Best time to go to Norway

Norway has dual delights when it comes to natural adventures, clearly divided between hiking in summer or cross-country skiing in winter. In general, our Norway tours also focus on two of the country’s greatest national parks, Jotunheimen and Rondane, where formidable fjords greet you on the other side of ridge climbs, you can trek across glaciers to gain panoramic views, or hike to glistening lakelands as a herd of wild reindeer watches on. June, July and August are, in general, the best time to go to Norway for warmer temperatures and longer days but peak season does get busy, so aim for the shoulder seasons if you can.

Best time to go to Jotunheimen National Park

It’s a short season for hiking in Jotunheimen National Park, with our self-guided holidays available between late June and late August. This is the best time for clear skies, less rain and easier wind conditions. But it’s wild out on those hills, and the ‘giants’ can roar from time to time in their homelands, so come equipped for all seasons and always monitor the weather carefully, as temperatures in the mountains don’t often hit double figures. It’s worth noting that there are also midges in Jotunheimen National Park, called the Gjende blackfly, fairly prolific during August and September and most common out on Lake Gjende. They are harmless, like Scottish midges, but it’s worth knowing how to protect yourself against them.

A mountain hut on Lake Gjende, just below Besseggen mountain ridge in Jotunheimen National Park

Best time to cycle or hike the Kongevegen

The Kongevegen, or King’s Road, is an ancient 100km highway over the Filefjell Mountains, which border the western part of the Jotunheimen Mountains. Our Kongevegen Trail (King’s Road) walking holiday starts in the second half of June, as do our cycling holidays along the Mjølkevegen, a 250km trail through the park. You can opt to do either the northern or southern section of the trail, and it’s worth noting that the southern section has a longer season up to late September, compared with the northern section which is only available until mid to late August due to higher elevations.

Best time for cross-country skiing in Norway

For the winter wonderland, choose between holidays based in either Vaset, a small family-friendly skiing area at 1,000m with trips available in February and March. Or Beitostølen (900m), which is 50km further north at the foot of Jotunheimen’s high mountain peaks and has, therefore, a longer skiing window between December and April. The winter season starts with short days and six hours of daylight in December, but then you will get a lot of clear starry skies and, if you are lucky, you may even see the Northern Lights. From around mid-February, you get longer days of around eight hours of daylight and temperatures go into double figures, averaging 10-12C, from March onwards.

Head to the Valdres region of Norway in winter for some of Europe’s most serene cross-country skiing.

Best time to stay at Norway’s DNT Lodges

On some of our trekking tours in Norway, you stay at the Norwegian Mountaineering Association iconic lodges – also known as DNT lodges, an acronym for the association’s name, Den Norske Turistforening, founded in 1871. While hiking in the Jotunheimen Mountains, for example, you sleep at one of the oldest huts, on the shores of Lake Gjende, perfect for a wake up swim. Or when hiking on the King’s Road, stay at Fondsbu Lodge, on the shores of Lake Bygdin, you stay at a lodge that is particularly famous for its great local cuisine. They are fantastic, but they are also fantastically popular and they control the opening times. Most staffed lodges open at the end of June and close in mid-September or October so the best time to go is when we can book a bed for you.

Best time to go to Rondane National Park

Our walking holiday in Rondane National Park is open between July and the beginning of October. This is a landscape of peaks and plateaus, sprawling valleys and vistas, many of them sweeping down to windswept lakelands. The landscape is lichen-rich and its wild, open terrain attracts raptors such as the rough-legged buzzard, hen harrier, Gyr falcon and golden eagle, especially in summer. Rondane is also a riot of colour in autumn and, in addition, one of Norway’s last remaining wild reindeer herds lives here and they may be more keen to make an appearance when the summer hiking groups have gone.

It’s also worth noting that the wild reindeer hunting season is from 20 August and finishes around 20 September. It is used as a way to control populations, and ensure that habitats are able to cope with the herd numbers. You will see, for example, a type of lichen called cladonia rangiferina in many places, which is nicknamed reindeer lichen as it’s a popular form of food for the reindeer.

Rondane is ravishing any time of year, but our holidays are available between July and the beginning of October.

Midsummer in Norway

Midsummer is party time throughout the country, when the celebrations are called Midsommar or Sankthans. It falls on 24 June every year, with the build-up often starting on the eve, or Sankthansaften. As our trips are in the southern region of Norway, you don’t get 24 hour daylight as you need to head much further north for that, but you will get light for almost 20 hours. Like so many other countries in Scandinavia, this is a time to celebrate the natural beauty of nature and, traditionally, the magical power of flowers is high on the agenda. You will see flower wreaths on doors, poles and in people’s hair, and there are often bonfires and fireworks in towns and villages throughout the country. In the capital, check out the family-friendly Sankthansfestival at the Folkemuseum.

Food festivals in Norway

You can top or tail your natural adventure in Norway with food festivals in Bergen or Oslo, depending on where your arrival and departure point is. The Bergen Food Festival is at the beginning of September, with big Bergen blowouts happening in Festplassen and Torgallmenningen. Festplassen also hosts the Norwegian Cider Festival at the same time, so it’s a double whammy in September in this colossal capital of the fjords. Oslo’s Matfestival takes place at the end of August and is a celebration of the city’s multiculturalism with Birkelunden being turned into a global food journey. The city’s craft beer festival, Brew, is also in August, making it a pretty bubbly place to be.