Understanding:
The end of the Ice Age brought new fertile territory where humans could thrive. It is thought that the first inhabitants of this region migrated here around 10000 BCE. The first agricultural settlements would appear in the Oslo region and then spread to all the southern Norway.
From the 8th century on, the Norwegians started spreading to the British Isles, Iceland and Greenland (Viking Age). During the Hanseatic League times (around 13th-15th centuries), the port city of Bergen acquired a lot of importance. Later on, the Kalmar Union was established, represented by Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. The Union was however interrupted several times. In 1814, Norway was defeated in the Napoleonic Wars and became a territory of Sweden for a brief period, during which the United Kingdom of Sweden and Norway was proclaimed.
Finally, the country became fully independent in 1905, was invaded by Germany from 1940-1945 (WW2), and began to thrive after oil was discovered on its shores in 1969. It is today one of the wealthiest countries in the world, using the oil and gas revenue to strengthen its sovereign fund.
Geography:
Norway is one of the countries in Northern Europe, shaped as a vertical stripe of land that widens as it goes south.
The north is classified as arctic tundra and is less fertile than the south. The coastline is very irregular and indented by fjords. The longest fjord in the world is placed in Greenland but the second (Sognefjord) and the third (Hardangerfjord) call Norway home. The countryside consists mostly in high plateaus and rugged mountains broken by fertile valleys.
Norway is affected by the gulf stream which means warmer temperatures comparing to other regions on the same latitude. Summer greets tourists with amenable temperatures but the coastal regions and the fjords see a lot of rain even during warmer months. Winter is usually mild and wet on the coast (with snow on the mountain tops), whereas the inland areas have snowy and cold winters.
Basic info:
- Capital: Oslo
- Population: 5.4 million (2021 estimate)
- Language: Norwegian
- Religion: 68% Lutheran ; 3% Islam; 3% Catholic; 18% unaffiliated
- Currency: Norwegian Crown (NOK). As of November 2022:
- 1 EUR = 10,3 NOK
- 1 USD = 9,9NOK
- Plugs: type C or F (EU standard plugs)
When to go:
Summer and Winter are perhaps the most popular months to visit Norway, depending on what your plans include.
Summer is the hiking season by excellence and the best time to seize the mountainous areas of Norway, such as the irregular western coast. We were there on the first week of July: the hiking trails were already passable and dry for the most part. We found snowy bits of terrain when hiking Trolltunga however, but very manageable and easy to walk across.
Cold months (November-February), on the other hand, are the peak season if you’re heading north to see the auroras. It will be freezing cold out there, but the fact is that northern lights are more easily seen on longer and darker nights.
Visa policy (simplified):
Norway belongs to the Schengen Area, which means EU citizens just need their national identity card to enter by air. Most countries in the Americas alongside UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea do not need a visa for short-term stays (<90 days).
Money:
Almost every business is expected to have a card terminal, which makes pre-paid cards such as Revolut really handy and capable to process every transaction. We bought some Norwegian Crowns on arrival because we knew we’d be on remote locations, but we honestly don’t remember having to use them necessarily.
It’s never enough to stress that Norway is one of the most expensive countries in the world. Any mid-range restaurant bill can easily surpass 30€ per person, which made us avoid them. There are alternatives to restaurants such as petrol stations that serve low-cost meals (hot-dogs, burgers, etc) for 5-10€. If you’re staying at airbnbs with kitchen, cooking may also be useful to cut costs.
Regarding accommodation, we caught hotels and airbnbs for 100-120€/night, on average.
SIM cards:
EU citizens keep their native country’s contract policy when roaming, so we did not need any extra SIM card to visit Norway. Oslo’s Gardermoen airport has a Lycamobile store that sells SIM cards ($34 for 15GB would be the cheapest option here).
However, eSIM technology is widely spread as of 2022 and you may find good deals that fit best your duration of stay or internet needs. We personally have been using the Airalo app for some destinations. A quick search on the app found deals such as 5GB for $9,5 and 10GB for $14, a much cheaper option when comparing to physical SIMs.
What to wear:
There are no religious-driven restrictions in Norway whatsoever.
It very important to notice that the weather is very unpredictable in Norway, specially in the fjords. Rain may pour for some days, even during summertime. No matter what the month and the forecast are, a raincoat is a heavily advisable item to bring here.
Safety:
A rather unnecessary section on this article, as we’re writing about one of the safest countries on the planet. The exception that confirms the rule is the infamous terrorist attack that took place on the island of Utoya, in 2011.
Tipping:
Tipping is not customary in Norway, although locals usually do tip when they feel happy about the service. No one will frown upon you if you do not tip but if you’re really willing to do it, anything around 10% is very appreciated.
Accommodation:
From hostel dorms to conventional hotels, there’s no cheap place to stay in Norway apart from couch surfing. We balanced our stays between Airbnbs and cheap hotels (entire space and private bathroom), managing to spend about 100-120€/night on average. The quality of the stays is usually satisfying, although we do not recommend the hotel we stayed at in Oslo (see here).
One advantage of Airbnb is that probably it’ll have a kitchen of some sort. Even if we’re spending a bit more on accommodation, we can always save a lot by cooking something instead of going out for dinner.