What is the best time to visit Norway?

The best months to visit are usually Jun, Jul, Aug.

What are the cultural customs in Norway?

Norwegians are generally open-minded and tolerant and there are few, if any, dos and don'ts that foreign visitors need to keep in mind. If anything, it is important to keep in mind that Norway is perhaps the most egalitarian country in the world. Behaving in a way that suggests either party is inferior or superior is considered exceptionally rude, and the flaunting of wealth or rank (if any) is frowned upon. Most Norwegians will handle misunderstandings or possibly offensive comments in a friendly manner and almost all will respond well to compliments paid to the country in general. Many Norwegian people can however be mistaken as s…

Field guide

Norway

Europe • Northern EuropeOsloNorwegian krone (NOK) · kr

NO, Norge, Noreg, Kingdom of Norway, Kongeriket Norge, Kongeriket Noreg

Updated December 21, 2025 at 11:35 PM · Sources

Names & aliases

NorwayKingdom of NorwayNONorgeNoregKongeriket NorgeKongeriket Noreg

Quick facts

CapitalOsloCurrencyNorwegian krone (NOK) · krLanguagesNorwegian Nynorsk, Norwegian Bokmål, SamiPopulation5,606,944Area386,224 km²Calling code+47Driving sideRight-hand

Climate (capital proxy)

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

-5°54

-4°50

0°51

5°53

11°65

15°75

17°91

16°94

12°74

7°97

1°79

-2°75

BestJunJulAug

Source: Open-Meteo Climate

Timezones

UTC+01:00

IANA zones (1)

Europe/Oslo6 cams

Source: REST Countries

Pre-trip intel

Safety & entry

Source: U.S. Department of State

Level 1Exercise Normal Precautions

Reissued after periodic review with minor edits Exercise normal precautions in Norway. Read the country information page for additional information on travel to Norway. If you decide to travel to Norway: Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive travel alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency. Follow the Department of State on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) Review the Country Security Report for Norway. Prepare a backup plan for emergency situations. Review the Traveler’s Checklist.

Full advisory →

Safety highlights

Reissued after periodic review with minor edits Exercise normal precautions in Norway. Read the country information page for additional information on travel to Norway.

Reissued after periodic review with minor edits Exercise normal precautions in Norway.
Read the country information page for additional information on travel to Norway.
Prepare a backup plan for emergency situations.
Review the Traveler’s Checklist.

Source: U.S. Department of State

Entry & docs

No summary available.

No bullet notes stored.

Source: Wikivoyage

On the ground

Getting around & connectivity

Source: Wikivoyage

Getting around

There are trains from Sweden to Oslo, Trondheim and Narvik, with onwards inland connections. There are no railways across the border from Finland and Russia.

There are trains from Sweden to Oslo, Trondheim and Narvik, with onwards inland connections. There are no railways across the border from Finland and Russia.
For Oslo, daily service from Stockholm and Gothenburg. There are local services from Karlstad as well.
For Trondheim, the Nabotåget service from Östersund corresponds with one day and one night service from Stockholm, as well as the train from Sundsvall.
For Narvik, two trains run daily from Stockholm via Kiruna. Both are overnight.
Train schedules can be found on the website of the [https://www.nsb.no/en/ Norwegian State Railways] and the [http://www.sj.se/?l=en Swedish Railways].

Source: Wikivoyage

Wi-Fi, SIMs & staying online

The international dialling prefix is 00 like in the EU. On mobile phones, you can use "+" instead.

The international dialling prefix is 00 like in the EU. On mobile phones, you can use "+" instead. Norway's country code is 47 (so Norwegian numbers can be dialled as +47 xx-xx-xx-xx). Since 2020, there are no area codes; the leading "0" in some numbers should not be dropped when dialling from abroad.
Mobile phone coverage is universal in urban areas and generally also good in rural Norway, though on occasion some rural valley areas might be badly covered.
Even in the most remote mountain cabins, as long as they are staffed, you will usually be able to send a postcard.

Source: Wikivoyage

Local wisdom

Etiquette, tipping & staying well

Etiquette & respect

Norwegians are generally open-minded and tolerant and there are few, if any, dos and don'ts that foreign visitors need to keep in mind.

Norwegians are generally open-minded and tolerant and there are few, if any, dos and don'ts that foreign visitors need to keep in mind. If anything, it is important to keep in mind that Norway is perhaps the most egalitarian country in the world. Behaving in a way that suggests either party is inferior or superior is considered exceptionally rude, and the flaunting of wealth or rank (if any) is frowned upon. Most Norwegians will handle misunderstandings or possibly offensive comments in a friendly manner and almost all will respond well to compliments paid to the country in general.
Many Norwegian people can however be mistaken as somewhat rude and unwelcoming, because they can be very direct and that small talk generally doesn't come easy. This is just a matter of culture; making contact with strangers, such as talking with fellow passengers on the bus, is uncommon. This does not apply to train journeys, or outside the bigger cities where small talk will be made on the basis of curiosity. During hikes in remote wilderness, talking to strangers on the same trail is customary.
Swearing is relatively common and accepted in many parts of the country. Profanities appear regularly in public broadcasting and are not censored. Foreign visitors may recognize some bad words from English or other languages. Some bad Norwegian words sound very similar to English words. Visitors should however avoid such words as there is a wide variety in what words locals find acceptable.

Source: Wikivoyage

Tipping guidance

Traditionally, the tip has not been common, but is getting more so by outside influence. Tipping is never considered offensive, but not tipping is also completely normal.

Traditionally, the tip has not been common, but is getting more so by outside influence. Tipping is never considered offensive, but not tipping is also completely normal.
In Norway, like most of Europe, waiters are well paid and thus not dependent on tips from customers. However, a tip can be given to show appreciation for the service. It is common in mid- to high-end cafés and restaurants. In restaurants, rounding up is the norm, and 10% is considered generous. It is not normal to tip outside restaurants and bars, but in situations where change is common it is polite to leave the change (for example, taxis). Tipping cab drivers is common if you travel for more than 200 kr, but you will get no reaction from the driver should you choose not to tip, perhaps a new experience to American and English tourists.

Source: Wikivoyage

Health & wellness

The water quality in Norway is adequate and mostly good or very good. Unlike continental Europe, most of the tap water in Norway is from surface water like rivers and lakes typically in hills above towns.

The water quality in Norway is adequate and mostly good or very good. Unlike continental Europe, most of the tap water in Norway is from surface water like rivers and lakes typically in hills above towns. Unlike groundwater, surface water is mostly low in calcium and rarely hard. Tap water is always drinkable (except on boats, trains etc.) and there is generally no need to buy bottled water (in fact, bottled water often comes from the same source as tap water). In the mountains, water from streams and rivers is usually drinkable and often high quality, but some common sense is needed to judge the source.
The hygiene in public kitchens is very good, and food poisoning rarely happens to tourists.
Norway can get relatively warm in the summer, but be prepared to bring warm clothes (sweater, wind breaking/waterproof jacket), as they might come in handy. It's hard to predict the weather, and in summer, you may experience severe weather changes during your stay.
Tourists hiking in the high mountains (above the forest) should bring sports wear for temperatures down to freezing (0 °C) also in summer. Rain and strong wind can occur at any time adding to the cooling effect.
Norway has a high density of pharmacies. Nose sprays and standard painkillers (paracetamol, aspirin) can also be purchased in grocery stores and gas stations.

Source: Wikivoyage

Scams & street smarts

Food safety is very good in Norway. Salmonella is very rare compared to other countries, and health officials inspect restaurants at a regular basis.

Food safety is very good in Norway. Salmonella is very rare compared to other countries, and health officials inspect restaurants at a regular basis. Also tap-water is usually very nice; Voss water from Vatnestrøm in Aust-Agder is actually exported abroad, including the US.

Source: Wikivoyage

Practicalities

Money & essentials

Norwegian krone (NOK) · krGDP/cap $86,785.433Inflation 3.1%Plugs & voltage

Source: World Bank GDP per capita

Source: WorldStandards (plugs)

Highlights

Top places

Source: Wikivoyage

1Hanseatic2Lofoten

Cams

Cams in this country

Source: Webcam DB aggregates(prisma://webcams)

6HARBOR: 3 · MISC: 2 · CITY: 1

Top cities (4)

Bodø · 1Hammerfest · 1Kirkenes · 1Narvik · 1

Browse cams

Plan

Plan your trip

Trip planning

Source: Affiliate hub config(local://affiliate)

Flights via Skyscannerflight, transport Hotels via Booking.comhotel, lodging Travel Insurance via SafetyWinginsurance Guided Tours via Viatortours, experiences International eSIM via Airaloconnectivity

Links are templates; confirm final tracking codes before launch.

Reference

Country reference data

Reference

ISONOTLD.noBorders3Translations26Google Maps OpenStreetMap

Show full reference data

Identifiers

ISO Alpha-2NOCCA3NORCCN3578CIOCNORFIFANORTLD.no

Borders

FINSWERUS

Demonyms

Norwegian / Norwegian; Norvégien / Norvégienne

Translations (26)

ara النرويجbre Norvegiaces Norskocym Norwaydeu Norwegenest Norrafin Norjafra Norvègehrv Norveškahun Norvégiaind Norwegiaita Norvegiajpn ノルウェーkor 노르웨이nld Noorwegenper نروژpol Norwegiapor Noruegarus Норвегияslk Nórskospa Noruegasrp Норвешкаswe Norgetur Norveçurd ناروےzho 挪威

Sources