At a glance
Preparing your trip to Norway: practical tips, useful documents, climate and advice for a worry-free stay
NORWAY
Capital: Oslo
Language: Norwegian
Currency: Norwegian krone. Exchange rate: 1 NOK = ± 0.10 EUR
**Tourist Office: **visitnorway.com
Did you know? The word “ski” originated with the Norwegians. The term “skid” means “covered in leather”. Seal or reindeer skin was indeed used as a non-slip surface on ski boards.
Are you travelling to Norway? Here are a few useful tips:
Travel documents and customs formalities
Visitors from the European Union need neither a passport nor a visa to enter Norway; an ID card or passport is enough.
Tourists must be at least 18 to consume alcohol or tobacco. You must be 20 or older to be allowed to bring in alcohol. It is forbidden to import meat, milk and dairy products from a non-European country, as well as currency worth more than 25,000 Norwegian kroner.
It is forbidden to import the following products without a special permit: drugs, toxic substances, alcoholic beverages of more than 60% alcohol, weapons and ammunition, fireworks, potatoes, mammals, birds and exotic animals, and cultivated plants or plant parts. In addition, only small quantities of medication are allowed for personal use.
The healthcare system in Norway
The standard of healthcare in Norway is very good, but costs are also high. Prescribing medication is subject to very strict rules, and the list of prescribed medicines may differ from that in Belgium. Before you leave, we recommend taking out travel insurance that covers reimbursement of medical expenses and any repatriation.
Safety in Norway
Norway is a safe country. If you enjoy mountains and high-altitude hiking, make sure you have good knowledge of the areas you wish to visit and check your equipment beforehand.
If you're travelling by car, follow the highway code scrupulously. For example, it is forbidden to drive after consuming alcohol, and mobile phone calls may only be made hands-free. Keep your headlights on, even during the day. Also, observe the maximum speed of 80 km/h, or 110 km/h on certain roads and motorways. In residential areas and towns, the maximum speed has been reduced to 30 and 50 km/h respectively.
Which travel insurance should I choose for a trip to Norway?
At Redion, you can take out either temporary or annual travel insurance.
All travel insurance policies include the following benefits:
- Reimbursement of medical expenses
- Organisation of, and assistance with, your repatriation and that of your travelling companions if necessary
- Early return in the event of hospitalisation or death of a relative in Belgium
- Assistance in case of lost documents
If you only travel abroad once a year, temporary travel insurance may be useful. If you travel several times a year, annual travel insurance will be the more cost-effective option.
Climate and religion in Norway
Thanks to the Gulf Stream and warm air currents, Norway enjoys a relatively mild climate. The coldest areas in winter are often inland or far to the north. In spring, the weather can change quickly, so even at the end of May it can still snow. However, there are generally fewer rainy days in spring. In midsummer, temperatures can be high across all regions of the country. In autumn, storms with strong winds and torrential rain can hit the Norwegian coast. In winter, most of the country is covered in snow, but in the flat coastal areas, the temperature rarely falls below zero. From mid-November to the end of January, the sun does not rise in the northern regions within the Arctic Circle, while in June, at the summer solstice, the nights are light in northern Norway.
The dominant religion in Norway is Lutheran Protestantism.
Norwegian cuisine
Norway has a very tasty cuisine. Be sure to try Norwegian lamb, considered the best lamb in the world. Roast capercaillie is also a must, and dishes made with moose, reindeer and deer are very tasty. Fish lovers have plenty of choice in Norway: from stockfish to “skrei” (Arctic cod), and from smoked salmon to “rakfisk” (fermented trout). For cheese lovers, there's “brunost”, a brown goat's cheese with a strong caramel flavour.
