The New Scandi Hotspot You Need on Your Bucket List in 2024

Been to Stockholm? Done with Copenhagen? While Sweden and Denmark may have been the go-to places for living out your Scandinavian dreams in recent years, a “mini metropolis” in northern Norway could be the new emerging spot to hit before the crowds do.

Get your next Scandi fix in Bodø, the Norwegian city that’s been designated as one of the European Capitals of Culture (ECOC) in 2024. The title is awarded by the European Commission to different European cities each year to highlight some of Europe’s most underexplored corners.

Marking the first ECOC designated north of the Arctic Circle, it is hoped that the latest title will help boost Bodø’s “cultural vibrancy,” the European Commission noted when the city was recommended for the title.

Home to around 50,000 residents, the bustling small city packs a punch, offering everything from chic coffee bars, buzzy restaurants and quirky shops to colorful street art.

Surrounded by picturesque glaciers, mountains and islands in the heart of the scenic Salten region, Bodø also offers an array of nature-based experiences, from chasing the northern lights to experiencing the midnight sun from the white sandy beaches of its north coast.

The city will host more than 1,000 cultural events this year to celebrate the title, which kicks off on February 3 with a spectacular opening ceremony, featuring everything from orchestral music, joik, the traditional music of the country’s indigenous Sami culture, and theater to lights and fireworks.

The ceremony will be centered around the Bodø harbor on a striking floating stage, with up to 20,000 visitors expected to attend the event, a spokesperson for Bodø2024, the organization behind all the ECOC events in the area, told Newsweek.

Here, we highlight just five more incredible reasons to explore Bodø in 2024.

You Can Stay in a (Eco) Fjord Hotel

Looking for a unique place to stay while in Bodø while also helping the planet? The Six Senses Svart may be your answer, sitting on the Helgeland coast of northern Norway, near Bodø and the Lofoten island region, just above the Arctic Circle.

Set to open in 2024, the 94-room hotel, a striking ring-shaped property overlooking the Holandsfjorden fjord, will be the “first fully carbon-neutral and emission-free resort,” according to the hotel, producing more energy than it consumes.

Suspended on poles over fjord waters to minimize its on-site impact, the resort and its services, including the greenhouse farm, boat shuttles and other experiences, “will be completely self-sufficient” in electricity, water and waste management. The hotel will filter and bottle its own drinking water throughout its facilities and offer a “zero-waste dining venue” where “whatever isn’t eaten fresh from the farm may well get pickled.”

According to the company, the building will consume 85 percent less energy than comparable hotels and in time, generate more energy (via solar panels and geothermal wells) than it took to build the complex and will take to operate it.

360 Degree Films Inside World’s Largest Sami Tent

Many of Bodø’s ECOC events will be anchored around a celebration of its Sami culture, such as ÁRRAN 360°, a film screening event held in partnership with the International Sami Film Institute, the Bodø2024 spokesperson told Newsweek.

The ÁRRAN 360° project will feature the work of several Sami filmmakers and visual artists on a unique circular screen running along the wall of the world’s largest lavvo, a traditional Sami tent dwelling space, which is around 33 feet high.

See the World’s First Concert in an Underwater Cave

Diving and music enthusiasts can enjoy a unique underwater performance at the Pluragrotta, an underwater cave located near the town of Mo i Rana, which is just under three hours by train from Bodø.

Held as part of Bodø’s ECOC events, the world’s first concert in a submerged cave will take place on March 16 and 17 with a performance by Norwegian saxophonist Håkon Skog Erlandsen, who is known for his performances in extreme locations, such as Mount Everest.

All musicians, technicians and members of the audience (which will be limited to around 50 people) will be required to be accredited cave divers, notes Visit Bodø, the city’s official tourism website.

Marvel at Power of World’s Strongest Tidal Current

Get an adrenaline rush with a view of the Saltstraumen, a narrow strait just outside Bodø’s city center that’s home to the world’s strongest tidal current.

The spectacular natural phenomenon is created when the tide turns and flows in and out of a channel between two fjords—the Saltenfjorden and Skjerstadfjorden.

Every six hours, massive volumes of water pass through the channel, which is 9,842 feet long and 492 feet wide, at speeds of up to 20 knots. The small strait and tremendous forces at play generate large eddies, which are circular currents of water, that can reach up to around 33 feet in diameter and 13 to 16 feet in depth, explains the Visit Bodø website.

“The current is influenced by the moon and the sun, so if you want to witness Saltstraumen at its absolute strongest, it should be visited around the days of the new- and full moon, when the difference between high and low tide is greatest,” the website notes.

Hike on the Largest Glacier in Northern Scandinavia

For more natural wonders, visitors won’t want to miss the Svartisen glacier, which is around a three-hour bus ride from Bodø.

Svartisen is the largest glacier in northern Scandinavia and the second-largest in Norway, with 60 glacier tongues and spanning around 143 square miles.

Svartisen is located in the Saltfjellet-Svartisen National Park, which is like “a miniature version of Norway,” says Visit Norway, the country’s official tourism website, featuring dramatic fjords, spectacular mountains and deep forests teeming with wildlife. “If you are lucky, you will encounter Arctic foxes, wolverines, eagles and reindeer,” the website says.

At around 65 feet above sea level, Svartisen is the lowest glacier in mainland Europe and considered the most accessible glacier to visit in Europe.

For more on all things Bodø and all the latest cultural happenings in the city this year, see the Bodø2024 and Visit Bodø websites.

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