What you need to know about travel in Norway in summer 2025
What to expect?
Most Norwegians take
four weeks off work between July and August,
so if you are planning a city break to Oslo, Bergen or Trondheim at this time, you might find them strangely deserted.
Smaller restaurants and shops often close, or have reduced opening hours, from the start of July until mid-August.
Larger shops and restaurant chains will remain open, as will establishments with high tourist footfall, as it will be their busiest time of the year.
Where you might find crowds is at some of Norway's fjord hotspots, such as
Trolltunga
,
Preikestolen
or "Pulpit Rock", Geiranger, or parts of the Lofoten Islands.
The "Coolcation" trend is making Norway an ever more popular summer destination.
Air
There are
a number of new routes
to tempt foreigners living in Norway to spend a week or two away this summer.
If you're travelling to and from Europe, it will be slightly cheaper too. In its 2025 budget, the government cut the air passenger tax for travel in Norway and countries in Europe from 80 kroner to 65 kroner per ticket. The high rate (for journeys outside of Europe) has increased to 342 kroner per ticket.
As things look now, there are no strikes planned by pilots, baggage handlers or cabin crew, so any summer strike disruptions are likely to be at your destination (or departure point if you're flying in to Norway).
Rail
Summer in Norway is generally bad news for anyone who relies on the train, particularly if you tend to use heavily trafficked commuter lines. Norway's rail operator Bane Nor normally takes advantage of the drop in commuter traffic to carry out essential track maintenance.
This year, there will be replacement buses on five different lines, all of them around Oslo, as the rail operator carries out station and platform upgrades.
If your train from Oslo has been replaced by a bus, you can find replacement buses on Trelastgata next to Platform 19. Look for bus stops marked with yellow signs.
Here are the lines affected, according to
a post on the Bane Nor website
.
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1. Drammen Line, Vestfold Line & Sørland Line
June 28th – July 16th: No trains between Brakerøya and Stokke/Mjøndalen
July 17th – August 5th: No trains between Asker and Stokke/Mjøndalen
August 6th – August 10th: No trains between Stokke and Porsgrunn
Impacted lines: F5 (Sørtoget), FLY1 (Airport Express), F4 (Bergensbanen), R12, R13, R14, RE10, RE11
2. Østfold Line (Oslo S – Ski & beyond)
June 28th – August 3rd: No trains between Oslo C and Ski (Follobanen remains open)
July 12th – August 1st: No boarding/alighting at Eidsberg and Heia stations
August 4th – December 13th: Nordstrand station closed
August 4th – autumn 2026: Only one track open at Kolbotn station, meaning reduced capacity and some extra rush-hour trains cancelled
Impacted lines: L2, R22
3. Oslo S – Lillestrøm (main line)
July 5th – July 27th: Work between Oslo C and Lillestrøm.
Impacted line: L1
4. Spikkestad Line
July 12th – July 27th: No trains between Asker and Spikkestad
Impacted line: L1
5. Nationaltheatret Station
July 14th – July 27th: One track closed. Platform changes and possible delays
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Roads
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration also saves up a lot of its maintenance work on busy commuter roads for the summer months and this year is no exception.
There will be so-called "column driving" through the Lote Tunnel on the E39 road between June 10th and July 4th, meaning long waits.
On Tuesday June 10th, the administration started work on renovating the bridge on Søren Bulls vej over the E6 in Oslo, with the work finished at the end of August. Traffic on the E6 itself will not be affected.
Ring Road 1 in Oslo has been closed between Oslo Spektrum in the east and Pilestredet/ St. Olavsgate in the west since last year, as two tunnels, the Hammersborg tunnel and the Vaterland tunnel, are upgraded. The closure is set to continue until 2027.
One of Norway's big tourist draws, the Trollstigen road (meaning "path of the trolls", or "magic path") has been closed since 2024 due to the risk of falling rocks.
The road, famed for the eleven hairpin bends that take you up from Åndalsnes to the Trollstigen plateau, is scheduled to reopen again on July 14th.
If you're planning to make the journey from Åndalsnes to the Trollstigen plateau before that, there's an alternative route via E146 to Sjøholt and the Fv 650 to Valldall, that will get you there (although it will take nearly 3 hours).
If you're driving from Geiranger, you can take the Ørnevegen road to Eidsdal and the ferry to Linge, and then continue on to Valldal, a journey that takes only one hour and 15 minutes.
You can catch up with any other possible disruptions before setting off on your journey, by searching on the administration's
traffic app
or
website
.
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Local Norway
2 days ago
- Local Norway
What you need to know about travel in Norway in summer 2025
What to expect? Most Norwegians take four weeks off work between July and August, so if you are planning a city break to Oslo, Bergen or Trondheim at this time, you might find them strangely deserted. Smaller restaurants and shops often close, or have reduced opening hours, from the start of July until mid-August. Larger shops and restaurant chains will remain open, as will establishments with high tourist footfall, as it will be their busiest time of the year. Where you might find crowds is at some of Norway's fjord hotspots, such as Trolltunga , Preikestolen or "Pulpit Rock", Geiranger, or parts of the Lofoten Islands. The "Coolcation" trend is making Norway an ever more popular summer destination. Air There are a number of new routes to tempt foreigners living in Norway to spend a week or two away this summer. If you're travelling to and from Europe, it will be slightly cheaper too. In its 2025 budget, the government cut the air passenger tax for travel in Norway and countries in Europe from 80 kroner to 65 kroner per ticket. The high rate (for journeys outside of Europe) has increased to 342 kroner per ticket. As things look now, there are no strikes planned by pilots, baggage handlers or cabin crew, so any summer strike disruptions are likely to be at your destination (or departure point if you're flying in to Norway). Rail Summer in Norway is generally bad news for anyone who relies on the train, particularly if you tend to use heavily trafficked commuter lines. Norway's rail operator Bane Nor normally takes advantage of the drop in commuter traffic to carry out essential track maintenance. This year, there will be replacement buses on five different lines, all of them around Oslo, as the rail operator carries out station and platform upgrades. If your train from Oslo has been replaced by a bus, you can find replacement buses on Trelastgata next to Platform 19. Look for bus stops marked with yellow signs. Here are the lines affected, according to a post on the Bane Nor website . Advertisement 1. Drammen Line, Vestfold Line & Sørland Line June 28th – July 16th: No trains between Brakerøya and Stokke/Mjøndalen July 17th – August 5th: No trains between Asker and Stokke/Mjøndalen August 6th – August 10th: No trains between Stokke and Porsgrunn Impacted lines: F5 (Sørtoget), FLY1 (Airport Express), F4 (Bergensbanen), R12, R13, R14, RE10, RE11 2. Østfold Line (Oslo S – Ski & beyond) June 28th – August 3rd: No trains between Oslo C and Ski (Follobanen remains open) July 12th – August 1st: No boarding/alighting at Eidsberg and Heia stations August 4th – December 13th: Nordstrand station closed August 4th – autumn 2026: Only one track open at Kolbotn station, meaning reduced capacity and some extra rush-hour trains cancelled Impacted lines: L2, R22 3. Oslo S – Lillestrøm (main line) July 5th – July 27th: Work between Oslo C and Lillestrøm. Impacted line: L1 4. Spikkestad Line July 12th – July 27th: No trains between Asker and Spikkestad Impacted line: L1 5. Nationaltheatret Station July 14th – July 27th: One track closed. Platform changes and possible delays Advertisement Roads The Norwegian Public Roads Administration also saves up a lot of its maintenance work on busy commuter roads for the summer months and this year is no exception. There will be so-called "column driving" through the Lote Tunnel on the E39 road between June 10th and July 4th, meaning long waits. On Tuesday June 10th, the administration started work on renovating the bridge on Søren Bulls vej over the E6 in Oslo, with the work finished at the end of August. Traffic on the E6 itself will not be affected. Ring Road 1 in Oslo has been closed between Oslo Spektrum in the east and Pilestredet/ St. Olavsgate in the west since last year, as two tunnels, the Hammersborg tunnel and the Vaterland tunnel, are upgraded. The closure is set to continue until 2027. One of Norway's big tourist draws, the Trollstigen road (meaning "path of the trolls", or "magic path") has been closed since 2024 due to the risk of falling rocks. The road, famed for the eleven hairpin bends that take you up from Åndalsnes to the Trollstigen plateau, is scheduled to reopen again on July 14th. If you're planning to make the journey from Åndalsnes to the Trollstigen plateau before that, there's an alternative route via E146 to Sjøholt and the Fv 650 to Valldall, that will get you there (although it will take nearly 3 hours). If you're driving from Geiranger, you can take the Ørnevegen road to Eidsdal and the ferry to Linge, and then continue on to Valldal, a journey that takes only one hour and 15 minutes. You can catch up with any other possible disruptions before setting off on your journey, by searching on the administration's traffic app or website .
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The train services in Norway that will be replaced by buses this summer
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Why a record number of Norwegians plan to holiday at home this summer
This year's survey , carried out by Kantar, shows a sharp reversal of the situation last year, when, for the first time since 2019, a majority of respondents said they planned to travel abroad for their summer holidays. This year, 69 percent plan to spend their entire summer holiday in Norway, a 6 percentage point rise on 2024. Only 39 percent plan to holiday in "another country in Europe", down from 46 percent last year. The percentage planning to holiday "outside of Europe" was down one percentage point to 5 percent. For many Norwegians, a visit to next-door Sweden and Denmark almost counts as a staycation, and the number planning to take a trip across the border was stable on last year at 16 percent and 9 percent respectively. Advertisement Why are Norwegians planning staycations this year? When asked why they were holidaying at home, 25 percent said that they had either cancelled a foreign holiday or decided not to book one because it was too costly, a four percentage point rise on last year. A further 21 percent said they had downscaled their foreign holiday as a result of changing prices and economic uncertainty. As many as 68 percent, however, said that the weakness of the krone had not affected their summer plans, down from 71 percent last year. The climate impact of foreign holidays also played a role, with 16 percent of respondents saying they agreed or strongly agreed that they had changed their holiday plans for climate reasons, with 20 percent saying they opted for more climate-friendly transport, using car, bus or train rather than flying. Advertisement Where do they plan to go in Norway? Of those planning a so-called staycation, just over half said they would spend their time in Eastern Norway, with 20 percent planning to holiday in Innlandet, making it the most popular county, and Vestlandet the runner-up with 18 percent. Of those holidaying at home, 43 percent planned to stay at a summer cabin or hytte, 38 percent visiting friends and family. The proportion who planned to stay in a hotel rose this year to 30 percent, up from 28 percent last year, while the proportion who planned to stay in a motorhome, caravan or tent had increased to 19 percent from 17 percent in 2024. Fully 47 percent of respondents wanted to go to Norway's mountains, an increase of 7 percentage points on last year. Some 14 percent said they planned to visit an amusement park during their time off, a four percentage point drop on last year.
