Travellers usefull tips

Information for travellers through Norway

Capital: Oslo

Religion: Lutheranism. Followers of Islam and Protestantism live the country as well.

Language: Norwegian. There are two dialects of Norwegian: Bokmal and Nynorsk. In addition, most of the population speaks English quite well.

Climate: the weather in Norway differs from the south to the north: in most of the country, the climate is temperate oceanic, in the far north it is subarctic. The rainiest season in Norway is autumn. Thanks to the Gulf Stream, winters on the coast are quite mild. However, in the mountainous areas, strong snowy winds and harsh winters are quite often. Most rain falls on the west coast.

Average temperature:

October	+7 ° C
November	+1 ° C
December	-3 ° C
January	-4 ° C
February	-3 ° C
March	0 ° C
April	+5 ° C
May	+12 ° C
June	+15 ° C
July	+17 ° C
August	+16 ° C
September	+12 ° C

Currency: Norwegian krone (NOK). Currently circulating banknotes are 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000 kroner, and coins of 5, 10, 20 ore.

You can exchange money at any bank and post office, as well as at the railway station and Oslo Airport.

Means of payment: non-cash payment of goods and services is common in Norway, credit cards are accepted almost everywhere. Traveller's checks are redeemable in most banks, travel agencies, post offices and offices of international payment systems. ATMs in Norway allow you to withdraw cash by using your foreign credit card immediately and around the clock. The most popular payment systems are MasterCard, Eurocard, American Express, VISA, and Diners Club.

Currency exchange: banks are open from 8:30am to 3:30pm from Monday to Friday and until 5:00pm on Thursdays.

Calls to Norway from other countries: to make a call from a landline phone follow these steps: +47 (city code) X-XXX-XXX

Example: +47 (30) X-XXX-XXX

Calls from Norway to other countries: in Norway, you can use a pay telephone, which accepts coins in denominations of 1, 5, 10 and 20 Norwegian kroner, as well as 50 euro cents, 1 and 2 Euros. The minimum cost of a call is 5 kroner or 1 euro. About 3000 pay telephones also accept credit cards.

Useful phone numbers in Norway:

International telephone referral service – 0181

Telephone referral service in Norway – 0180

Police – 112 or 226-690-50

Fire Department – 110 or 221-144-55

Ambulance – 113 or 221-170-80

Technical assistance on the road – 222-320-85, 810-005-05

Time zone:

Local Time: UTC (GMT) +1 (GMT)

Local Time (summer time): UTC +2

Daylight Saving Time: last Sunday of March at 1:00am,

The transition to winter time: the last Sunday of October at 1:00am.

Customs

You can bring into Norway duty-free:

1) up to 200 cigarettes or 250 grams of tobacco (after reaching the age of 18);

2) up to 1 litre of alcohol (up to 60%), up to 1 litre of wine (up to 22%) and up to 2 litres of beer;

3) up to 10 kg of food;

4) up to 200 litres of gasoline;

5) household goods – within the personal needs;

6) domestic animals require strict quarantine on entering Norway;

The total value of imported goods and products should not exceed 5,000 kroner. Importation of alcoholic beverages in Norway is permitted only for people over the age of 20, beer and wine – for those to be reached 18 years old.

Shopping

Shopping hours differ depending on the store’s location. In big cities, supermarkets usually work like this:

Monday-Friday: 09:00am or 10:00am until 5:00 pm;

Thursday: 09:00am or 10:00am until 7:00pm or 8:00pm;

Saturday: 09:00am or 10:00am until 3:00pm or 4:00pm.

Many stores and shopping centres are open until 8:00pm or later. Gas stations also sell products and are open until 11:00pm.

Transport

a) Urban transport

1. Taxi. Taxi in Norway is quite expensive and works only within cities. In small communities, it is recommended to call a taxi in advance.

2. Tramway and metro. An extensive bus and tram network is remarkable for all cities of the country; in addition there are 5 subway lines in Oslo. A one-time ticket for any kind of transport costs 15 kroner and is valid for one hour after composting.

3. Bus. Bus network covers almost all cities of Norway. Tickets can be purchased for one day or for a week in special kiosks.

4. Bicycle. Bike rental in Norway is a common thing. In almost all cities of the country, there are companies that offer this service. Average cost of renting a bicycle is 50 kroner per hour.

b) Long distance transport (by popularity):

1. Aircraft. Air service within Norway is well developed and is more popular than buses and trains. Such popularity of aircraft is caused not only by the mountainous terrain and the large size of the country, but also the fact that in winter some communities can be reached only by air. The most popular non-stop flights are between Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim and Oslo.

2. Bus. Highways connect the capital with all parts of the country, including even the most northern areas. You are advised to book bus tickets for long distance trips in advance. The average fare is 300-700 kroner.

3. Train. There are 4 main rail lines in Norway, which cover the central, southern and mountainous part of the country. The fare depends on the length of the route and starts from 300 NOK.

Car rental

Car rental service is well developed in Norway. To lease a car you must have your international driver's license, ID paper and a credit card to confirm your ability to pay. Almost all of the country's roads are great for driving, and the law states you should always keep your low beam on. It is permitted to park only in paid parking places; any traffic violation entails payment of a quite high fine.

Water transport

Year-round, owners of ships, boats and ferries offer their services, including sightseeing tours. Whatever you use, a private boat or a passenger ship, you can moor in special moorages, located in all parts of the country.

Hotels

Official star classification of hotels is not common in Norway. Most hotels are well equipped and provide high level of service. Some hotels also have a sauna and a swimming pool. Breakfast is almost always included in the price. All hotels of the country are open year-round and their restaurants work till late. On the territory of Norway, high-class hotels of such chains, as Radisson SAS, Scandic Hotels, Rainbow Hotels, Choice Hotels, Quality Hotels, Euro Hotels, Rica Hotels, First Hotels, are located. Cottages can be rented for at least a week. If the cottage is located on the coast, the price usually includes a rental boat. In Norway, there are many tourist camps, which are often built in very beautiful places. Almost in all camping grounds, a small chalet can be rented.

Tipping

Tipping is not common in Norway. It is believed it is included in the price.

National holidays:

January 1 – New Year;

February 21 – Birthday of King Harald;

May 1 – Labour Day;

May 17 – Constitution Day

June 7 – Union Dissolution Day

July 12 – Day of the fjord in Scandinavian countries;

July 23 – Midsummer's Eve;

November 11 – St Martin's Day;

December 24 – Christmas Eve in Norway.

Behaviour rules and advice

The Norwegians are very restrained and don’t express their emotions in public. In transport, you shouldn’t give place to older people, because you can offend them. It is a bad form to litter, because Norway is well known for its cleanness, that’s why garbage cans are installed everywhere in the country. When the Norwegians greet someone, they firmly shake his hand; however it is desirable to avoid hugging and clapping on the back. In a conversation with locals you should not discuss personal income and political views.

Visa

Norway is a part of the Schengen area, so you must have a Schengen visa to visit it. This visa allows its holder to reside freely not only in Norway, but also in other countries-members of the Schengen Agreement (Austria, Finland, Greece, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, Spain, Luxembourg, Belgium, France, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Germany and others), and transit through the EU countries.