What to wear in Norway:
Before I moved to Norway I searched online for hours about what people wear in Norway. I am from Southern California where there is really no winter. It is hot, then less hot, then occasionally it will rain. But no snow, its never really that cold and there was no need for any ‘winter wear’ unless I went on vacation. SO, I have for a long time wanted to share with you what people wear in Norway (especially in the winter), and so I will also be talking about the climate and seasons in Norway.
I found a wiki answer to this question that I thought was quite interesting, so I will share it with you…
“Well, we wear the same clothes as you would put on in other western countries. (Germany, USA, England, etc.).
People often seem to think that Norway is permafrost – while it’s not. Yes parts of Norway lies north of the Nordic polar circle, but we still use regular clothes. Summers in Norway can sometimes in fact be warmer than in southern Europe.
Why our country is warm despite the fact that it’s far up north has to do with hot sea streams.”
I have to say that I think that this is quite accurate. Just more snow boots and big coats than I am used to wearing in California. But if you want to read more about my experience with some Norwegian fashion/style check out my post “Walk like a Norwegian“.
The Climate And Seasons In Norway:
The climate and seasons in Norway would surprise most people (as it did me) because of how mild it actually can be. At least in the Southern parts of Norway. In Oslo last winter, it snowed a lot less than I was hoping and rained a lot. I enjoyed it, but only heard complaints from locals.
Here are some facts I found about the climate and seasons in Norway. It was published in 2007 by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, so it is pretty up to date and accurate.
If you want to know about the weather and seasons in Norway from a locals perspective you can check out some different blogs. One blogger who I particularly love who is very informative when it comes to the seasons and climate in Norway. He describes the situation very well, so instead of repeating what has already been told I will direct you over to his blog for a few great posts on the climate and seasons in Norway. Check out Renny’s blog here. If you look in his categories he has spring, summer, fall and winter sections. So just pick a season and start reading!
If you want to check out some pictures I took in Oslo, Norway of some of the seasons in action. Check them out here!
- Snow in Norway at night
- Fall Colors
- Snow in Norway
- Pre-fall pictures in Oslo, Norway
- Fall in the city center of Oslo, Norway
- Pictures of the rain at Aker Brygge – Oslo’s harbor
When is Norway in the dark?
If you are preparing to move to Norway, one thing I am sure you know about the seasons in Norway is that during the winter it is dark during the day and during the summer it is light during the night. If you are curious as to how dark it will be in the winter and for how long, just check out the chart below to give you an idea.
Well if you are new in Norway or preparing your move, I hope this post has given you a little bit better idea of what to expect from the seasons and climate in Norway. I know it helps to what the weather will be like so you can plan what to wear (maybe that’s just a girl thing, but what can I say!).
Have you had any experiences with Norwegian fashion or the seasons in Norway? Tell us in a comment what you wear in Norway!
19 responses so far ↓
1 Stine // Jul 12, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Very informative!
I’m Norwegian, living in Norway, and the weather and light situation is what it is, and one just dresses accordingly… We get heat waves in the summer, that can (almost) compete with tropical climes, but we also get cold spells in the winter that make you wonder whether it’s ever going to thaw again! Even in the southern parts, we have proper seasons, which is good. Sometimes, though, we’ll have a summer like a “green winter” (re. last year) and a winter that’s grey, and that’s when we’ll complain the most!
Looking forward to reading your other posts on expat life here!
2 Stine // Jul 12, 2008 at 2:19 pm
I posted a comment, but it disappeared… If some of this comes in duplicate, please forgive me!
Then again, pneumonia is even less sexy, so we tend to dress warmly.
I’m Norwegian, living in Norway. I guess “Winter fashion” is a Nordic thing… We get heat waves in the summer that can (almost) compete with tropical climes, and cold spells in winter that make you wonder whether it’s ever going to thaw again. Looking sexy is difficult if sexy means showing skin – mind you, looking suggestive is next to impossible too!!
But then comes spring… not much can beat the feeling of walking in light summer shoes for the first time after dragging those heavy warm boots all winter!
3 Stine // Jul 12, 2008 at 2:20 pm
***! It did show up! Oh, well – just means you’ve got 3 comments for the price of one…
4 Kristie // Jul 12, 2008 at 5:46 pm
@Stine: I am leaving all of the comments up right now because they are all a little different. Thanks for being so interested and commenting on my blog! I hope to see you back soon
5 RennyBA // Jul 13, 2008 at 5:02 am
As a Norwegian, I couldn’t have said it better myself Kristie and you learn quickly and just like my saying: ‘There is no such a bad weather, only bad clothes’ and I admire your way of always finding the right one.
I like the facts and figures in this post too. It also shows Norway’s benefit of the golf stream you know. I mean compare to your homeland, we’re far up to northern Canada you know
6 Kristie // Jul 13, 2008 at 3:59 pm
@RennyBA: It is true about the weather Renny. It was much warmer (and much less snow) than I would have imagined Norway to be
7 Elliot // Jul 14, 2008 at 3:43 pm
I think it’s really important to know what people usually wear in certain seasons. For example, when I went Korea, I really didn’t care less about being fashionable in autumn/fall; I looked like a farmer in some depressed country (but hey, hail to them!).
I hope we could be ECbuddies. ^^;
You also might be interested in joining my contests. You’ll receive a photo taken from the Diamond Mountain in N.Korea. It was taken by me in Summer of 2007. ^^;
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Have a great week ahead! Cheers!
8 Doru // Jul 14, 2008 at 11:11 pm
Like Norway. Wonder why Oslo is so expansive?
9 blah // Sep 24, 2008 at 8:35 am
I’m doing a project on Norway and this is SO helpful. Thanks!!! And it’s cool to know since I am part Norwegian, like you actually care, but whatever. Thanks a million!!
10 Caity // May 17, 2009 at 4:35 pm
Hi, I’ve just been accepted on an exchange to Norway and I had absolutely NO idea what I was going to need. I’m from Australia, so I’m a bit like you; summer is pretty much on all the time, so minimal warm things required.
Thanks for the help!
11 Ari // Oct 16, 2009 at 12:21 am
Hi! I will be there for New Years, and I was just wondering what is the normal thing to wear when going out? I have worn a dress in Tahoe, despite the snow it is still located in CA. So is it still snow boots and snow jacket? Or can I splurge on some kind of outfit?
12 Kristie // Oct 19, 2009 at 10:58 pm
Hi Ari, I do think it depends a little on where you will be in Norway. If you are in Oslo, it is good to layer heavily to get to wherever you are going. But underneath you can have a nice dress on with some warm tights or something like that. Snow boots is Oslo just for the evening is probably unnecessary. People dress up all the time in the winter in Oslo and you dont have to wear ‘snow gear’ everywhere. But warm is good. It really depends on where in Norway you will be and what the event you are going to will be like. But have fun!
13 Erin // Nov 1, 2009 at 11:49 pm
My hubby will be leaving for Hammerfest Norway this week . We are trying to plan accordingly, as he will be there through January. We are thinking of sending him with clothes like we would wear here in NY. Any other suggestions wouuld be greatly appreciated.
This was a spur of the moment work trip, so not much time to prepare.
14 aqela // Dec 1, 2009 at 11:40 pm
Hi there, your posts are all really helpful but need a little more info please. I am planning to go to Oslo over Christmas for a week and wanted to know what sort of clthes and shoes woul dbe acceptable? I am assuming timbaland boots would be ok? Also how about skinny jeans with a thermal layer underneath or would skiwear be best?
15 Supra Shoes // Jul 16, 2010 at 1:57 am
Thank you for sharing this article. So excellent. It make me feel that life is full of interesting, I must face life with smile.
16 Gerry // Sep 7, 2010 at 10:08 pm
Going to Bodo in February for a week, I take it that warm clothes are a must, footwear in particular am I right.
17 Sergio // Oct 1, 2010 at 4:38 am
Thank you for sharing, is a great article. I’m from mexico (where never snows) and I’m moving to Aas on january, can you give me some ideas of where to buy some winter clothes in Oslo?
18 Linda // Mar 8, 2011 at 9:02 pm
We are traveling to Norway for May Celebration, visiting our friends in Stavanger, what would be acceptable to wear on that special day? From US, I do not want to offend anyone. We have never visited Norway before
19 Aaron // Jul 10, 2011 at 10:31 pm
I lived in Norway for a semester an an American International student from August to December. Having grown up in Wisconsin, I was fairly used to the cold weather. I took my regular winter coat, gloves and hat. Scarfs come in handy too and are more in style for guys in Europe than where I am from. Norway during December wasn’t really too cold. We had snow earlier than in Wisconsin, but that was fine with me. Good shoes are a must and wear wool socks to keep them dry and warm because your feet will get wet. Also, be prepared for random downpours in the fall. Even if it looks really nice out, the showers pop up out of nowhere so be prepared. Also, Europeans seem to dress more than Americans, so if you really want to blend in, ditch the white sneakers, blue jeans, tshirs with writing, and hooded sweatshirts. Otherwise they will know that you are foreign once you open your mouth, even if you do speak some Norwegian.
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