Loganair flights to Kristiansund

Opera, klipfish and WW2 bunkers

Depending on which part of the UK you come from fish and chips usually means haddock but go to the Norwegian ocean’s edge city of Kristiansund and what you’ll get is the local delicacy klipfish. The dried and salted cod is sold in every café and restaurant in town, where they call it “real fish and chips”.

It’s hardly surprising Kristiansund loves its fish, built as it is on four islands (known as the Countries) joined by bridges. These islands shelter Norway’s best and finest natural harbour and they say the first Norwegians settled here 10,000 years ago.

Not all work and no play

Kristiansund has Norway's most active oil industry supply base, bringing supply vessels and special craft to the harbour, while helicopters fly in from and out to the platforms in the North Sea. But it’s not all work and no play, with one of two opera companies in Norway putting on 100 performances every year. The city is cultural festival-mad, with happenings including the Opera Festival Week, Nordic Light International Festival of Photography, the Klipfish Festival and the Tahiti Festival.

You might think all you see is traditional old Norwegian, but in fact Kristiansund was nearly wiped out in 1940; with 900 houses destroyed when the town was bombed. The German occupation is very visible, and you can visit bunkers with guns big guns still in place.

Kvalvik Fort

Kvalvik Fort is one of Norway's best-preserved coastal fortifications from the Second World War. There was also a German Navy submarine station here during the war. The fort is still intact and you can spend a long time exploring the bunker, cannons and other military objects.

Opera Festival Week

Opera Festival Week is the biggest event in Kristiansund. Venues offer full scale opera, operettas and musicals, but there are also free performances at cafés, restaurants and shopping malls. In to-tal, over 50 performances - seen and experienced by around 10,000 visitors every year.