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Best time to visit Norway

The best time visit Norway is summer (June-August). It promises long, light days and warmer temperatures – but no guarantee of heat, even if it won’t be cold. However, the best time to go to Norway also depends on what you want to do. May and September offer gorgeous colours in nature, while November-March is for snow and Northern Lights lovers.

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Best time to visit Norway

Norway loves extremes – summer weeks of eternal light, winter months of darkness, with all shades in-between.

June, July and August are the best months to go to Norway for warmer temperatures and longer days. The warmest month in Norway is July, when there’s the fabled midnight sun – ideal for hiking, cycling, kayaking and berry picking. Prices will be at a premium and midges buzz (and bite) around the marshlands. June-August is also the best time to cruise the Norwegian fjords, while Spitsbergen is amazing at midsummer when polar bears are on the hunt. May and September offer mild temperatures and uncrowded, colourful landscapes. Norwegian winters can be bitter, but dress properly and it’s a nirvana of snowshoeing and cross country skiing. The best time to visit Norway for the Northern Lights is November-February.

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When to go to Norway, month by month

The start of the year is pretty cold and dark in Norway, even on the southwest coast in Bergen, and if you’re planning on visiting in January and February make sure you wrap up warm especially if you’re heading for cross country ski trails or in search of the Northern Lights. March is the best time to go to Norway for maximising daylight hours and snowfall in winter sports resorts and as April turns to May you’ll find an abundance of wild flowers and blossom appearing in country meadows as well as a fair amount of slushy snow underfoot. June, July and August relax under the warmest temperatures and longest daylight hours. This summer season is a popular time to go to Norway… and the higher prices often reflect it. After the school vacations in mid-September and October, Norway becomes slightly more affordable as it’s caught between summer and winter with several outdoor attractions starting to shut up shop with the onset of snow and bitter winds. November days are cold and dark with not much going on apart from snow clouds culminating on higher grounds and the Northern Lights starting to respond to conditions. It’s really December when things start to turn pretty with snow flurries, frozen lakes and Christmas festivities lighting Norway up like the preverbal spruce.

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Bergen Weather Chart

MIN °C

MAX °C

RAIN (mm)

JAN

-1

222

FEB

-1

170

MAR

183

APR

122

MAY

111

JUN

139

JUL

156

AUG

192

SEP

306

OCT

304

NOV

279

DEC

265

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1-866-821-6866

Call toll free

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Responsible Travel recommends

Britt Elton from our supplier Discover Norway explains why winter can be the best time to visit Norway: “Norway is one of the few countries offering cross country skiing from hotel to hotel. It is relatively level terrain, with magnificent views in places like the Jotunheimen National Park and Rondane mountains. Eastern Norway has very good snow conditions from mid-December to mid-April.”

Festivals & events in Norway

Riddu Riddu Festival (Kafjord, early July)

Now into its third decade, this Sami festival in northern Norway presents an extensive programme of music, film and art bringing together Sami stars like Marja Helena Mortenson, Jon Henrik Fjallgren and Elle Marja Eira with artists from around the world for a creative mingling of indigenous and non-indigenous cultures (with plenty for children too).