Norvège

Eat

thumb|Cod drying in the wind, a common (and smelly) sight along the coast thumb|Fit for a Viking: fiskeboller (fish balls) in cream sauce with potatoes, grated carrots and a smattering of bacon Norway is one of the worlds most expensive countries for eating, especially in restaurants, and also for retail food. Many visitors choose to bring camping food from another country.

Drink

thumb|A glass of Gammel Opland akevitt

Norway is often described as a "dry" country, because alcohol is highly priced and a glass of wine or beer in a restaurant costs at least 60 kr. When in cities and towns with many students such as Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim and Tromsø, you can very often find lower prices. Ask young people in the streets or at your place of accommodation for hints and tips of where to go. Beer can be bought at the supermarkets, however wine and stronger alcoholic beverages have to be purchased in state owned liquor stores (Vinmonopolet). The Vinmonopolet is a monopoly but maintains high quality and a wide selection of products; the finest products are moderately priced. The price of alcohol, however does not stop the locals from having a good time. They are often found drinking and carrying on in local street parties and on their porches.

The high prices is one reason why the tradition to hold vorspiel and nachspiel before going out is very popular in Norway. The words derives from German and can be translated into pre- and after party. If going out in the weekend, it is not unknown for Norwegians to gather at a friend's house and not leave for the nightclub until after midnight. So if you've seen Norwegian drinking culture abroad, and are shocked by the empty bar/club at 23:00, call your Norwegian friend and ask where the vorspiel is. (If that person is one of the many Swedes in Norway, vorspiel would mean foreplay – they would say foreparty.) It's likel…

Sleep

Hotels in Norway are generally not cheap, as Norway is a high-cost country, but there are several price ranges, and it is very possible to get reasonably-priced rates even in top-rated hotels depending on the time of the year, day of the week, and city – e.g. hotels in Oslo may be expensive on weekdays but much cheaper when there is less business travel. Special offers are common, look for them. A single hotel room should cost you from around and up (always book ahead for weekdays). Most hotels are found in densely populated areas, but those called høyfjellshotell are often far into the mountains. If you plan to finish your stay in Norway on a Sunday, try finding a hotel that offers a late check-out.

You can also find reasonable cheap lodgings in camping huts (, space for entire family), DNT mountain cabins ( per person), youth hostels ( per person), etc. Most of these will require you to make your own food, bring your own bedsheets, and wash before leaving.

A countryside cabin, hytte, is a prized family treasure. The high demand and the limits for exploitation have pushed property prices through the roof during the first decade of the 2000s, and few foreigners can afford to buy a cabin in Norway. As currency and prices are dependent on the oil price, the return on investment is very uncertain.

For longer stays (one week or more) consider renting an apartment, a house or a high quality cabin. Several agencies offer reservations on houses or cabins owned by farmers or othe…

Stay safe

thumb|Police patch including the golden lion (insignia for government authorities)

Norway has a very low rate of violent crime. The most likely crimes for tourists to experience are car break-ins and bicycle theft. Pickpockets do also tend to be an increasing problem in urban areas in the summer season, but it's still nothing like in larger cities in Europe. It is always a good idea to look after your belongings, this includes never leaving valuable objects visible in your car and locking your bike safely. It is generally illegal to carry knives and firearms in public places such as on the street.

Solo female travellers should have no problems, although ordinary street sense is advised after dark. During summer there is full daylight until late evening, even in South Norway.

Norway is one of the countries in the world with the lowest levels of corruption. Police and other authorities cannot be bribed, travellers are strongly advised against attempting in any form of bribery.

Norway has a unified police force ("politi"). The police force is the government authority in areas like crime, national security, major accidents, missing persons, traffic control, passports and immigration control. Police officers usually do not carry guns and during a year the police (the entire police force) use guns only a handful of times. Most cities have municipal parking attendants, too, but the attendants do not have any authority beyond fining and removing vehicles.

Norway has a lot of ele…

Stay healthy

The water quality in Norway is adequate and mostly good or very good. Unlike continental Europe, most of the tap water in Norway is from surface water like rivers and lakes typically in hills above towns. Unlike groundwater, surface water is mostly low in calcium and rarely hard. Tap water is always drinkable (except on boats, trains etc.) and there is generally no need to buy bottled water (in fact, bottled water often comes from the same source as tap water). In the mountains, water from streams and rivers is usually drinkable and often high quality, but some common sense is needed to judge the source. The hygiene in public kitchens is very good, and food poisoning rarely happens to tourists. Norway can get relatively warm in the summer, but be prepared to bring warm clothes (sweater, wind breaking/waterproof jacket), as they might come in handy. It's hard to predict the weather, and in summer, you may experience severe weather changes during your stay. Tourists hiking in the high mountains (above the forest) should bring sports wear for temperatures down to freezing (0 °C) also in summer. Rain and strong wind can occur at any time adding to the cooling effect. Norway has a high density of pharmacies. Nose sprays and standard painkillers (paracetamol, aspirin) can also be purchased in grocery stores and gas stations. Do not underestimate the power of the Nordic sun! The sun is generally not as strong as in Southern Europe, but the air is often very clear and clean in the No…

Respect

Norwegians are generally open-minded and tolerant and there are few, if any, dos and don'ts that foreign visitors need to keep in mind. If anything, it is important to keep in mind that Norway is perhaps the most egalitarian country in the world. Behaving in a way that suggests either party is inferior or superior is considered exceptionally rude, and the flaunting of wealth or rank (if any) is frowned upon. Waiters and other service personnel expect that customers will treat them as equals. Most Norwegians will handle misunderstandings or possibly offensive comments in a friendly manner and almost all will respond well to compliments paid to the country in general.

Many Norwegian people can however be mistaken as somewhat rude and unwelcoming, because they can be very direct and that small talk is generally avoided. This is just a matter of culture; making contact with strangers, such as talking with fellow passengers on the bus, is uncommon. This does not apply to train journeys, or outside the bigger cities where small talk will be made on the basis of curiosity. During hikes in remote wilderness, talking to strangers on the same trail is customary.

Swearing is relatively common and accepted in many parts of the country. Profanities appear regularly in public broadcasting and are not censored. Foreign visitors may recognize some bad words from English or other languages. Some bad Norwegian words sound very similar to English words. Visitors should however avoid such word…