by

Tips for travelling to Norway: everything we wish we had known beforehand

Learn from our experience to get the most out of one of the most fascinating countries on the planet.

At Top Summits of the World, we’ve just returned from one of the most memorable adventures we’ve ever had: the ascent of Galdhøpiggen, the roof of Norway and the highest point in the Scandinavian Alps at 2,469 meters. And what began as a sudden burst of inspiration in the middle of the night turned into a journey that taught us so much about the mountains and about the Norwegian way of understanding the world.

Norway is a country that wins you over from the very first moment. Its fjords, its endless forests, the summer light that refuses to fade and the warmth of its people make it a destination unlike any other. But it is also a country with its own rules, its own codes and a few particularities worth knowing in advance if you want to avoid surprises. So today we want to share the practical lessons we have learned on the ground, so that your trip flows as smoothly as the rivers that follow every kilometre of Norwegian road.

The electric car: the smartest choice (and the cheapest)

If you are planning to rent a car to get around Norway (and we strongly recommend it, because it is the only way to reach the most spectacular spots), always go for an electric vehicle. This is not just an environmental question: it is a straightforwardly economic one.

In our case, renting an electric car for six days with fully comprehensive insurance included cost us 325 euros, a genuinely competitive price by Norwegian standards. Had we chosen a petrol or diesel vehicle, that same rental could easily have doubled or tripled. The reason is that Norway has a very aggressive tax policy that places heavy duties on fossil fuels while massively incentivising electric mobility.

The charging infrastructure in Norway is excellent, and you will find charging points at practically every petrol station, service area, car park and hotel. That said, there are a couple of things to bear in mind:

  • Download the charging app before you set off. The charging system is not as intuitive as a conventional fuel pump: you will need a specific app (usually the one belonging to the charging point operator) to start a session. It is far more convenient to have it set up before you leave home.
  • Do not let the battery drop below 20 %. In Norway this advice matters even more, because some roads are long and run through sparsely populated areas. Keep an eye on the gauge and recharge with a margin, not at the last minute.
  • A full charge can cost under 15 euros, which makes your total energy spend over the whole trip surprisingly low.

If you have never driven an automatic, which is how rental EVs usually come, do not worry. Adapting takes minutes. Ask for a quick tutorial at the rental desk before you drive off: it will save you more than one nasty moment.

Speed and fines: Norwegians do not do half measures

This was one of the aspects that surprised us most. Norway has one of the strictest speed enforcement systems in Europe, and the consequences of ignoring it are severe.

Exceeding the limit by just 20 km/h can mean a fine of 800 euros, plus a court appearance. This is not an exaggeration: it is the reality. Speed cameras are frequent and the Norwegian police apply penalties with a rigour that can strike us Mediterraneans as remarkable.

The most common limits are:

  • 50 km/h in built-up areas.
  • 80 km/h on ordinary roads outside towns, very common on mountain roads and in rural areas.
  • 100 to 110 km/h on dual carriageways and approaches to the major cities.

Our advice is to drive calmly, enjoy the landscape, which absolutely deserves it, and not be in a hurry. Norway is a country to be savoured, not raced through.

Private roads and tolls: pay attention to the signs

Another particularity that can catch travellers off guard is the existence of private toll roads. In mountain areas, many huts, trails and hiking access points are linked by roads belonging to private landowners or local management organisations, which charge a fee for their use.

In our case, reaching the Spiterstulen hut (the starting point for the Galdhøpiggen ascent) meant driving roughly twenty kilometres of private track that has to be paid for through a specific app. The car park on the flat area beside the trailhead also carries its own charge.

Not paying has real consequences. Norwegians apply the rules with admirable consistency, and penalties for unpaid tolls can be considerably higher than the original fee. Before entering any mountain track or car park, look for the payment signage and make sure you have completed the process correctly.

The same applies to many car parks in cities, mountain huts and popular trailheads: always paid, always via app or ticket machine. Keep your credit card within reach at all times.

Flights and luggage: plan carefully what you take

Norwegian Airlines is one of the most common options for flying to Oslo from Spain, with departures from Barcelona, Madrid and other cities. It is a punctual airline with competitive fares, but as with all low-cost carriers, checked baggage comes at an extra cost that is worth calculating in advance.

One question we asked ourselves before departure: hand luggage or checked bag? If your goal is simply summer hiking, travelling with a cabin backpack alone is perfectly possible. But if the mountain may hold snow, as Galdhøpiggen does even in mid-July, technical gear (helmet, ice axe, crampons, warm layers) takes up space and may require checking a bag. Plan it ahead of time, because adding luggage at the last moment can be expensive.

Accommodation: rural cabins are the smartest option

Hotels in Norway, especially in Oslo and the more touristy cities, are very expensive. Our recommendation is to go for rural cabins, or “hytter”, a form of accommodation deeply rooted in Norwegian culture that offers an authentic experience at far more reasonable prices.

These cabins usually come with a fully equipped kitchen, which lets you prepare your own meals and cut your daily spending considerably. Many sit beside rivers or lakes, or in forest settings, adding an experiential value that is hard to match in any conventional hotel. Platforms such as Booking, Airbnb and Hytta.no itself offer a good selection of this type of accommodation.

One extra tip: if you are staying in a cabin near a mountain area, always ask the owner whether you can charge the electric car overnight. In many cases they allow it without any problem and at no extra cost, and it can save you a stop the following day.

Eating in Norway without going broke

Norwegian cuisine is not exactly the country’s strongest suit for the mid-budget traveller. A restaurant meal can cost between 30 and 50 euros per person even in entirely unpretentious places, and alcohol is very heavily taxed: a beer in a bar can easily set you back 10 to 14 euros.

Some strategies that work:

  • Shop in supermarkets. The Rema 1000, Kiwi and Coop chains are the most affordable and have a presence in almost every town. Bread, cold cuts, cheese, pasta, fruit and tinned goods will let you put together complete meals at a fraction of restaurant prices.
  • Have breakfast and dinner at the cabin, and lunch on the mountain. If you carry prepared food, your only restaurant expense may be the occasional dinner when tiredness makes cooking unappealing.
  • Norwegian smoked salmon is exceptional in quality and reasonably priced in supermarkets. It is one of those local pleasures worth indulging in.
  • Avoid buying alcohol in bars. For wine and spirits there is the Vinmonopolet, the state-run chain of alcohol shops, with prices well above Spanish ones but far more reasonable than those in bars and restaurants.

Cash is almost unnecessary

Norway is one of the most cashless countries in the world. In practically every establishment, car park, vending machine and toll point you pay by debit or credit card, or straight from your phone. Carrying Norwegian kroner (NOK) in cash has very little practical use.

Do make sure, however, that your card does not charge foreign transaction fees, because otherwise the savings evaporate quickly. Cards from providers such as Revolut, Wise or N26 are especially convenient for this kind of trip and can represent real savings over several days.

The overall budget: Norway is expensive, very expensive

There is no gentle way to put it: Norway is one of the most expensive countries in Europe. Anyone who does not know this in advance may get a serious shock at their first restaurant bill.

Some reference prices from our experience:

  • A pizza for dinner: around 40 euros.
  • Rural cabin accommodation (3 nights): 260 euros, which by Norwegian standards is an outright bargain.
  • Hotel in Oslo with good value for money: budget at least 150 to 200 euros per night.
  • Car parks and buses in mountain areas: between 5 and 20 euros depending on the location.

The key to staying within budget is to combine self-catering accommodation, supermarket shopping and restaurants reserved for special occasions. With this strategy, Norway is still expensive, but perfectly enjoyable.

The light that never goes out: the midnight sun phenomenon

If you travel to Norway between May and August, prepare yourself for one of the most disorienting phenomena a human being can experience: the midnight sun. Depending on the latitude, the sun may not set at all for weeks, or may set for so short a time that real darkness never arrives.

This is wonderful for exploring and hiking, but a genuine problem for sleeping. Continuous light suppresses melatonin production and tricks the brain into believing it is not time to rest.

A sleep mask is absolutely indispensable. It is not a luxury: it is essential kit, as necessary as your trekking boots. Choose one that blocks side light completely and does not press on your eyes. There are models designed for travellers, ultralight and with straps that stay in place through the night.

As a complement, earplugs can help too: the wind, birds singing from four in the morning and other travellers moving about in shared cabin areas can all break your sleep easily. In our article on [tips for resting in the mountains](URL del artículo original) we go into detail on how to prepare for good sleep in difficult conditions, and everything we say there applies perfectly to a Norwegian summer night.

Coverage and internet: better than expected, but with exceptions

In general, mobile phone coverage in Norway is good in urban areas and along the main roads. In some rural and mountain areas, however, the signal can be intermittent or simply non-existent. This has important practical implications:

  • Download offline maps before you leave. Google Maps and Maps.me both allow this, and they will save you in the middle of a mountain road with no coverage.
  • Download your hiking routes too, on apps such as Komoot or AllTrails, before you reach the area, especially if you are heading to Jotunheimen or other remote regions.
  • If you have a standard Spanish plan, roaming data should not cause you any cost problems: Norway is part of the European Economic Area and the same conditions apply as within the EU.

Allemannsretten: the right to roam freely

One of the things that surprises visitors most is that Norway has a legally recognised customary right allowing anyone to access, camp on and move through uncultivated land, regardless of who owns it. It is called allemannsretten (literally, “everyone’s right”) and it is a principle deeply rooted in Norwegian society.

This means you can pitch a tent in practically any natural area, walk freely through forests and mountains, and fish in rivers and lakes subject to certain restrictions. The only condition is to respect the environment: leave no rubbish, do not disturb wildlife, and keep a minimum distance of 150 metres from inhabited dwellings if you want to camp.

For mountain lovers like us, this principle makes Norway a destination of unparalleled freedom in Europe. It is a philosophy that says a great deal about how this country understands the relationship between people and nature.

Hiking and mountains: what you need to know before lacing up your boots

Norway is a paradise for hiking and mountaineering. Norwegians have a relationship with nature that verges on the spiritual, and they have spectacular routes for every level. But there are a few practical points worth knowing:

Always pay for parking and access

The trailheads of the most popular routes have paid car parks managed by app or machine. In some cases there is a bus service from the car park to the start of the trail, which also has its own fare. Everything is perfectly organised: you just need to follow the signage and pay what is due.

The glacier requires a guide

On the Galdhøpiggen ascent there is a route crossing the Svellnosbreen glacier. This variant makes hiring a professional mountain guide compulsory. The classic route from Spiterstulen does not cross the glacier and can be done without a guide, though it demands good physical condition and constant attention on the scree terrain.

Take technical gear if there is snow

Even in mid-July, the summit of Galdhøpiggen can register temperatures of -5 °C and hold snowfields. Our advice is always to carry a helmet, ice axe and crampons in your pack if the forecast points to snow accumulation at altitude. As we explain in our guide on [how to choose the best mountain boots for extreme climates](URL del artículo original), the right footwear is your first line of defence on unstable ground.

Always check the weather forecast

The weather in the Scandinavian Alps can change very quickly. Check yr.no, the Norwegian meteorological service, widely used by locals and with highly accurate forecasts for mountain areas.

Essential apps for travelling in Norway

Life in Norway runs through your phone. These are the apps that served us best:

  • Waze or Maps.me: for road navigation, especially in rural areas.
  • yr.no: the best weather service in the country, particularly for the mountains.
  • Your charging operator’s app (Recharge, Mer, Fortum and others): essential to install before you set off so you can start charging sessions without complications.
  • Komoot or AllTrails: for hiking routes downloaded in offline mode.
  • Vipps: the Norwegian payment app, widely used for tolls, car parks and small businesses.

Not just mountains: the fjords and the national scenic routes

While our main objective was Galdhøpiggen, it would be a mistake not to mention that Norway has far more to offer the adventurous traveller. The country has 18 national scenic routes (Nasjonale turistveger), roads designed specifically for enjoying the landscape, with viewpoints, architectural installations and access to unique natural highlights.

A few essential names for trekking lovers:

  • Trolltunga (“the troll’s tongue”): a rock jutting out 700 metres above Lake Ringedalsvatnet. One of the most iconic images of Norway.
  • Preikestolen (“the pulpit rock”): a flat plateau 604 metres above the Lysefjord. Accessible to all levels and one of the most impressive viewpoints in Europe.
  • Besseggen: the ridge separating two lakes of completely different colours, one of the most spectacular routes we have done and absolutely recommended for anyone visiting the Jotunheimen area.

Norway, a country to return to

Beyond the practical tips, what has marked us most about Norway is something no app can plan or manage: the warmth of its people. Every time we needed help, with the car, with a route, with the language, someone appeared and was willing to give it. That quiet, unfussy generosity is perhaps the best souvenir anyone can bring back from these lands.

At Top Summits of the World we have travelled to many countries in search of summits and adventures, but Norway holds a special place in our hearts. If you are thinking of visiting, do it. And do it calmly, with a well-charged electric car, your sleep mask safely stowed in your pack, and your wallet ready to be surprised. See you on the summits! 🏔️

OUR LATEST PUBLICATIONS

Leave a Comment