Norway

Understand

History

The petty Viking kingdoms of Norway were unified in 872 AD by Harald Fairhair. In the following period, Norwegians settled in many places, such as Iceland, the Faroe Islands and parts of Scotland and Ireland, where they founded Dublin and Waterford. In the beginning of the 14th century, Norway and Sweden were unified as the Norwegian king was also elected king of Sweden. At the end of the century, the two countries and Denmark were unified in the so-called Kalmar Union. Sweden broke out of the union in 1521. Norway remained in union with Denmark until the Napoleonic Wars of 1814. Because of Denmark being on the losing side of the Napoleonic wars Norway was handed over to Sweden which was part of the winning coalition. Norway declared independence, but Sweden invaded Norway and enforced a personal union, still allowing Norway a great deal of independence. From the mid 1800s almost a million Norwegians emigrated to the U.S., about 30% of the population at the time, a proportion only surpassed by Ireland; the largest concentration of them settled in the Midwest. In some districts of Norway 40–50% left for the U.S. About 5 million Americans are of Norwegian ancestry. Some emigrants returned to the "old country" and brought money, ideas, and technology from "over there". Particularly in the Farsund–Flekkefjord area, the U.S. influence is notable. Ties to the U.S. remain strong, culturally as well as politically. The union with Sweden lasted until 1905, which is considered the beginning of modern Norway. Norway rejected membership in the European Union when Finland and Sweden joined. During World War II, from 1940 until 1945, Norway was occupied by German forces. In the 1960s, oil was found in the North Sea. Oil drilling has brought Norway prosperity, but contrary

Getting there

Entry requirements

Norway is a member of the Schengen Agreement. See Travelling around the Schengen Area for more information on how the scheme works, what countries are members and what the requirements are for your nationality. In summary:

There are normally no immigration controls between countries that have signed and implemented the treaty; there may be such controls temporarily, such as in connection with important events and various crises. The operators may carry out identity checks before passengers board international flights, ferries or trains, even between Schengen countries. Citizens of the EEA countries and Switzerland do not need visas to travel in the Schengen area, and may stay up to 90 days with no requirements other than having a valid ID card or passport. See European Union#EEA citizens. Normal visas granted by any Schengen member are valid in all countries that have signed and implemented the treaty (with exceptions for some overseas territories). The granting country may offer additional rights (such as longer stays or right to work) that apply only locally. Still there is an identity check before boarding flights or boats into Norway. Norway does not allow Russian citizens to enter Norway for tourism. The border can be crossed with a tourist visa if the reason for the journey is among accepted ones, such as visiting close family members resident in Norway. Nordic citizens may enter Norway without a visa and stay indefinitely, with no regard to their reason to stay. They also don't need work permits. Citizens of Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro*, New Zealand, Nicaragua, North Macedonia*, Panama, Paraguay, San M

Getting around

Norway is a large country with some very difficult terrain so getting around, particularly up north, is expensive and time-consuming. Because of difficult terrain in large parts of the country, navigation is largely related to landscape features such as valleys, lakes, fjords and islands rather than to towns. Norway is sparsely populated compared to continental Europe; visitors should not expect that every name on the map is served by frequent public transport or offers commercial services such as taxi, cafés and hotels – it may not be a town or settlement at all. The best way to see the Norwegian wilderness and countryside is by having access to your own vehicle. This way you can stop wherever you want, admire the view and venture onto smaller roads. Hiking and cycling allow you to experience more of the landscape as you pass through it and as parking spaces in popular nature spots are deliberately kept sparse, in many places it may be better not to be tied to a car. Long distance train travel is done with Vy, SJ Nord or GoAhead Nordic. A number of long-distance bus companies also operate. Each region in Norway has its own local public transportation company. For public transportation (trains, buses and ferries), use the online travel planner Entur. Vy app helps to find bus, train and taxi rides and to book tickets for them. Many municipal travel apps are based on Entur, which allow payments by VISA, Mastercard, Amex and some other cards, and by the Norwegian Vipps app,

By plane As Norway's craggy coastline and mountainous terrain slow down overland traffic, domestic fl