When to go
The best time to go to Norway is the
summer, from June to August. Temperatures are very cool along the coasts and in mountainous areas, and even cold along the northern coast. In inland areas, in Oslo and along the southern coast, temperatures are generally mild, but a sweater for the evening is still advisable. Sometimes, it can even be a bit hot during the day, while nights remain cool.
In Lapland, temperatures are a bit more variable, so it can get hot during the day, but also cold at night.
In Norway, there is a fair amount of rainy days even in summer, especially along the western coast.
June is a bit cooler than July and August, but it is (relatively) drier and sunnier, and has longer days, with the white nights in the south and the midnight sun in the north.
On the northern islands, temperatures are definitely low even in summer, but at least they are above freezing, albeit slightly.
As we mentioned, the
ocean, which has a surface temperature of 5/6 °C (41/43 °F) in winter, remains cool in summer, and reaches 15 °C (59 °F) in August at Bergen, and only 11 °C (52 °F) at Tromsø: with these temperatures, it takes a lot of courage to swim in the sea!
It goes a bit better in the Skagerrak Strait and near Oslo, where the water temperature reaches 17 °C (63 °F) in July and August.
For a
ski holiday, the month of March can be recommended, since the temperature is higher and the days are longer than in midwinter.
To observe the
northern lights, on the other hand, you need the darkness, so the best period goes from November to January.
What to pack
In
winter: for Oslo and the inland and northern areas, bring very warm clothes, synthetic, thermal long underwear, a fleece, a down jacket, a hat, gloves, a scarf. For the west coast, bring a sweater, a down jacket, a hat, a raincoat or umbrella.
In
summer: bring spring/autumn clothes, being ready to add or remove the outer layer, a T-shirt, but also long pants, a sweatshirt or sweater; a jacket, a raincoat or umbrella.
It can be a useful to bring a windbreaker and a raincoat for the wind and the rain, especially along the coast and for a ferry trip in the fjords.
For the northern islands (Jan Mayen, Svalbard): bring warm clothing, a down jacket, a hat, gloves, a windbreaker, a raincoat.
Back to the climate of
Norway