Best time to visit Norway

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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!

The best time to visit Norway depends on what you want to do. Jun-Aug promise long days and the fabled midnight sun ideal for hiking, cycling or cruising – but no guarantee of heat, even if it won't be cold! May and Sep offer mild temperatures, fewer crowds and gorgeous natural colours. May is also blossom time, while Aug is berry picking season. Winter can be bitter, but dress properly and Norway is a snowy nirvana, from snow shoeing to cross country skiing. The Northern Lights sparkle from Sep on, peaking Dec-Feb. Spitsbergen peaks in midsummer - read more about the best time to visit it.

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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

Our Norway Vacations

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 are certainly the best months to go to Norway in terms of temperatures and daylight hours although prices will be at a premium as will midges and other bitey insects in and around the marshlands towards the north of the country. 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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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.”

Laura Greenman from our supplier Magnetic North reveals what she believes is the best time to visit Norway: “I love early summer – June and July - when the fjords sparkle and the walking is top quality in the mountains. August is great for berry picking - and by September, we're seeing fantastic autumnal displays of the Aurora Borealis.”

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).