Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Impressions
November always seemed to me the Norway of the year.
—Emily Dickinson
spectacular, with fruit trees in blos-
som, snow in the mountains, and
meltwater swelling the waterfalls.
There are several public holidays in
May, and the Norwegians make full
use of them to celebrate springtime
after a long winter. In particular,
National Day on May 17 is marked by
parties, music, and street parades with
many people dressed in beautiful
national costumes. Low-season rates
apply during this period.
Late June to early August
is the
high season in Norway, when the
weather is warmest and the schools are
on holiday. The most popular tourist
places can be busy, but finding peace
and quiet, if you wish, is easy. All the
man-made tourist attractions are
open, and public transport services are
more frequent.
Mid-August to October
is a time
when accommodations and ferries are
at mid- or low-season rates. There is so
little traffic that you may feel as if you
have the whole country to yourself.
The temperature drops slowly through
September, making for good berry and
mushroom picking weather. The glo-
rious colors of autumn are at their best
in October.
Norway's
summer
weather is vari-
able and unpredictable, with a num-
ber of surprising features. The Atlantic
Gulf Stream keeps the western fjord
area and the coast up into the Arctic
North much warmer than you might
expect. The west coast receives the
most rain, but the area farther east is
drier. The sea temperature can reach
64°F (18°C) or higher on the south
coast, where swimming is a popular
pastime. Surprisingly, the water is
often calm as most of the inhabited
places in Norway are sheltered from
the prevailing wind by mountains and
forest.
The warmest and most stable
weather occurs on the eastern side of
the southern mountains, including the
south coast between Mandal and
Oslo. Even in the north, summer tem-
peratures are pleasantly warm; how-
ever, as nearly all of this area is near
the west coast, the weather can be wet
and changeable. Be sure to take water-
proof clothing. If you should be
unlucky with the weather, remember a
wise Norwegian saying, “There is no
such thing as bad weather, only bad
clothing.”
In
winter
much of Norway is trans-
formed into a snow-clad paradise from
November to April. The best way to
enjoy it is undoubtedly on skis, but
there are many other things to do as
well. Just sitting by the fire in a warm
and cozy log cabin is a pleasure for
some, as is the friendly, relaxed atmos-
phere of the hotel bar. Children of all
ages (and many grown-ups) never get
tired of just playing in the snow.
Active types can go tobogganing, skat-
ing, ice fishing, ice climbing, dog sled-
ding, and more.
Norway's Average Daytime Temperatures (°F/°C)
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
OSLO
Temp. (°F)
25
26
32
41
51
60
64
61
53
42
33
27
Temp. (°C)
-3.9
-3.3
0
5.0
11
16
18
16
12
5.5
-0.6
-2.8
