If you’re driving north, taking a ferry to Norway is pretty much unavoidable — the only alternative is a huge detour through the whole of Sweden. And honestly, the overnight crossing from Kiel in Germany or the quick one-hour hop from Hirtshals in Denmark can be the loveliest part of your entire trip. You’ll cut out hours of tedious motorway driving and swap them for sea views instead.

Planning a journey this far north can be a real puzzle, though. Ticket prices change faster than April weather, the rules for campervans are strict, and some once-famous routes no longer run at all. On top of that, Norway’s domestic ferries no longer take cash — they simply scan your number plate automatically.

Below I’ve put together everything you need to know — from choosing your route and booking to a few tricks for not paying more than you have to. You’ll also learn why it pays to sort out travelling with a dog well in advance.

TL;DR

If you’re busy packing and don’t have time to wade through long, detailed paragraphs, I’ve pulled out the most essential points for you. You can read the rest at your leisure — maybe on the ferry itself.

• Fastest route: Ferries from Hirtshals in Denmark to Kristiansand or Larvik take just over three hours.
• Comfort first: The overnight crossing from Kiel in Germany to Oslo takes twenty hours and works like a luxurious floating hotel.
• Discontinued routes: The popular Langesund route no longer runs, and the legendary DFDS ships from Copenhagen have been taken over by Go Nordic Cruiseline.
• Dynamic pricing: Buy summer tickets ideally three to six months ahead — prices climb steeply as departure approaches.
• Domestic payments: Norwegian ferries have no ticket booths — cameras scan your number plate and passengers travel completely free.
• Toll discount: With a prepaid AutoPASS contract you get an incredible fifty per cent off domestic ferries.
• Compulsory booking: On the Bodø–Lofoten route you must reserve a spot for your car in advance during the summer months.

10 Things You Need to Know About the Ferry to Norway

The following points will help you get your bearings among the current offerings from the ferry companies. The market is constantly changing, so it’s important to work from the latest data for the current season.

1. Overview of all international routes (2026)

Choosing the right port depends mainly on exactly where in Norway you’re heading. If you’re going south or west towards the fjords, Denmark makes the most sense. For a journey straight to the capital, Germany or Copenhagen are good options — the ships sail in through the gorgeous Oslofjord. Below you’ll find an up-to-date table of the most important connections operated in the 2026 season under companies such as Color Line and Fjord Line. Treat the prices as rough starting figures for a car plus its crew.

When planning your route, always check whether the ship in question sails year-round. The super-fast Fjord FSTR catamaran, for example, only runs in the summer season, roughly from late March to mid-September. If, on the other hand, you’re heading overland through Sweden and want to skip driving around Oslo, there’s a short crossing from Strömstad in Sweden to Sandefjord in Norway. The journey takes just two and a half hours and reliably whisks you across the border without having to pay Norwegian tolls on the E6 motorway.

2. Dead routes you shouldn’t rely on anymore

The internet is full of old travelogues and forum threads recommending routes that vanished long ago. The most common mistake is the Langesund route. Fjord Line permanently scrapped it in February 2023 after rebuilding its ships’ engines, and its vessels now only serve the Hirtshals to Kristiansand, Stavanger and Bergen routes. Searching for tickets to Langesund is a complete waste of time these days.

Another big change is the end of the famous Stena Line ships from Frederikshavn in Denmark to Oslo. This connection was cancelled during the pandemic in 2020 and never came back. Holland Norway Lines also went bust, so there are no longer any sailings to Norway from Eemshaven in the Netherlands. Many travellers only find this out at the last minute, which can seriously derail summer plans.

A change of name and owner also hit the legendary Copenhagen–Oslo route. DFDS sold this line to a Swedish operator in autumn 2024. It’s now run by Gotlandsbolaget under the brand-new name Go Nordic Cruiseline. The intermediate stops have also been dropped, so the Nordic Crown and Nordic Pearl now sail north from the Danish capital without any stopover.

3. Ferry vs. driving through Sweden

Plenty of travellers wonder whether to skip the ferries altogether and drive the whole way overland. From central Europe to Oslo it’s roughly 1,650 kilometres across the Danish and Swedish bridges. It’s a long haul that can be done in two days, but frankly, after two days behind the wheel you’ll arrive feeling wrung out rather than ready for a holiday. On top of that, you’ll face some hefty charges for crossing the straits.

This option is far from free. Crossing the Storebælt bridge costs DKK 235 when paying by card. Then comes the huge Øresund Bridge into Sweden, where a one-way ticket costs around SEK 670 in 2026. But if you buy an annual ØresundGO contract in advance for SEK 530, the price of a single crossing drops to a superb SEK 260. That investment pays for itself on your very first return trip.

When you add it all up, the short ferry from Hirtshals often works out cheaper. It’s about 1,250 kilometres to Denmark, and you can pay as little as around fifty euros for a car with crew on board. You’ll save yourself hours behind the wheel, money on diesel, and you’ll arrive up north nicely rested. Also consider the Baltic ferries from Rostock in Germany to Trelleborg in Sweden, which spare you the drive across the Danish islands entirely.

4. The overnight Kiel–Oslo line for comfort lovers

If you don’t fancy long drives and want to start your holiday with an experience, the line from Kiel in Germany to Oslo is absolutely ideal. The ship departs every day at 2 p.m. and arrives in Oslo at 10 a.m. the next morning. Compared to the long drive through the whole of Sweden, you save an enormous chunk of mileage and stress behind the wheel.

This is no ordinary ferry — it’s a huge cruise ship. On board the Color Fantasy and Color Magic you’ll find a shopping promenade, a pool with a water slide and several great restaurants. A cabin is compulsory for all passengers, so you’ll get a comfortable night’s sleep. The lavish buffets here are famous. Vegetarians are well catered for, and there’s so much cheese you won’t know where to start.

Prices start at €155 for four people in an inside cabin, while campervans start at around €333. It’s more than the short daytime crossings, but you save a night in a hotel and plenty of fuel. And if you book the return leg at the same time, you automatically get a ten per cent discount on it. I’d wholeheartedly recommend this line to anyone who treats a holiday as relaxation from the very first mile abroad.

5. Hirtshals as the main gateway to the fjords

The Danish port of Hirtshals is an absolute classic for trips to central and southern Norway. The fastest option is the Fjord FSTR catamaran to Kristiansand, which covers the route in an incredible two hours and twenty-five minutes. Color Line’s route to Larvik is also very popular. The journey takes just under four hours, and Larvik is nearly two hundred kilometres closer to Oslo than Kristiansand.

For trips straight to the great western fjords, definitely consider Fjord Line’s overnight sailings. The ferry to Stavanger takes about eleven hours, and waking up in the morning to views of the Norwegian coast is said to be utterly breathtaking. There’s also a Bergen option, which takes over seventeen hours. This can save you a good couple of days of gruelling driving through Norway’s mountain passes, letting you dive straight into discovering the most beautiful natural wonders.

When departing from Hirtshals, be very careful to arrive on time. The companies require check-in at least sixty minutes before departure, and on the fast catamaran the gates close a full twenty minutes early. In the summer months long queues form outside the port, so I’d recommend arriving with at least an hour to spare. Turning up late means a forfeited ticket with no refund whatsoever.

6. How to book tickets and save serious money

Ferry prices work exactly like airfares. They follow dynamic demand, so they shoot up as departure approaches or as capacity sells out. For the busy summer months I’d recommend booking well in advance, ideally three to six months ahead. Leave it to the last minute and the trip can cost you up to three times as much.

The most expensive are always weekends and the days when Norwegian or Danish summer holidays begin. The cheapest tickets, on the other hand, are for departures early in the morning or late in the evening mid-week. Fjord Line often offers so-called campaign packages for a car and crew, which are very cheap — but bear in mind they can’t be cancelled or flexibly changed.

And one more thing that’s easy to forget. Prices can differ depending on the language version of the website. Try searching for the same crossing on Color Line’s Norwegian domain and compare it with the Danish or German version. People often report that by buying in Norwegian kroner they saved as much as twenty per cent off the original price — which makes a huge difference on a family holiday.

7. Strict rules for caravans and campervans

Travelling by campervan is a dream for many of us, but you’ll pay a fair bit extra for it on the ferries. The basic campaign price always applies to a standard car up to five metres long and just under two metres tall. Anything larger automatically falls into pricier categories, and the ferry companies keep a careful eye on every extra centimetre.

When booking you must state the exact length, including rear bike racks or a tow bar. At the port, vehicles are routinely measured before boarding, and you’ll be charged hard for every extra metre right there on the spot. Fortunately, both major companies offer special camper packages for vehicles up to two and a half metres tall, which work out slightly better value than stacking up individual surcharges.

Be especially careful with gas bottles: they must be securely shut off for the whole crossing, so your absorption gas fridge simply won’t run. Electric car owners, meanwhile, need to remember that charging vehicles on board is strictly forbidden for safety reasons, so top up your battery before reaching the port. On overnight sailings, no one is allowed to stay down on the car deck either.

8. Travelling with a dog and the tricky deworming rule

Bringing your four-legged companion along requires genuinely meticulous planning. Norway isn’t in the EU customs union and has very strict veterinary rules for animals. The most important thing is deworming against the tapeworm (Echinococcus), which must be carried out by a vet and recorded in the pet passport. Treating your pet yourself at home definitely won’t fly at the border.

This deworming must take place strictly between twenty-four and one hundred and twenty hours before crossing the Norwegian border. That means if you enter Norway on a Wednesday afternoon, you can visit the vet no earlier than the Friday before, though Monday is ideal. It’s the one hard deadline of your trip that you mustn’t miss — otherwise your dog won’t be allowed into the country.

The sea crossing itself is fairly demanding for dogs. On the Kiel–Oslo line dogs aren’t allowed in ordinary cabins, and there are only ten special dog kennels. If they’re full, the dog has to stay in the car — which I definitely wouldn’t recommend in summer because of the heat. On the big Fjord Line ships there are special cabins for dog owners, but these must be booked by phone and disappear as soon as sales open. The alternative is an on-board dog pen for NOK 100.

Lukáš and Lucie recommend

Where to stay in Norway

5 accommodations — wellness hotels, hotels and other accommodation options

⭐ TOP CHOICE 🏨 Hotel

Me and all hotel Kiel

Stylish hotel just steps from the ferry terminal in Kiel with excellent and secure parking.

★★★★ Check prices

Check availability ⭐ Luxury

Steigenberger Conti Hansa

More luxurious hotel in Kiel with a fabulous breakfast for those who want to pamper themselves before the voyage.

★★★★ Check prices

Check availability 🏨 Hotel

Montra Skaga Hotel

Proven classic in Hirtshals with spacious parking even for caravans, just a few minutes’ drive from the ferry gates.

★★★★ Check prices

Check availability 🏨 Hotel

Thon Hotel Opera

Design hotel in Oslo with a strategic location near the main railway station and the famous opera house.

★★★★ Check prices

Check availability 🔍 Search

View all accommodations in Norway

Explore all available accommodation options in Norway and find the best one according to your preferences and budget.

★★★★ Compare prices

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9. Domestic ferries and number-plate scanning

Norway is threaded with deep fjords, and domestic ferries here function as a perfectly normal part of the road network. But forget fishing for coins in your pockets or winding down the window at a kiosk. The classic ticket booths have vanished entirely, and these days no one gets out of the car. The whole process is beautifully seamless.

The system is fully automated: as you drive on, a camera scans your plate and the payment goes through by itself, with no scrambling for change or winding down windows. The big advantage is that you only pay for the car. All passengers in the vehicle, as well as cyclists and pedestrians, travel on public routes completely free. To give you an idea, the busy thirty-minute Moss–Horten ferry will cost you just under NOK 300 in 2026.

The simplest solution for tourists is to register with the FerryPay system. You enter your plate and a payment card, and the money is charged automatically with no surcharges. If you’re planning a longer road trip, it pays to get an AutoPASS toll tag and set up a prepaid account. You’ll have to pay a deposit, but you’ll get a discount of an incredible fifty per cent on most domestic routes. Electric cars also always pay at most half the price of regular vehicles.

10. Tourist highlights and when booking is a must

Most domestic ferries run so frequently that you don’t need a reservation at all. Just turn up, join the queue and wait. In a few places, though, different rules apply, and there the queue will bring you little joy. There are exceptions where you’ll hit a hard wall without a booking and end up sitting on a concrete pier all day.

The best-known case is the route from Bodø to the port of Moskenes on Lofoten. In July and August the crush is such that without a reservation you simply won’t sail — or you’ll wait a whole day. Half the ship’s capacity is sold in advance, and for a car up to six metres you’ll pay roughly NOK 600 plus a small booking fee. Turn up on spec and you risk getting stuck and missing several departures in a row.

Another must-book is the famous tourist ferry from Geiranger to Hellesylt. This crossing works more like a scenic voyage through the fjord, right beneath the majestic Seven Sisters waterfall. Car spaces vanish at lightning speed. I’d also recommend booking the Lysefjord ferry, where the ship’s capacity is very limited. At the opposite extreme is the summer Andenes–Gryllefjord line on the island of Senja, where reservations don’t exist at all and it’s first come, first served.

Where to stay (before and after the ferry)

💡 Accommodation tip and experiences: We prefer to look for accommodation on Booking.com, which tends to have the best cancellation terms. For tickets, tours and activities it’s worth comparing and booking through GetYourGuide.

The journey north tends to be long and exhausting. I’d definitely recommend breaking it up and recharging your batteries at a hotel near the port before boarding. That way you’ll avoid the needless stress of unexpected motorway tailbacks, which can stretch your arrival time by many hours.

An overnight stay in Germany (Kiel)

If you’ve come from far away and opted for the comfortable ferry from Germany, I’d recommend staying overnight right in Kiel so there’s no morning rush. You’ll avoid the morning rush hour and boarding itself will be completely relaxed. The stylish Me and all hotel Kiel has great reviews and a handy location, just a short distance from the terminal, with excellent and secure parking.

If you prefer something more luxurious and want to spoil yourself with a fabulous breakfast before the crossing, go for the popular Steigenberger Conti Hansa. Both places will set you up beautifully for the voyage ahead and ensure you reach the ship in the best of moods, without needless hurry.

Staying in Hirtshals, Denmark, and in Oslo

Hirtshals in Denmark gets hopelessly full in the summer season, so book your accommodation well in advance. A tried-and-tested classic that won’t let you down is the Montra Skaga Hotel. Its huge advantage is a generous car park, where you can easily park even with a much larger campervan. In the morning the ferry gates are literally just a few minutes’ drive away.

Looking for somewhere to stay after disembarking right in the Norwegian capital? If you arrive in Oslo by ship, or stop off here on your way through Sweden, the design-led Thon Hotel Opera offers a fantastic strategic location right by the central station and the famous opera house. Everything is within easy reach from here, and you can leave the car resting in the hotel garages.

Where to eat well along the way

Whether you’re waiting for the ferry in port or want to make a long several-hour crossing more pleasant, good food is simply an inseparable part of travelling. Norwegian and Danish prices can put a bit of a strain on your wallet, but every now and then it’s worth turning a blind eye and treating yourself to something local.

Dining on board the ferries

If you’re sailing on the longer routes, the food on board is a big draw in its own right. On the Color Line ships departing from Kiel there’s the elegant Oceanic à la Carte Restaurant, serving seafood and fantastic desserts with a view of the waves. If you prefer something quicker and more varied, the on-board buffets offer a genuinely generous selection of Nordic cheeses, smoked fish and plenty of fresh vegetarian specialities.

With Fjord Line, the spacious Commander Buffet restaurant is very popular. It’s simple: for a fixed price you can pile your plate with whatever you fancy, drinks included. On evening crossings especially, it’s an absolutely ideal way to start your dream holiday in style before you retire to your cabin.

Quick bites in Hirtshals

Before boarding in Denmark you often have an hour or two to spare in the port, which is perfect for one last proper meal on the mainland. Right by the water is the popular Hirtshals Fiskehus, renowned for fresh fish and honest fish and chips that draw people from all around; nearby, vegetarians will find bakeries and cafés serving Danish smørrebrød with cheese.

Another lovely and slightly quieter stop is the Cafe2 coffee shop. You can enjoy excellent coffee, sandwiches made from local ingredients and a moment’s rest in the warm before the gates to the ferry open. From personal experience I can confirm it’s a far better option than staring at an empty horizon in an endless queue of cars.

Practical summary and indicative prices

All in one place: what awaits you in 2026 and roughly what it’ll cost, in the most important points. Accommodation and food prices in Norway are high, but with a smart choice of route you can save a real chunk of money.

• Øresund Bridge (Sweden): SEK 670 one way without a contract.
• Øresund Bridge with ØresundGO: SEK 260 (the annual contract itself costs SEK 530).
• Storebælt Bridge (Denmark): DKK 235 for a manual card payment, DKK 205 in the express lane.
• International ferry Hirtshals – Kristiansand: From €49 for a car up to 5 m and crew.
• Domestic ferry Moss – Horten: NOK 291 for a car up to six metres.
• Lofoten ferry (Bodø – Moskenes): NOK 605 for a car up to six metres.
• Scenic ferry Geiranger – Hellesylt: Approx. NOK 720 for a car plus NOK 420 per adult.
• Discount with an AutoPASS ferje account: 50% off on domestic routes (a deposit and toll chip are required).

If you’re planning to spend more than two weeks on Norway’s roads and face a lot of fjord crossings, I’d recommend getting an AutoPASS toll tag. The paperwork does take a little time before you set off, but the savings on every ferry are simply enormous.

Where to next

If you’re interested in more details about travelling in the north, I’ve prepared several very handy guides for you. They cover everything from paying tolls to tips on the most beautiful places.

• Tolls in Norway: AutoPASS and Epass24
• How to get to Lofoten
• Norway by car: road trip and itinerary
• Norway by campervan: rules and campsites
• Norway: 50 tips on what to see
• How much a holiday in Norway costs
• Hurtigruten: cruising the coast

Frequently asked questions

The Norway in a Nutshell package isn’t some closely guarded secret tip, but a brilliantly assembled route of trains, boats and a bus. The good news? You can buy the whole thing yourself, far cheaper and with much more freedom. It’s definitely not a tourist scam. For one price you get the convenience of a single booking and guaranteed connections. But if you click together those exact same tickets directly with the operators, you can easily save up to 40 percent of the total cost. Let’s take a look together at how to plan this iconic Norwegian puzzle step by step, how much the whole thing will cost in 2026, and why it pays not to rush.

Below you’ll find, step by step, how much the train from Oslo to Bergen costs, where to grab tickets for the Flåmsbana, and why it’s worth taking it slow. Oh, and I’ll tell you where to stay too. 😉

TL;DR

Don’t feel like reading the whole thing? Here I’ve pulled out the most important stuff you need to know before buying:

• The official package costs over 3,470 NOK (roughly €300), while the smart DIY version works out at around 1,850 to 2,100 NOK (about €160 to €180).
• The route is made up of five legs: the Bergensbanen train, the Flåmsbana mountain railway, an electric boat along the fjord, a bus, and the final train to Bergen.
• You can buy all the tickets online on the Norwegian railway website vy.no and on the norwaysbest.com portal.
• The cheapest Lavpris train tickets open roughly three months in advance and disappear very fast in the summer season.
• I definitely recommend splitting the route and staying overnight in the village of Flåm or neighbouring Aurland. That way you’ll escape the biggest crowds of day-trippers.
• Before buying, always check the cruise ship calendar to avoid the days with the heaviest passenger rush.

10 Things You Need to Know About Norway in a Nutshell

Planning a Norwegian trip through the fjords sounds a little scary on paper, but I promise that with this prep nothing will catch you off guard. Here are my ten practical takeaways that will help you not only save money, but above all enjoy all that beauty in peace and on your own terms.

1. The Fjord Tours Package vs. the DIY Puzzle

💡 Tip: The official Norway in a Nutshell package has been sold by Fjord Tours since 1982. It’s not a guided tour at all. It’s simply pre-bought tickets for five connecting legs that land in your inbox. In 2026 you’ll pay 3,474 NOK per adult for a one-way trip from Oslo to Bergen. In return you get total peace of mind and a guarantee that the connections will wait for you.

But if you look up those same connections with the operators yourself, you’ll pay just around 1,850 to 2,100 NOK in total. The difference is a whopping 1,400 NOK, which comes to almost €120 per person. For a family of four, that’s an incredible saving of around €480. Trust me, for those few extra minutes of clicking it’s absolutely worth it.

The puzzle has five pieces: the train from Oslo to Myrdal (Bergensbanen), the mountain railway down to Flåm (Flåmsbana), the electric boat along the fjord to Gudvangen, the bus to Voss, and the final train to Bergen. It looks complicated, but you can click it all together in an afternoon over a coffee.

On top of that, you get total freedom in planning. You can pick a later morning train, linger longer at a viewpoint, or split the whole route across several days exactly as you like. You don’t have to stick to a strict itinerary dictated by the official package’s booking system.

2. The Bergensbanen and the Hunt for the Cheapest Tickets

💡 Tip: The first step of your Norwegian journey is the ride on the famous Bergensbanen railway from Oslo to Myrdal station. This nearly five-hundred-kilometre line is regularly ranked among the most beautiful in the world. The train gradually climbs through the deep forests of the Hallingdal valley until it rises high above the tree line onto the rugged Hardangervidda plateau. This is where you’ll get the best views of Arctic tundra and snow-covered lakes.

Buy your tickets exclusively through the official Norwegian railway website vy.no. The system opens roughly three months before departure, and your goal is to snag discounted Lavpris tickets. They start as low as 299 NOK, but in the summer season they vanish at an unbelievable pace. Once they sell out, the price gradually climbs towards the full Flex fare, which can run as high as 1,362 NOK.

Buy well ahead, especially for July and August. Otherwise, during the ride don’t get swallowed up by just your phone, because the train also stops at the cult station of Finse at an altitude of 1,222 metres, which has no road access and is beloved by Star Wars fans: the winter scenes of the ice planet Hoth were filmed here. According to seasoned travellers, from Oslo to Myrdal it’s best to sit on the left-hand side of the train, where the nicest views open up.

3. The Flåmsbana, or the Steepest Train Experience

💡 Tip: At Myrdal station you’ll change onto the legendary Flåmsbana mountain railway. The transfer is completely stress-free, because the small mountain station has only two tracks and the trains stand right opposite each other. You have plenty of time and you’ll manage it even with big suitcases. Then comes a twenty-kilometre descent into the valley, during which the train conquers a staggering elevation change of over 860 metres.

Buy your Flåmsbana ticket smart. If you’re doing the route one-way from Oslo, buy the ticket via vy.no again. A one-way ticket will cost 538 NOK in 2026. You can even add it straight to your basket together with the ticket from Oslo by entering the Oslo–Flåm route. Return tickets for 900 NOK are sold by Norway’s Best, but for this connecting route you won’t need them at all.

In just under an hour of travel you’ll pass through twenty tunnels, and the train makes a special five-minute stop at the mighty Kjosfossen waterfall. This waterfall stands 93 metres tall, and all passengers can step out onto a wooden platform and take photos. In the summer season you’ll even see the mythical forest fairy huldra dancing to the accompaniment of traditional Norwegian music. The railway has a gradient of 5.5 percent along most of its route, making it one of the steepest adhesion railways in all of Europe.

4. A Silent Cruise Along the Nærøyfjord

💡 Tip: At the final station in Flåm you’ll leave the trains behind and take to the water. Ahead of you is a two-hour cruise along the gorgeous Nærøyfjord, which is listed as a UNESCO site thanks to its exceptional beauty. In places the fjord is only 250 metres wide, hemmed in on both sides by steep mountain peaks rising over a thousand metres.

Book your boat tickets well in advance through the norwaysbest.com portal. In the peak summer season you’ll pay 665 NOK per adult. The boats here are fully electric — specifically Vision of the Fjords or Future of the Fjords — and that absolute silence of the cruise is exactly why you’ll fall in love with this part of the route. They have a unique design inspired by winding mountain trails, so you can stroll smoothly along the outdoor decks and take photos from every angle until your fingers freeze.

The boat runs reliably in any weather and sails year-round. If typical Norwegian rain happens to catch you, you can take shelter in the spacious glass-walled lounge with a café. The journey ends in the little village of Gudvangen, where you’ll smoothly connect to the next part of your Norwegian puzzle heading towards the west coast.

5. The Final Leg Through Gudvangen and Voss

💡 Tip: At Gudvangen harbour the waiting VY450 buses will already be there. They’ll take you through the deep Nærøydalen valley past steep cliffs all the way to the town of Voss. The ticket costs around 159 NOK, and you can easily buy it in the Vy app or simply pay by card directly with the driver as you board. The journey takes just under an hour.

Many old guides promise a ride along the historic Stalheimskleiva switchbacks, but don’t be fooled. This iconic road has been permanently closed to buses for years for safety reasons, so the scheduled services use the modern and safer route along the main E16 road.

From the town of Voss there’s only the final train leg to Bergen left. On vy.no you can grab a Lavpris ticket from as little as 139 NOK, and the journey takes just over an hour. You can buy a combined bus-and-train ticket right away by entering the Gudvangen–Bergen route; the system will automatically merge both tickets for a better price of around 320 to 437 NOK. If you have a longer wait for the train in Voss, try the modern Voss Gondol cable car. It starts right by the station and takes you up to the summit of Hangurstoppen at an altitude of 820 metres.

6. Why It’s Better to Split the Route Over Two Days

💡 Tip: Most tourists blast through the whole route from Oslo to Bergen in a single day. It’s a huge twelve-hour marathon, during which you set off from Oslo after eight in the morning and don’t reach your destination until half past eight in the evening. And in Flåm you’ll spend barely half an hour. According to travellers, though, it’s much better to split the journey and enjoy the atmosphere of the Norwegian fjords in peace once all the day-trippers have left.

When you stay overnight in Flåm or neighbouring Aurland, completely new possibilities open up. You can head out early in the morning to the spectacular Stegastein viewpoint, which juts thirty metres into the void high above the blue surface of the fjord. Or you can rent a kayak and paddle out onto the fjord in the morning calm, before the first cruise ships arrive.

You’ll also have plenty of time to visit the Viking village of Njardarheimr in Gudvangen. This is no boring museum with glass display cases, but a living reconstruction full of enthusiastic people in historic costumes. You’ll get to know the crafts of the era, learn plenty of interesting facts about the life of the old Norsemen, and taste traditional bread baked over an open fire.

7. When to Book Everything (So There’s Still Space Left)

💡 Tip: The secret to a successful and cheap DIY puzzle lies in getting the timing of your purchases right. Vy, the Norwegian railway, opens sales roughly ninety days in advance. If you want to catch the cheapest Lavpris tickets for the longest leg out of Oslo, set yourself a reminder and buy as soon as the seats are released for sale. For the summer months, it’s ideal to sort out your tickets at least six to eight weeks before departure.

With the Nærøyfjord boat and the Flåmsbana railway the situation is even tighter. Sales for the summer months open on the Norway’s Best website as much as 120 days ahead. During July and August, the most popular afternoon departures are often sold out several weeks in advance. If, for example, you’ve got your eye on the 3:00 p.m. boat, you’ll find it’s the very first to disappear. Definitely don’t count on buying your tickets on the spot at the counter.

While you can usually grab the bus to Voss and the local train to Bergen at the last minute without much stress, the strategic long-distance legs need to be paid for well in advance. If you’re planning your trip for high season, I recommend having all the key tickets in your inbox ideally two months before flying to Norway.

8. How to Outsmart the Crowds and the Cruise Ships

💡 Tip: The village of Flåm has only a few hundred permanent residents, but in summer enormous cruise ships head here. When a floating giant carrying more than two thousand passengers drops anchor in Aurland harbour, the narrow valley instantly fills to bursting. For you that means long queues for the toilets, packed restaurants, and hopelessly sold-out tickets for both the railway and the fjord cruises.

Before you book a specific date, open up flamport.no, where you’ll find the exact cruise ship arrival calendar for Flåm and Aurland for the whole season, and pick the days when at most a small expedition ship is docked — or better yet, none at all. You’ll save yourself a huge amount of stress, and photos without hundreds of people in the frame make it worth it.

If you can’t avoid a busy day, choose the off-peak departure times. The very first morning boat at half past nine, or conversely the last one at half past five in the evening, tend to be beautifully half-empty. Most organised groups cluster around midday and the early afternoon, so with this small time shift you’ll elegantly dodge them.

Lukáš and Lucie recommend

Where to stay on Norway in a Nutshell

5 accommodations — hotels and other lodging options

⭐ TOP CHOICE 🏨 Hotel

Fretheim Hotel

Historic building near the train station with amazing breakfasts made from local ingredients and fjord views.

★★★★ Check prices

Check availability 🏨 Hotel

Flåmsbrygga Hotel

Cozy hotel in traditional wooden style by the Ægir craft brewery with a Viking atmosphere.

★★★★ Check prices

Check availability 🏡 Guesthouse

Vangsgaarden Gjestgiveri

Family-run guesthouse in quiet Aurland with fantastic views and personal touch from the owners.

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Heimly Pensjonat

More affordable accommodation right on the fjord shore with views from the rooms and friendly staff.

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9. How It Works With Luggage and Small Children

💡 Tip: If you’re travelling with family, Norway will absolutely delight you with its incredible practicality. Children up to four or five travel essentially everywhere for free (up to three on the boat, up to five on the railway), and older kids get substantial discounts of around fifty percent. On the Bergensbanen route, be sure to book seats in the special Family carriage. There you’ll find a wonderful children’s play area, a dedicated space for prams, and comfortable changing tables.

The transfers are designed so that absolutely anyone can manage them, even with large luggage. At Myrdal mountain station you cross just a few metres along a completely flat platform with your suitcase, and boarding the new electric boats in Flåm is entirely step-free. Nowhere do you have to conquer endless stairs with heavy bags on your back or dash about confused around a huge terminal.

If you decide to split the route and explore Flåm light, make use of the handy luggage lockers. You’ll find them right next to the main station building, and you can simply drop off all your bags there. That way you can enjoy the viewpoints or lunch completely hands-free and pick up your things only just before your next departure.

10. Norway in a Nutshell in Winter and Route Alternatives

💡 Tip: A big advantage of the whole route is that it runs year-round. The Bergensbanen trains run every day even in the depths of winter, the Flåmsbana runs about four departures a day even in the darkest months, and the electric boats cut through the fjord waters regardless of the month on the calendar. The winter polar scenery on the Hardangervidda plateau looks utterly incredible in the photos — you just have to be ready for very short days.

If you don’t want to travel from Oslo, there’s a significantly cheaper loop from Bergen. In the morning you set off by train to Voss, by bus to Gudvangen, by boat to Flåm, and via Myrdal you return in the evening back to Bergen. You can do this closed loop in ten hours, and the DIY tickets will cost you around 1,700 NOK.

Another great option for travellers from Oslo is using the night train. You can travel the whole route through the fjords all the way to Bergen and in the evening hop on the night service back to the capital. A ticket for a comfortable seat costs from 479 NOK, and for a fantastic supplement of 740 NOK you get a whole private two-berth compartment with bedding for two. That way you save the cost of a night in a pricey Norwegian hotel.

Where to Stay and Eat Along the Route (and Why to Split It Over Two Days)

💡 Tip for accommodation and experiences: We prefer to look for accommodation on Booking.com, which usually has the best cancellation terms. For tickets, tours and activities, it then pays to compare and book through GetYourGuide.

As I said above, when you split the route over two days, it’ll be a lot more pleasant. Plus you’ll spare yourself a twelve-hour marathon on the trains. You’ll gain time for a morning coffee with a view of the fjord and avoid the worst rush of day-trippers. The area offers several lovely places to spend the night that you’ll fall in love with. Focus mainly on the village of Flåm or the quieter neighbouring Aurland, which you can reach by bus in just ten minutes.

Here are a few specific hotels with excellent ratings that travellers most often recommend for this route:

• Fretheim Hotel (Flåm): A gorgeous historic building sitting really just a short walk from the train terminus. The hotel serves amazing breakfasts made from local ingredients and breathtaking views straight onto the fjord and the surrounding mountains. You simply drag your suitcases a hundred metres from the train and you’re home.
• Flåmsbrygga Hotel (Flåm): A very cosy hotel built in the traditional wooden style with the atmosphere of a mountain lodge. Its biggest advantage is its location right next to the renowned Ægir craft brewery, where in the evening you can enjoy great local beer and an excellent vegetarian menu by a huge fireplace inspired by Viking history.
• Vangsgaarden Gjestgiveri (Aurland): If you want to escape the crowds in Flåm, this is exactly it. This family-run guesthouse in the neighbouring village offers absolute peace, a fantastic view of the water, and a very personal touch from the owners. Plus you can easily set off from here to the famous Stegastein viewpoint.
• Heimly Pensjonat (Flåm): A smaller and slightly more affordable place to stay right on the shore of the fjord. From the rooms you look straight onto the fjord and the staff are really lovely (the harbour is also a short walk away).

Where to Eat Along the Way

The village of Flåm is really small, but you definitely won’t go hungry here. An absolute hit is the local Ægir BrewPub, which you’ll find right by the harbour. It has a fantastic interior reminiscent of an old Viking feasting hall, a fire burns in the middle, and with the local beer you can have a great traditional menu. If you’re just after a quick snack before the boat departs, down by the water you’ll come across an excellent bakery with fresh pastries and coffee.

In Voss the choice of restaurants is noticeably wider, but given the fairly tight timetables there’s usually not much time left for long sit-down lunches. I definitely recommend packing your own snack and a water bottle for the whole journey. Prices at the station bistros are, by Norwegian standards, pretty confident, and your own supplies will save you a lot of money and stress during the quick transfers.

Practical Summary and Rough Prices

To give you a clearer idea of the savings, I’ve put together a price comparison in Norwegian kroner. The prices in the table correspond to the peak summer season of 2026 with early booking. Exchange rates naturally shift over the year, but for a quick orientation reckon that 1 NOK is roughly €0.09.

The biggest difference comes right with the first ticket from Oslo to Myrdal. While in the package you pay a fixed amount for it, buying it yourself three months in advance you can snag Lavpris tickets from as little as 299 up to 539 NOK. By contrast, the Flåmsbana railway and the electric boat across the Nærøyfjord have fixed price lists in the summer season, and discounts are very hard to come by.

Price comparison: DIY puzzle vs. the official package

If you decide to do the whole route in a single day, be prepared to be constantly on the move. Below you’ll find a sample schedule for the one-day crossing from Oslo to Bergen. You can see for yourself that the transfer times are fairly short, and in Flåm you’ll have barely forty minutes to look around.

Sample one-day itinerary (Oslo to Bergen)

Where to Next

If planning a trip through Scandinavia has grabbed you, be sure to check out our other detailed guides too. In them you’ll find plenty of useful information on the individual places.

• The Flåm Railway (Flåmsbana)
• Bergen: what to see
• Oslo: what to see
• The Norwegian fjords: a guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Norway’s best-selling dish isn’t the famous fresh bounty of the fjords, the delicious game, or the legendary dried treasures of the sea. Honestly, it will probably surprise you that the single most popular dish in the land of the fjords is the frozen Grandiosa pizza. And that exact schizophrenic combination of ancient tradition and a frozen convenience meal is probably what got us most about traditional Norwegian cuisine. When Lukáš and I set off for the Lofoten Islands in the summer of 2026, we mainly expected breathtaking scenery, but in the end the local coffee culture and the ever-present smell of waffles on the ferries got us too.

Norwegian cuisine was historically shaped by harsh conditions, long winters, and the need to preserve food for as long as possible. Today, though, it’s a confident scene that combines absolute top-tier coffee preparation with the phenomenon of the Friday tex-mex taco. And even though it may look at first glance like we vegetarians would starve here, the opposite is true. Let’s take a look together at how to eat in Norway, what to try, and how to do it without wrecking your travel budget.

TL;DR

If you’re in a hurry and just want to know the most important basics, here’s a quick overview of the best and most practical parts of the Norwegian culinary scene.

• Matpakke is survival essential: Traditional packed lunch boxes with bread and cheese will save you a fortune — in Norway people don’t normally go out to restaurants for lunch.
• A coffee superpower: Norwegians drink almost 10 kilos of coffee per person a year and their roasteries are among the very best in the world.
• You have to try brunost: This sweet brown cheese with a caramel flavour is a Norwegian national treasure and the ideal souvenir to bring home.
• Vegetarians needn’t worry: Cities offer a huge choice of plant-based alternatives and supermarkets are brilliantly stocked; in the countryside sweet pastries and waffles will save you.
• Alcohol comes with rules: You can only buy beer in supermarkets until 8 p.m., while wine and spirits are sold only in the state-run Vinmonopolet shops.
• Extreme traditions: Local delicacies like fermented trout or sheep’s head are more of a Christmas affair and a tourist curiosity.

How to Eat in Norway: Eat Like a Local Without Ruining Your Budget

The way Norwegians eat is the complete opposite of what most of us are used to. If you’re looking for a classic set lunch menu with soup and a main course for a couple of euros, you’ll run into the harsh reality of Nordic prices. A regular lunch break here lasts just thirty minutes and takes place around eleven in the morning. Let me show you how to adapt to this rhythm, where to find the best alternatives to pricey restaurants, and how to enjoy the local flavours stress-free.

The phenomenon called matpakke

If you want to eat like a local in Norway, you’ll need to get yourself an ordinary plastic box. Matpakke, literally “food package,” is the absolute cornerstone of the Norwegian day and the vast majority of the population takes one to school and work. Historically, this thrifty habit stems from the so-called Oslo breakfast, a free school programme from the 1930s designed to give children basic nutrition.

It usually consists of two to four slices of dense wholegrain bread simply topped with cheese, brunost, or some kind of spread. The genius detail is that the individual slices are separated by a special waxed paper called mellomleggspapir. On the Lofoten Islands this was an absolute lifesaver for us, because we made our sandwiches in the morning and packed them for an all-day hike, saving a huge amount of money on eating out.

If you’re staying at a hotel, ask at reception whether you can make your own matpakke at breakfast. Some hotels offer this option for a small fee, and it’s still far more worth it than hunting down an expensive restaurant. On top of that, Norway is full of gorgeous viewpoints and benches, and thanks to the right to roam (allemannsretten) you can picnic almost anywhere. A lunch overlooking a deep fjord is the best culinary experience there is anyway.

Supermarkets are your best friend

Restaurants in Norway really are expensive, which probably surprises no one, but with a little planning supermarkets are easy to handle. You’ll shop cheapest at discount chains like Rema 1000, Kiwi with the green logo, or Coop’s Extra. They’re easy to spot and you’ll find them in practically every larger town along the main routes. They also have their own private labels, of which the best known and most affordable is probably First Price in its typical blue-and-white packaging.

When we needed a quick lunch on the road, we often reached for packaged wraps or fresh salads, which are commonly available even in the smallest shops. Bigger, slightly pricier supermarkets like Meny even have huge hot counters with ready meals where you can grab grilled food for a fraction of the restaurant price. Just remember one absolutely crucial rule: on Sundays the vast majority of large shops are legally closed and only the more expensive smaller convenience stores like Joker or Bunnpris stay open.

Supermarkets also have very strict rules for selling alcohol that you need to watch out for. Beer under about five percent can only be bought in a regular shop until 8 p.m., on Saturdays only until 6, and not at all on Sundays. If you fancy wine or something stronger, you’ll have to head to the specialised state shops Vinmonopolet, which have very limited opening hours.

Where to eat: markets and food courts

When you do want to head out for food and soak up the atmosphere, I recommend making for the modern food courts that have become a huge hit in recent years. In Oslo the absolute top spot is Mathallen at Vulkan 5, a beautiful market inspired by European food halls. It’s packed with local cheeses, artisan bakeries, and small bistros serving Greek, Italian, and traditional Norwegian cuisine. The whole area around Vulkan and the neighbouring hipster district of Grünerløkka is absolutely fantastic for food, and you’ll find great places at more reasonable prices.

If you head to Bergen, you definitely won’t miss the famous Fisketorget fish market right by the historic Vågen harbour. This outdoor market dates back to the Middle Ages and today you’ll find stalls with fresh fruit and seafood. Since 2012 there’s also the covered year-round Torghallen market with upscale fish bars and a tourist info centre. Prices here are decidedly touristy and you won’t score a bargain, but strolling around the stalls of fresh crabs and watching the locals work is genuinely worth the moment.

In smaller towns and shopping centres it’s worth seeking out classic cafeterias, which often work as buffets. In western Norway these canteens have a special Thursday tradition when they offer traditional potato dumplings called komle as an affordable dish of the day. It’s one of the few moments when even regular Norwegians go out for a hot lunch during the working week.

Vegetarian Norway in 2026

Being a vegetarian in a country historically obsessed with fishing and sheep farming sounds like quite a challenge, but in the big cities it’s actually a breeze. The popular HappyCow app alone lists nearly a thousand plant-friendly venues, of which almost three hundred are in Oslo itself. From our own experience, in the capital we can warmly recommend the excellent fully vegan restaurant Nordvegan or the renowned King Falafel.

In the countryside and more remote areas around the fjords it’s of course a bit trickier, but the fantastically stocked Norwegian supermarkets come to the rescue. You’ll find absolutely everything, from quality oat milks to vegan burgers and marinated tofu, even in the smallest village branches of the discount chains. Many common chains like Peppes Pizza or Egon also automatically feature plant-based alternatives and salads on the menu.

Personally, what saved us on our travels was the huge range of traditional sweet dishes, which are luckily naturally vegetarian. When we couldn’t get a hot lunch, we had coffee with waffles, oat porridge (havregrøt), or traditional sweet pastries from a local bakery. Indian, Thai, and Vietnamese restaurants are then a sure bet in every mid-sized Norwegian town, so you definitely won’t go hungry here.

How much does food cost in Norway (2026 prices)

Prices in Norway can really give your wallet a workout, so it’s good to have at least a basic idea beforehand. Here’s a rough table of average prices based on data from Numbeo for the summer of 2026. The conversion is roughly €0.09 per Norwegian krone (NOK).

The best strategy for travellers on a limited budget is a combination of a hearty hotel breakfast, your own matpakke for lunch, and a hot dinner from the supermarket or a cheaper bistro. This way you can squeeze your daily food spend down to under 300 NOK (about €27) per person. Tipping isn’t generally expected in Norway; at most you round up the bill for truly exceptional service in an expensive restaurant. Feel free to leave your cash at home — you can pay by card or phone absolutely everywhere, even for waffles at a remote mountain cabin.

15 Foods You Have to Try (or at Least Know About)

We put this list together with real affection — there are dishes we fell in love with and some that made the hair on the back of our necks stand up a little. But all of them are worth knowing about at the very least.

1. Brunost: A caramel miracle in thin slices

Brunost is something you either fall in love with instantly or never want to see again. Technically it isn’t actually cheese at all, but slowly caramelised whey. During the long boiling of milk, cream, and whey, the milk sugar caramelises, which gives the mass its typical brown colour and an incredibly distinctive sweet, slightly goaty, caramel flavour. Most often you’ll come across the Gudbrandsdalsost brand from the giant dairy cooperative Tine, recognisable by its typical red block.

We owe the modern form of this treasure to milkmaid Anne Hov, who in the 1860s added cream to ordinary whey and created a richer version. According to legend, this invention economically saved the entire Norwegian valley of Gudbrandsdalen. There are various versions, from pure goat’s geitost to the milder fløtemysost without goat’s milk, so you can pick according to your own courage.

It’s strictly portioned with a special cheese slicer called an ostehøvel, which is, by the way, a very famous Norwegian invention the locals are duly proud of. We absolutely fell in love with brunost on fresh bread or warm waffles. It also makes a genius souvenir, because it keeps reasonably long even outside the fridge without losing its typical flavour.

2. Waffles (vafler): A heart-shaped national obsession

Norwegian waffles are thinner, softer, and much more delicate than the classic Belgian ones you might know from fairs. They’re strictly baked in the shape of five joined hearts and you’ll come across them on practically every corner in Norway. They’re sold at remote mountain cabins run by the DNT association, in museums, at sports matches, and at even the smallest roadside petrol stations.

The culture called kaffe og vafler — coffee and waffles — is a huge social institution and the Norwegian equivalent of English afternoon tea. They’re classically served with a generous spoonful of rich sour cream (rømme) and homemade strawberry or raspberry jam. Locals often add a slice of brown brunost cheese, which creates an absolutely perfect combination of sweet and savoury that you should definitely try. In our experience it’s the best way to warm up after a windy afternoon by the fjords.

3. Svele: The pancake that belongs on a ferry

When we travelled along the west coast and to the Lofoten Islands, we spent a lot of time on ferries, and that’s exactly where we discovered this little masterpiece. Svele is a thicker pancake similar to an American flapjack, beautifully fluffy thanks to baking soda and a baker’s ammonia salt called hartshorn. The batter is also made with proper buttermilk, which gives it a very gentle tang and softness.

This treat comes from the picturesque Møre og Romsdal region and since 1971 has traditionally been served on all the fjord ferries. Having a warm svele folded in half, spread with butter and sprinkled with sugar while you sail between majestic cliffs became a little ritual for us — one that simply belongs to travelling along the Norwegian coast.

4. Skolebrød and kanelboller: The scent of every bakery

Norwegian bakeries are a little paradise for vegetarians and will save you whenever you fancy something quick with your coffee. One of the most popular items is skolebrød, which translates to “school bread.” It’s a fluffy leavened bun with proper vanilla custard in the middle, coated around the edges with sweet icing and generously sprinkled with grated coconut. Originally it really was packed into children’s matpakke as a special sweet snack.

The second pillar of Norwegian café culture is the kanelbolle, the classic cinnamon roll known across Scandinavia. In Oslo and Trondheim, famous bakeries like Baker Hansen or W.B. Samson compete fiercely over who bakes the best one. It’s an ideal and fairly cheap way to take a break during your city sightseeing, since one costs on average an acceptable 30 to 55 Norwegian kroner (about €3–5).

5. Rømmegrøt: Creamy porridge from mountain farms

At first glance it looks like ordinary semolina porridge from a school canteen, but don’t be fooled. Rømmegrøt is an incredibly rich, thick porridge cooked from fatty sour cream, flour, and milk. It’s traditionally served generously sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon, with a big pool of melted butter in the middle.

Historically it’s a typical festive summer dish that was cooked at mountain dairy farms called seter, where farmers drove their cattle to graze. Locals like to have it with traditional cured meats (spekemat) to balance the sweet flavour, and you’ll often come across it in areas like historic Røros. We naturally had it just in the purely vegetarian version with butter, and that was plenty. It’s such an incredibly filling dish that after one bowl you have energy for an all-day hike 😅.

6. Multekrem: Arctic gold on a plate

The cloudberry, called multe in Norwegian, is an orange berry similar to a blackberry that grows exclusively in Nordic peat bogs and mountain areas. It has never been fully cultivated for commercial farming and is picked only by hand in the wild, which is why it’s very expensive and nicknamed Arctic gold. In northern Norway there are also strict rules stating that unripe fruit must not be picked.

The most famous dessert made from these rare berries is multekrem, which is lightly whipped cream gently mixed with cloudberries and sugar. It’s commonly served as a traditional dessert at Christmas feasts, but you can also have excellent cloudberry jam on warm waffles at mountain cabins. The flavour is honeyed and winey, slightly tart, and utterly unique, so a jar of this jam from the supermarket is, by the way, the very best gift souvenir to take home.

Lukáš and Lucie recommend

Where to stay in Norway

4 accommodations — hotels and other lodging options

⭐ TOP CHOICE 🏨 Hotel

Citybox Oslo

Self-service hotel in central Oslo with smaller but ideal rooms at reasonable prices.

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Reine Rorbuer

Traditional red fishermen’s cabins with kitchenette right above the fjord waters.

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Magic Hotel Korskirken

Charming hotel in Bergen with perfect access to the fish market.

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Explore all available accommodation options in Norway and find the best one according to your preferences and budget.

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7. Fårikål: The national dish that smells of autumn

If you ask about the absolute foundation of Norwegian meat cooking, most locals will immediately mention fårikål. This dish of lamb or mutton and cabbage even won a radio poll on the Nitimen programme for the official national dish back in the 1970s, and it has defended its title several times since.

The recipe is completely minimalist: meat with cabbage, whole black peppercorns, and salt is simmered in water for roughly two and a half hours until it’s completely tender. The dish is firmly tied to the autumn season, when the sheep are slaughtered after a summer spent on mountain pastures. Norwegians love this simple dish so much that they’ve dedicated a whole holiday to it (fårikålens festdag), which falls on the last Thursday of September, when it’s cooked in practically every household.

8. Kjøttkaker and raspeballer: Classics of roadside inns

Traditional diners in Norway swear by kjøttkaker, hearty beef meatballs that are much bigger and coarser than the well-known Swedish ones from IKEA. They’re classically served with a thick brown gravy (brun saus), boiled potatoes, stewed cabbage, and lingonberries. This is the most common lunch menu at the typical roadside motorest restaurants along the main routes.

Western Norway then lives for the phenomenon called komle, also known as raspeballer, or kompe in the south. These are dense dumplings made of raw grated potatoes and flour, which locals usually eat with salted pork or sausages. Interestingly, in the west there’s a firm tradition of so-called Thursday dumplings (komle-torsdag), when most local eateries offer this dish. As vegetarians we could theoretically have it just with mashed swede and butter, but you have to be very careful in restaurants whether it was cooked in meat stock.

9. Tørrfisk and klippfisk: The fish that put Norway on its feet

During our summer journey around the Lofoten Islands in 2026, the ever-present giant wooden racks for drying fish were an absolutely fascinating sight, even when they stood empty. Tørrfisk is cod dried by the cold polar air right on these wooden structures without any salt. Klippfisk, on the other hand, is heavily salted before being dried on the coastal rocks, and its main hub is the town of Kristiansund.

Historically it was the single largest Norwegian food export, on which the entire Hanseatic Bergen and its famous Bryggen district grew rich. To this day these dried fish are shipped by the ton to Italy or Portugal, where they’re used to make their famous national dish bacalhau. Locals in the Lofoten Islands commonly buy pieces of dried cod in small bags as a healthy afternoon snack, which a visitor can watch with some amazement at petrol stations.

10. Gravlaks and salmon: A global export superstar

Norwegian salmon is a household name worldwide and makes up a huge part of both the local diet and lucrative exports. Besides the classic baking and smoking (røkelaks), the biggest local speciality is gravlaks. It’s raw salmon cured for one to two days in a special mixture of salt, sugar, and a large amount of dill, which gives it a fantastic tenderness.

It’s then traditionally sliced very thinly and served with a sweetish mustard sauce on a slice of fresh bread. Gravlaks is simply the Scandinavian contribution to world gastronomy, one the French should thank Norway for. A fun historical fact for every food lover is that it was Norwegian traders who, as part of the so-called salmon diplomacy in the 1980s, taught the Japanese to use raw salmon for making sushi.

11. Lutefisk and rakfisk: Controversy for the brave

Christmas time brings dishes to Norwegian traditional restaurants that command respect even among Norwegians themselves and divide the nation into two camps. Lutefisk is dried cod soaked for several days in a strong lye solution with a high pH. This breaks down the proteins and the fish takes on a peculiar translucent, jelly-like texture. Paradoxically, this bizarre tradition today is upheld more by the descendants of Norwegian emigrants in American Minnesota than by Norwegians themselves.

One level higher on the scale of extreme flavours is rakfisk, which is trout fermented under pressure at a low temperature for several months up to a year. It’s strictly eaten raw on potato flatbreads with onion and sour cream, has a very sharp salty taste and an immensely intense odour. The centre of this tradition lies in the Valdres valley, where a big festival, the Norsk rakfiskfestival, is held in its honour every November.

12. Smalahove and pinnekjøtt: Sheep feasts of the west coast

In western Norway, and especially in the wider area around Bergen, the Christmas tables are unequivocally ruled by pinnekjøtt. These are salted and dried lamb ribs that are slowly steamed for many hours on a rack of birch twigs, which is where the name comes from. For nearly a third of the entire nation this is the main Christmas Eve dish, which on the west coast clearly beats even the classic roast pork.

A tourist curiosity for the truly strong-stomached is then smalahove, which is a singed, salted, and smoked half of a sheep’s head. It’s boiled whole for several hours, and local culinary tradition dictates eating absolutely everything, including the eye and ear. Originally it was food of the poorest social classes, but today special trips to farms are organised in the town of Voss, where it has been turned into a rather lucrative attraction.

13. Pølse: The petrol-station hot dog as a national phenomenon

You probably wouldn’t expect the national street food in one of the world’s richest countries to be an ordinary sausage, but in Norway it holds absolutely true. Pølse is a classic heated sausage that locals love to buy at petrol stations like Circle K or in small Narvesen kiosks. It’s traditionally wrapped in lompe, a very thin, soft potato flatbread, or put in a classic soft bun.

It’s by far the cheapest hot food you’ll commonly find on the streets, costing around 40 kroner (about €3.50). The cultural significance of sausages is so huge that on the national holiday on 17 May the average Norwegian eats three of them. Sausages simply can’t be missing from any children’s birthday party, long ski trip, or lively midsummer celebration. As vegetarians we tended to go for the excellent coffee at petrol stations instead, but for locals it’s an absolute ritual.

14. Pizza Grandiosa: A modern legend from the freezer

You absolutely have to know about this one, even if you never buy it on your travels. The frozen Grandiosa pizza is an absolute cultural phenomenon in Norway and a symbol of modern times. In a country of just five and a half million people, an incredible twenty-four million of them are sold every year. Critics may mockingly nickname it “laziness in a box,” but plenty of people quite seriously consider it the unofficial national dish.

When a catchy promotional song about this pizza, Respekt for Grandiosa, came out in 2006, it stayed at the top of the official Norwegian charts for an incredible eight weeks. It has been made since 1980 in the town of Stranda and you’ll find it in the freezer of absolutely every supermarket. For budget travellers who have an oven at their hostel or wooden cabin, it’s also unbeatably the cheapest hot dinner, and luckily it comes in a vegetarian version too.

15. Fredagstaco: The tex-mex ritual of Friday night

The Norwegian weekend begins around a huge family bowl of minced meat, corn tortillas, and chopped vegetables. The Friday taco, fredagstaco in Norwegian, is a well-established nationwide tradition that the vast majority of families follow. Tacos arrived in Norway in the mid-1960s via American oil workers who worked in Stavanger, and gradually and quietly conquered the entire country.

Today, according to surveys, more than half of Norwegians eat tacos at least once a month, and Norwegian consumption of Mexican ingredients is among the very highest in all of Europe. It’s the classic tex-mex take known from the Old El Paso brand, where everyone at the table fills their own corn tortilla to taste. We sometimes made this lovely Friday tradition on our travels too, just with beans, corn, and veggies, and after a long day on our feet it was pure bliss.

What to Drink: A Coffee Superpower and Strict Rules for Alcohol

If there’s one thing Norwegians truly know and love, it’s drinking good coffee. Norway has long ranked in the world’s top four for coffee consumption per capita, with the average resident drinking an incredible nine and a half kilos a year, roughly three times more than in most of Europe. Coffee is drunk at home, in offices where an unlimited pot is an absolute standard, at mountain cabins, and during traditional fishing, where locals brew coarsely ground coffee (kokekaffe) right over the fire.

Oslo is today the global centre of the so-called Nordic roast — a very light roast that lets fruity notes shine and changes the way you look at coffee. You’ll find legendary roasteries here like Tim Wendelboe, whose owner won the World Barista Championship in 2004, or the vintage café Fuglen. If you want to save money at a café, order a plain filter coffee (kaffe), which is always noticeably cheaper than espresso drinks like cappuccino. At petrol stations there’s also the handy kaffeavtale, a good-value subscription with free refills.

As for water, tap water is perfectly clean and drinkable everywhere, so definitely bring your own bottle and don’t buy the bottled stuff. Alcohol in Lutheran Norway is traditionally more complicated and very expensive. You can buy beer under about five percent in regular supermarkets, but sales end on the dot of 8 p.m. on weekdays and at 6 on Saturdays. Wine and spirits are sold exclusively in the state-run Vinmonopolet shops, which have very limited opening hours and are uncompromisingly closed on Sundays.

Where to Stay

💡 Tip for accommodation and experiences: We prefer to look for accommodation on Booking.com, which tends to have the best cancellation terms. Tickets, tours, and activities are then worth comparing and buying through GetYourGuide.

Finding affordable accommodation in Norway is a discipline in itself, but with a little planning you can find great places. What worked best for us were the traditional wooden cabins at campsites and smaller guesthouses, which often offer access to a shared kitchen — absolutely ideal for cooking your own food.

Our accommodation tips

In the capital we tried Citybox Oslo, a fantastic self-service hotel right in the centre. The rooms are on the smaller side, but perfectly fine for sleeping and you’ll save a lot of money. During our journey around the Lofoten Islands we anchored at Reine Rorbuer, where we enjoyed the charm of the traditional red fishermen’s cabins right above the fjord. And if you’re exploring Bergen, I recommend the charming Magic Hotel Korskirken with perfect access to the fish market.

Where to Go Next

If you’re planning a trip north and thinking about your budget, definitely check out our article How Much a Holiday in Norway Costs. For inspiration for the trip itself, I recommend our big guide Norway: 50 Tips on What to See.

Interested in specific areas? We’ve written detailed tips on what to see in Bergen, as well as a complete guide to the capital, Oslo: What to See. And if you’re heading north, don’t miss our article Lofoten Islands: The Big Guide and practical advice on when to go to Norway.

Frequently Asked Questions

Heading to Norway and have a head full of questions about food? You’re not alone! We’ve put together the most common questions we get about Norwegian gastronomy so you can be perfectly prepared for your trip.