Two homes, one list. Whether you’re a Jamaican in Norway going home for a visit, a Norwegian dreaming of the Caribbean, or a family showing visitors around, here are the 20 experiences we’d put at the top of the list in each country.

Top 20 Things to Do in Jamaica

Travel note: Hurricane Melissa hit western and southern Jamaica in October 2025. By spring 2026 tourism was back above 80 percent, and most major attractions on this list have reopened. Some hotels, especially around Montego Bay, are still reopening in stages through 2027, so check with your hotel or tour operator before you go. Your visit helps the communities rebuild.

1. Climb Dunn’s River Falls, Ocho Rios. Join hands with your group and climb the terraced falls straight up from the beach. It was one of the first big attractions to reopen after Hurricane Melissa.
2. Visit the Bob Marley Museum, Kingston. Walk through 56 Hope Road, Bob’s home and Tuff Gong studio, where you can still see the bullet holes from 1976. Then read our Bob Marley profile.
3. Pay respects at Nine Mile, St Ann. Bob Marley’s birthplace and resting place sits high in the hills of St Ann. Local Rasta guides lead the tour.
4. Watch the sunset at Rick’s Café, Negril. Cliff divers leap into the sea as the sun goes down over the West End cliffs. Rick’s reopened in December 2025.
5. Relax on Seven Mile Beach, Negril. Soft white sand and calm turquoise water. Melissa’s waves even widened parts of the beach.
6. Hike the Blue Mountains. Start before dawn to see the sunrise from Blue Mountain Peak, Jamaica’s highest point, then visit a farm that grows the world-famous Blue Mountain coffee.
7. Raft the Rio Grande, Portland. Drift down the river on a long bamboo raft poled by a local raftsman, through some of the greenest country on the island.
8. Swim at the Blue Lagoon and Frenchman’s Cove, Port Antonio. A deep, cold-water lagoon and a river-fed cove, both close to the town that drew Errol Flynn and Hollywood in the 1950s.
9. Eat jerk at Boston Bay, Portland. Jerk was born here. Order pork or chicken straight off the pimento wood, with festival and roast breadfruit on the side.
10. Visit Devon House, Kingston. A grand 19th-century mansion built by George Stiebel, Jamaica’s first Black millionaire. Don’t leave without a Devon House ice cream.
11. Explore Port Royal. Once called “the wickedest city on earth”, most of this pirate town sank in the 1692 earthquake. Visit Fort Charles and eat fresh fish by the sea.
12. Swim at YS Falls, St Elizabeth. Seven tiered waterfalls with natural pools and a rope swing. YS Falls reopened in January 2026 after major storm repairs.
13. Tour Appleton Estate, St Elizabeth. Jamaica’s oldest working rum estate, home of master blender Joy Spence. It reopened in spring 2026 after Melissa.
14. Take the Black River Safari. A boat trip up one of Jamaica’s longest rivers to see crocodiles, herons and mangroves. The town was hit hardest by Melissa, so your visit directly helps it rebuild.
15. Slow down in Treasure Beach. Fishing villages, quiet beaches and community tourism on the south coast. This year it hosts the Treasure Beach Food, Rum & Reggae Festival on 6–8 November, headlined by Protoje.
16. See the Luminous Lagoon, Falmouth. At night, millions of tiny organisms make the water glow when you move through it. Take an evening boat out and jump in.
17. Tour Rose Hall Great House, Montego Bay. An 18th-century plantation house famous for the legend of Annie Palmer, the White Witch. The candle-lit night tour is the one to do.
18. Ride the bobsled at Mystic Mountain, Ocho Rios. A chairlift through the rainforest canopy, ziplines and a Jamaican bobsled run inspired by the 1988 Olympic team.
19. Dance at Reggae Sumfest, Montego Bay. Jamaica’s biggest reggae and dancehall festival takes place every July. Plan ahead and book early.
20. Discover the National Gallery of Jamaica, Kingston. The finest collection of Jamaican art, from the Intuitives to Edna Manley. Pair it with a walk along the Kingston waterfront.

Planning your first trip? Start with our Jamaica travel guide for entry rules, flights, where to stay, money and safety, and learn a few words in Speak Patois.

Top 20 Things to Do in Norway

Travel note: many mountain hikes are best from late spring to early autumn, while the northern lights season runs from autumn to early spring. Check the weather and trail conditions before you set out, and go with a guide in winter.

1. Hike to Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock), Rogaland. A flat rock platform 604 metres above the Lysefjord, about 4 km each way from the car park. The main season is roughly May to October; go with a guide in winter.
2. Stand on Kjeragbolten. A boulder wedged in a crevasse high above the Lysefjord, reached by a demanding summer hike from Lysebotn.
3. Cruise the Lysefjord from Stavanger. See Preikestolen from below, the Hengjanefossen waterfall and goats on the cliffs, with no hiking needed.
4. Wander through Gamle Stavanger. Around 170 white wooden houses from the 1700s and 1800s line cobbled streets in Stavanger’s old town.
5. Visit the Norwegian Petroleum Museum, Stavanger. The story of how North Sea oil changed Norway. Kids love the escape chutes and the drilling platform.
6. Sail the Geirangerfjord. A UNESCO World Heritage fjord with the Seven Sisters waterfall and abandoned mountain farms clinging to the cliffs.
7. Ride the Flåm Railway and see the Nærøyfjord. One of the world’s steepest standard-gauge railways, followed by a boat trip through one of Norway’s narrowest fjords.
8. Explore Bergen. Walk the colourful UNESCO-listed Bryggen wharf, eat at the fish market and ride the Fløibanen funicular for a view over the city.
9. Hike Trolltunga. A long, tough summer hike from Odda to a rock ledge jutting out over the lake. Allow a full day.
10. Chase the northern lights in Tromsø. From autumn to early spring, Tromsø is one of the best places in the world to see the aurora. Add dog sledding or a Sámi reindeer camp.
11. Discover the Lofoten Islands. Jagged peaks, red fishing cabins and white beaches above the Arctic Circle. Try fresh cod and go kayaking.
12. See the midnight sun at Nordkapp. In summer the sun never sets at the North Cape, one of Europe’s northernmost points.
13. Take a Hurtigruten coastal voyage. The classic ship route between Bergen and Kirkenes stops at dozens of ports along the coast.
14. Drive the Atlantic Ocean Road. Eight kilometres of bridges hopping between islands, with spectacular views when the sea is wild.
15. Walk on the roof of the Oslo Opera House. The sloping marble roof rises straight out of the fjord. It’s free and open to everyone, and the view is excellent.
16. See The Scream at the MUNCH museum, Oslo. The world’s largest Edvard Munch collection, in a tall waterfront building.
17. Stroll Vigeland Sculpture Park, Oslo. More than 200 sculptures by Gustav Vigeland in Frogner Park. Free and open all year.
18. Spend a day on Bygdøy, Oslo. Visit the Fram polar ship, the Kon-Tiki raft and the open-air Norsk Folkemuseum. The Viking ships are closed until the new Museum of the Viking Age opens in 2027, so see Viking treasures at the Historical Museum in the city centre instead.
19. Visit Nidaros Cathedral, Trondheim. Norway’s great medieval cathedral and pilgrims’ goal. In Trondheim, check if Lambsbread Sound have a reggae night on.
20. Climb Aksla in Ålesund. Walk the 418 steps up to a view over an Art Nouveau town rebuilt after the great fire of 1904.

Missing the taste of home in Norway? See Yard Kitchen for Jamaican food here, and the Festivals, Venues & Sound Systems Directory for reggae near you.

What would you add? Share your favourite place in Jamaica or Norway in the comments.