A beautiful European city where the sun shines for just three and a half hours each day could make for the perfect unique holiday destination.

Bodo in Norway is packed with attractions including an impressive Gothic cathedral along with a wide array of interesting museums, and has recently received a massive boost in being named European Capital of Culture 2024.

The city will host 1,000 cultural events next year as part of receiving the EU accolade including art exhibitions, theatre performances and concerts.

Bodo’s tourist board has described it as the “largest cultural happening in Norway in over a decade” adding that visitors would be “spellbound” by performances.

Visit Norway says it wants to use it in order to make sure the city remains an “attractive place” for young people and hopes it will “contribute to fewer people moving away”.

And Bodo’s location means visitors may have a chance of spotting the Northern Lights if they are in the right place at the right time.

City museums include the Jektefartsmuseet, which showcases the city’s cultural and maritime history, the Norwegian Museum of Aviation and the Nordland Museum, which specialises in telling the story of the city during pre-war and Viking times.

Bodo is also home to Saltstraumen, the world’s strongest maelstrom where travellers can see its thunderous whirlpools every day with it said to be most powerful at new or full moon.

The area is not only a natural attraction but also a place of historical significance where people have settled since the Stone Age.

Along with the maelstrom, Bodo is also home to Svartsen, which is Europe’s most accessible and Norway’s second-largest glacier.

The 370sqkm glacier takes its name from the old term Svartis which means ‘black ice’ and describes the characteristic deep blue colour of the ice, in contrast to the white snow.

Svartsen’s ice masses show a range of blue tones, from transparent ice to turquoise and dark blue.

Those wishing to experience everything the city has to offer can get a return flight from London Heathrow for about £200 in March with Scandinavian Airlines which features a stop-off in Oslo.