Frequently Asked Questions
Here you'll find answers to some of the most common questions we get asked.
Travel to Norway
What’s the difference between Norway and the rest of the Nordics, you may ask? Oh, come on! The scenery is amazing! Out of this world. Seriously! Mountains, glaciers, fjords, flora, and fauna – from mainland Europe to the Arctic, if you turn 180 degrees and travel the same distance southward you will reach North Africa. That’s a long stretch of Adventure Park. Moose! Reindeers! Whales! Eagles! Puffins! Even the muskoxen, a real stayer! What else do you need to know?
All our large cities and towns have airports catering for both international and domestic flights. In fact, there are more than 50 airports in Norway serviced through regular routes, making even remote places such as the Lofoten Islands, the North Cape, and the Svalbard Islands easily accessible by plane. To get more information check out our guide on how to get to Norway.
Norway is always amazing, but try to travel outside the high season. Spring is fantastic - its weather can often be better than in midsummer - and Autumn, in all its colours, is simply breathtaking. Then there’s winter, with dazzling snow and, if you’re lucky… The Northern Lights. Read more about travelling off-season.
From the fjords to the mountain peaks, UNESCO world heritage sites to the arctic circle. Norway is as diverse as it gets. We will tailor your journey to suit your personal preferences and interests, so you do not have to worry about missing the perfect spot for you.
About Norway
A fjord is created when a glacier retreats after carving its typical U-shaped valley, and the sea fills the resulting valley floor. In Norway, we have 1190 of them. However, Norway’s fjords are more than just pretty scenery. The culture of fjord Norway is as deep as the mountains are tall.
People often want to know the exact week or day they should travel, and what time of day they should have their cameras ready. While there is no cosmic light switch, we know what makes Norway special when it comes to the Northern Lights phenomenon. One of our favourite Aurora Borealis journeys is described here.
Situated halfway between the Scandinavian Peninsula and the North Pole you will find Svalbard. Here the Polar Bears rule, and have earned their right to do so. The population of Polar Bears outweighs the human population considerably. If you would like to explore the natural habitat of the Polar Bear, our best Insider Tips is to include an expedition cruise in your Up Norway journey. Get inspired here.
Norway’s weather can be unpredictable. Despite sharing the same latitude as Alaska, Greenland and Siberia, Norway nevertheless has a pleasant climate compared to those places thanks to the Gulf Stream and warm air currents. That said, rapid changes in the weather are normal, and something you have to be prepared for as a traveller in the North.
The average temperature during the summer months in Norway is 13-18 degrees Celcius and in the winter -7 degrees Celcius. This however depends on where you are in our elongated country, and we guide you through exactly what you need for any occasion!
Good to Know
Have a look at the Norwegian statistics on consumer goods and services here.
Tipping is not compulsory in Norway, however, it is common to leave a tip of 10% at a bar or restaurant if you are happy with the service. Guides are not expecting a tip, but appreciate a tip if you are happy with their service. It is uncommon to tip taxi drivers or cleaning staff.
Both credit and debit cards are widely accepted. In fact, a lot of establishments are going cashless and prefer credit cards. You do not need to withdraw local currency (NOK) in cash to travel in Norway.
Norwegian kroner (NOK)
Central European Time (CET) and Central European Summer Time (CEST)
Travelling with Up Norway
Our local expertise, sustainable approach, digital itineraries and passion for Norway provide a journey like no other. By delivering a new era of experiences we provide travellers with a desired escape from everyday life.
We have built a system for understanding what each of our travellers wants. We use technology to enhance our personalised service, not to replace it. We save you from frustrating internet searches and travel logistics.
Read more on the 5 simple steps on how it works here.
Travel Curators are basically experts in selecting and pulling together experiences into a seamless journey that suits you (just like an art curator who curates various artworks into one collection or show). This means that we have control of all the details and you do not have to worry about a thing. We connect you to the best professional insiders and the best places, fix the best tables in the restaurants, provide upgrades, and make sure you have what you need along the way.
Exceptional people run the hotels, restaurants, activities and other businesses you will encounter on your travels with us. More than just managers, they are also fantastic hosts who can fill you with stories about local history, food and landscape. Read more about our partners here.
Our travel curators are experts in selecting and pulling together experiences into a seamless journey that suits you and your preferences perfectly. Just as an architect would charge for their initial designs, we charge an advance fee of minimum NOK 3000 to tailor the perfect journey for you. Further information about our pricing can be seen here. Read more about our value chain here.
Before Departure
Norway as a Schengen area country does not require foreign visitors from visa-exempt countries to have a visa. Travellers from countries who are not visa-exempt need the Schengen visa to enter the Schengen zone.
Dressing for success in Norway means being prepared for every surprise that may come your way. Have a look at our packing guide here.
We recognize that we are going through a time of constantly changing conditions. By providing flexible terms, we hope to provide you with all the certainty and adaptability you need when booking your well-deserved escape. Have a look at our worry-free booking terms here.
We make sure your digital itinerary is accurate and thorough, containing everything you need from arrival to departure. From tickets to confirmation numbers, maps to packing lists, everything you can think of - or didn't think you needed to think of - is included. When you download it in advance of your trip, it even works offline!
We cater to all dietary requirements (E.g. vegetarians/vegans/gluten-free etc) as long as we are informed in advance of your journey. Let us know your diet specifications, and we will make sure you have what you need while travelling with us.
Sustainable Luxury
Luxury at Up Norway is focused on the beauty of connection – to the people you will meet, the companions you travel with, to yourself and to the nature around you. We provide off-beat, rare, unique and visceral experiences for our guests. We tailor our journeys elegantly, by using expertise across various fields that give you the attention to detail that aim to make your experience seamless and transformative.
Sustainability has different meanings — for us as a company it's about making choices that maximise positive impact in each and every journey we sell. The UN sustainable development goal we truly connect with and strive to contribute to is 11.4: Strengthen efforts to+protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage. We design our journeys with the goal of sending our guests home enriched and insipred to take concrete action to make positive change in themselves and the world around them.
Ecological and regenerative travel quite explicitly means to keep defining, refining and designing travel experiences that can use the economic system to integrate the ecology within nature with the culture of travel. Striving towards an impact that helps regenerate local economies and conserve the environment. In the Norwegian context, this implies working with local communities that will benefit from economic development, preserving through showcasing their cultural heritage and focusing on the environmental impact that protects the ecologies of our diverse and wild nature.
Up Norway is very proud to be a certified B Corporation, the first travel company in Norway to achieve this. With the highest level of third-party verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose, these businesses support positive impact for employees, the communities that they work in, towards an ecologically minded future. As of June 2022, we are also still the only Norwegian travel company offering journeys in Norway to carry Travelife certification, a recognition of our long-term sustainability efforts and our corporate social responsibility leadership within travel.
You might have questions about our journeys? Here are some of the most common ones.
The word curator comes from the Latin word curare which means to take care of, and refers to someone who specialises in looking after another's interests. In the context of travel, this is a professional who is specialised in understanding the traveller's interests and preferences, mapping out opportunities, recommending, choosing and putting together personalised and comprehensive travel proposals. As travel curators, we specialise in choosing and putting together experiences in a journey that suits you.
Our most frequent travellers are quality conscious leisure travellers who want a meaningful holiday designed for their unique interests and preferences. Among these are couples, families, groups of friends and solo travellers, sometimes even four-legged friends. We cater to travellers with disabilities who we know from experience often have special needs. Many of our travellers are part of the LGBTQI community and we aim to demonstrate why Norway ranks high on equality.
We also cater to small group themed tours, for example foodies travelling with their own guide, and corporate travellers who travel for incentive trips, workations or bleisure purposes.
Danny Dodd
Travel Curator
