or a package that a rental car can be included in the tariff. Basic insurance is sometimes included, but excess reduction, petrol and additional drivers can be extra. You can pick up a car from the tourist information for a single day for $90 with insurance and petrol all included - if you just feel like a day-trip around the island.

Driving is on the left, with a speed limit outside Burnt Pine of 50 km/h and inside Burnt Pine of 40 km/h (30 km/h in the school zone). When driving outside of the town, remember that cows and other animals have right of way. Also remember to watch out for the "Norfolk Wave", a wave (ranging from a raised index finger off the steering wheel through to an enthusiastic movement of the arm) used by all locals to greet all passing traffic and pedestrians.

Like everything on the island, planning ahead is a good idea. If they aren't expecting any business you can find the rental car places reducing their already short trading hours. If you are collecting a rental car from the airport, most operators will meet you at the airport unless otherwise instructed. When exiting the airport arrivals hall, turn left and head towards the carpark where information staff will direct you to the rental car operators.

By taxi
There is a taxi/ride-hailing service operating on the island.

By bicycle
You can also hire bicycles, but you'd want to like hill-climbing.

History and Kingston ruins
The are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. You can wander through many of the ruins at your leisure. They mostly date from the second settlement, and many have plaques that describe their function and history. The two jails, the hospital, and the salt house are just some of the structures that you are free to explore. Some of the buildings house museums that charge admission.

The other part of Kingston is the houses of Quality Row. These were built for use by the military officers of the penal settlement, and were then used as residences by the Pitcairn settlers after the closure of the penal settlement. Most of these old houses are restored to some degree, with one even functioning as a church with regular worship services.

Museums
There are four museums in Kingston. You can buy a combined pass to all four for $35. They are all open M-Sa from 11AM until 3PM with the exception of the Pier Store that's also open Sundays. On weekdays and Saturdays at 9:30AM you can join a tag-along guide, who will show you through two of the four museums. Alternating by day. Meet at the REO.

Viewpoints
Norfolk is a beautiful island, and some of the vistas are simply breathtaking. Take some time to explore the island's bays and headlands, and don't forget your camera.

Modern sites

Do

Bushwalking (hiking)

 * The National Park has a number of walks and gardens to check out, including:

Public holidays & events
All public holidays from New South Wales are celebrated here as well, including Anzac Day, Queen's Birthday and Christmas. However, three extra public holidays are celebrated here as well.

Buy
Norfolk Island only uses the Australian dollar. You'll have great difficulty using other currency on the island. The banks will convert currency during business hours. There is a single ATM on the island at the Commonwealth Bank in Burnt Pine. Given this level of redundancy, you shouldn't let your cash supply dwindle too far. Almost all shops and restaurants on the island accept credit cards, but you'll find an occasional one that is cash only.

The main street of Burnt Pine is lined on both sides with shops selling local arts and crafts, shoes and clothes, toys and books. There are some bargains to be had, especially on shoes.

A number of shops are described as "department stores", which can seem rather quaint to visitors from big cities, as these shops are often no larger than the others. The difference lies in the slightly wider range of merchandise available. One of the true delights of shopping on Norfolk Island is that in many shops you simply have no idea what will be for sale.

Local specialties
Locally produced items are for sale on Norfolk Island, homemade preserves being a particular specialty. Other local specialties include novelty soaps, homemade make-up and quality artwork. There is also a wide range of fictional and non-fictional books on Norfolk and the South Pacific in general available at most shops. The island's bookshop is The Golden Orb (see Eat), which contains a section devoted to Norfolk and South Pacific literature.

The ubiquitous Norfolk Island pine is turned into woodwork items, and also into key rings, magnets and other trinkets. Norfolk pine products are normally quite safe to import to Australia or New Zealand, but always make it known to the seller where you're intending to take the product you've just bought, since it never hurts to be sure.

Many specialty shops have limited opening hours. Most of these shops don't open until 10 or 11AM and start closing around 3PM. Many are closed Saturday afternoons and Sunday.

Supplies
Burnt Pine also has all of Norfolk's service industries. Three fuel stations, a few mini-markets and a supermarket. Supplies can occasionally run low of certain items until the next ships arrives to restock.

Eat
Norfolk Island, unsurprisingly, is famous for its seafood, which is generally caught fresh by most of the restaurants on the island. The local trumpeter is commonly available. There is a wide range of other food available on the island.

Vegetarians are catered for by most restaurants, with most having at least one dish on the menu. Vegans have few options, and may need to self-cater. Kosher and Halal meals are impossible to find. Travelers with food allergies may be catered for at some restaurants. Gluten-free food is widely available.

As with everything on Norfolk Island, some advance planning is necessary to avoid going hungry. Cafes and restaurants serving lunch generally close between 2PM and 3PM in the afternoon - and their kitchens may close before that. Bookings are not necessary for breakfast and lunch. Dinner usually starts at 5:30PM and is finished by 8PM. Bookings are necessary in all restaurants and hotel restaurants. You don't need to book for the club bistros, but they also observe the same opening hours. After 9PM even the mini-marts will be closed. Numbers are limited by capacity. An available table won't guarantee a meal without a booking. Booking a day in advance is usually sufficient.

Budget

 * Have a BBQ. There are wood barbecues and picnic tables scattered all over the island. You'll never have a problem finding one if you are in a reserve or at Kingston.
 * Self-cater. The Norfolk Mall has a supermarket, bakery and a butcher. While many products are flown in from mainland Australia or New Zealand, local produce sold here represents the cheapest self-catering option on the island. The range is limited, but potatoes, sweet-potatoes, bananas, figs and avocados are all grown locally and are relatively cheap in season. There are some other locations to help you self-cater – see Supplies in the Buy section.

Drink

 * Burnt Pine clubs — The RSL club, Bowling Club and Leagues Club (see Squash entry in Do) are all in the main street of Burnt Pine and all welcome visitors.
 * Burnt Pine clubs — The RSL club, Bowling Club and Leagues Club (see Squash entry in Do) are all in the main street of Burnt Pine and all welcome visitors.

Sleep
There is a myriad of options for accommodation, ranging from basic one- or two-person rooms through to resort-style establishments with restaurants attached hosting seafood buffets. The commercial hub of the island, Burnt Pine, has a number of well-situated guesthouses central to most shops, while accommodation elsewhere is designed to capitalize on views and proximity to nature.

Work
If you have work rights in Australia, you may be able to find seasonable work in hospitality on the island.

Stay safe
Crime on Norfolk Island is very low, though not unknown. Most islanders leave their houses and cars unlocked with windows down. Always remember to exercise common sense when doing this, though, as most criminals are opportunists and it is not unknown for criminals to take "working vacations" too.

Emily Bay and Slaughter Bay in Kingston are the only safe locations to swim on Norfolk as they are protected by a natural coral reef. All other bays are not patrolled and have unpredictable conditions. A Norfolk tradition is that of the "Seventh Wave", the unpredictable rising in wave height which can sweep unwary swimmers out to sea.

Stay healthy
Tap water is safe to drink from the tap, but bottled and filtered water are also available. Two Drips is the local bottled water.

Hospital & GPs
Norfolk Island has its own hospital and ambulance service, and it is now incorporated into the Australian health system. International visitors should ensure that they have sufficient insurance, as a medical evacuation (medivac) to the mainland comes at a very high cost. A required medivac to the mainland would be covered by Australian Medicare for Australian citizens.

 * In an emergency call 000 immediately.
 * In an emergency call 000 immediately.

Respect
Some islanders are descended from the Bounty mutineers, so some information has a certain spin to align with the local mythology. If you're looking for a lighthearted way to engage with the story, you can lead with whether Marlon Brando or Mel Gibson was the better Fletcher Christian in the 1962 and 1984 movies. Everyone has seen both movies.

There are convict ruins dotted around the island, and you're generally free to wander where you want. These are a valuable part of Australia's history, so don't climb them or touch the ruins and artifacts.

Connect
The island mobile telephone network is really only useful for phone calls, and that's the common way to communicate on island. All phone numbers are five digits (the local part) and those beginning with a '5' are mobile numbers: +672 3 5xxxx. Your smartphone won't seem so smart with a local SIM card, but it's very useful for bookings for tours and restaurants. There have been some recent improvements such as the introduction of NBN Satellite and 4G networks in some areas of the island.

There are two local data providers:

Australian networks Telstra, Optus and Vodafone have roaming agreements, but only useful for phone calls. Check your provider, as roaming can be expensive. No other overseas networks roam on Norfolk Island.

Only a few hotels offer their own Wi-Fi service. Most cafes and accommodation have the Norfolk Telecom Wi-Fi. Free cafe Wi-Fi is not available anywhere.

Newspapers
The Norfolk Islander is a community paper which issues on Saturdays. You can find it in some cafes, newsagents & petrol stations.

Radio and TV stations

 * Pines FM 99.9 is a community radio station specialising in rock. Three ABC Radio stations are also transmitted to the island via satellite relay.
 * Pines FM 99.9 is a community radio station specialising in rock. Three ABC Radio stations are also transmitted to the island via satellite relay.

The island has satellite television, with the same free-to-air channels as regional areas of NSW. Some hotels have Foxtel.

Religious services
Churches on the island include, , , , Jehovah's Witness, and a Community Church. There is also a Baha'i house of worship. Contact the Visitors Information Centre (see Understand) for up-to-date service times.

Go next
Your only options on commercial transport are back to New Zealand, Australia, or onward with your cruise.

If you're on a cruise, or decided to stop over on your ship, Pitcairn Islands are a great next stop to continue following the history.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Norfolk Island


text:
Norilsk

Norilsk (Russian: Нори́льск nah-REEL'SK) is a large city in Taymyria. Because of its strategic importance for nickel ore processing, Norilsk is a closed city and special permission (except for Russian and Belarusian nationals) is needed for travel, which is generally only granted for guided tours. Norilsk is the northern-most of such size in the world, and the second largest city above the Arctic Circle; Murmansk is the largest. With a permanent population of 175,000, it is also the northernmost city with a population over 100,000 inhabitants.

The barren landscape void of vegetation, abundance of Soviet era concrete tenements, and high pollution often earn Norilsk the questionable reputation of most depressing city on the planet.

Understand
Norilsk was founded because of the existence of a rich deposit of non-ferrous metals including nickel, cobalt, copper, platinum, and palladium. It was initially founded as one of Stalin's notorious gulags, in which political prisoners were used for forced labour in the mines. Founded before World War II, Norilsk and its mines and industrial plants, as well as a railway connecting the city with the port of Dudinka, were built with a large-scale use of convict labor from gulag prisoners.

Norilsk Nickel is the largest producer of non-ferrous metals in the world, accounting for 38% of worldwide production of palladium and 22% of worldwide production of nickel, a key ingredient in stainless steel. Some of the locally mined ore is smelted into metals at the local refinery. More ore, after some enrichment, is shipped by rail to Dudinka; from there it is sent by icebreaker-led ships to Murmansk, and eventually to the copper and nickel refinery at Monchegorsk, whose own ore has long been exhausted.

As a result of the smelters, Norilsk is the most polluted city in Russia and is one of the most polluted cities in the world, usually covered in chemical smog. The life expectancy in Norilsk is one of the lowest in Russia and its cancer rates are one of the highest.

The yearly average temperature is in Norilsk is −9.8°C and temperatures usually hover around −40°C in the winter.

Most inhabitants of the city are migrants as a result of the high salaries and abundant opportunities offered by the mining industry.

Climate

Unsurprisingly for a city above the Arctic Circle, temperatures in Norilsk are sub zero from October to May, with drops below -40° common at night during winter months. Travellers should be preparing for the coldest weather conditions when travelling to Norilsk or face severe risk of hypothermia. The high temperature differences between day and night, make it easy to fall ill. Temperatures may vary as much as 70° between winter and summer!

Norilsk's climate is relatively dry, but any snow falling in winter is likely to be around until spring, usually resulting in huge amounts accumulating over the winter months. Streets are usually cleared, but suitable footwear is nonetheless essential.

Get in
There have been people who have driven by river to Norilsk from the rest of Russia in winter, but there are no roads, so when the river is not frozen, the only way to get in is by plane, or by boat in the summer. Foreigners cannot visit Norilsk without a special permit, which is generally not granted to independent travelers. However, it is possible to visit on a guided tour with an approved company, which will handle most of the necessary paperwork for you.

By bus
Buses operate from the nearby port-city of Dudinka. From Dudinka, boats offer service to/from Krasnoyarsk in the summer months, but the journey takes 3½ days northbound and 5½ days southbound.

Get around
Buses are plentiful and go everywhere as a result of the harsh winter climate. Taxis are reasonably priced.

See

Norilsk has several grand buildings in the center; however, it mostly consists of common, unremarkable apartment houses. Surrounding the city are vast areas of decaying industrial sites which are both depressing and fascinating at the same time.

Connect
Since the completion of a fiber data link along the Yenisei River towards Krasnoyarsk in 2017, high speed internet is widely available throughout the city.

Stay safe
The major dangers in the city are the pollution and the cold.

Go next

 * Putoransky Nature Reserve is a huge high-lying basalt plateau 150 km to the south-east of Norilsk. It has beautiful scenery and includes the Talnikovy Waterfall, the largest waterfall in Asia. However, there are no inhabitants of the area and it is extremely remote.

title: Norilsk


text:
Norman

There is more than one place called Norman

United States of America

 * Norman (Alabama) in the state of Alabama
 * Norman (Arkansas) in the state of Arkansas
 * Norman (California) in the state of California
 * Norman (Florida) in the state of Florida
 * Norman (Georgia) in the state of Georgia
 * Norman (Indiana) in the state of Indiana
 * Norman (Nebraska) in the state of Nebraska
 * Norman (North Carolina) in the state of North Carolina
 * Norman (North Dakota) in the state of North Dakota
 * Norman (Oklahoma) in the state of Oklahoma
 * Norman (Pennsylvania) in the state of Pennsylvania
 * Norman (Texas) in the state of Texas
 * Norman (Virginia) in the state of Virginia
 * Norman (Washington) in the state of Washington (state)

Other
Normans, an ethnic group descending from Vikings, settled in Normandy and the Channel Islands.

title: Norman


text:
Norman (Oklahoma)

Norman is a city in the Frontier Country region of Oklahoma and in Cleveland County. With a population of 128,000 (2020), it is the third largest city in the state and is home to the University of Oklahoma (popularly known as OU), the state's largest and flagship university.

Get in
Norman is less than 30 minutes due south of Oklahoma City, and approximately 3 hours north of Dallas, on I-35. It is easiest to access by car, though there is limited Amtrak service to the area (train does stop in Norman), as well as bus service from Oklahoma City. An Airport Express shuttle will transport you from the Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City directly to your destination in Norman:.

By bus
There are multiple daily Greyhound buses from Dallas. The bus stop is located at 506 North Porter Ave.

By train
Amtrak serves Norman with its once-daily Heartland Flyer, running between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth, Texas. The southbound train departs around 9AM while the northbound leaves just before 9PM. is located at 200 S Jones Ave, close to Main St.

Get around
Norman has a small transit system, so it's easier to get around by car. Areas around the OU campus can be accessed on foot. CART, the local bus service with some service to Oklahoma City, is free to OU students and faculty and affordable for others.

See
Norman is home to the University of Oklahoma, a member of the Big 12 Conference until joining the Southeastern Conference in July 2024. The OU campus, the heart of the city, is north of Highway 9 and south of Boyd St in between Elm St and Jenkins. It has a 2 million-volume library open to the public, a wide array of undergraduate and graduate programs, a law school, National Championship-winning football, men's gymnastics, and softball teams, with softball being especially dominant in the early 2020s. It houses two major museums (see below, under Do).

Norman's small historic downtown, on and around Main St. east of University, hosts an increasingly thriving array of local businesses, including:

Do

 * Norman has a surprisingly active local music scene. See especially the free Summer Breeze Concert Series, organized by the Performing Arts Studio and held in the evenings in local parks during the warmer months.
 * Norman has a surprisingly active local music scene. See especially the free Summer Breeze Concert Series, organized by the Performing Arts Studio and held in the evenings in local parks during the warmer months.
 * Norman has a surprisingly active local music scene. See especially the free Summer Breeze Concert Series, organized by the Performing Arts Studio and held in the evenings in local parks during the warmer months.

Learn

 * The Firehouse Art Center, 444 S. Flood Ave., offers classes in a variety of artistic forms.

Buy
For truly distinctive Norman souvenirs, pick up T-shirts from Rusty's Frozen Custard and Guestroom Records.

Eat
Notable restaurants, bars and cafes are found in the historic downtown.

Go next

 * Lake Thunderbird, a few miles east of Norman, offers great mountain bike trails (the Clear Bay Trails) as well as boating, camping and horseback riding.
 * The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge offers some nice hikes, plus the likelihood of a buffalo or longhorn cattle spotting. These are not enormous mountains, but the trails are scenic and relatively diverse.  Approximately 90 minutes from Norman by car.

title: Norman (Oklahoma)


text:
Normandy

Normandy (French: Normandie, Norman: Normaundie) is a region of northern France, bordering the English Channel. Once the centre of a powerful medieval empire that controlled a significant area of continental Europe, and most of England and Wales, Normandy has an incredibly rich heritage to draw from. Many visitors come to be enchanted by historical attractions such as the triple peaks of Rouen cathedral, the Bayeux Tapestry's engrossing tale of vengeance and conquest, and the fantastical abbey atop Mont Saint-Michel. Normandy is also famed for the D-Day Allied invasion on 6 June, 1944, and the brutal inland fighting that ensued, but which eventually resulted in the liberation of France from Nazi rule. However, Normandy is more than just a history museum; this is a region of natural beauty too, from the chalky cliffs of the Alabaster Coast, to the rocky hills of the Suisse Normande, and the Cotentin marshlands. And where better to savour the twin pillars of Norman cuisine, milk and apples?

Cities and towns

 * — Normandy's smart capital city has abundant medieval heritage, with several notable Gothic monuments and many half-timber houses. Joan of Arc met her gruesome fate here in 1431, when she was burnt at the stake as a heretic.
 * — Pretty cathedral town that serves as a good base for visiting the eastern D-Day beaches (Gold, Juno and Sword). The most well-known attraction in Bayeux itself is the eponymous tapestry which chronicles the Norman invasion of England in 1066.
 * — In contrast to so much of olde worlde Normandy, Caen is a modern city, due to its near complete destruction in 1944, a tragic outcome meticulously recorded by the city's Musée du Mémorial. There are fortunately still some surviving relics of old Caen, including two abbeys and several churches.
 * — A maritime town and ferry port with two museums of national importance - the Musée de la Libération and the Cité de la Mer. Cherbourg also serves as a base for exploring the wider Cotentin peninsula and the western D-Day beaches (Omaha and Utah).
 * — A lively seaside resort with the closest beach to Paris, popular with weekenders and daytrippers. In 1942, it was the location of a catastrophic raid by Canadian and other Allied troops that resulted in a Nazi win; in 1944, the Canadians returned with a vengeance and liberated the town.
 * — A 17th-century harbour town with oodles of charm and character; the old port is lined with higgledy-piggledy buildings of comical width and height. Still an active fishing port, Honfleur is a renowned location for seafood restaurants.
 * — At the mouth of the Seine sits one of Europe's principal seaports, known for its art and natural history museums. Le Havre's concrete modernist city centre is the chef d'œuvre of Auguste Perret and is a.

Other destinations

 * — On 6 June 1944, hundreds of thousands of Allied troops disembarked on French sand across five named beaches - Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword - stretching from near Cherbourg in the west to Ouistreham in the east. The ensuing Battle of Normandy and ultimate victory on the western front is commemorated at hundreds of cemeteries, memorials, services and events across the area.
 * — The country home of the best-known painter of the Impressionist movement, Claude Monet. Visit the gardens which Monet considered his best work, and enjoy the bucolic village surroundings of rural Normandy.
 * — Perhaps the most recognisable French landmark outside Paris, this real life Minas Tirith is a rocky pinnacle of an island capped with a benedictine monastery and flanked by a steep and winding town.

History
Normandy is the land of the Normans, whose Norse ancestors arrived in 820 and conducted several raids in their longboats up the River Seine, terrorising and extorting the Franks out of much of their wealth. In 911, the Viking warrior leader Rollo besieged Chartres and forced the Frankish king Charles the Simple to sign a costly treaty; in exchange for ceasing their raids and protecting the coast from their Norse kin, Rollo and his people were granted the lands that became the Duchy of Normandy in perpetuity. On paper, the dukes of Normandy (as Rollo's descendants became) were vassals of the Frankish, and later French, crown. However, the early French kings were weak and controlled very little land beyond Paris, so Normandy had a lot of practical independence and levity to expand its borders, which it did repeatedly.

Normandy's most famous duke - William the Conqueror (Guillaume le Conquérant) - sailed an invasion fleet to England in 1066 and there crowned himself King William I. Thus followed a long period of Anglo-Norman domination on both sides of the Channel, and Normandy was for several centuries a part of the Kingdom of England. During this time, many defensive castles and Romanesque and Gothic churches were constructed, and the famous Bayeux tapestry was woven by now-unknown hands.

This state of affairs was only altered by the Hundred Years War (1337 - 1453), as France took back more and more of its territory. During this time, French national heroine Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc) was infamously executed by the English at Rouen. Despite this blow, the French won the war and the only part of Normandy left under English - now British - control today is the Channel Islands. Indeed, it is possession of these islands that still grants the British monarch the title Duke of Normandy.

In the Belle-Époque of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Normandy was adopted as a rural bolt hole by the great and the good of the era (Gustave Flaubert, Marcel Proust, Coco Chanel), who left behind many smart seaside towns and mansions. The father of impressionist painting, Claude Monet, fell in love with the region's landscape, which features in countless of his paintings. Monet eventually bought a large house at Giverny, where he lived for over four decades until his death in 1926.

Part of German-occupied France in World War II, Normandy once more became the setting for a cross-Channel invasion, the crucial Operation Overlord conducted by Allied forces. After the beach landings on 6 June 1944, the Battle of Normandy raged until the end of August and resulted in the destruction of whole cities such as Caen and Le Havre. Despite the horrific cost, Normandy was the first part of western Europe to be freed from fascism, and the toehold the Allies gained on the continent was essential for the eventual defeat of Nazi Germany.

Today, Normandy is a peaceful land that is an integral part of France. The Norman people have not forgotten the sacrifices of their liberators, and all over the region you will see French Tricolores, American Stars and Stripes, Canadian Maple Leaves and British Union Flags proudly flying. The countless war cemeteries and memorials, though each owned by their respective countries' war grave commission, are lovingly tended by teams of locals, and are thus kept in immaculate condition. Normandy remains very accessible from Britain and is also a favoured day or weekend trip for people from Paris and the Île-de-France, due to its beautiful coast and fascinating history.

When to visit
The climate in Normandy is very similar to that of southern England, with mild winters and warm, sometimes hot, summers. The weather can be unpredictable and is rainy by French standards, but is also often very nice. Most people visit during the summer, from June when the annual D-Day commemorations take place, through to the end of August. While it is perfectly possible to escape the crowds in much of Normandy even in the high season, the most well-known destinations are usually thronged with international tourists in summer, often bussed in on rushed and exhausting-looking day trips from Paris. Therefore, the best time to visit the big-ticket attractions (including the Bayeux Tapestry, the D-Day beaches and cemeteries, Giverny and Mont Saint-Michel) is late spring and early autumn, where you should hopefully achieve the right balance of reasonable weather and manageable crowds.

Talk
French is the main language spoken throughout Normandy, and visitors with a knowledge of French should have no problem communicating. The local language spoken by some is Norman, which is very closely related to French, though the two are not always mutually comprehensible. Like the other regional languages of France, Norman has suffered from persecution and a lack of support from central government, and mainly clings on in more rural parts of the region, such as the Cotentin Peninsula and the Pays de Caux (north of Le Havre). However, travellers hoping to encounter Norman speakers may have better luck visiting the Channel Islands, where the local Norman dialects are officially recognised and promoted.

Visitors with no knowledge of French should be able to get by in most cases just using English, especially when dealing with professionals in the tourist industry. However, it is customary politeness to learn at the very least a few basic phrases, and many French people take a lack of effort (rather than lack of ability) with the language as a sign of bad faith.

By car
From Paris, take the A13 autoroute (motorway) in the direction of Rouen, which takes about 2 hr. Caen is around 2 hr 45 min from the capital, while Cherbourg is about 4 hr. The A28 links traffic from the south, i.e. Le Mans and Tours, for the A10 from Bordeaux and ultimately Spain. Those coming in from Rennes and the rest of Brittany should find the A84 helpful. If driving from the north (Hauts-de-France and the Benelux), the A28 branches off the A16 at Abbeville and heads down into Upper Normandy. Driving times from the Calais ferry port and Channel Tunnel terminal are around 2 hr to Rouen using the A16 and A28 motorways.

By train
Normandy is not connected to any high speed rail (TGV) lines, so services to and around the region are rather slow by French standards.

From within France
SNCF Intercités trains depart from Paris Saint-Lazare to Rouen Rive Droite (1 hr 30 min), Le Havre (2 hr), Caen (2 hr), and Cherbourg (3 hr), among other places. You can catch trains from these cities to other destinations in the region.

For the south of the region, trains leave Paris Montparnasse to towns such as Argentan and Granville. For Mont Saint Michel, the best option is to take a TGV from Gare Montparnasse to Rennes, then a bus.

Rail services from other parts of France are not so great, but still doable. For instance, direct services from Tours to Caen take around 3 hours, while those travelling from Nantes to Caen should expect a 4-hour journey, changing trains in Le Mans. When coming from Lille, which is a hub for high speed trains from the Benelux and Germany, a direct 2 hr 45 min journey to Rouen is possible.

From the United Kingdom
Eurostar links London to Paris Nord in 2 hr 15 mins. From Gare du Nord, it is just one stop on Line E of the RER (express metro) to Haussmann Saint-Lazare, from where you should follow the instructions above.

Alternatively, you may wish to take it slow, by combining the train with a ferry crossing. On the British side, Portsmouth and Newhaven harbours both receive regular trains from London and many other places. Three ferry ports in Normandy (Cherbourg, Le Havre and Dieppe) have railway stations served by regional trains.

By boat
If you have a seagoing vessel at your disposal, why not make the journey across the English Channel yourself? It's not that far, only 120 km (65 nautical miles) at its furthest between West Sussex and the D-Day beaches, and Normandy has many attractive harbour towns to moor in when you arrive, with the guarantee of some delicious moules normandes in a local restaurant.

This being said, the majority of visitors who make a sea crossing will do so on board a ferry, and the blue infoboxes on the right (or above if you're on mobile) compile the various routes to Normandy and nearby ports from the British Isles. The length of each crossing varies widely, as do the facilities on board each vessel, ranging from a passenger seating area with just a drinks machine for refreshment, right up to "cruise ship-style" full board with cabins, restaurants and entertainment all provided. If you're bringing your vehicle, remember to drive on the right as soon as you disembark!

By plane
Normandy is not overly blessed with air links, and has only two small international airports:

The international airports near Normandy are:

 * Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport : France's main hub receives hundreds of flights a day from all over the world. Driving times to Rouen are about 2 hr, and to Caen around 3 hr.
 * Paris Beauvais Airport : a hub of Ryanair and other low cost airlines which has direct links from many parts of Europe. Beauvais is probably closer to Rouen than Paris, at about 90 km distant.
 * Rennes Saint-Jacques Airport : flights from a selection of European cities including Amsterdam Schiphol, Barcelona El Prat, Cork, Dublin, Exeter, London (City and Gatwick), Madrid Barajas, Manchester Airport, Southampton, Southend. Also a fair few domestic flights from elsewhere in France. Close to Lower Normandy.
 * Dinard Airport, near Saint-Malo: flights from East Midlands, Guernsey, Leeds-Bradford and London Stansted.

Alternatively, Rouen Airport  has a regular [https://www.hop.com/en/ HOP! (Air France)] route from Lyon Saint Exupéry, which is a large international airport.

By car
Unfortunately the best and quickest way to get around Normandy, particularly the rural areas, is by private car. The road network is well-developed, though Normandy and north-west France in general tends to have fewer motorways (autoroutes, with A-prefixed route numbers) and more national roads (routes nationales, with N-prefixed route numbers). This has the advantage of far fewer toll roads than in other parts of the country. The major roads of the region are:

 * A13 / N13 (west - east): Cherbourg, D-Day beaches, N174, Bayeux, Caen (A84, N158), Deauville (A132), A29, Seine Valley, A28, Rouen, A154, Giverny, Île-de-France, towards Paris
 * A28 (north - south): Hauts-de-France, from Abbeville, A29, Rouen, A13, Alençon, Pays de la Loire, towards Le Mans
 * A29: Hauts-de-France, from Amiens, A28, A151, A150, Le Havre, Pont de Normandie, Honfleur, Deauville, A13
 * A84: Caen (A13, N13, N158), N174 / Saint-Lô, Granville, Avranches, Mont Saint-Michel, Brittany, towards Rennes
 * A88 / N158: Caen (A13, N13, A84), Falaise, Argentan, A28
 * A150: Rouen, A151, A29
 * A151 / N27: A150 from Rouen, A29, Dieppe
 * A154 / N154: A13 from Rouen, Évreux, N12 towards Paris
 * N31: Rouen (A28), to Beauvais and Reims
 * N174 (marked as E3 on some maps): N13 / D-Day beaches, Saint-Lô, A84

By train
See also: Rail travel in France

Normandy lacks high-speed rail, and its train network, while not bad, is best described as patchy. Upper Normandy, especially around Rouen and the Seine Valley, is part of the Paris commuter belt so has decent coverage. The more rural Lower Normandy has fewer lines, and fewer trains serving them. Rail travel is nonetheless an economical way to get around Normandy. Most trains are provided by TER Normandie, from whom you can purchase tickets and view a map of the region's network.

Castles
Both the 'ruined fortress' and 'fancy château' varieties are present in Normandy. A notable example of the former is Richard the Lionheart's Château Gaillard in Les Andelys, a seemingly-impregnable fortress commanding an impressive vantage point, but which lasted only a few years before being captured by the Spanish, albeit after a seven-month siege. An example of a castle that provided comfort as well as defence can be seen in the Dukes' Castle at Alençon. There are also some châteaux in the region with no defensive purpose which were built purely to show off their owners' wealth and prestige. Examples include the slightly worn-around-the-edges renaissance Château de Gaillon in the town of the same name, and the 17th century Château de Balleroy near Bayeux, which is now owned by the hot air balloon-obsessed Forbes family, of American business media fame.

Coast
Normandy has several named coasts, each with a different character. Furthest east is the iconic Alabaster Coast (Côte d'Albâtre), known for its white chalk cliffs, mirroring similar formations on the south coast of England. Étretat has the most well-known of the cliffs, while Dieppe is more of a beach town with wartime history to boot. The good-looking resorts of the Flowery Coast (Côte Fleurie), including Deauville and Honfleur, are rather posh; this area is popular with second homeowners from Paris, with good reason. Continuing west are the beaches of the lesser-known Mother of Pearl Coast (Côte de Nacre) around Ouistreham, then the infamous D-Day landing beaches (plages du débarquement), which stretch for many miles right up the Cotentin Peninsula. At the top of Cotentin (near Cherbourg) are the lively harbours of Barfleur and Saint-Vaast, along with wild and rugged landscapes around La Hague. The west coast of the peninsula offers a long stretch of sandy beaches that lead south past Granville all the way to Mont Saint-Michel and the Breton border.

Christianity
There are literally hundreds of medieval churches, abbeys and cathedrals scattered around Normandy, primarily in the Gothic and Romanesque styles. Romanesque architecture, characterised by rounded arches and lots of pillars, is often known to the British as "Norman", as it was they who introduced the style to many parts of Europe. Significant examples of this style include the Church of Saint-Étienne and its abbeys in Caen, Fécamp's Benedictine abbey, and Bayeux Cathedral. Gothic architecture developed from Romanesque in neighbouring Picardy, but is more than fairly represented in Normandy too. Gothic churches tend to be more elaborately designed than Romanesque ones, with pointed arches, flying buttresses, complex stained-glass windows and gargoyles. Important examples include Notre Dame de l'Assomption Cathedral and Saint-Ouen church, both in Rouen. The abbey at Mont Saint-Michel is notable for its Gothic style, but with several older elements retaining the Romanesque.

Do
The Avenue Verte cycle path links Paris and London. In Normandy, you can follow the route from Dieppe inland through the countryside of Seine-Maritime to Beauvais over the Picard border. This section is 122 km in total, and is fully signposted with distinctive green signs.

Grandes Randonnées (GRs) are long-distance footpaths. They are usually well-maintained, and waymarked by horizontal red and white bands, which are painted on fence posts, trees and at the bases of pylons. You can choose to go the whole way if you have lots of time on your hands! Otherwise, select day trips or an itinerary for a few days walking along the most interesting parts. Normandy has two coastal GRs of note:
 * The GR 21 tracks north-east from Le Havre to Le Tréport on the Norman/Picard border. This 186-km route takes in the entire Alabaster Coast, and its glorious chalk cliffs and snug harbour towns. Like other long-distance paths, the GR21 lends itself to much shorter walks, with highlights around Étretat and Dieppe being especially favoured.
 * The GR 223 (Sentier des Douaniers/Custom Officers' Way) goes all the way from Honfleur in the east along the coast of Calvados, around Cotentin to Mont Saint Michel, on the Breton border in the west. The entire walk takes a month, but most prefer to pick sections according to their interest. History fans often choose the D-Day beaches, while lovers of spectacular nature (cliffs and coves) prefer the walk around Cap de la Hague, west of Cherbourg, and others still opt to approach Mont Saint-Michel around its eponymous bay.

Eat
":O ! Cher poète, je te fais don
 * De ma recette : tripes à la mode
 * Pour cuire de bonne façon
 * Parfaitement selon le code"

- Opening stanza of Jean Le Hir's recipe for Caen tripe

Norman cuisine is pretty close to the standard French cuisine, though is based around the three main products of the region: seafood, apples and dairy. Its regional specialities are guaranteed to satisfy the most demanding gastronome.

Starters and snacks

 * Foie gras — Though much more associated with the south west of France, production of this goose/duck liver pâté has been introduced to Normandy. The birds are force fed to make them as fat as possible.
 * Omelettes — A must-try when in Mont Saint-Michel; the local omelettes are creamy and light. The most famous omelette restaurant is easily La Mère Poulard, but long wait times and high prices may drive you elsewhere.
 * Sausages — Popular local varieties include the andouille de Vire, a chitterling charcuterie that is often served as an apéritif with a glass of calvados, and boudin de Mortagne, black pudding from the far south of Orne, east of Alençon.

Trou normand
The trou normand (literally: "Norman hole") is a glass of calvados (see below), often accompanied by an apple sorbet, and served between courses during a long and heavy meal as a palate-cleanser, a digestion aid and a fortifier, to make sure the diner is ready to continue eating! It is most often served between the fish course and the main course, or in less elaborate meals as a bridge between the main dish and the dessert.

Main meals
Normandy is renowned for its variety of meats:
 * Agneau de pré-salé — Lamb raised on the salt marshes near Mont Saint-Michel. The meat has a very delicate flavour, and can be prepared in any number of ways classic to French butchery and gastronomy.
 * Canard au sang or canard à la Rouennaise — Duck or duckling served with a sauce composed of the same duck's blood and bone marrow, extracted by a special press. Every part of the bird is used, so on the menu you might encounter magret (breast), foie (liver), patte (leg), or a little bit of everything. The thought of this may well make your stomach turn, but if you have good reason to trust your chef, give it a try. This speciality of Rouen is considered a delicacy.
 * Poulet vallée d'Auge — Chicken from the Auge Valley, in the area around Lisieux. The bird is carved into large chunks and cooked in a sauce of calvados, mushrooms, butter and cream. Often served with a creamy chopped potatoes, bacon and cider mixture.
 * Tripes à la mode de Caen — Beef tripe, hooves and bones, stewed in a whole bottle of cider and glass of calvados with carrots, onions, leeks, garlic, cloves, peppercorn and a bouquet garni. The autumn dish of choice for many Normans. Its official recipe, codified into poetry, is preserved by a guild of tripe butchers in Caen. While almost certainly dating from no earlier than the 14th century, local legend states that this was William the Conqueror's favourite meal.

Specialities from the sea include:
 * Mussels (moules) — Of course you can find the ubiquitous moules marinières (mussels steamed in white wine and shallots) at pretty much any seafood restaurant, but the local version, moules normandes, is also delicious. To the basic marinière sauce is added an unhealthy portion of cream and, if you're really lucky, bacon lardons. Both varieties are usually served with plenty of frites.
 * Oysters (huîtres) — Normandy produces some 25% of the oysters grown in France, and Normans tend to enjoy them most at Christmas. The industry is concentrated on the Cotentin Peninsula, at two different crus: Côte Ouest around Deauville, and Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, east of Cherbourg.
 * Sole à la dieppoise — Sole cooked in the oven, basted with white wine and fish stock, and served with mussels, mushrooms and sometimes prawns. As the name suggests, this is a speciality of Dieppe.

Cheese
Normandy is the home of several world-famous varieties, all soft, all made with cows' milk and all named after their town or village of supposed origin:
 * Camembert — A lovely round and creamy cheese. Some prefer it chilled, and therefore fairly solid, while others prefer to eat at room temperature, when it oozes. Local legend attributes the cheese's creation to the French Revolution, when Marie Harel, a farmer's wife resident in the village of Camembert (department of Orne, 25 km north-east of Argentan), was advised on the recipe for a good brie by a priest, as thanks for sheltering him during the Reign of Terror, when the clergy were heavily persecuted. She gave the cheese her own spin, and thus camembert was born.
 * Livarot — Soft and pungent, with a peach-coloured rind. It is also referred to as the "Colonel", due to its stripy packaging resembling a colonel's uniform. Livarot is a village some 20 km south-west of Lisieux.
 * Neufchâtel — Soft, slightly crumbly and mould-ripened cheese with the aroma and taste of mushrooms. It is usually molded into the shape of a heart. It is made in the area around Neufchâtel-en-Bray, north-east of Rouen.
 * Pont-L'Évêque — Pungent and creamy with a slightly yellowed appearance, made in the eponymous town inland from Deauville since at least as early as the 12th century.

Dessert
Local desserts include:
 * Bourdelots — an apple and calvados pastry, eaten hot, cold or flambéd with calvados.
 * Omelette vallée d'Auge — a sugary omelette filled with buttery diced apple and crème fraîche, flambéd with calvados.
 * Pain perdu à la normande — sweet French toast served with (you guessed it) apple jam and pommeau, which is an apple liqueur.
 * Tarte aux pommes — available all over France, but since Normandy is the land of the apple, these tarts aren't hard to find.
 * Teurgoule — a tasty local variant of rice pudding, cooked for many hours in a low-heat oven, it is surprisingly light and refreshing. Don't be surprised for it be accompanied by an apple compote, or caramel apple, or just fresh apples...

Drink
Move over, wine! There are no commercial vineyards in Normandy, and although wine from other regions and countries is readily available in shops and restaurants, the most popular local tipples are apple-based.

 * Cider (cidre) — Like Brittany, Normandy is cider country. Much like wine, cider comes in different varieties that are intended for different purposes, so you should pay attention to the following words on the label. Doux indicates a sweet cider, with a strong apple flavour and low alcohol percentage (3% or below), that is best drunk with dessert or by itself. Demi-sec/brut is sharper and fresher, with an alcohol content of between three and five percent. This kind of cider is more common as an apéritif, or as an accompaniment to local cuisine, especially seafood. Unlike in certain other countries, notably the United States, cider in Normandy is always alcoholic and always sparkling (pétillant).
 * Perry (poiré) — Similar to cider, but made from pears. Production is considerably limited compared to its apple-based counterpart.
 * Calvados — A brandy made from distilled cider or perry, subject to an appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC), restricting production to a specific area with strict quality controls. Calvados is famously used for the trou normand drink between courses of a long meal.

Liqueurs

 * Pommeau — A 16-18% proof apéritif made from mixing calvados and non-fermented apples (or pears, in the case of poirineau).
 * Bénédictine — A herbal liqueur with its own creation myth (i.e. that the medieval benedictine monks of Fécamp, and not 19th-century entrepreneur Alexandre Le Grand, invented it), but without a whiff of apple in it. Consumed as a digestif, at 40% proof, bénédictine is also the unofficial match-day drink for England's Burnley FC.

Sleep
Normandy has lots of tourist accommodation. Most large towns and cities have numerous hotels and guest houses (chambres d'hôte), and this is especially true on the seaside. In the countryside, there are usually self-catering cottages (gîtes) and campsites; many small towns and villages provide overnight parking areas for campervans and caravans, often with electricity hookups and other facilities such as drinking water taps or picnic tables.

Caen can be a useful base to explore Normandy as a whole, being roughly in the middle of the region, having lots of cheap accommodation and great access to several motorways in all directions. Rouen has plenty of overnight options too, and is a more attractive destination city, but its far eastern position in Normandy makes it somewhat impractical for visiting many of the region's main sites.

Staying in France

 * Brittany is Normandy's Celtic neighbour, and shares this region's affinity with cider and seafood. The rugged Breton coastline, quaint fishing ports and historical cities such as the little-visited but surprisingly cosmopolitan Rennes and the walled port city of Saint-Malo tempt many travellers to combine Normandy and Brittany into one trip.
 * Centre-Val de Loire was the heartland of the French Renaissance and has the extraordinary castles to prove it. Centred on the Loire Valley, this region combines fine wine and dining with splendid Gothic cathedrals at Chartres and Tours, while Orléans hosted Joan of Arc's greatest victory before her success turned to ashes in Rouen.
 * Hauts-de-France is the land where much of the First World War was fought, barely 20 years before the events of the second. As well as a large number of memorials and cemeteries, the region has a picturesque coast, diverse cities such as Lille and Amiens, and many fine Gothic churches and their belfries.
 * Île-de-France can be reached by following the Seine inland. The Palace of Versailles and its glorious gardens are readily accessible by train from Rouen, and the glittering lights of Paris are just a bit further. Wealthy and sophisticated Île-de-France is a place where even a mouse can own a château.
 * Pays de la Loire covers the most downstream part of the Loire Valley and a section of Atlantic coastline. Close to Normandy is the Le Mans racing circuit, while further south is the Anjou homeland of the Plantagenets, the royal house which succeeded the thrones of Normandy and England.

Across the sea
Normandy has excellent maritime connections with the British Isles; see above for details. The following countries are not part of the Schengen Area, so you will need a passport and/or other travel documents to visit:
 * The Channel Islands are part of Normandy, but very much not part of France. Jersey and Guernsey are in fact two mostly-autonomous dependencies of the British crown, and form an attractive archipelago of small and pretty islands.
 * England lies on the other side of la Manche. Newhaven is a gateway to Sussex's chalk downland and cliffs, and the trendy resort city of Brighton. Portsmouth's naval dockyards are just one of many attractions in historical Hampshire. Poole is the watery playground of the wealthy and well-situated for exploring Dorset's prehistoric coastline.
 * Ireland is an overnight ferry crossing, but is well worth the journey. Cork is an urban gateway to the Emerald Isle's mythical south west, while Rosslare has the beaches of County Wexford where Saving Private Ryan was filmed. Travellers daring the 20-hour crossing to Dublin will be rewarded with a hundred thousand welcomes and a stiff pint of Guinness.

title: Normandy


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Normanton

Normanton is a town in the Gulf Country in Queensland It is the largest town in the region, and has a population of about 1,200 people (2016).

Normanton thrived as a port town in the late 1800s when the gold rush was on in Croydon. The Normanton-to-Croydon railway line, established at that time, today it runs the Gulflander tourist train.

Australia's largest saltwater crocodile, known as Krys the Savannah King, was shot at nearby Archer's Creek in 1957. A life-size replica of his body, over 8 metres long, can be seen in the council park.

Some 30 km to the south-west of Normanton is camp 119, Burke and Wills' most northerly camp. The wetlands between Normanton and Karumba are also excellent for birdwatching, particularly just after the 'wet season'.

Get in

 * Normanton is 484 km north of Mt Isa.
 * About 700 km from Cairns on the Savannah Way - Highway 1, or around 500 km from Mount Isa on the Barkly Highway.
 * The Gulflander runs from Croydon, but since Croydon is in the middle of nowhere, with no real means of getting there, that is unlikely to help you get in much.

Do

 * Birdwatching

Go next
Karumba is 79 km away by sealed road on the Gulf — you can't come this far without going on!

33 km west along the Savannah Way (dirt road) is Burke and Wills Camp 119 - the furthest north they got. Trees that were blazed to mark the camp are signposted.

title: Normanton


text:
Norristown

Norristown is a small residential borough in Montgomery County, in the Philadelphia-Camden metro area. The town is about 6 miles outside of Philadelphia, between two greater communities of King of Prussia and Plymouth Meeting.

This article also covers the nearby communities of Bridgeport, Gladwyne, Jeffersonville, Conshohocken and Lafayette Hill.

Understand
It is considered the county seat or administrative center of Montgomery County nestled alongside the Schuylkill River. It was home to 34,000 people in 2019.

Norristown was named after Isaac Norris, who was mayor of Philadelphia in 1724 and was named trustee of the province of Pennsylvania in the will of Willaim Penn. Before Penn faced legal issues involving his arrest in 1706, Norris brought the land from Penn which subsequently was named after Norris after the purchase. In his lifetime Norris was greatly successful in politics and business which he carried over in the development of Norristown. Today, with a number of old cigar and lumber factories still standing, Norristown shows much of the aftermath the rich history in agriculture manufacturing that began there, but is no longer prominent.

To understand Norristown is to understand its residents. Many people have a misconception or false stereotype about Norristown and its people, yet none of these ideas are true. Because it is a suburb of Philadelphia many outsiders assume that it is a rural area occupied by suburban neighborhoods. But because the diverse ethnic population has always been larger than that of surrounding townships (Methacton, East Norriton, Upper Merion, etc.), many people mistake the town for a "ghetto" where "other" races reside. This concept is supposedly reflected in the learning ability of the students and job opportunities for the residents, because all are working class.

Norristown is a center for emerging diverse cultures and ethnic backgrounds. The students of the schools in the Norristown Area School District are above average, with over half ranging from proficient to advanced in math and reading assessments. The crime level is very low and though do not keep your door unlocked at night. It is a safe community in which to raise a family. The town is very family-oriented and is mostly residential, with several business districts scattered throughout, particularly on Main Street between Swede and Markley Streets and on Marshall Street west of Markley Street. Main Street is the central east-west corridor in town, and Markley is the main north-south route.

Norristown hosts major annual celebrations such as Community Day and the Food Family and Fun Festival. A farmer's market operates on Main Street near the County Court House on Thursday afternoons in the summer.

Get in
The main east-west route to Norristown is Ridge Pike, also known as Main Street within the boundaries of Norristown and part of West Norriton Township. (Ridge Pike is the same as Ridge Avenue once it enters Philadelphia.) The main north-south routes are US 202, which becomes Dekalb Street once it enters Norristown northbound from King of Prussia. The alternate route is Markley Street, which runs both north- and southbound in Norristown.

Get around
Most people own their own vehicles, but a large percentage rely on public transportation run by SEPTA, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (www.septa.org). The main transportation hub in Norristown is the Norristown Transportation Center at the intersection of Lafayette and Swede Streets. SEPTA offers three public transportation choices to and from Norristown: buses from most surrounding towns and Philadelphia, the Manayunk/Norristown regional rail line to Philadelphia, and the Norristown High Speed light rail line, which travels from Norristown to the Main Line (Bryn Mawr, Haverford, etc.) to 69th Street in Upper Darby and continuing on to Philadelphia via the Market-Frankford El.

See
Norristown has a long historic background. The settlement was established with a few homes and businesses in the late 1700s and was incorporated as a borough in 1830. It one of the oldest towns in Pennsylvania. On the Schuylkill River, Norristown was named a Central Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. It features 19th- and 20th-century structures, both homes and industrial buildings. Most of the original 1784 Town of Norris is included in the old business and government center, whose focal point is the Montgomery County Courthouse. The past and present vitality of the borough's core is indicated by the variety of buildings in this part of the District: the County jail, the YMCA, the mid-19th-century Odd Fellows Hall, three historic 19th-century churches, and a number of old commercial buildings.

One of Norristown's main modern attractions is the Elmwood Park Zoo on Harding Boulevard. The zoo is clean, safe, and a manageable size to take in for an afternoon. Visitors can get close to the animals (most of which are North American species). The otter exhibit is a particular favorite with children. There is a walk-through butterfly exhibit where butterflies fly about freely and land on your clothes.

Do
Norristown is not a very happening place when it comes to activities, although the Marshall Street shopping corridor can get very lively, with many stores and restaurants open relatively late. Because Norristown is mainly residential, most people find their entertainment just beyond the borders.

On the Schuylkill River Trail, Norristown also provides excellent walking and bicycling routes to Valley Forge National Park (approximately 3.5 miles) and eastward to the attractions of Manayunk (11 miles) and the Philadelphia Art Museum (approximately 18 miles).
 * Tees Golf Center, 707 Conshohocken Rd, Conshohocken. miniature golf, driving ranges, batting cages, golf lessons, and an extreme skate park.
 * Tees Golf Center, 707 Conshohocken Rd, Conshohocken. miniature golf, driving ranges, batting cages, golf lessons, and an extreme skate park.
 * Tees Golf Center, 707 Conshohocken Rd, Conshohocken. miniature golf, driving ranges, batting cages, golf lessons, and an extreme skate park.

Buy
In the general area of Norristown there is much to do especially spending wise. With the King of Prussia Mall in close range of the area there is always a lot of people who tend to take their money into the area. The large population creates a great influx of new stores and retail lots that create a nice revenue to the county. Places like Designed Treasures are a great example of some of the great shopping that can be done in Norristown.

Eat
Food is never hard to come by in Norristown. It is hard to go wrong with the wide variety of ethnic cuisines. The opening of so many new restaurants has established Norristown as a food-lover's dream. Here is a break down of some of the different choices you have if you are looking into dining in the Norristown area:

Mexican

Italian

American
 * Local pizzeria Franzone's (Dekalb Street, Bridgeport) has established a loyal customer bases for decades.
 * Local pizzeria Franzone's (Dekalb Street, Bridgeport) has established a loyal customer bases for decades.

Nearby

Drink
The bar scene in Norristown is one of depth but also one of up rising. Bars were not very common in the area in the past. There are some hot spots, like any town, that bring in the money and the customer base. These bars are top notch and do their jobs. With an abundance of cab companies, train stops, and bus availability there is definitely a big need for good and enjoyable drinking areas or bars. Some solid choices include:

 * Steppy's Sports Bar & Grill - +1 610 272-6547
 * Black Horse Tavern- +1 610 279-1928
 * Papa Guidos 637 West Main Street, +1 610 275-7272

Sleep
A wider variety of nearby hotel options are available in King of Prussia and Plymouth Meeting.

Go next
Norristown is nestled between King of Prussia and Plymouth Meeting, no more than 15 minutes from either. These two towns are major entertainment and shopping districts in the area.

Norristown is a quick drive or train ride from Center City Philadelphia, which offers a wider variety of food, shopping, and cultural activities than the malls.

title: Norristown


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Norrköping

Norrköping is a city in Östergötland in Sweden. It is Sweden's 8th largest municipality with a population of more than 128,000. It used to be dominated by the paper and textile industry, from which it got the nickname "The Manchester of Sweden".

By plane

 * Stockholm Arlanda Airport is about 200 km to the north. SJ run several direct trains a day to Norrköping, and at other times you can change in Stockholm.
 * Stockholm Skavsta airport about 60 km north of Norrköping. Ryanair and other low-cost airlines service this airport. Flygbussarna have bus services running from the airport to Norrköping.
 * Stockholm Skavsta airport about 60 km north of Norrköping. Ryanair and other low-cost airlines service this airport. Flygbussarna have bus services running from the airport to Norrköping.

By train

 * By train to the . The SJ X2000 trains between Malmö and Stockholm stop in Norrköping. SJ also run direct trains from Stockholm via Nyköping, from Gävle via Stockholm and Uppsala, and from Linköping. A further regional route runs from Katrineholm (for connections from Göteborg), Västerås, and Sala.

By bus
FlixBus offers several routes, Västervikexpress operates from Stockholm to Norrköping.

Get around
A nice way to get around in Norrköping is with the orange trams. Tickets or cards can be bought onboard, but the price is twice as high than if you buy the ticket or card beforehand in a kiosk, supermarket, or similar. You can even pay by SMS to avoid the 50% surcharge when paying cash on the tram or bus.

Everything listed here in the city is within walking distance of the other listings, as the town centre isn't that big.

By taxi

 * Uber
 * Uber
 * Uber

Do

 * Walking the promenades

Stay safe
Norrköping is considered very safe, but there is some crime. However, you shouldn't feel uneasy even if you walk the streets by night. Take normal precautions and avoid places like the bigger parks. On weekends Norrköping often experience the normal festivities of any town and the inner city (Drottningatan and Kungsgatan) may have some drunks and noisy people rumbling around. If you happen to meet a drunk person they most likely want to engage in conversation, just be friendly and say you don't have time or are going someplace and they will most likely back off. Physical confrontations are very rare.

Go next

 * 30 km north-east of Norrköping you'll find Kolmårdens Djurpark, Sweden's largest zoo with some 500,000 visitors yearly. Its main attraction is the dolphinarium, the only one in Scandinavia, with daily dolphin shows. Another popular feature is the safari park, where visitors drive their own cars among the animals. Entrance to the park is 230 krfor adults or 120 kr for children. The dolphinarium is included in the price, but not the safari park drive. Vildmarkshotellet (the Wilderness Hotel) is a hotel for those wishing to stay near the zoo. In summer another option is Safari Camp Kolmården, where families stay in African-style camp tents near the safari park. Bookings at +46 11 15 71 00 or via email safaricamp@vildmarkshotellet.se. The zoo has it name from the large forests in the area.
 * Löfstad Palace, south of Norrköping, is a well-preserved home of the last private owner, who died in 1926. Guided tours, a restaurant and a gift shop. Buses run to the palace from Norrköping several times daily.
 * Historic town of Söderköping, south of Norrköping.
 * City of Linköping with a cathedral, a castle and several museums.

title: Norrköping


text:
Norrland

Norrland is one of three lands of Sweden, besides Svealand and Götaland. Norrland encompasses two thirds of the country's surface, but no more than 12 per cent of its population; about 1.18 million in 2016. The region is characterized by forests, mountains, rivers and elongated lakes, a harsh winter climate, long distances, as well as university towns with young populations.

Regions
As the rest of Sweden, Norrland is divided into traditional provinces (landskap), as well as counties (län); the current political entities. As some provinces have very small population, counties are used as the basic regions of Norrland. The province of Lappland (Swedish Lapland) lies in the mountainous inland of Västerbotten and Norrbotten, by the Norwegian border.

Cities

 * , a port city famous for ice hockey, coffee, and a straw goat targeted by arsonists.
 * , a 17th-century city with a cathedral.
 * , Sweden's northernmost city, known for the Sami Parliament, the mine, and space flight.
 * , a port with a steel mill, and a technical university.
 * , Norrland's largest inland city, at Storsjön, Norrland's largest lake.
 * , a quaint industrial town.
 * , known for ice hockey, mining, and Västerbotten Cheese.
 * , known for wood industry.
 * , this university city, famous for its bridges, is the largest city in Norrland.

Other destinations

 * - a national park.
 * (High Coast) is on the UNESCO World Heritage list. This coast line on the Gulf of Bothnia still rises at the rate of about one centimetre per year, still being affected by the last ice age.
 * - a village famous for the Ice Hotel.
 * - Sweden's highest mountain surrounded by vast wilderness areas and a popular trail to Abisko National Park.
 * - a marked well-known hiking trail that runs through Norrland.
 * - four national parks, together forming Europe's largest wilderness.
 * - home to three out of seven UNESCO World Heritage site "Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland".
 * - a ski resort.
 * - Sweden's busiest ski resort.

Understand
The Sami people have lived in inland Norrland since time immemorial. The first Swedish settlers arrived in the Middle Ages, but the land remained sparsely populated until the late 19th century, where a new wave of pioneers came for work in forestry, mining, metalworking, railroad, and military service. During the late 20th century, many small towns have been depopulated, with the coastal cities rising as local metropolises.

Talk
As elsewhere in Sweden, Swedish is the de facto official language. Old people in Swedish-speaking rural areas speak very distinct local dialects (bondska), but practically everyone speaks Standard Swedish. Northern Norrland is the homeland of two official minority languages, both from the Finno-Ugric family: Sámi and Meänkieli.

The Sami people populate most of the inland. Five Sámi languages are spoken here: Southern Sámi, Ume Sámi, Pite Sámi, Lule Sámi and Northern Sámi. Northern Sámi and Lule Sámi are the biggest with some thousand speakers, Southern Sámi has some hundred speakers, while Ume and Pite Sámi have only a handful each. They are proper languages, generally not mutually intelligible, although often referred to as one language.

In Norrbotten near the Finnish border, meänkieli ("our language"), a dialect of Finnish, is spoken.

Most people, except the oldest, speak English.

By train
SJ runs several daily trains from Stockholm to Sundsvall, Umeå and Östersund. There are nightly sleeper trains between Göteborg and Narvik, Norway with several stops, including Stockholm, Uppsala and many along Norrland. Sleeper accommodation is available.

Haparanda and Pajala can be reached by Finnish trains via Tornio (Torneå) to Kolari. Kemi, 30 km away, is also on the railway to Rovaniemi, with daily services.

By plane
Most major cities in Norrland have a commercial airport, with connection from Stockholm Arlanda Airport.

Get around
Except the coastal areas, settlements in Norrland tend to be tens of kilometres between. While some sceneries are majestic, roads through forested areas can also be monotonous, challenging drivers' ability to stay awake. See Driving in Sweden, E4 through Sweden, and E45 through Europe.

By public transport
Regional rail service is provided by Norrtåg, with lines connecting Trondheim, Sundsvall, Umeå, Lycksele, Luleå and Narvik.

See
While the mountains and the coast to the Baltic Sea are famously scenic, most of the forests in inland Norrland are rather monotonous.

 * The Icehotel in the village Jukkasjärvi - A hotel built from snow and ice, which melts in spring and gets re-built every winter.
 * Midnight sun in Norrbotten County
 * Northern Lights
 * Sami culture at villages, and museums such as Ájtte in Jokkmokk

Itineraries

 * E4 through Sweden
 * Kungsleden
 * Norrbotten Megasystem
 * Nidaros Path

Do
Outdoor life is the main attraction of Norrland, with activities such as hiking, mountaineering, camping, fishing, and foraging. See Hiking in the Nordic countries and Winter in the Nordic countries.

Doing or watching sport, especially winter sport, is a pastime for the locals. Many towns, though some of them rather small, boast at least one team in the national elite; mostly ice hockey, bandy or skiing.

Esrange is a rocket launch facility near Kiruna. Guided tours.

Eat
Classical foodstuffs are reindeer meat, game, berries and fish. An almond-shaped potato cultivar called mandelpotatis is considered a delicacy. Bread is usually based on rye; tunnbröd is thin bread which can be either soft or hard.

Västerbottensost is a hard cheese, iconic for Västerbotten.

Probably the world's stinkiest fish dish is surströmming; see Nordic cuisine for details.

While the major cities, especially Umeå, are known for their vegetarian and vegan community, there is little understanding for not eating meat in the countryside, where fishing and hunting are many people's pastime.

Sleep
Except regular hotels and novelty accommodation such as the Jukkasjärvi Ice Hotel, ski resorts have a variety of lodging options, including cabins and campsites. Outside high season (well into May for those far north), these are relatively cheap and easy to book.

Stay safe
Cold weather, as well as snow safety and ice safety are concerns during the long winter. Norrland is infamous for mosquitoes. While they carry no infections, they become a nuisance as soon as snow melts.

Respect
Most people in Norrland are patriotic for their own province, and might frown on the "southern" description of Norrland as a homogenous region. They would be happy if you recognize the name of the province you are in. The same goes for the Sami and Meänkeli people, who have national identities on their own.

Go next

 * Norway and Finland.

title: Norrland


text:
Norrtälje

Norrtälje, archaic spelling Norrtelje, is a town in northern Stockholm County, and the gateway to the northern parts of Stockholm archipelago. The ports of Kapellskär and Grisslehamn have international ferry connections.

Norrtälje municipality, Norrtälje kommun, makes up much of the traditional Roslagen region, together with Öregrund and Tierp in Uppsala County. The municipality has 57,000 permanent residents, and tens of thousands of summer guests.

The islands south of Norrtälje, such as Blidö and Furusund, are seen as part of Stockholm archipelago.

Settlements and islands

 * Norrtälje itself is a town of 17,000 citizens.
 * Rimbo is a suburban inland town.
 * Hallstavik is an industrial town, dominated by a paper mill.
 * Grisslehamn is a seaside village, with the ferry to Eckerö, Åland.
 * Arholma is an island known for its coastal fortresses.

By car
The E18 from Stockholm or by ferry (see below) from Finland or Estonia.

By bus
Norrtälje is served by SL, the public transportation carrier of Stockholm County. See that article for details about ticketing.

From Stockholm by bus 676 from Tekniska Högskolan (served by the Stockholm Metro) and from Uppsala central station bus 677 connect to Norrtälje's bus station. Line 631 and 631X connect the centre and the port of Kapellskär, line 637 the centre and Grisslehamn. Note that tickets for the buses must be bought before boarding. Travel time from Stockholm centre to Kapellskär (including transfer) is 1h 45min.

By boat
Finland and Estonia are one time zone ahead of Sweden.

The in the east is served by frequent ferry services.
 * Mariehamn, Åland, with three services a day by Viking Line,
 * Naantali, mainland Finland (some via Långnäs, Åland), by Finnlines, and
 * Paldiski, Estonia by DFDS Seaways.

Naantali and Paldiski lines do not accept pedestrians; an accompanying vehicle is necessary to board these lines.

Also the port in in the north has a connection to Åland.
 * Eckerö, Åland, by Eckerölinjen, two to three times daily (€5 for an adult, €10 for a car), two hours from Eckerö to Grisslehamn in Norrtälje. You can get from Mariehamn to Eckerö by the bus line 1 (€4.40).

See

 * , a factory town
 * , an island in the Baltic Sea with Grisslehamn
 * , a factory town
 * , an island in the Baltic Sea with Grisslehamn
 * , an island in the Baltic Sea with Grisslehamn

Do
Norrtälje has deep forests and secluded beaches within comfortable distance from Stockholm and Uppsala, and is a great destination for outdoor life, such as fishing and hiking.

Cruise the, from near Grisslehamn to near Kapellskär.

Go next

 * Åland

title: Norrtälje


text:
North (Brazil)

Leave the glamorous cities and beaches of Brazil's central and southern coast behind and see the wilder part of the country, where cities didn't really develop until the 19th century. Northern Brazil is the place to see the enormous Amazon rainforest.

Cities

 * — a major city near the mouth of the Amazon River, with a blend of cultures including indigenous influence, colonial architecture, and modern skyscrapers
 * — Located on the equator north of the mouth of the Amazon River, and cut off from most of Brazil by road.
 * — The largest city in the region, located near the meeting of the rivers that form the Amazon. A natural place to start river tours or rainforest adventures.
 * — A historic town from the mining ages in Tocantins.
 * — A planned city built out of nowhere (like Brasilia) in the 1990s to serve as the capital of Tocantins.
 * — Home to the Boi Bumbá folk festival, with extravagant theatrical retellings of a local legend.

Other destinations

 * - jungle tours, wildlife, floated wood, the Mysteries of the amazon
 * - the large island at the mouth of the Amazon
 * - A departure from the Amazon region, this uninhabited cerrado area has bright orange sand dunes, rivers and waterfalls. Increasingly popular with off-road adventure lovers
 * - the large island at the mouth of the Amazon
 * - A departure from the Amazon region, this uninhabited cerrado area has bright orange sand dunes, rivers and waterfalls. Increasingly popular with off-road adventure lovers
 * - A departure from the Amazon region, this uninhabited cerrado area has bright orange sand dunes, rivers and waterfalls. Increasingly popular with off-road adventure lovers

title: North (Brazil)