WHY VISIT NORWAY

Nature is the star of this country and the landscapes are just about guaranteed to entrance you.

The capital, Oslo, is encircled by fjords and can easily be explored on foot: The museums, the Akerhus fortress, the castle, the Royal Palace, the Vigeland Park are all great places to visit and you could also go to the Bygdoy peninsula for the Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions and that of the Viking Boats. Whatever you decide to do, as soon as you leave the noise of the central it is not difficult to find nature close at hand.

The centre of Norway is great for exploring the summits and fjords, and also the town of Bergen not just for its superb position but also for its architecture and cultural dynamism. There are some other towns that are definitely worth visiting in this area; Roros with its wooden houses of grassy roofs that are listed by UNESCO, modern Lillehammer too, but it is the fjords all along the coast that will leave the most lasting impression on you.

Tromso in the north is a dynamic town set in a privileged position among the snowy summits; it is the departure point for many polar expeditions.

WHAT TO SEE IN NORWAY

Top destinations in Norway are:

• Oslo
• Tromsø
• Bergen
• Trondheim
• Stavanger
• Kristiansand
• Jostedalsbreen National Park
• Ålesund
• Flåm
• Voss
• Lillehammer
• Narvik

WHEN TO GO TO NORWAY

Weather in Norway

The best period to visit Norway is from May to September.

In the popular imagination, Norway is commonly regarded as remote and cold – spectacular but climatically inhospitable. There is some truth in this, of course, but the best time to visit is not, perhaps, as clear-cut a choice as you might imagine with other seasons other than summer offering particular bonuses. There are, for example, advantages to travelling during the long, dark winters with their reduced everything: daylight, opening times and transport services.

If you are equipped and hardy enough to reach the north, seeing the phenomenal northern lights (aurora borealis) is a distinct possibility and later, once the days begin to lighten, the skiing – and for that matter the dog-sledging, ice fishing and snowmobiling – is excellent. There are skiing packages to Norway from abroad, but perhaps more appealing – and certainly less expensive – is the ease with which you can arrange a few days’ skiing wherever you happen to be.

As the year advances, Easter is the time of the colourful Sámi festivals, and mid-May can be absolutely delightful if your visit coincides with the brief Norwegian spring, though this is difficult to gauge. Springtime is particularly beguiling in the fjords, with a thousand cascading waterfalls fed by the melting snow, and wildflowers in abundance everywhere. Autumn can be exquisite too, with September often bathed in the soft sunshine of Indian summer, but – especially in the far north – it is frequently cold, often bitterly so, from late September to mid- to late May.

Nevertheless, most people travel during the summer season, which can be the best time to visit as bus, ferry and train connections are at their most frequent. This is the time of the midnight sun: the further north you go, the longer the day becomes until at Nordkapp the sun is continually visible from mid-May to the end of July. Something worth noting, however, is that the summer season in Norway is relatively short, stretching roughly from the beginning of June to the end of August. Come in September and you’ll find that many tourist offices, museums and other sights have cut back their hours and buses, ferries and trains have already switched to reduced schedules.

Following a list of typical festival and celebrations of Norway

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Nordlysfestivalen. (Northern Lights Festival), Tromsø. Late Jan. nordlysfestivalen.no. This week-long festival of classical and contemporary music coincides with the return of the sun, hence its name.

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Birkebeinerrennet. Lillehammer. Late March. birkebeiner.no. Famous 58km cross-country ski race from Rena to Lillehammer, which celebrates the dramatic events of 1206, when the young prince Håkon Håkonsson was rushed over the mountains to safety. The race follows what is thought to have been the original route.

Easter Festivals. Finnmarksvidda. Easter. festival.karport.no. Finnmark’s largest festival, held in the town of Karasjok, is something of a Sámi New Year. Sámis prepare by fashioning new gáktis (Sámi dress), polishing their silver and cooking large meals, while during the festival there are snowmobile, reindeer and cross-country-skiing races, lassoing contests and art exhibitions and concerts.

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[su_spoiler title=”May” open=”no” style=”default” icon=”plus” anchor=”” class=””]

Nasjonaldagen/Grunnlovsdagen. (National Day/Constitution Day). Nationwide. May 17. Many processions and much flag-waving with cheering crowds celebrating the signing of the Norwegian constitution on May 17, 1814.

Festspillene i Bergen. (Bergen International Festival), Bergen. Late May until early June. fib.no. Much-praised festival of contemporary music that puts a real spring in Bergen’s summer step. Venues across the city. For more information, see The Bergen International Festival.

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[su_spoiler title=”June” open=”no” style=”default” icon=”plus” anchor=”” class=””]

Norwegian Wood. Oslo. Mid-June. norwegianwood.no. Three-day, open-air rock festival, arguably Norway’s best, that takes place in Frogner Park; showcases big-name international artists as well as up-and-coming local bands.

Ekstremsportveko. (Extreme Sports Week). Voss. Late June. ekstremsportveko.com. Every reckless sport imaginable and then some – from paragliding and base jumping through to rafting and bungee jumping.

Midnight Sun Marathon. Tromsø. Late June. msm.no. Taking advantage of 24hr daylight, this “night-time” run attracts hundreds of athletes. You can opt for shorter distances too.

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[su_spoiler title=”July” open=”no” style=”default” icon=”plus” anchor=”” class=””]

Kongsberg Jazz Festival. Kongsberg. Four days in early July. kongsberg-jazzfestival.no. Large-scale jazz festival, one of the country’s biggest, where the emphasis is on Norwegian musicians.

Molde Jazz. Molde. Mid-July. moldejazz.no. Held over a six-day period in the middle of the month, this is one of the best festivals of its type, attracting big international names.

Olsokdagene. (St Olav Festival), Stiklestad. Late July. stiklestad.no. St Olav, Norway’s first Christian king, was killed at the battle of Stiklestad in 1030. Historical pageants and plays honouring him are staged on the King’s feast day (July 29) as well as during the six days before.

Rauma Rock. Åndalsnes. Late July to early Aug. raumarock.com. Two-day knees-up showcasing the talents of a wide range of local and international acts from the likes of the Bare Egil Band to the Raga Rockers and the Toy Dolls.

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[su_spoiler title=”August” open=”no” style=”default” icon=”plus” anchor=”” class=””]

Oslo Jazzfestival. Oslo. Mid-Aug. oslojazz.no. A six-day event attracting a veritable raft of big international names.

Norwegian International Film Festival. Haugesund. One week in late August. filmweb.no. Norway’s most prestigious film festival, with a wide selection of the latest releases from across Scandinavia.

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[su_spoiler title=”September” open=”no” style=”default” icon=”plus” anchor=”” class=””]

Ultima. Oslo. Ten days in early to mid-Sept. ultima.no. A much-vaunted festival showcasing the talents of contemporary classical musicians from Scandinavia and beyond. Various venues.

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[su_spoiler title=”October” open=”no” style=”default” icon=”plus” anchor=”” class=””]

UKA. Trondheim. Three and a half weeks in Oct. uka.no. Prestigious cultural festival, one of Norway’s largest, featuring a battery of international and domestic artists in everything from classical music to rock, theatre to wrestling, juggling and crime writing.

Bergen Internasjonale Filmfestival (BIFF). Bergen. Mid- to late Oct. biff.no. The week-long international film festival, one of the best of its type in the country. Various venues across the city centre.

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HOW TO REACH AND TRAVEL THROUGH NORWAY

For travelling inland, by air is definitely preferable over long distances such as from the north to south but buses are efficient and comfortable too as well as is the train. The ferries are great for navigating through the fjords. In Oslo trams and the metro are perfectly combined with the buses and ferries.

by plane, the main airports are:

• Oslo
• Oslo – Moss
• Oslo – Sandefjord
• Bergen
• Stavanger
• Trondheim
• Tromsø
• Bodø
• Ålesund
• Kristiansand

by train

by car

GENERAL INFORMATION ON NORWAY

health tips & vaccination: none

local currency: Norwegian krone

local time zone: GMT+1 (+2)

electricity: [su_lightbox type=”image” src=”http://www.traveltv.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/C_plug.png”]type C[/su_lightbox] and [su_lightbox type=”image” src=”http://www.traveltv.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/F_plug.png”]type F[/su_lightbox] (230 V – 50 Hz)

mobile phone operators:

• Telenor
• Telia

WHAT TO DO IN NORWAY

typical food in Norway

• Brunost, a sweet brown cheese made with whey;
• Rakfisk, fish dish made from salted and long-fermented fish (usually trout or char);
• Fiskesuppe, fish soup;
• Roast wild elk or reindeer;
• Lutefisk, baked preserved cod;
• Grøt, a form of porridge;
• Kjøttkaker, rough and large meat cakes of ground beef, onion and salt and pepper;
• Tørrfisk, codfish unsalted and cold air-dried, ured through a fermentation process;
• Svinekoteletter, braised pork chops served with potatoes and fried onions or vegetables;
• Lapskaus, meat stew;
• Fårikål, mutton stew;
• Stekte pølser, fried sausages served with potatoes and vegetables;
• Svinestek, roast pork;
• Smalahove, sheep’s head;
• Sodd, soup-like meal with mutton and meatballs;
• Kjøttboller, meatballs;
• Multer, cloudberries;

souvenirs from Norway

• Lykketroll, lucky trolls figures (believed the first inhabitants of Norway);
• Viking figures and other stuff;
• Rosemåling style decorated hand-crafts;
• Pewter and silver decorations;
• Christmas ornaments;
• Amber jewellery;
• Norwegian knives;
• Knitted woollen sweaters and garments;
• Cheese slicer;
• Smoked or gravlaks (prepared with salt, sugar and dill) salmon or Rakfisk (soaked fish salted and fermented for several months), Brunost og ostehøvel (cheese with a salty-sweet taste);

SIMPLE DICTIONARY

Hello: Hallo

Goodbye: Ha det

How are you?: Hvordan har du det?

Thank you: Takk skal du ha

What is your name?: Hva heter du?

How much is it?: Hvor mye er det?

Sorry: Beklager

Source:

Source: http://www.thebesttimetovisit.com/
Source: http://www.roughguides.com/