Before You Book

PREPARING TO GO TO NORWAY

Capital:
Oslo

Religion:
Evangelical Lutheran with 76.1% of the population officially belonging to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Norway. The Roman Catholic Church is the next largest Christian denomination at 2.4% & a total of 82% belong to Christian denominations

Language:
Norwegian (norsk) is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language.

LOCAL TIME
Central European Time (CET) is 2 hours ahead of GMT.

ELECTRICITY
Norway uses electrical outlets with 220 Volts with two round prong electrical plugs (Type C & F).

PASSPORT & VISA

A valid passport is required by all nationals. All Passengers are responsible for securing proper documentation prior to joining the tour. Please ensure that passport/s are valid for a minimum of 6 months beyond the intended date of return and contain between 2-6 blank “Visa” pages. You should have at least two free pages in your passport. Please access the Travel & Visa Requirements Section on the top of this page for the latest visa entry requirements for the country/ies you are visiting. Passports are required; in addition, travelers are also advised to check with local consulates for full details regarding visa requirements. Please note securing a valid visa for entry is the sole responsibility of the traveler.

Currency & Money
Norwegian krone (NOK) Norwegian banknotes are in denomination of 1000, 500, 200, 100, 50. Coins in denomination of 20, 10, 5 and 1.

Credit cards:
Credit and debit cards are accepted at most places throughout Norway, including American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa.

ATM:
ATMs, or ‘Mini-Banks’ (the Norwegian name for ATMs), are widely available throughout Norway, especially in the major cities.

Banking hours:
Monday to Friday at 8.15am - 3.30pm, and 6pm on Thursdays

Best time to visit:
Most visitors visit Norway during summer when there is endless daylight and pleasant temperatures, but Norway also has a very long skiing season from November to April (or even May in some places, a handful of ski resorts operate only May to September).

Required clothing:
Warm clothes and rainwear; light wear for summer

Telephone:
Phonecards are available for use in payphones. SIM cards are available for mobile phones and the network supports many data-roaming packages.

Mobile phone:
Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies. Coverage is good.

Internet:
Internet access is available in Internet cafés and phone booths operated across Norway, found in most major town and cities. In the case of phone booths, charges are payable by phonecard or credit card, whilst cafés are mostly independently run. Internet coverage is good across Norway.

Post office hours:
Mon-Fri: 8:00am - 6:00pm and Sat: 9:00am - 2:00pm.

Food and Drink
Norwegian cuisine is all about fantastic local ingredients such as king crab from the Barents Sea, excellent fish such as cod or halibut, organic Lofoten lamb or the tasty cloudberry for example. Norway also has chefs to rival the best in Europe; a vast array of local specialities; and traditional dishes for all seasons. Some local dishes may test your resolve as well as your tastebuds ('smalahove', salted and smoked head of sheep, is considered a delicacy, but one few foreign visitors dare try), but curious foodies will find plenty of unexpected, pleasant surprises awaiting everywhere.

Specialties:

• Fenalår: Cured and seasoned leg of a lamb.
• Pinnekjøtt: Salted and dried, and sometimes smoked, lamb's ribs which are usually steamed over birch branches. Served with sausages and mashed potatoes and swedes (mashed rutabaga/kohlrabi). A typical Christmas dish.
• Multekrem: Dessert made of cloudberries and whipped cream.
• Fårikål: Lamb simmered with cabbage and whole peppercorns. A typical autumn dish.
• Smalahove: Lamb's head. The meat is salted, sometimes smoked, and dried. It is then boiled and served with mashed swedes and potatoes. You eat the whole thing, some people even eat the eyes. A traditional feast from Western Norway served during autumn and Christmas.
• Tørrfisk (stockfish): Stockfish is unsalted, dried fish. Cod is the most common fish used in the production of stockfish, whilst other white fish, such as pollack, haddock and ling, are used to a lesser degree. «Tørrfisk from Lofoten» is the first Norwegian quality food product registered in the EU – and the 17th non-EU product to be registered.
• Lutefisk: Stockfish softened in water and lye, then cooked and sometimes grilled. Typical accompaniments are potatoes, bacon, mushy peas and mustard. Although the wobbly fish is traditionally the centre of Christmastime feasts, the season is getting longer as the dish enjoys greater popularity.
• Norwegian salmon: Norway’s long coastline and many fjords, with cold, clean water, make Norway one of the world’s biggest exporters of fish. Not only is there a lot of fish, it is also of very high quality. Fish grow more slowly in cold water and their flesh develops a firmer structure with more flavour than fish in warmer waters. The Norwegian salmon’s distinct and delicate flavour makes it an excellent basis for attractive and tasty dishes, whilst at the same time satisfying the rigorous demands of the best chefs in the world.
• Rømmegrøt: Porridge made from natural sour cream. Served with butter, sugar and cinnamon.
• Pølse i lompe: Hot dog in a thin "tortilla" made from flour and potatoes. Buy it from a kiosk, or buy them in a supermarket and have a barbeque.

Regional drinks:

• Aquavit: Norway's national drink. It is apotato-based spirit flavored with herbs such as caraway seeds, anise, dill, fennel and coriander. The preferred accompaniment to Christmas food.
• Solo: A refreshing orange-flavoured soft drink.

WEATHER & CLIMATE
Norway is very far north, but it does not have an arctic climate. The south-west coast (Bergen) has a mild humid climate like Britain and the Netherlands. The east (Oslo and "eastern valleys") has a kind of continental climate, and summers can be quite warm (20-30 dg C). For the typical summer visitor, rain is the issue rather than cold weather. The Nordic sun can burn your skin even if it is not warm, particularly on snow fields, in the high mountains and near water surfaces. Bring sunglasses (UV-filter) and protect your nose and lips in the high mountains. Note however that climate and weather differs substantially from north to south and from east to west. Even within a couple hours driving there can be a change from deep frost to mild weather. However, most settlements and all major cities are close to the sea and therefore enjoy the warm Gulf Stream. Spring is generally in May, in April large parts of the inland and the north is still in deep winter.

Oslo: aprox.

SUGGESTED TIPPING SCALE:
Tipping is a way of showing your appreciation and will be welcomed by the recipient, although if you decide not to tip in a particular circumstance, this doesn’t mean you’ll receive a lower level of service. Ultimately, tipping is discretionary and should be done at a level that feels comfortable.

Here are some guidelines that you may find helpful:

Service Tipping amount per/person
1 - Drivers per/ day EUR 10 per person
2 - Guides per/day EUR 10 per person – private tour
EUR 5 per person – SIC tour
3 - Bellmen at hotels per/check in or check out EUR 1 per bag
4 - Restaurant servers A percentage of the bill*
*A service charge of between 10%-12% is added to most bills. If you feel the service merits it, you can increase this if you want.

HEALTH & MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS & GUIDELINES
As a general recommendation, it is advisable to check with your family doctor or travel clinic for latest health information.

TRAVEL INSURANCE
It is highly recommended that you purchase travel insurance. Your home country health plan may only provide limited coverage while traveling outside of the country. Indus Travels can offer you a complete travel insurance package. Some credit cards do offer travel insurance, however they do not always provide adequate coverage. Review and understand the terms of your credit card insurance policy. Extra travel insurance can be purchased. Most insurance companies do have exclusions in their coverage. Pre-existing medical conditions are not insurable.