My boyfriend and I visited the south-west of Norway in May ‘22. This year we visited from Hemsedal to Hvaler in August.
We’re thinking of making another trip this December for just 4-5 days. I dream of snow and northern lights. He dreams of Ålesund (I have no idea why). We both love mountains, although I also think huge forests and snow is kinda awesome too.

Can anyone recommend a great visit for a few days in December? 🤩 where would you go if you had to choose?

Picture for attention 🥳 (Hafjell)

by Square_Desk946

18 comments

  2. PSA Days are short, dark, wet, cold and gloomy in December. Hiking or outdoor activities (except maybe skiing if you go to places like Geilo, Hemsedal, Voss etc) is really not something you should be planning. Larger cities like Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim will have some Christmas themes going. December is not the ideal time for tourist stuff.

  3. Ålesund might not be the best for snow, as the North sea is pretty warm, and gives more wet weather rather then snow.

    It is also a tad early for most southern alpine resorts, as they have just stared creating snow.

    Trondheim is very nice at that time of year. I love Trondheim in December, at is has a very Christmasy feeling. Røros is also a very charming inland city.

    If you want both Snow, alpine skiing, mountains and ocean, you can go further noth to Narvik or Tromsø (Narvik is best for alpine skiing, but Tromsø is a larger city with more to do.) And both have a higher chance of getting Northern lights.

  4. Addition:
    * Not interested in skiing, at all.
    * Not interested in christmassy-stuff, some is ok, but definitely not a must.
    * Prefer: winter wonderland, great nature (some walk, but not longer hikes).
    * We don’t mind dark and cold, would love seeing new places, but not a must ☺️

    Depending on how high up in Norway we go, it’s possible to go with our own car, or fly and then rent if necessary.

  5. Innlandet, the interior of Norway is nice and really cold in desember, little chance of rain, choosy Christmasy houses and snow along the main street in Lillehammer or Røros. At least what a Norwegian would think of as Christmasy.

    Trysil, Kvitfjell or Hafjell is good for alpine skiing.

    More chance of northern lights in the north though. But the north is also closer to the sea and has more chance for clouds, then southern interior of Norway.

  8. Tromsø is probably the safest bet in December. Fairly easy to get to via a domestic connecting flight. You’ll have northern lights if the weather is good. And there’s a cable car from the city up to a mountain with a viewpoint. And there’s things to do in the city.

  9. I would personally GTFO from Norway from November until mid January. Snow conditions usually bad for good alpine or cross-country and it is dark.

  10. I am biased of course, but the Trondheim area is a good choice! Trondheim is a medium sized city with lots to do, if you’re not staying for longer than a couple of days.

    Like others here have mentioned you have Røros some 2,5 hours away by car or train. It will definitely be christmas-y though, many shows have been filmed there just because it’s so picturesque. The trip up there, either by car or train, is really underrated. A true pine forest winter wonderland, if you know what I mean, with narrow valleys.

    Trøndelag pros: Really varied, less touristy, (almost) snow guarantee!

    Trøndelag cons: less chance to see the aurora borealis, although we saw lots last winter here. The mountains aren’t massive.

  11. *”He dreams of Ålesund (I have no idea why)”*

    Probably because its one of the few towns in Norway that actually has decent architecture. But yeah not much snow there.

    Snow in decemer isnt always easy to find, your best bet is going inland. For northern lights ofc you should go north.

  12. norway is the last place you wanna visti in winter. mayber further up in the north would be a better choice for watching northern lights

  15. Hm. It’s a bit south to be sure of aurora, but with a bit of luck it’ll light up the northern skies. But you’ll get the snow, while still having daylight: Go to Røros. The christmas market is 4th to 7th december, see if you can bump your trip up to then.

  16. hehe morosamt. sny, fjell, skogar og nordljus finst sanneleg i Tromsø, nordljus staden. snyen er allereie ganske så nær. dagane er allereie svartare. så er det omlag 8 av 12 månader.

  17. As someone who lives in North Norway, I don’t understand why everyone is saying guaranteed snow up here in December. It’s not true. I don’t even shovel my drive until after Christmas because we’re guaranteed to get a couple weeks of absolute shit weather that melts everything off. Like howling winds, raining buckets for days/weeks. Everything is dark icy sloppy slippy yuck. Half the time the roads are so bad they can’t even get the mail from Southern Norway up here. That’s why we’re all about the hygge, yes? Thankful to stay inside where it’s cozy warm and dry. Only reason to come to Norway in December is to experience the shittiest weather you’ve ever even thought about. Hard to see Northern Lights through the rain clouds. February is a much smarter move if you want twinkling winter wonderland 👍

  18. So, darkness will be your friend my friend(s). I suggest seeking out some snow in the mountains and then go skiing and enjoy the afterski in Hemsedal – Stavkroa is legendary in the weekends. Imho avoid coastal areas during winter, it is usually raining and icy- if you are not in the north like Tromsø. Norway is awesome during winter, but you need to want to do winter activities, or else it is indoors. The further north and less light pollution, the more likely you are to see the Northern Lights, although it was visible last night where I live close to Oslo – so this is very much dependent on the solar activity

    Anyways, enjoy your time in Norway, hope you like it! ❤️

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