Norway Travel Guide
The Bare Bones: What you Need to Know
Population: 4.25 million
Area: 324,000 km2
Religion: 90% Protestant
Passports, Visas etc.
UK, US and EU citizens need only take a passport for stays less than three months.
Passports can be used as ID but it is advisable to carry a photocopy and leave the real thing safely at your hotel.
Safety Advice
Norway is probably safer than where you live. That is not to say that you should be foolish and as with anywhere else there is a growing problem with drugs. The people are friendly and with the exception of the odd beggar in Oslo, your visit should be hassle free.
The Roads
The Scandinavians are renowned the world over as Rally drivers. There is a very good reason for this. Once you leave the excellent main roads driving becomes much more of an adventure and obviously driving in the winter is double the fun. Be careful, listen to advice and heed the rules of the road. Norwegians drive on the right. Keep your headlights on but dipped all the time, stick to the speed limits (spot fines can be hefty) and strictly no boozing.
Stay Healthy
There are no more worries here than in any other European country, no inoculations are required and the water is clean. UK citizens benefit from an agreement with the Norwegians. US citizens should ensure that they have ample insurance.
Take sensible precautions against the effects of the sun.
The same applies to the cold in winter.
Insurance
Take out adequate insurance to cover health, accident, and theft of money and possessions. Cover for changes in travel arrangements due to illness, injury adverse weather, strike action etc are also worthwhile.
Law and Order
Do not traffic or pedal drugs of any kind. Expect the same kind of treatment as you would get in any other EU country.
Cash and Plastic
Traveller's cheques and foreign currencies are easily changed, credit cards are readily accepted and ATM machines are widely available. Make sure you check out what you will need and can use before trekking off into the wilderness.
Climate and When to Go
Despite its image as the frozen North, due to the Gulf Stream, many coastal areas are warmer than you may think. The downside of this is that these places tend to be much wetter than you may think. In the South West (Bergen, Stavanger) they can get over 2 metres of rain a year. Snow in winter is common and although the coastal mountain ranges protect the coastal ports, much of the interior does suffer from the continental effect of icy blasts from the Arctic. This can be most dramatically seen in the mountains.
Summers are short but can be surprisingly warm and this is the most popular time to go. This does mean that visitors flock to the countries many attractions during a very concentrated period. In the summer it is the land of the midnight sun whilst the winter is the time of darkness and the Northern Lights.
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