Norway has two distinct travel seasons. The bright half of the year provides long daylight, opening mountain passes and 24-hour daylight in the north. The dark half runs from mid-September to early April, bringing snow, the polar night and the northern lights.
Two seasons, two different trips
Most visitors to Bergen come in summer, between May and September.
Northern Norway offers an entirely different experience depending on the time of year. Northern Norway's tourist board says that from mid-September to the first days of April it gets dark at around 6–7 pm or earlier, and that a first-time visitor should come in this period. When the midnight sun shines there is no chance of seeing the northern lights, and by late April daylight has outdone them completely. See our guide to the northern lights in Norway to plan your timing.
At the North Cape the sun stays below the horizon for more than two months in winter, in Tromsø for about six weeks, and in Lofoten for just under four weeks. Around Tromsø the ski-touring peak season is February to May, when the daylight is back, there is plenty of snow and it is milder. For practical planning in the dark months, consult our guide to Tromsø in winter.
Summer – the midnight sun and the long days
The midnight sun depends entirely on latitude. On Yr's polar nights and midnight sun table, the dates run as follows:
- Arctic Circle: 12 June to 1 July
- Bodø: 4 June to 8 July (with no polar night listed there)
- Tromsø: 20 May to 22 July
- North Cape (Nordkapp): 14 May to 29 July
At the North Cape the midnight sun is far from guaranteed, because cold and warm sea currents bring a good deal of fog. There is no midnight sun in Oslo or Bergen. You can check daylight patterns across the south in our guides to daylight in Oslo and daylight in Bergen.
In midsummer Bergen's average daily temperature is around 15 °C, and on hot days it can reach 22–25 °C. Normal July mean temperatures recorded on Yr are:
- Oslo (Blindern): 17.7 °C
- Bergen (Florida): 15.6 °C
- Tromsø (Vervarslinga): 12.3 °C
Visit Tromsø gives the summer average as only 12 °C, and says the weather can change quickly and is often much colder in the mountains than in town. In summer many of the most popular fjord tours from Bergen sell out quickly, so book well in advance.
When the fjord roads and mountain passes open
High mountain roads are closed during winter, and a May trip can miss them depending on the year.
- Geiranger-Trollstigen: The route is always closed in winter and is normally open from mid-May to October or November, when winter comes. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration's scenic-routes site gives past Trollstigen openings between 29 April and 12 June and past closures between 5 October and 7 December.
- Sognefjellet: At 1,434 metres the highest mountain pass in Northern Europe, it is closed in winter between Rustasætre/Vegaskjelet and Turtagrø. Past closures fell between 17 November and 17 December, and past openings between 12 April and 1 May. In 2026 Sognefjellet opened on 2 April.
- Aurlandsfjellet: The "snow road" is closed in winter (past openings 7 May to 3 June; it opened on 1 June in 2026), while the road from Aurlandsvangen to the Stegastein viewpoint is open all year.
- Gamle Strynefjellsvegen: Closed in winter, with past openings between 15 May and 29 June and past closures between 15 September and 11 October.
Even after a mountain road opens, it may be closed for a time at night and in bad weather. For road status, use the Norwegian Public Roads Administration's traffic information, its Vegvesen trafikk app, or call the road traffic centre on 175.
For a journey without mountain pass closures, the Norway in a Nutshell trip from Bergen runs daily all year, except on 24 and 25 December and 1 January.
Spring and May – 17 May, festivals and wet early summer
By law, 1 May and 17 May are public holidays treated like Sundays.
On 17 May, Norway's national day:
- In Tromsø most attractions close, and restaurants that stay open book up fast.
- In Bergen the day starts with a salute from Skansen at 7 in the morning, and the city has two parades.
In May Bergen's cherry trees around Lille Lungegårdsvann bloom, and the Bergen International Festival starts at the end of May, followed by Nattjazz and Bergenfest in June.
In Tromsø early summer, particularly May and June, can be wet and cold. Snow is slowly disappearing in May and the midnight sun season starts at the end of the month. To follow the shift in light, check the figures for daylight in Tromsø.
Autumn and September – colours and the first dark nights
September has autumn colours and the first dark aurora nights while it is still mild. In the Tromsø region the landscape turns yellow, orange and red, and the first snow can dust the highest mountains in August.
The first northern lights are often seen around mid to late August, and the window widens as the nights get longer. Visit Tromsø calls September the month to see the northern lights without wrapping up in a big thermal suit. Around the equinoxes, in late September/early October and late March, the northern lights can be particularly strong.
Autumn (September to November) in Bergen ranges from just below zero to 13 °C, with colourful leaves. Bergen is wettest in autumn and winter. On Yr, Bergen's (Florida) normal precipitation is 248 mm in September, 268 mm in October and 275 mm in November.
Winter – polar night, northern lights, snow and Christmas
The polar night (mørketid, the dark time) sets in from late November in Tromsø and further north:
- North Cape: Starts on 20 November and the sun returns on 22 January.
- Tromsø: Starts on 27 November and the sun returns on 15 January.
- Bodø and southwards: The sun does appear even in deepest midwinter, briefly around midday.
Normal January mean temperatures recorded on Yr are:
- Oslo (Blindern): -2.3 °C
- Bergen (Florida): 2.6 °C
- Tromsø (Vervarslinga): -3.0 °C
Winter in Bergen (December to February) hovers around zero, with frequent snow on the surrounding mountains but usually too mild for snow to settle in the city centre. Bergen features seasonal events in early winter: the Gingerbread City (Pepperkakebyen) runs from 14 November 2026 to 10 January 2027 and the Bergen Christmas Market from 20 November to 22 December 2026.
In Northern Norway all vehicles must have winter tyres from 15 October to 1 May. Whale watching from Tromsø usually runs from the beginning of November to the end of January, and the timing varies from year to year.
How wet, how cold – the weather in Oslo, Bergen and Tromsø
Precipitation varies significantly between the cities. On Yr, the normal precipitation figures are:
- Bergen (Florida): 109 mm in May and 290 mm in December.
- Oslo (Blindern): 60 mm in May and 54 mm in December.