Perched on the northern edge of Normandy and bookended by history and sea, Cherbourg is a heritage port with a vast harbor that once sheltered Napoleon’s navy. This history is superbly detailed at the town’s museum, Cité de la Mer, where submarines, aquariums, and maritime galleries bring Cherbourg’s spirit to life. Spend the morning exploring, then wander cobbled lanes and markets alive with the scent of cheeses and cider before stopping for a lunch of freshly shucked oysters in a Belle Époque brasserie.

Located at the head of the Nordfjord, Olden’s tiny village of only around 600 residents sits surrounded by towering peaks, waterfalls, and the wilds of Jostedalsbreen National Park. This dramatic landscape hosts the largest glacier on the European mainland, covering over 175 square miles of ice that spills down into ancient valleys. Spend the morning hiking toward the Briksdal Glacier, an arm of the massive Jostedalsbreen and one of the region's most visited natural attractions.

Situated along Norway's rugged west coast where ancient Viking sagas began, Haugesund is a port city that once served as the homeland of the first king to unite Norway. The area’s deep maritime heritage is evident up and down the cobblestone streets that echo with tales of the great herring boom of the 19th century, when these coastal waters harbored some of the world's richest fisheries. Visit the Dokken Museum and Karmsund Folk Museum, where exhibits illuminate what life was like 150 years ago.