Itinerary in Norway

Planning a trip to Norway ?

?? Norway, one of the most gorgeous countries on the planet ! 

It is hard to describe Norway without using superlatives … It’s landscapes are so fiercely beautiful ! Cosmopolitan and inspiring cities, gorgeous roads, magical Northern Lights, stunning fjords … And so much more ! Get a chance to see the extraordinary midnight sun. WHen, during summer, the sun (almost) nevers sets. Whereas in the winter, there is almost never any sunlight !

Don’t wait any longer and come explore Norway and its impressive glaciers, lovely villages … You will stay speechless when discovering this surprising place ! 

Ready for adventure ? Let’s get started ! 

What to see in Norway ?

What to do in Norway ?

Live Norwegian experiences.

• Become a Northern Lights hunter and make unforgettable memories. 
• Discover the Norwegian’s hidden side by exploring Oslo by night.
• Cross the Nordland by taking one of the most stunning roads in the world.
• Challenge yourself by climbing up Preikestolen, a smooth 600 m / 1970 ft high cliff above Lysefjord.
• Explore the Arctic on a dog sled.
• Fish and stake care of an elk herd with the Samis, Arctic aboriginal people.
• Head to Svalbard, a glacier and fjord covered archipelago about 2 hours away from Tromsø.

But wait for it … Norwegians also know how to celebrate !

There are many national holidays and festivals all year long :

• At the end of January, in Tromsø, take part in the Northern Lights Festival.
• If you doubt you could spend a night in the Arctic, go to Polar Jazz in Svalbard (at the end of January / beginning of February), you will see life doesn’t stop during winter in Arctic  !
• Tired of looking for chocolates for Easter ? Head to Easter Sami festival, celebrating the end of the polar night for the Samis. Attend marriages, reindeer races and listen to the Sami Grand Prize, a poem contest. An experience like no other !
• Do not miss the biggest cultural event, at the end of May : the Bergen International Festival. A 2-week celebration with dance, music and folkloric shows. 
• Adrenaline junkies, head to Voss at the end of June for the Extreme Sports Festival. Paraglider, free fall or parasailing; Ready to jump ? 
• Jazz fan ? Gather with the other 100 000 fans at Moldejazz in Molde, discover international artists and excellent line up ! 

Languages in Norway

We speak Norwegian ! 

Well not exactly since Norwegian isn’t actually a language … But nynorsk and bokmål are ! Bokmål is the most common language you’ll hear. 

But don’t worry, pretty much everyone speaks English as well. 

Bokmål 101 !

You may need to practice the pronunciation, because it is quite something …

• Hello : God dag 
• Good bye : farvel 
• Please : vær så snill 
• Thank you : Takk
• Sorry : beklager / unnskyld 
• Yes : Ja
• No : Nei 

Official currency in Norway

Money, money, money

The official currency is the Norwegian Crown, called Nok. 1 Nok = 100 øre. Better get a money converter on your phone so you can manage your expenses more easily.
Life is pretty expensive in Norway … Oslo is known to be one of the most expensive cities in the world !
International credit / debit card (Visa and Mastercard) are accepted everywhere and you will find ATMs very easily.
Be sure to warn your bank that you are traveling so that they won’t block your card for suspect abroad transactions.

Traveling in Norway

Is the steering wheel on the left or right ?

Better get a car to get around in Norway, it’s the easiest way.
It is ideal to rent your car with one the big international car rental agencies (Hertz, Sixt..) before arriving, you’ll save some money.
You will have to be at least 21 years old and have had your driver’s licence for over a year. But some companies add a fee for young drivers under 25. If you live outside Europe, better get an International Driving Permit, but if you live in Europe you usual licence should be just fine. 

Roads are not free in Norway … every car has a box called AutoPASS linked to the driver’s bank account. Money will be withdrawn from your account each time you pass a “check point”. 

If you were wondering what side the steering wheel is on, it’s on the left side and Norwegian drive on the right side of the road.

Overall cost of a trip to Norway

Thanks for all the information but how much will this actually cost ?

Transportation 

• Flights : several Norwegian airlines have domestic flights (SAS, Norwegian, Widerøe…). For a flight from Oslo to Tromsø cexpect about 950 NOK, getting to the Svalbard Islands from Tromsø expect about 1900 NOK. 
• Trains : called NSB, they are pretty expensive. A one-way ticket from Oslo to Lillehammer will be around 415 NOK.
• Bus ; they can seem expensive (570 NOK to go from Oslo to Lillehammer) but you won’t have to pay the toll fees ! And they go up to the great north (trains don’t) ! So, time to get your calculator out !
• Car rentals : a pretty good deal if you don’t mind driving (distance between steps can get quite long). In big international agencies, cars start around 1900 NOK / week with unlimited mileage. Then add the cost of gas (fluctuates a lot from one region to another), around 13.74 NOK / liter.
• Tolls : you will also have to pay tolls if driving in Norway (getting in big cities, taking tunnels or bridges). These are payed through the AutoPASS we mentionner earlier. And don’t forget the cost of ferries either. 

Accommodations 

• If you are the backpacker type, youth hostel are on average 190 NOK / night / person. 
• If you are traveling in Norway during the summer, camping is also an option and will only cost 235 NOK / night !
• If you have a bigger budget, a basic hotel or a hytte (cabin) are about 760 NOK / night for two. 
• And if you really have a big budget, unusual accommodation are on average 1900 NOK / night. 

Eating

• Food is very expensive comparreted to most other occidental countries. Except about 285 NOK / person for a average quality meal and around 115 NOK / person for fastfood. 
• The option is cooking for yourself and buying your own produce in a grocery store (57 NOK / person / meal). A part from saving money, you will also be able to cook some delicious local dishes (deer, salmon, cheese). 

Activities 

• They can be a little pricey for those traveling on a small budget. 
• Expect around 760 NOK/person to hike on a glacier with a guide or to go rafting, 1700 NOK/person for a dog sled ride. Don’t be sad ! Norwegian nature has plenty of other free things for you to enjoy ! Viking landscapes are priceless …

Useful contact information in Norway

If you need to join / go to you embassy while in Norway, go to this website for the address, phone number, email address  and website : https://embassy.goabroad.com/embassies-in/norway

In case of emergency, call:

– Police: 112
– Medical assistance : 113
– Firefighters : 110

Book your trip to Norway

Here are different platforms to book your trip from.

Domestic flights :

• https://www.flysas.com/fr/fr/
• https://www.norwegian.com/fr/
• https://www.wideroe.no/

Trains : 

• https://www.nsb.no/en/frontpage

Busses : 

• https://www.nor-way.no/nb-NO#/?showEarlierDepartureTrips=0&showLaterDepartureTrips=0&showEarlierReturnTrips=0&showLaterReturnTrips=0
• https://www.boreal.no/home/

Car rentals :

• https://www.Hertz.com
  

Looking for other travelers’ experiences in Norway to get inspired from ? Go to ShareYourTrip :

• https://www.shareyourtrip.fr/s?q=Norv%C3%A8ge&cid=&latitude=60.47202399999999&longitude=8.46894599999996&areaLevel1=&areaLevel2=&areaLevel3=&city=&country=Norv%C3%A8ge&countryIsoCode=NO&distance=100km

Practical information in Norway

Tips to travelers :

• Tips are not mandatory but highly appreciated. 
• Norwegian are really care about “good behaviour” in public. So if you tend to be very loud, be careful, the locals might not be kind to you …
• During the winter, all stores, museum and public places have shorter opening hours (10am to 3pm). And by the way, most Norwegians meet up in coffee shops around 3pm for the end of the day.