The most beautiful country on earth?-2

The most beautiful country on earth? Fifty spell-binding pictures of Norway’s epic landscapes, from immense fjords to impossibly pretty villages
Norway is an Instagrammer’s paradise, thanks to an array of other-worldly landscapes and epic roads
Here we picture its most jaw-dropping features – Pulpit Rock, Nordfjord, Sunnylvsfjorden and Trolltunga rock
We’ve also curated photos of the country’s top constructions, such as the Atlantic Ocean Road

26.The Lofoten Islands, so good we just can’t resist publishing yet another picture of them. This one shows the stupendous views of the islands available to hikers

27.Digerronden is one of 10 mountains in Rondane National Park and lies in the municipality of Dovre in Oppland

28.A panorama of the Kystriksveien coastal route, which offers 650km (403 miles) of spectacular scenery. Pictured here is the section that offers views of Aldra Island in the far north of the country

29.The Oslo-Bergen railway, pictured, passes through beautiful forests, loops around Voss and arrives at Bergen with its passengers no doubt awestruck by what they’ve witnessed

30.Jotunheimen National Park, in southern Norway, is a densely forested region that’s home to reindeer, elk, mink and wolverines. It offers spectacular drives along 200 mountain peaks

31.Dørålen nature preserve in Hedmark county is a magnificent sight in autumn – seen here from the Rondane mountain

32.The rust-coloured birch trees in Rondane National Park and the Smiubelgen mountain range covered by a dusting of snow in autumn is a sight to behold. Smiubelgen means ‘the blacksmith’s bellows’

33.The village of Olden, which sits at the mouth of the Oldeelva river. And amid some typically amazing scenery

34.Vettisfossen in Jotunheimen National Park is one of Norway’s tallest waterfalls, with a single drop of 275 metres (902ft)

35.The Geirangerfjord is a Unesco World Heritage Site and possibly Norway’s No1 fjord. Fjords are often described as ‘nature’s own work of art’, formed as seawater flooded valleys created by retreating glaciers

36.A breathtaking aerial view of a cruise ship in the immense Geirangerfjord in northern Norway. On the right is the Seven Sisters waterfall, which is 1,345ft (410 metres) tall and consists of seven separate streams of water

37.The beautiful Friaren waterfall, which tumbles down into Geirangerfjord opposite the Seven Sisters fall

38.Stryneelva river winds its way through the Strynedalen valley before reaching Nordfjorden at the village of Stryn. The river is one of the best in Norway for salmon fishing

39.The Northern Lights, or Aurora Borealis, over Sakrisøy island at the foot of Olstind, one of Lofoten’s most iconic mountains

40.High-rise buildings in the Norwegian capital, Oslo. The city sits on Norway’s southern coast and is home to over 690,000 people

41.Bergen, pictured, is Norway’s second-largest city, with a population of over 280,000 people. The city is known for its damp climate – it gets around 200 days of rain each year

42.For the best view of Bergen, head up to Mount Fløyen. A scenic cable car ride takes visitors to its peak, at 400 metres (1,312ft) above sea level

43.Bryggen, the old Hanseatic wharf of Bergen, is on the Unesco list of World Cultural Heritage Sites. These days, the colourful wooden buildings mainly house shops and restaurants

44.A fjord cruise is spectacular any time of year. This tiny village can be found on a boat trip departing from Bergen

45.The eye-catching Arctic Cathedral in Tromso in northern Norway. The city is often referred to as being ‘the gateway to the Arctic’

46.An aerial view of the city of Stavanger – the fourth-largest city in Norway. The city rapidly grew in the 20th century due to the booming offshore oil industry

47.Drammen, pictured at sunset, is a port city in the eastern part of Norway. The city is split by the Drammenselva river

48.The third-largest city in Norway, Trondheim, pictured, is located in the centre of the country. It is known as a university town and as Norway’s capital of technology. But for Instagrammers, its coloured wooden houses are the biggest attraction

49.The eye-catching port town of Ålesund, on the west coast, is known for its art nouveau architectural style. The city had to be rebuilt after a fire in 1904

50.Lovatnet lake is yet another magical spot in Norway. Tragically, many people living next to it have lost their lives to landslides over the centuries

51.Behold the more than five-mile-long Atlantic Ocean Road – Norway’s ‘Construction of the Century’. It connects, says Visitnorway.com, Averøy with the mainland via a series of small islands and islets spanned by a total of eight bridges. Pictured is the Storseisundet Bridge