August is one of the best times to visit Norway, and the late autumn season in Norway allows you do get the best of what Norway has to offer. This is a great time for both nature experiences like hiking or camping, but also for visiting popular tourist attractions.
When visiting Norway in August, you will notice that most of the travelers and tourists are foreign tourists, not Norwegian ones. This is great if you want smaller crowds than if you visit Norway in July at the peak of summer, but it might also be a bit more difficult to get a feel for Norwegian culture.
That said, August is absolutely amazing in Norway, so let’s take a closer look at what you can expect when visiting Norway in August.
August is a great month for hiking!
If you’re coming to Norway to experience our amazing hikes in the mountains, then August is a great month to visit. Not only is it generally warm and dry, but the days are long and the hiking conditions are usually great.
The sun can often be very strong in August, so make sure to bring your sunscreen and a hat. Despite this, you should also bring a set of waterproof clothes, since you never know when the weather changes in Norway.
Most hikes won’t have any snow cover in August, with the exception of the tallest mountains like Galdhøpiggen in Jotunheimen National Park or other mountains close to its size.
It’s also too early for any places to get new snow, even in the areas furthest north in Norway.
The most popular tourist hikes like Trolltunga or the Pulpit’s Rock will still have many visitors in early August, but fewer than in the middle of summer, so it feels less crowded than in June or July.
In other words, come and experience the hikes of Norway in August!
Most Norwegians are back at work in August
The joint holiday period in Norway is typically either the last three weeks in July, or two weeks in July and the first week in August. What this means is that 90 % or more of the workforce is back at work after the first week in August, so things really quiets down.
Norwegian school children still have summer holiday, and public school usually begins around the third Monday in August (so it varies between August 15 and August 22ish).
What this means for foreign tourists is that Norway is generally less crowded. There are shorter queues at most attractions, and most Norwegian children are either at home or with their grandparents.
You might even notice that there are lots of grandparents at tourist attractions and places like zoos and amusement parks. The reason is simply because the parents need to be back at work, so children are often staying with their grandparents during late August before the school begins again.
The Norwegian weather in August
The Norwegian weather is often considered very unpredictable, but it’s generally pretty decent in August. Expect many warm summer days with the sun shining bright, and a nice temperature even at night.
That said, there’s always a chance of getting rain in Norway! So don’t travel without waterproof clothing, and make sure to check the weather forecast before going on hikes.
There are roughly 7 days of rain in Oslo, 13 days of rain in Bergen and 9 days of rain in Bodø during august. This is the average, but it could of course be different this August.
Expect temperatures of around 20° C (68.0° F) during the day, and around 11° C (51.8° F) during the night in the regions south of Trondheim (so Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger etc).
The weather in late August
The weather begins to cool down around August 20, so the final week and a half of the month is a bit colder than the first 20 days. This is usually the time when we begin to experience the first chilly days. It might still be nice and sunny, but it can get pretty cold pretty fast once the wind picks up.
So make sure to bring a windbreaker if you are visiting Norway in late August. The weather is generally perfect for hiking in late August, but the chance of getting a great day at the beach is much lower at the end of August compared to at the beginning.
If you’re coming here for hiking, the cooler weather might not be such a terrible thing. It’s often better to hike in 16° C and a little bit of wind than in 24° C and a bright sun that makes it super hot. This is especially important once you pass over the three limit where natural shade is very rare.
Don’t forget to try swimming when visiting Norway
Most of August is really nice and warm, and this is the month with the best temperatures in the water. Both inland lakes, rivers, the ocean and the fjords are pretty warm in August, and all of these are great for going for a swim.
The beach life of Norway is still pretty good for most parts of August, but only on sunny and windless days. The water temperature will be high even on cloudy days, so it’s always possible to go for a swim if you feel like it.
You will find that the beaches are far less crowded than in June or July even though the water temperature is just as good or even better. The reason behind this is simply because most Norwegians are back in school or at work, so they won’t have time to hit the beach.
August is a popular month for festivals and events
August tend to be a great time for experiencing festivals and things like that. There are plenty of food festivals, music festivals, concerts and other events in August. This is especially true for cities and towns with universities in them, because students begin their first week back at university by having a week long party.
Some festival that are worth checking out in August are:
- The Bergen Beer Festival.
- Pstereo – A music festival in Trondheim.
- Oslo Jazz Festival.
- Sildajazz in Haugesund.
- Skalldyrfestivalen – A food festival in Southern Norway.
- Telemark International Folk Music Festival.
How much is accommodation in Norway in August?
August is a much cheaper time to visit Norway than June or July. Accommodations are typically beginning to become cheaper again, so you might not have to pay the insane prices that you will see in July. That said, Norway is still an expensive country by pretty much any measurement.
You won’t usually have any problems finding a place to stay for the night, and don’t need to book your accommodation many weeks in advance. Most towns and cities will have plenty of available rooms at hotels or campsite cabins. However, you will usually save some money if you are able to book your room in advance.
Northern Norway in August
Many tourists chooses to visit northern Norway in August, and this can be a great experience. Both Bodø, the Lofoten islands, Tromsø and Alta are popular with tourists in August.
The weather is a bit cooler and more unpredictable in northern Norway in August, so bring your waterproof clothing and an umbrella.
For some weird reason I found that some websites claim that you can see the midnight sun in Norway in August, but this is not true. The midnight sun on mainland Norway can only be experienced until July 30, so it’s impossible to see it in August. The only exception is if you visit Svalbard, the island far north of mainland Norway.
That said, northern Norway has a lot of sunlight in August, and the days are extremely long even despite not having midnight sun any longer.
August is sometimes considered off season by amusement parks and zoos
It’s important to be aware that many amusement parks, zoos and other attractions might consider August to be in the off season. What this will mean for tourists is shorter opening times, and most commonly it means that the place will close down earlier in the day.
Zoos like Den Lille Dyrehage will close at 16.00 instead of 19.00 after the end of the first week in August. This is also seen at many other zoos and amusement parks.
So plan ahead, and don’t arrive too late in the day if you want to visit these parks in August.
August is mushroom and berry season
The Norwegian freedom to roam principle allows anyone to harvest berries and mushrooms as they please, with just very few exceptions. And August is probably the best month for harvesting wild berries and wild mushrooms in Norway. Not only can you find all the best berries like the bilberries, wild raspberries, lingonberries, and cloudberries, but there are also incredible mushrooms like the chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius) or penny bun (Boletus edulis).
Read more: Full guide to harvesting berries in Norway.
I would assume that cloudberries are the most popular choice for people who are looking to harvest berries in Norway in August, and these mountain berries can be found at high altitudes in bogs and mires all over the country.
You can do pretty much everything in Norway in August!
I was planning on making a big list of the best things to do in Norway in August, but the problem is that you can pretty much do anything in Norway in August. All the summer tourist attractions are still open (usually until the end of August), the hiking conditions are great, and the weather allows you to enjoy the day.
So as long as you don’t want to go skiing or playing in the snow, August is a month when you can do pretty much everything you want to.
Norway monthly travel guides
This is far from the only monthly guide to Norway we have in store, so check out the other months below if you are interested in visiting Norway in the future.
- Norway in January (Coming soon).
- Norway in February (Coming soon).
- Norway in March (Coming soon).
- Norway in April (Coming soon).
- Norway in May.
- Norway in June.
- Norway in July.
- Norway in August.
- Norway in September.
- Norway in October.
- Norway in November.
- Norway in December.