EuropeNorwayNorway
Norway charges nothing for the thing you came for. The right to roam opens every hillside to a tent, and one trip holds a ledge above the Lysefjord, a coastal ship into the Arctic and the aurora over Tromsø. Most people take it on the move, somewhere new most nights.
NorwayNorway in a nutshell
Best places to visit in Norway
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Our travel routes through Norway
Norway is loved by culture seekers and backpackers alike. We recommend several routes through this country, here they are in full!
3 nights1–2 days: Norway in a Nutshell, Oslo to Bergen
Oslo · Flam · Bergen
Mountain railway from Oslo to Flåm runs reliably; Bergen weather stable; trails around Flåm open.
3 nights3 days, Stavanger and the Lysefjord ledges
Stavanger · Preikestolen
Preikestolen trail open from 1 June; Lysefjord conditions stable through early autumn before September rain.
5 nights1 week, the mountain interior by camper
Rondane · Jotunheimen
Rondane and Jotunheimen high passes and lodges open; waterfalls full from June snowmelt; trails cleared.
7 nights1 week, the classic south loop by car
Oslo · Kristiansand · Stavanger
All regions accessible; Preikestolen and Kjerag open; mountain passes clear; Geilo and Bergen weather predictable.
7 nights10 days, fjord highlights without the big hikes
Alesund · Geirangerfjord · Flam
Geirangerfjord and Flåm fully accessible; no altitude dependency; Bergen and Ålesund weather optimal.
9 nights10 days: fjords and Lofoten, hiking first
Stavanger · Trolltunga · Bergen
Trolltunga accessible; southern fjords and Lofoten both at peak season with open trails and minimal closures.
9 nights10 days: the big-three hiking loop, Bergen to Kristiansand
Bergen · Trolltunga · Stavanger
Trolltunga and Kjerag open from 1 June; fjord weather best; high passes and mountain lodges fully operational.
10 nights14 days: Oslo, the Nutshell and the coastal route to the Arctic
Oslo · Flam · Bergen
Combines Oslo, Flåm railway, Bergen, Ålesund, Trondheim and Arctic coast all at peak accessibility and stability.
10 nights4–5 days: Lofoten, split stay
Lofoten Islands · Svolvær · Reine
Svolvær and Reine conditions best; midnight sun visible; fishing villages and hiking at peak accessibility.
11 nights2 weeks: the northern loop, Lofoten to Tromsø
Lofoten Islands · Vesteralen · Senja
Lofoten, Vesterålen, Senja and Tromsø all at best conditions; midnight sun; no weather-related closures.
Updated August 2026 · 14 min read · Written by the Stippl editorsThe numbers on this page are drawn from 88,000+ planned stops across Norway on Stippl.
Norway is two trips in one country, and each fills ten days on its own. The fjord-and-mountain south-west runs from Stavanger through Bergen to Ålesund, with Preikestolen, Trolltunga and the Nærøyfjord along the way. The Arctic north is Lofoten, Tromsø and Finnmark, with the midnight sun in summer and the aurora in winter. Oslo takes 19.4% of every Norwegian stop planned on Stippl, because most trips begin there.
Norway is planned on the move, one night at a time. 55% of Norwegian stays planned on Stippl are a single night, and only Iceland moves travellers faster. Only 28.0% of Norway trips on Stippl stay inside the country, since Denmark and Sweden each join about four in ten. The Arctic is the exception: most travellers give Tromsø 3 nights, more than Oslo or Bergen get.
So pick one half, book the beds first and let the landscape be free. Rorbuer and Lofoten summer hotels go six months out and campervans three to six, and most travellers plan Norway about 84 days ahead on Stippl. Nature has no entry fee anywhere; what you pay for is parking, fuel, tolls, ferries, food and beds. Joining the fjords to the north costs two internal flights and a full travel day. Skip Norway if you want cheap restaurants, reliable weather or a dense city break.
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Hikers and ridge-walkers
Norway is a ladder of named hikes, from Preikestolen to Kjeragbolten to Trolltunga, with Lofoten's short, steep peaks as a discipline of their own.
Road-trippers and campers
Ferries are part of the road, campsites are everywhere, and the right to roam makes a tent on open land free.
Aurora and midnight-sun chasers
Norway sells both ends of the light cycle, and the only decisions that matter are how far north you go and how many nights you stay.
Wildlife watchers
Sea eagles at Trollfjord, whales off Tromsø and Andenes, puffins in Vesterålen and musk ox inland, with polar bears only from a Svalbard ship.
Slow travellers
The Bergen Line, the Flåm Railway and the coastal ship to Kirkenes all work as ordinary transport, not only as excursions.
Families with a car
Preikestolen suits adventurous six-year-olds, and a campervan makes two weeks with a toddler workable, because the fjords are best reached by road.
Travellers doing Scandinavia
Only 28.0% of Norway trips on Stippl stay inside Norway, so the country usually shares one loop with Denmark and Sweden.
Maybe not for you: anyone who wants cheap restaurants, since eating out is what makes Norway expensive; anyone who needs reliable weather, because rain can take whole days in Bergen and Lofoten; and city-breakers, since the draw here is landscape, not cities.
The best time to visit Norway
Summer
Mid-June to mid-August
Everything is open, the midnight sun shines in the north and the high mountain roads are reliably clear. It is also the dearest and busiest time, above all in Lofoten and Geiranger.
Shoulder
May to early June, and September
The best value, with the waterfalls at full snowmelt in May and autumn colour and the first aurora nights in September. Some high roads and mountain lodges are still shut in May, and closures return in September.
Winter
Late November to March
The season for the aurora, dog sledding, whale watching and ski touring. Many fjord attractions, mountain roads and rural hotels close, and daylight in the north lasts only a few hours.
- Most travellers plan Norway about 84 days ahead on Stippl, and 24.8% plan it half a year out. The beds set that lead: rorbuer and Lofoten summer hotels go six months ahead, and campervans three to six.
- Trolltunga and Kjeragbolten are self-guided only from 1 June to 30 September. Outside that window a licensed guide is legally required, so a spring or autumn trip built around either hike needs a guide booked at extra cost.
- The high passes and several ferries run on a summer calendar. Trollstigen and other high roads shut through winter into late spring, the Andenes to Gryllefjord ferry runs in summer only, and the Preikestolen trailhead buses run roughly May to September.
- Latitude decides what a month feels like more than the season does. Oslo is continental, with freezing Januarys and warm dry summers, Bergen is mild and wet all year, and Tromsø stays far milder than its latitude because the coast never freezes.
- The midnight sun and the polar night both keep hard dates. The sun stays up from 20 May to 22 July in Tromsø and from 28 May to 14 July in Lofoten, and stays below the horizon in Tromsø from 27 November to 15 January.
- Bergen has no dry season, so never build a day there around one viewpoint. The city takes three to four times London's rain, December is the wettest month and even July is wet, so keep the clear-weather plans flexible.
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Festivals, and when to avoid them
Kristiansand Christmas market
The market opens with an ice rink on the cathedral square, a torchlight procession and a daily light show. It is a reason to give the ferry port a night rather than driving straight through.
The sun's return in Tromsø
The sun clears the horizon after about six weeks of polar night, people gather round fires at Telegrafbukta and bakeries bake solboller through the night. Build a Tromsø aurora trip around it.
Nordlysfestivalen
Tromsø's music festival, from opera and jazz to symphonic and modern, in the middle of aurora season. Winter is Tromsø's busy season, so book the beds when you book the tickets.
Constitution Day
Norway's national day and its biggest drinking day, and Vinmonopolet is shut. Buy any wine or spirits on 16 May, and expect the towns to belong to the celebrations.
Midsummer Eve
Sankthansaften lights bonfires across the country, the landscape glows orange around midnight and visitors are warmly received. Come for it: it falls in the best weeks of the year for the trails.
Riddu Riđđu
The international indigenous festival in northern Troms, and the one Sámi cultural fixture on the calendar. Worth routing a northern trip around, with the dates confirmed before you book.
Palmesus
Kristiansand's beach festival, with Live Music in Ravnedalen the same month, when Norwegians themselves holiday on the south coast. Book south-coast beds and campsites early for July.
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Things to do in Norway
Preikestolen above the Lysefjord
Stand on a granite shelf about 25 metres square, 604 m above the Lysefjord, with no fence of any kind. The 8 km round trip takes about four hours at a reasonable fitness.
Norway in a Nutshell
Ride the Flåm Railway 20 km down from Myrdal, then the two-hour electric cruise through the Nærøyfjord to Gudvangen. Booked as separate legs it needs no package and costs about €150 instead of €245.
Trolltunga
Walk out onto the sliver of rock 700 m above Ringedalsvatnet at the end of a 20 km day. The guided overnight camp, arriving around 17:00 after the day-trippers leave, is the version to book.
Reinebringen in Lofoten
Climb about 1,600 stone steps straight up to 448 m above Reine, an hour with no flat section. In June, go at midnight for the sun on the peaks.
The coastal ship to the Arctic
Sail from Bergen to Kirkenes in six days through 34 ports, with an Arctic Circle ceremony on deck. Single port-to-port legs are sold as ordinary transport and cost far less than the full voyage.
Northern lights from Tromsø
Give the aurora three or four nights with a guided chase between late September and early April. One night is a coin flip, because the limit on the coast is cloud rather than the lights.
Norwegian food: what to eat
creamy pollock-based soup, the regional dish worth seeking out
cod air-dried outdoors on wooden racks, keeping essentially indefinitely; soaked for days before eating
the local dish of the Art Nouveau town, at its best when the winter catch lands
caramelised whey cheese somewhere between peanut butter and caramel; also sold as ice cream
as steak, burger, sausage, stew or dried jerky
seasoned minced-meat patties with mushy peas or creamed cabbage
salted, smoked and boiled, with potato and kohlrabi mash
heart-shaped, served with jam and sour cream, optionally brunost
the default bakery order, big and cardamom-heavy
hauled from traps under the ice and cooked the same day
baked overnight to mark the sun's return on 21 January
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Norwegian customs and what not to do
Roam anywhere, on foot
Allemannsretten lets anyone walk, swim, forage or pitch a tent on uncultivated land, at least 150 m from a house and for two nights at most.
The right is not for vans
Motorhomes may park only where road law allows, never on uncultivated land, and wild camping in a van is the most common misunderstanding in Norway.
Local rules beat the right
Lofoten and parts of Fjord Norway have their own camping rules, and national parks and reserves carry their own signs, so read the sign before you pitch.
Carry everything out
Leave No Trace is the norm: take all rubbish home, keep away from streams and bag used toilet paper, which takes at least a month to break down.
Takk does the work of please
Norwegian has no everyday word for please, so courtesy rides on tone and on takk, said constantly, including takk for maten after a meal.
Reserved, not cold
Norwegians come across as humble, hospitable and not naturally outgoing, and visibly proud of their country; the reserve is not unfriendliness.
Do
- Take a rain jacket and a wool layer on every walk, however good the forecast looks
- Buy wine and spirits before 16:00 on Saturday, and by 16 May before the national day
- Bring swimwear for the sauna, because Norwegian saunas require it
- Take your boots off at the door of a mountain hut and report at reception
Don't
- Assume EU customs allowances apply; Norway is outside the EU customs area
- Stop in the carriageway to watch the aurora; it is illegal
- Touch or crowd the stockfish racks, which are working private property
- Leave a large tip out of habit; rounding up is the whole custom
What a Norway trip costs
Budget
€65–102 pp
A campsite pitch, a wild-camp spot or a bunk in a hytte; every meal cooked from Rema 1000, Kiwi or Extra; free hiking and free viewpoints; nothing drunk in a bar.
Mid-range
€148–222 pp
Half of a €160 (NOK 1,725) hotel double with breakfast, one restaurant dinner, one cable car or museum, plus a share of fuel, tolls and ferries.
High-end
€324+ pp
A rorbu or design hotel, restaurants twice a day, guided excursions at aurora-chase or glacier-walk prices, and domestic flights instead of driving days.
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Visas, SIM cards and getting around
Entry & visa
Schengen, but not the EU
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens need only an ID card. UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports get 90 days in any 180, shared across the whole Schengen area.
Money
Krone, and cards everywhere
Norway uses the krone, not the euro. Cards work on buses, in mountain huts and at trailhead machines, so a whole trip can pass with almost no cash.
Connectivity
EU SIMs roam free
Norway is in the EEA, so EU and EEA SIMs roam at home rates. UK SIMs may charge, and US, Canadian and Australian visitors do best with an eSIM.
Getting around
A car, and flights north
Outside the cities a car is effectively required, because public transport skips the trailheads. Domestic flights are a necessity for the far north, and road tolls are charged automatically.
Health
Nothing to arrange
No vaccinations are required. EU and UK visitors use the EHIC or GHIC, which does not cover mountain rescue, so take insurance with mountain cover.
Water
Drink from the tap
Tap water is excellent everywhere, and locals and guides drink from streams on the marked routes. Carry a refillable bottle rather than buying water.
Tipping
Round up at most
Service and VAT are included in restaurants, hotels and taxis, and staff are paid a proper wage. Rounding up after a good meal is the whole custom.
Power & plugs
Type C and F, 230 volts
Continental European plugs fit without an adapter. UK, Irish, US and Australian travellers need one, and heating devices from North America need a converter too.
Language
English everywhere
Norwegian has two written standards, Bokmål and Nynorsk, plus Sámi in the north. English is spoken to a very high standard, so a visitor never needs Norwegian.
Norwegian worth knowing
Nobody expects you to speak the language, which is exactly why a handful of words goes so far.
hay
Hi, all-purpose, day or night · Hei
tahk
Thanks · Takk
TOO-sen tahk
Thanks a thousand, the warm "thank you very much" · Tusen takk
vair-shaw-GOO
Here you are / you're welcome / help yourself · Vær så god
OONN-shil
Excuse me, sorry · Unnskyld
SNAH-ker doo ENG-elsk
Do you speak English? · Snakker du engelsk?
vor MEE-eh KOS-ter deh
How much does it cost? · Hvor mye koster det?
vor air too-ah-LET-teh
Where is the toilet? · Hvor er toalettet?
skawl
Cheers! · Skål!
ha-deh brah
Bye · Ha det bra
yelp
Help! · Hjelp!
Norway questions, answered
By counting the nights you really have before you book a flight. Each half of Norway fills ten days on its own, and joining them costs two internal flights and a full travel day. Lay both versions out in Stippl and see what the days allow, then show the route to people who have been, in subreddits like r/Norway. Say how you travel when you ask.
Yes, it is the usual pace. 55% of Norwegian stays planned on Stippl are a single night, a faster rhythm than anywhere but Iceland, because a fjord route strings together small villages. Keep two-night stops for the places you want to hike from, since a single night leaves no slack for a day of rain.
More often than not. Only 28.0% of the Norway trips planned on Stippl stay inside Norway, and Denmark and Sweden each appear on about four in ten, so the usual shape is a Scandinavian loop. Driving in through Denmark by ferry or out through Sweden is ordinary, and customs still applies at the Swedish border.
In the Arctic, not in the capital. Travellers planning Norway on Stippl give Tromsø 3 nights against 2 for Oslo, because the aurora needs several dark nights and the whale boats need daylight. Lofoten holds people as long, so the north is where to slow down rather than where to squeeze in a day.
Not under the right to roam. Allemannsretten covers people, not vehicles: a tent on uncultivated land at least 150 metres from a house is legal for two nights, while driving or parking a van on that land is not. Lofoten and parts of Fjord Norway add local camping rules on top, so use the campsites there.
Between late September and early April, over three or four nights rather than one. A single night in Tromsø or Lofoten is roughly a coin flip, because cloud on the coast, not solar activity, is the limit; across three or four nights in December or January the odds rise to about three in four. Book a guided chase that drives to clear sky.
Every guide is written by the Stippl editors and checked against the trips our travellers actually plan. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.
Plan Norway in Stippl
Everything in this guide, ready to drop into your Norway route, with planning and bookings in one app.
