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Norway: fjords, Preikestolen, Lofoten, Northern Lights, best time to travel, getting there and costs in 2026

Planning Norway: Flytoget and Bybanen from the airport, fjords, Preikestolen, Lofoten and Tromsø, climate in Oslo and Tromsø, trains, tolls, 2027 tourist tax.

By Nighthopper editorial teamCreated with AITranslated with AIPublished 11 min read

How this article was made

This English version was translated from the German original with AI and has not been reviewed by a person. The checks described here refer to the German original, which is authoritative.

Text created with AI and checked with AI against the sources listed. Approved by Simon Misiak on .

Editorially responsible: Saimon Misiaki (Simon Misiak).

How we work

View from Flydalsjuvet of Geirangerfjord with steep green slopes, a cruise ship and the village of Geiranger
Geirangerfjord from the Flydalsjuvet viewpoint, September 2019 · Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0

At a glance

  • Passengers from Germany: 1,142,033 in 2025, ranking 19th of 211 destination countries; just over half flew to Oslo-Gardermoen (627,598) (own analysis, Destatis).
  • Flytoget: from Oslo airport to Oslo S in 19 minutes for 276 NOK, children under 16 accompanied free, bank card at the barrier instead of a ticket (as of September 2026).
  • Train without changing: Oslo–Bergen 6 h 35 min to 7 h 20 min, Oslo–Trondheim by day 6 h 38 to 6 h 53 min (timetable 13 October 2026, own query at Entur).
  • Tromsø: polar night from 28 November 2026 to 14 January 2027 (own query, MET); Northern Lights season from late August to early April according to the tourist office (as of September 2026).
  • Tourist tax: none in 2026; from 1 January 2027 heavily burdened municipalities may charge it, Tromsø plans 3% (NRK, 24 June 2026; not yet approved at the end of August 2026).
  • Tolls: more than 300 stations record the number plate, the invoice comes by post, without registration with Epass24 with a €5.10 surcharge (as of September 2026).

Norway suits you if you are looking for fjords, train journeys across the mountains, the Northern Lights or the midnight sun. Eight sites are on UNESCO's World Heritage List, since 2005 including the West Norwegian Fjords with the Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord (as of September 2026).

New in 2026 is a law on visitor contributions, in force since 1 July. Municipalities may charge a tourist tax on overnight stays no earlier than 1 January 2027. In Oslo the Viking Ship Museum stays closed until it reopens in 2027.

Norway suits you less if you are travelling on a tight budget or need sun in winter. The price level for consumption in 2024 was 134.1 according to Eurostat, and 109.1 in Germany (EU-27 = 100).

Getting there from Germany

In 2025, 1,142,033 passengers boarded at the 22 main German airports with a last known destination of Norway, ranking 19th among 211 destination countries. Anyone changing planes abroad, for example in Copenhagen, is missing from this figure. Just over half flew to Oslo-Gardermoen (627,598), followed by Bergen (177,897), Stavanger (106,765) and Tromsø (102,374). Most passengers departed from Frankfurt (439,317), Munich (266,146) and Berlin (198,936). The source is the Federal Statistical Office, year 2025; totals, ranking and share are own analysis.

Flight delayed or cancelled?Check whether you’re owed money under the EU air passenger rights regulation — with every step of the check in plain language.

Oslo-Gardermoen (OSL): Flytoget in 19 minutes

The Flytoget runs almost continuously every 10 minutes, and the fastest trains reach the central station Oslo S after 19 minutes. A single costs 276 NOK, reduced 138 NOK for 16- to 20-year-olds, students and people aged 67 and over (as of September 2026). There is a guarantee for the way back: if you miss your departure because of a train delay of more than 30 minutes, Flytoget pays the extra cost of the next available flight.

Tip

Flytoget: children free, bank card instead of ticket

If you land at Oslo-Gardermoen airport in Norway, the Flytoget takes you to Oslo S, the central station, in 19 minutes. Adults pay 276 NOK; children under 16 accompanied by a person aged 16 or over pay nothing (as of September 2026). Instead of buying a ticket, you check in at the barrier with your bank card.

The Flybussen airport bus runs to the centre every day at 20-minute intervals (as of September 2026).

Bergen-Flesland (BGO): light rail for 51 NOK

The airport is 16 km from the centre of Bergen. The Bybanen light rail leaves right at the terminal and takes 43 minutes to Byparken in the centre (timetable 13 October 2026). Adults pay 51 NOK, children aged 6 to 17 and seniors 26 NOK. Flybussen is faster, with about 20 minutes to the bus station; on the bus one adult with a normal ticket can take up to four children under 17 free of charge (as of September 2026).

Stavanger (SVG), Trondheim (TRD) and Tromsø (TOS)

The airport bus in Stavanger takes 20 to 30 minutes into the city and accepts Visa and Mastercard (as of September 2026). According to the timetable for 13 October 2026, the R70 train from Trondheim-Værnes airport reaches Trondheim S station in 38 minutes. In Tromsø the FB92 airport bus is at the Prostneset harbour terminal in 20 minutes on the same day; a taxi takes about 10 minutes to the centre (as of September 2026).

Regions and destinations at a glance

Region or placeKnown forGetting thereDrawback
OsloMunch MuseumOSLViking Ship Museum closed until 2027
BergenBryggen (World Heritage 1979), FløibanenBGO; train from Oslo around 7 hours2,496 mm of precipitation a year
Nærøyfjord and FlåmWorld Heritage fjord (2005), Flåm Railwaytrain via Myrdal, from Bergen around 3.5 hours—
GeirangerfjordWorld Heritage fjord (2005)Ålesund airport, bus and ferryin October 4 to 5.5 hours
LysefjordPreikestolenSVG; bus from Stavanger about 50 minuteswaiting time when the car park is full
Trondheim and RørosNidaros Cathedral, mining town of Røros (World Heritage 1980)TRD; train from Oslo just under 7 hoursshort opening hours at the cathedral
Bodø and LofotenNorthern Lights, midnight sun (according to SJ for Bodø)train to Bodø, ferry to Moskenes; Evenes airportbus Evenes–Svolvær just under 3 hours
TromsøNorthern Lights, midnight sunTOSpolar night 28 November 2026 to 14 January 2027

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

Journey times: timetable 13 October 2026 (own query at Entur); rain in Bergen: mean 1991–2020; otherwise as of September 2026.

Pointed-gabled wooden houses in red, ochre, yellow and white on the Bryggen waterfront in Bergen, snow on the roofs
Bryggen in Bergen in January 2025 · Photo: Svend-Eirik H. Pedersen · CC BY 4.0

Fjords: The Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord together form UNESCO's only natural heritage site in Norway. The Bergen Line between Oslo and Bergen climbs above the tree line, according to Vy. At Myrdal you change to the Flåm Railway to Flåm. On Rv 63 over Trollstigen to Geiranger the road climbs with gradients of up to 12% (ADAC, as of September 2026).

Preikestolen: 604 m separate the rock pulpit from the water of the Lysefjord. The Preikestolen Foundation gives 8 km there and back, 500 metres of ascent and around 4 hours for the hike. The trail is open all year round; in winter you must expect snow and ice. There are no tickets on the bus from Stavanger; you buy them online in advance (as of September 2026).

Tip

Preikestolen: start before 8:00 or after 16:00

From June to August most hikers crowd the trail between 8:00 and 16:00, especially on Saturdays and Sundays. The foundation recommends setting off before 8:00 or after 16:00. If you park the car for more than 2 hours you pay 275 NOK, and only after the hike, at the machine (as of September 2026).

Tromsø: Without a dark, cloudless sky the Northern Lights stay invisible there; according to the tourist office they are possible from late August to early April (as of September 2026). On 27 November 2026 the sun shows itself for 20 minutes for the last time, and only on 15 January 2027 does it rise again. From 18 May until the night to 27 July 2027 it does not set (own query, MET).

Red fishermen's huts on wooden piles on the water in Reine, steep rocky peaks with patches of snow behind under an orange-glowing night sky
Reine in the Lofoten on a June night in 2022 · Photo: Simo Räsänen · CC BY-SA 4.0
View package holidaysHotel and flight as a package: dates and current prices for this destination.

Best time to travel

The table shows WMO climate normals 1991–2020 for Oslo-Blindern (94 m) and Tromsø (100 m): mean daily high and low in °C and precipitation in mm.

MonthOslo °COslo mmTromsø °CTromsø mm
January0.1 / −4.757.9−1.0 / −5.3108.3
February1.1 / −4.745.6−1.1 / −5.696.7
March5.3 / −2.141.30.6 / −4.496.7
April11.0 / 2.148.44.1 / −1.671.1
May16.7 / 6.860.18.8 / 2.456.5
June20.4 / 10.879.713.0 / 6.258.0
July22.7 / 13.486.716.3 / 9.172.5
August21.3 / 12.5102.815.0 / 8.388.0
September16.4 / 8.682.210.9 / 5.3111.3
October9.6 / 3.893.45.2 / 0.9127.4
November4.4 / 0.084.62.1 / −1.994.4
December0.9 / −3.753.60.3 / −3.9109.7

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

In Tromsø the mean high from December to February is around or below 0 °C, and October is the wettest month there. In Oslo the sun is in the sky on 21 December 2026 only from 9:18 to 15:11 (own query, MET). More rain falls on the west coast: Bergen-Florida records a mean of 2,496 mm a year (1991–2020).

Tromsø from above with the Tromsø Bridge, the white Arctic Cathedral, ships at the quays and mountains with snow
Tromsø from Mount Fløya, June 2015 · Photo: JoachimKohlerBremen · CC BY-SA 4.0

Getting around the country

Train and bus

Long-distance trains are operated in 2026 by several companies, including Vy, SJ Nord and Go-Ahead Norge. All connections are shown by the national journey planner Entur, through which SJ Nord also sells its tickets. Journey times according to the timetable for 13 October 2026:

  • Oslo–Bergen: 6 hours 35 minutes to 7 hours 20 minutes
  • Oslo–Trondheim: by day 6 hours 38 to 6 hours 53 minutes
  • Oslo–Stavanger: by day around 8 hours
  • Trondheim–Bodø: just under 10 hours
  • Oslo–Bodø: night train departing 22:50, change at Trondheim, arriving the next day at 17:38

Long-distance coaches from NOR-WAY Bussekspress, Vy Buss and FlixBus complement the train (timetable October 2026). By ship, the Kystruten connects Bergen and Kirkenes (as of June 2026).

Car and roads

Speed limits are 50 km/h in built-up areas, 80 outside them and 90 on motorways, more where signs allow. The alcohol limit is 0.2 per mille, and headlights are compulsory all year round, including in the daytime. According to ADAC a German driving licence is enough. Norway does not generally prescribe winter tyres for cars up to 3.5 t. But if you drive on snow or ice with summer tyres, you need snow chains in the car (as of September 2026).

There is no flat fee for the motorway network. Instead, passing through many new tunnels, bridges and road sections costs a toll, plus city tolls in Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim, for example. From Kristiansand to Hammerfest you are on the road by car for around 30 hours according to Visit Norway (as of September 2026).

Caution

Tolls: the invoice comes by post, sometimes months later

You do not pay at the station: more than 300 toll stations read the number plate automatically. Epass24 sends the invoice for foreign cars by post and adds €5.10 for identifying the registered keeper (as of September 2026). If you register the car with Epass24 in advance, you save this fee. Cars from Norwegian hire companies sometimes already have a toll tag (“brikke”), so ask about it at pick-up.

Car hire at Oslo Airport (OSL)Latest price sample for each car class and rental company, plus the search for your travel dates.

Domestic flights

Avinor operates 43 airports with over 51 million passengers a year in total, including Leknes and Svolvær in the Lofoten (as of September 2026).

Money and costs

Payment is in Norwegian kroner (NOK). At the till, card and phone are the norm, even in small shops (as of September 2026). Shops with staff must nevertheless accept cash since 1 October 2024 if they offer other means of payment, up to 20,000 NOK. Since 1 May 2025 fines threaten otherwise (Norges Bank).

ItemPriceAs of
Flytoget Oslo airport–Oslo S276 NOKSeptember 2026
Bybanen Bergen airport–centre51 NOKSeptember 2026
Munch Museum, Oslo220 NOK, under 25 years 100 NOKSeptember 2026
Nidaros Cathedral, Trondheim140 NOKSeptember 2026
Fløibanen Bergen, return145 NOK (October to March), up to 220 NOK (April to September)September 2026
Parking Preikestolen, car over 2 hours275 NOKSeptember 2026

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns.

Tip

Alcohol: 1 litre of spirits, 1.5 litres of wine and 2 litres of beer duty-free

When entering Norway you may bring in 1 litre of spirits, 1.5 litres of wine and 2 litres of beer per person duty-free (Customs, as of 29 June 2026). You may import spirits above 22% only from the age of 20. According to Eurostat, alcohol and tobacco cost about twice as much as in Germany (2024, own calculation).

Tourist tax from 2027

The law on visitor contributions has applied since 1 July 2026, but you do not yet pay a tourist tax in 2026. The prerequisites are a particularly heavy burden from tourism as defined by the law and a plan approved by the ministry; the earliest start is 1 January 2027. Affected are hotels, hostels, cabins and short-term rentals, including via Airbnb; nothing is due in your own tent, caravan or motorhome (as of June 2026).

Tromsø wants to charge a tourist tax of 3% from 1 January 2027 (NRK, 24 June 2026; according to DinSide not yet approved at the end of August). According to NRK the Lofoten are expected to follow in the course of 2027, also with 3% (report of 1 July 2026).

Practical information

The time is the same as in Germany. The main language, according to the language law, is Norwegian with the equivalent written languages Bokmål and Nynorsk; Sámi is on an equal footing with Norwegian. Sockets are type C and F with 230 volts and 50 hertz, and German plugs fit (as of September 2026). For mobile phones “Roam like at home” applies as in the EU (as of January 2026).

Emergency numbers: police 112, medical emergency 113, fire brigade 110, out-of-hours medical service 116 117 (as of September 2026).

Public holidays include Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Ascension Day and Whit Monday, so in 2026 2, 3 and 6 April and 14 and 25 May (own calculation). 1 May and the national day on 17 May are treated like Sundays, including for shop closing times. On Sundays and public holidays shops are closed, with exceptions including small grocery shops up to 100 m² and petrol stations up to 150 m² (as of September 2026).

By law, supermarkets sell beer of up to 4.7% from 8:00 to 18:00, and until 15:00 before Sundays and public holidays. The municipality may extend this, to 20:00 and 18:00 respectively at most. Supermarkets do not stock wine or spirits; these are sold by Vinmonopolet. There, as in the supermarket, you cannot buy alcohol on Sundays and public holidays or on 1 and 17 May (as of September 2026).

The right of public access allows camping in the wild at least 150 m from inhabited houses and cabins. Without permission you stay at most 2 nights in the same place, except in the high mountains and in remote areas (as of September 2026).

What applies to entry, safety and health is set out by the German Foreign Office.

Entry requirements and safety

The rules that apply are published by the German Federal Foreign Office — always up to date there.

Travel and safety advice: Norway (in German) (opens in a new tab)

Who Norway is not for

  • Anyone travelling on a small budget: restaurants and hotels had a price level of 140.0 in 2024 according to Eurostat, Germany 112.1.
  • Anyone who needs sun in winter: in Tromsø there is polar night from 28 November 2026 to 14 January 2027 (own query, MET).
  • Anyone looking for dry weather: in Bergen-Florida at least 1 mm of precipitation falls on a mean of 200 days a year (1991–2020).
  • Anyone with little time: Oslo–Bergen takes over 6.5 hours by train, Oslo–Bodø just under 19 hours (timetable October 2026).
  • Anyone who wants to buy alcohol spontaneously in the evening: supermarkets sell beer on weekdays until 20:00 at the latest and wine not at all (as of September 2026).
  • Anyone arriving in their own car: the toll invoice can arrive by post months later (as of September 2026).

Sources and last update

  1. Statistical report on air traffic at main airports, July 2026, table 46421-09 “Boarding passengers by destination airport (last known destinations)” (Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), in German) (opens in a new tab), accessed 26 September 2026
  2. Train from Oslo Airport to the city (Flytoget AS) (opens in a new tab), accessed 26 September 2026
  3. Tickets and Fares (Flytoget AS) (opens in a new tab), accessed 26 September 2026
  4. Public transportation to/from Oslo Airport (Avinor) (opens in a new tab), accessed 26 September 2026
  5. Public transportation, Bergen Airport (Avinor) (opens in a new tab), accessed 26 September 2026
  6. Use public transportation to and from the airport (Skyss) (opens in a new tab), accessed 26 September 2026
  7. Taxi, Tromsø Airport (Avinor) (opens in a new tab), accessed 26 September 2026
  8. To and from Stavanger Airport (Avinor) (opens in a new tab), accessed 26 September 2026
  9. Journey Planner, national journey planning Norway; own queries of 26 Sep 2026 for 13 Oct 2026 (Entur) (opens in a new tab), accessed 26 September 2026
  10. Norway, States Parties (UNESCO World Heritage Centre) (opens in a new tab), accessed 26 September 2026
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  3. The Bergen Line (Vy), archived copy of 15 Oct 2025 (opens in a new tab), accessed 26 September 2026
  4. Prices and ticket types, Fløibanen (Fløyen AS) (opens in a new tab), accessed 26 September 2026
  5. Hiking to Preikestolen (Stiftelsen Preikestolen) (opens in a new tab), accessed 26 September 2026
  6. Parking at Preikestolen (Stiftelsen Preikestolen) (opens in a new tab), accessed 26 September 2026
  7. How to get to Preikestolen (Stiftelsen Preikestolen) (opens in a new tab), accessed 26 September 2026
  8. Opening hours and tickets (Nidarosdomen) (opens in a new tab), accessed 26 September 2026
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  12. WMO Climate Normals 1991–2020, Station Oslo-Blindern (NOAA/NCEI) (opens in a new tab), accessed 26 September 2026
  13. WMO Climate Normals 1991–2020, Station Tromsø (NOAA/NCEI) (opens in a new tab), accessed 26 September 2026
  14. WMO Climate Normals 1991–2020, Station Bergen-Florida (NOAA/NCEI) (opens in a new tab), accessed 26 September 2026
  15. WMO Climate Normals (NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information) (opens in a new tab), accessed 26 September 2026
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  28. Alkoholloven (Lovdata) (opens in a new tab), accessed 26 September 2026
  29. Friluftsloven (Lovdata) (opens in a new tab), accessed 26 September 2026
  30. Språklova (Lovdata) (opens in a new tab), accessed 26 September 2026
  31. Alcohol and tobacco quotas (Tolletaten) (opens in a new tab), accessed 26 September 2026
  32. World Plugs (International Electrotechnical Commission), archived copy of 16 Aug 2026 (opens in a new tab), accessed 26 September 2026
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  35. Healthcare in Norway, where to get help (Helsenorge) (opens in a new tab), accessed 26 September 2026
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Information last checked on 28 September 2026.

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