Experience the best of Trondheim

Trondheim stands where the Nidelva river bends into the Trondheimsfjord, and was founded by the Viking king Olav Tryggvason in 997. Nidaros Cathedral, built over the grave of St Olav, is the largest medieval building in Scandinavia, with a richly carved west front, and pilgrims have walked to it for centuries. Across the Old Town Bridge, Bakklandet has timber houses painted in bright colours and cafés, and old wooden warehouses stand on stilts along the river.

The Archbishop's Palace stands beside the cathedral, Kristiansten Fortress watches over the city from a hill, and Munkholmen, a small island with a former monastery and prison, is reached by boat. The Sverresborg folk museum shows old farm buildings, and Bymarka forest to the west has trails and, in winter, ski tracks. The Trollheimen mountains lie to the south-west and the Swedish border is not far east.

Cardamom buns and strong coffee fill the city's many cafés, and the fjord supplies cod, salmon and shellfish while the surrounding Trøndelag farms provide lamb and potatoes. The university makes it a young city. Summer evenings stay light until near midnight, while winter is dark, snowy and good for skiing.