Norway Weather in November 2025: Travel Tips for First-Timers

November is cold, cloudy, rainy and dark throughout most of southern Norway at the low elevations, and frigid, dark, and snowy in the north. The northern highlights include auroras, and the southern highlights are the last of the autumn colors, outdoors activities, and the cultural and urban experiences. Tourism is low.

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 November: Overview

Averages:

• Temperature range: 1–5°C (33°–41°F)
• Total rain/snow: 15 cm (6 inches)
• Days with rain/snow: 15
• Humidity: 80%
• Sunshine hours/day: 1 hour

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

In November, Norway generally turns dark and cold with moderate to high precipitation at the low elevations. Ski season starts at southern resorts. Popular winter sports and auroras are some of Norway's highlights, and even in the long nights, you can tour the cities and visit museums.

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 6°C (43°F). The average humidity is about 80%. The average nightly low is 1°C (34°F).

Northern region: The arctic tourist towns such as Tromsø are near/within the Arctic Circle at latitude 66.5° north. Tromsø and places north of it have perpetual and freezing weather by the end of November, and it is the best time to see auroras because crowds and prices are less.

The Best Places to Visit in Norway in November

Touring in November features cold weather, darkness, and snow, and perpetual darkness or twilight in the far north. The south receives an average of 7½ hours of daylight. You could tour the cities with countryside and wilderness excursions as weather permits or see arctic scenery and aurora highlights.

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1. Oslo — Visit the Highlights and Do Winter Sports

Norway's capital and biggest city has an average daily high of 4°C (39°F) in November, and the daylight varies from about 8½ hours to 6½ hours by November 31. It is cold day and night, and there are 2 hours of sunshine on average daily. The average low is -1°C (30°F).

You could enjoy outdoor winter activities and urban highlights. Snowfall/rain is moderate and falls about 11 days each November. Oslo gets unusually humid with 87% average humidity. When there is inclement weather, you could visit museums such as Akershus Fortress.

You could also book a fjord cruise that embarks from Oslo. If the snow is suitable, you might consider snow skiing in Marka Forest.

2. Lillehammer — Get a Jump on the Ski Season at the Top Ski Resort Town

The best and highest ski resorts in Lillehammer are unusually open for skiing by the middle of November. Lillehammer is the best ski resort area in Norway and is only 2 hours from Oslo. It was the site of the 1994 Winter Olympics. You could ski while prices are relatively low.

The last autumn colors of the leaves are sometimes frosted with snow or ice in November. Crowds are relatively low, so it is a good time to visit for more solitude and relaxed skiing, recreation, and relaxation. The average daily high is 1°C (34°F), and the low is below freezing, 5°C (23°F).

Moderate snowfall or rain falls about 16 days each November, and there are only 1½ hours of sunshine and an average of 7 hours of daylight. Hafjell and Kvitfjell and others open by the middle of November. These are modern resort parks with diverse facilities for family enjoyment.

3. Bodø — Enjoy Arctic Scenery, Northern Twilight, and Auroras

For seeing the auroras in November, there are several popular choices, but a good reason to choose Bodø is that there is an average of 5 hours of daylight and about 2 hours of beautiful and eerie indigo twilight that provides light for excursions in nature and seeing epic arctic scenery.

Svartisen Glacier is one of the biggest in Norway and is at a low elevation, so you can easily hike to it when the weather isn't poor during sunset, twilight, or even in bright moonlight. See its deep indigo dark colors and those of a nearby lake. It snows about half the days of November.

If the weather is inclement, you could stay in Bodø — a town of 50,000 — and experience the cultural highlights of the "European Capital of Culture in 2024" and Lapland culture. The average daily highs are 3°C (37°F) with an average of an hour of sunshine daily. The lows are 0°C (32°F).

4. Tromsø — Enjoy Relaxing in the International Port and Fishing Town and Arctic Wilderness

Tromsø is a modern town of 80,000 people. It is more northerly than Bodø at latitude 69.6°. It is called the Gateway to the Arctic. Its good hotels lend themselves economically to extended stays while tourism and prices are lower. There is a good airport for visiting other arctic travel highlights.

There is 24-hour night starting November 27. The abundant darkness along with the eerie twilight skies makes touring Tromsø unusually exotic and provides a venue for the arctic highlight of aurora watching. The average high is 1°C (34°F). The nightly lows are -3°C (27°F). The total snowfall is low.

Another highlight is eating at great seafood restaurants supplied fresh by the fishing boats. November is the start of the season for watching whales. It might be the best month for that because there are still some hours of light and less tourism. In the waning light, you might enjoy hiking at Trollfjorden.

Crowds and Costs for Traveling in November

November has low tourism and relatively low prices for touring and flights. There is less crowding at the tourist highlights. So it is probably the best month for seeing the northern lights in the Arctic Circle and other places before the tourist crowds come in during the Christmas season.

The Norwegians are busy at work and school, and there is no national holiday in November that is a legal day off from work. Some tourists travel to the ski slopes, and others ski cross-country. The freezing, snowy weather, and darkness keep most international tourists away.

November is a good month for touring Norway in warm cruise ships with lower prices and perhaps seeing some of the last of the autumn colors in the southern fjords. You can avoid extreme cold at the southwestern coastal areas because they remain warmer than the rest of the country.

There are no national holidays in November.

Aurora Watching

You could see the eerie indigo/violet blue highlight of the perpetual night in the Arctic Circle and the shimmering, sparkling, gleaming auroral highlights of the stratosphere occasionally. The lower prices and greater choice of accommodations might allow you to spend more time sky watching, relaxing, and experiencing the great outdoors.

For comparison, southernmost Norway gets 5 or 6 hours of daylight on average. Longyearbyen (furthest north) is always in nighttime, and their twilight reduces to 0 hours by November 12 for best aurora viewing. Alta goes to total night by November 25, and Tromsø by November 27.

What to Wear in November

In November, the tourist highlights and the mountains have unpredictable weather. In the south, and especially along the southwestern coasts were Bergen and Stavanger are, it both rains and snow. There is heavy rainfall/snowfall almost every day in Bergen.

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:

• Comfortable shoes with good traction
• Warm waterproof boots with good traction for the outdoors. You might wear them in-flight to travel lightly.
• 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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