Do you dream that one day you visit Norway? You might have booked a flight already and started to plan the journey. Wherever you are, 17 things you should know before you visit Norway is here:
17 You must know things before you visit Norway
We, Norwegian people, have tended to believe that Norway is the heart of the earth. The
truth is Norway is not as big as we want, and not everyone knows that Norway is even a
country.
Norway has a population of around 5.2 million Scandinavians and has been frequently
named one of the best places to live and/or visit.
(For those who know not: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Scandinavia; Europe three northern countries)
2. Polar bears are not on the roads
Polar bears walk through the streets of Norway as a common misconception. Luckily, this is not the case. Indeed, on the mainland of Norway, there are no wild Polar Bears.
Norway really is a civilized country, and it surprises you to see how contemporary it is. We’ve even got cars on the roads …!
However, Svalbard is a Norwegian archipelago with more Polar bears than people on the
mainland and the North Pole. However, incidents between Polar Bears and the residents are rare.
3. NOK (Norwegian Krone) The Norwegian currency
The Norwegian crown is the currency we use in Norway. So you won’t come far if you’re traveling with just Euro. Recently the Norwegian Krone has weakened, so it’s cheaper than it was only one year ago if you’re going to Norway.
Norway is using less and less cash. It should be mentioned. You can use a credit card, taxis, or even hot dogs most of the time! That means if you have forgotten to bring money, it is not a crisis.
4. English is common to the Norwegians
Do not know Norwegian? Do not know Norwegian? No problem! No problem! The majority of people in Norway speak English. Even if some of you are a little timid to talk fully, you can understand and help you answer questions.
Do not be scared to say hello to an outsider, then!
5. Norway is a visiting safe country
It is known that Norway is among the world’s safest countries. Even in major towns like Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, and Stavanger, crime rates are extremely low.
You should take some precautions, like in any other urban area, but not much of that is to be feared. Even going alone at night is fairly safe and the chances of becoming the victim of a crime are small. The majority of crimes in Norway concern burglaries in the home and office.
Some pickpocketers visit the most touristy areas in summer so keep an eye on your wallet while you’re in the crowd (although there are still very few possibilities).
6. Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring.
There are four seasons in Norway: winter, spring, summer, and autumn. Be sure that when you plan to visit Norway you take this into account. Some attractions are only open in a certain season, and some walks in winter are impossible. If your main objective is to visit a given location, see the optimum season.
Another thing to remember is that between seasons the weather changes a lot. Make sure
you are getting cold when you are always bringing enough clothes to Norway! Taking a look at the weather forecast is a good idea always.
7. Bring always an extra clothing layer
The weather in Norway is changing considerably between seasons, as mentioned above, so you want to always bring enough clothing. Most important of all, you have to bring an
additional layer of clothes if you plan on some tours during your visit. Even when the weather changes or temperatures drop if you are at higher altitudes, we recommend bringing a rain jacket and a fleece in your backpack.
8. Wild camping in Norway is permitted
Due to Allemannsretten (the right of public access for all men or women), you can put a tent wherever you want in Norway. For us Norwegians, the outside is very important and we make every effort to maintain the right to use the outside freely. Make sure you do not leave behind traces and do no harm to nature.
There are also many campgrounds in Norway that are affordable to stay. You can often take a warm shower, clean your clothes, and charge any battery at these locations.
9. Most outdoor parks and places are free of charge
All public lands are free of charge also because of Allemannsretten. This means you dont
have to pay a national park entry fee and most of the time you go wherever you want. We
are only asking you not to leave traces behind but to treat nature with respect.
10. The best salmon in Norway
Norway does have the best salmon, that’s true. Indeed, in the 1980s, the Japanese were introduced to the Sushi by Norwegians. So good is our salmon. It’s so good.
Although salmon are not affordable, make sure you have at least one correct salmon meal in Norway even if you are on a budget.
11. It can be costly to travel to Norway if you only eat out
Norway is a costly country to visit, but it’s no secret. Even if the Norwegian Krone is weak
now, it is less expensive, but not cheap. One way of preventing expenditure on Norwegian
journeys is to eat less. It is much cheaper to buy your own food from a supermarket than to leave every day. Norway does not have a culture of eating out, unlike many other countries. Make sure you read a budget guide in Norway when traveling on a budget.
12. Not everywhere the northern lights are visible
Do you dream of the light of the north?? Well, Norway’s the correct place!
There is magic to watch the sky become a green and purple formation dancing. It was the
the moment that changed my life, I remember the first time I saw it for me still.
A large number of tourists are coming to Norway to see the northern lights. Northern lights are not visible in all of Norway (or Aurora Borealis).
Norway’s North Lights
Normally, you can only witness the green lady in the northern parts of Norway as Norway is a long country. The more south you go, the less you see the lights. The northern lighthouses of locations like Lofoten, Bodø, and Tromsø are popular areas.
You should also remember that during the summer the northern lights will not be apparent because during this season they are too bright. Usually, between October and April, you have the best chance of seeing some activity.
13. Long Country Norway
Another big misconception of Norway is that it is an easy-to-travel small country. That’s not the case. Even if only five million people live here, the surface area is wider, extending to between 57 ° and 81 ° North (148,718 square miles). So you cant spend a few days in Norway seeing the western, capital, and northern regions of Norway. It actually takes approximately 38 hours to drive from Kristiansand in southern Norway to Nordkapp in northern Norway.
You should therefore plan your journey attentively and see the distances between the
locations you want to go to. I suggest you spend a few days extra or plan more than one
journey if you wish to see places in all regions.
14. Many hazards are not in the wild
There are no dangerous animals waiting for the attack in the Norwegian wild apart from the Polar Bears on Svalbard. You dont have anything to fear, either in the woods, on a mountain, or on a glacier.
You want to avoid animals, but typically they will flee before you see them. Here you can
read about Norway’s wildlife and animals.
15. The people of Norway eat Taco a lot
You have the possibility to have Tacos for dinner if you visit a Norwegian family on a Friday evening. Tex-Mex is the national food of Norway, as a joke. Yes, this is so popular-on Fridays even my grandmother makes Tacos!
(Okay, maybe you didn’t have to know that but it’s fun that could work like an embarrassing icebreaker!)
16. South Norway and Northern Norway are very different.
Since Norway is so a long country, the differences are obviously quite substantial. In
southern Norway, there is a beautiful coast, warm weather (not tropical), large wooded areas in the East and the capital, mountains, and fjords in the West, and landscapes in the Arctic in the North.
You might also notice that Norwegian dialects are quite different, and it might be a bit
confusing if you just learn to speak Norwegian.
17. The sun is different from the sun at midnight.
Northern Norway has polar nights during winter, a time when the sun never gets above the horizon and you are 24 hours dark. But it’s the exact opposite during the summer; the sun never sets.
You may have previously heard about the Midnight Sun. The midnight sun, as a rule, isn’t the same as the sun of the rest of the year, it’s not going down; 24 hours of the daylight. It’s the same sun that some people think.
