Norway Weather in December 2025: Cold, Snowy, Places to Go

December is cold or frigid, snowy, and dark throughout Norway. December's highlights include auroras, Christmas decorations, festivities, New Year's fireworks, whale watching, winter sports, sledding, and skiing. Tourism is high during the holiday season. Read on for our weather information and travel advice including average temperatures and rainfall, places to go, and travel tips…

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• 1. Weather Overview
• 2. Best Places to Visit
• 3. Crowds and Costs
• 4. What to Wear

Norway Weather in December: Overview

• Temperature range: -2–3°C (28°–37°F)
• Total rain/snow: 15 cm (6 inches)
• Days with rain/snow: 15
• Humidity: 81%
• Sunshine hours/day: 1 hour

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December Climate Comparison (Averages) for Norway's Top Tourism Areas

In December, Norway generally freezes except along the southwest coast. There is moderate to high precipitation. The far south gets about 6 hours of daylight on average, and regions along the latitude of Tromsø and northwards have continual night. Winter sports, auroras, long twilights, and Christmas festivities are Norway's December highlights.

Norway's southern region: Bergen, Oslo and other big cities near the southern coast are located at about 60° degrees latitude. At low elevations, the average high is about 3°C (43°F). The average humidity is about 80%. The average nightly low is 1°C (34°F).

Norway's lakes and fjords get icy or freeze over, but you can avoid extreme cold in the southwestern coastal areas and enjoy days above freezing there because the Gulf Stream keeps it warmer than the rest of the country.

Norway's northern region: The arctic tourist towns such as Tromsø are within the Arctic Circle north of latitude 66°. Tromsø is at latitude 69° where it and places north of it have perpetual night and freezing weather all December.

The Best Places to Visit in Norway in December

Touring in December features countryside and wilderness excursions as weather permits plus arctic activities and aurora highlights.

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1. Oslo — Visit the Highlights and Do Winter Sports

Oslo is Norway's capital and biggest city and has an average daily high of 0°C (32°F) in December. There are 6 hours of daylight and 1 hour of sunshine on average daily. The average low is -5°C (23°F). You could tour the city and snowshoe hike and cross-country ski nearby.

Norwegians love getting out in the snow in the winters during the scant daylight hours. There are 2,600 km (1,600 miles) of prepared cross-country ski trails around the forests of Oslo. 44 special cabins are provided for refreshments or staying overnight.

Oslo's total snowfall is low and falls on about 9 days each December. Oslo is unusually humid with 86% average humidity. There is a lot of frost. The Viking Ship Museum is a favorite highlight. Shopping at the several Christmas markets and Christmas concerts have a special appeal.

2. Lillehammer — Enjoy Skiing at the Ski Resorts

Lillehammer is Norway's best ski resort area and hosted a Winter Olympics in 1994. It is only 2 hours from Oslo, and if you want to do downhill skiing or winter sports, you could go there as an excursion. Prices are relatively low for skiing at the beginning of December.

Crowding is relatively less in early December, so it is a good time to visit for more solitude and relaxed skiing, recreation, and relaxation. December's consistently-freezing weather is suitable for skiing. The average high is -3°C (27°F), and the low is -10°C (14°F).

There is low total snowfall, although it snows about half of the days of December. Lillehammer gets half an hour of sunshine and 5½ hours of daylight daily on average. Hafjell, Kvitfjell, and other resorts are modern with facilities for families and children.

3. Bodø — Enjoy Northern Twilight, Auroras, and Holiday Festivities

For seeing the auroras in December, there are several popular choices, but a good reason to choose Bodø is that there is an average of about an hour of daylight and about 9 hours of beautiful and eerie indigo and pinkish twilight that provides light for enjoyable excursions and seeing arctic scenery.

You could stay in the town of 50,000 and experience the cultural highlights of the "European Capital of Culture in 2024" including Lapland culture. The average daily highs are 2°C (36°F). The lows are -3°C (27°F). The rainfall is moderate to high and falls on an average of 24 days of December.

About 1,000 concerts and events are planned for 2025! Around Christmas, you could attend a Christmas concert at the Stormen Concert Hall. An average of 13 hours of night are optimal hours to take excursions to see aurora highlights shimmer. Bodø is just north of the Arctic Circle.

4. Tromsø — Enjoy Christmas Festivities, the Auroras, and New Year's Fireworks

Tromsø is a modern town of 80,000 people. It is more northerly than Bodø at latitude 69.6° and is in perpetual night in December. However, about 8 hours of twilight on average will allow you to see enough for excursions, exploring nature, and dim sightseeing. The eerie indigo skies are beautiful.

It is called the Gateway to the Arctic. There is a good airport and good hotels. The dark night is the venue for aurora watching highlights. The average high is -1°C (30°F). The nightly lows are -5°C (23°F). The total snowfall is low.

At the Christmas market in the main square, you can shop for souvenirs. You might enjoy a reindeer sleigh ride. At 12 midnight, you might enjoy the fireworks display celebrating the beginning of a new year. The adjacent mountain is the best place to watch it.

Moderate Tourism Season: Touring Advice for December

Tourism is low in Norway at the beginning of December and high during the last half of the month due to the Christmas and New Year's holidays and people going on vacation. There is more crowding at the tourist highlights and holiday festivity locations during the holiday season.

There are relatively low prices for touring and flights and more accommodation availability in the first half of December, which is good for seeing the northern lights in the Arctic Circle because there is 24-hour twilight or darkness and less tourism.

Aurora Watching: During the long dark hours, you can see the auroras. The Arctic Circle is the best place to go to see the northern lights and just to experience the indigo/violet/pink skies of the 12 or so hours of twilight daily.

For 24 hours of darkness, you would need to go to the latitude of Tromsø at latitude 69 or northwards. Bodø is just north of the Arctic Circle and still has about an hour of daylight on average in December.

Longyearbyen is furthest north of any tourist town on the island of Svalbard north of Norway. It is always in nighttime in December with only about 7 hours of faint twilight on average daily.

The lower prices and greater choice of accommodations at the beginning of December might allow you to spend more time sky watching, relaxing, and experiencing the great outdoors.

Public Holidays in December: During the last half of December, Norwegians go on vacation during the several national holidays that provide legal days off from work. Many tourists go to the ski slopes. The price for airline tickets rises.

Christmas Eve is December 24 annually. It is first of three December public holidays in Norway. During this time, schools, businesses, and banks close. Norwegians celebrate with family meals and gift giving.

Christmas Day is December 25 annually. It is a day for gift giving and celebrating the birth of Jesus, the Son of God, which Norway's 65% Christian population do in their many churches.

Boxing Day is December 26 annually. It is generally a day to relax in Norway.

What to Wear in December

In December, in the south and especially along the southwestern coast where Bergen and Stavanger are, it both rains and snows. There is heavy rainfall/snowfall almost every day in Bergen. Also, most of the tourist highlights and the mountains have unpredictable weather. You can be the most comfortable by dressing in layers and wearing a waterproof coat or bringing raingear wherever you go in Norway.

Here is a packing list for a few essentials in Norway:

• Warm waterproof boots with good traction for the outdoors. You might wear them in-flight to travel lightly.
• Comfortable shoes with good traction
• Coat and warm hat
• Rain gear
• Swimwear for hot springs and spas
• Cardigans or thermals
• Polarized glasses
• Gloves

Monthly Weather and Travel Information for Norway

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