Europe's most dramatically beautiful country — deep fjords carved by glaciers, the midnight sun above the Arctic Circle, polar bear territories on Svalbard, and the world's most expensive cities.
- Capital
- Oslo
- Population
- 5,606,944
- Area
- 324,220 km²
- Languages
- Norwegian Nynorsk, Norwegian Bokmål, Sami
- Currency
- Norwegian Krone (NOK)
- GDP
- $504,276M
Good to know
Driving side
Right
National dish
Fårikål
Annual visitors
1,397,000 (2020)
Safety
Very low (0.72/100k)
Big Mac
$7.52
Avg temp
2.2°C
Religion
Christianity
Coast
Coastal
☎ Police 112 · Ambulance 113 · Fire 110
Travel guide
Norway (Norwegian: Norge or Noreg) is a land of great fjords, great valleys, wide forests and gorgeous lakes. It also hosts lively cities such as Oslo and Bergen. Norway is the westernmost, northernmost and, surprisingly, the easternmost of the Scandinavian countries – among the Nordic countries only Finland stretches slightly further east. See the midnight sun, watch the Northern Lights, live its rich cultural heritage and eye its distinctive architecture, all the while being tucked within some of the most beautiful landscapes on Earth.
© Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA)
Explore Norway
Best time to visit
Northern Lights season: October–March. Midnight sun: May–July above the Arctic Circle. Fjord cruises best May–September. Bergen and Oslo are pleasant April–September. Winter skiing in Trysil and Geilo.
Visa
EU/EEA citizens enter freely. US, UK, Canada, Australia and most nationalities get 90 days Schengen visa-free. Note: Svalbard is visa-free for all nationalities.
Highlights
The Lofoten Islands are draped across the turbulent waters of the Norwegian Sea, far above the Arctic Circle. This rare wilderness outpost offers an untrammelled landscape of majestic mountains, deep fjords, squawking seabirds, long, surf-swept beaches and small, interesting fishing villages.
Public holidays
UNESCO World Heritage Sites (12)
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