Growing up with a Norwegian mother and American father, I often alternated Christmases in the US and Norway. And every year that my family would stay in the US for Christmas I would be so bummed, because it was never quite as magical as Christmas in Norway.
In fact now as an adult I’ve spent Christmas in several different countries and continents, and I still think nowhere can beat Norway during Christmas. If you ever have the chance to come here I guarantee you will have the most amazing time!
Actually, wait.
I guarantee you’ll have an enchanting Christmas in Norway, if you go to the right place.
There are several towns and cities in Norway claiming the title of Norway’s “Christmas Town,” because they are just so wonderfully festive in December. And then there are a few places in Norway that, if I’m being completely honest, probably leave most Christmas tourists at least a bit disappointed.
Best: Røros & Trondheim
There are a few cities and towns and Norway that market themselves as “Norway’s Christmas Town,” and one of my favorites is Røros.
Røros is one of Norway’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It’s an old copper mining town founded in 1644, and now one of the oldest towns of wooden houses in Europe. Røros also gets a lot of snow in the winter, making it the perfect Christmas destination!
In fact Røros is so wonderfully Christmasy that they filmed the Netflix show Home for Christmas here.
But what I also love about Røros is how close it is to Trondheim, another one of my favorite Christmas destinations. I used to live in Trondheim and especially loved the city when it was blanketed in snow. The downtown is so cute and they have one of the best Christmas markets in Norway.
You can get the train from Oslo or Trondheim to Røros. Or you could always fly into Oslo, take the train to Røros, and then continue by train to Trondheim. And if you really wanted, you could then take the train from Trondheim up to Mosjøen, another Christmas town! You can check the train schedule here.
Worst: Bergen
I hate to betray my former home like this, but Bergen is not the place to visit for Christmas. I enjoyed living in Bergen, however I enjoyed it considerably less in the winter, and probably the least over Christmas. In fact during my three years in Bergen I always drove far, far away for Christmas.
What’s wrong with Bergen? It doesn’t snow there!
Yes, Bergen has a Christmas market downtown and the city does look extra pretty decked out in Christmas lights. But does anyone really want to spend a Christmas trip trudging around in the pouring rain? I mean, maybe that would be acceptable if you’re visiting Southern Europe, but I imagine everyone traveling to Norway in the winter expects snow.
And sure Bergen sometimes does get snow, but snow is rare there in the winter and certainly no guarantee.
Best: Mosjøen
It will surprise no one who knows me or has read my other blog posts about Norway that Helgeland is on this list. Ah how I love Helgeland!
While the Helgeland Coast is one of the most magical places to visit in the summer, in the winter I recommend heading inland a bit for more snow.
My favorite town in Helgeland is Mosjøen, and it also happens to hold the title of one of Norway’s Christmas towns!
I lived in Mosjøen for two years and absolutely loved Christmas here. In fact even though I eventually moved away from Mosjøen, I often find myself returning here in December. Mosjøen gets lots of snow, and they really go all out for Christmas.
Every December locals set up the world’s longest porridge table to enjoy Norwegian Christmas porridge together and it’s my favorite Christmas event in all of Norway. This year they’ll be doing it on December 5th and I might just take a trip up to Mosjøen to join in on the Christmas fun.
Worst: Oslo
A lot of Europeans love to take weekend city breaks around Europe during the Christmas season. And while a weekend in Budapest, Bratislava or Strasbourg will absolutely put you in the holiday spirit, a weekend in Oslo might leave you disappointed.
At least Oslo has more snow than Bergen, but the city still isn’t as Christmasy as many other European cities. There’s a cute little Christmas market downtown with a small ice rink and the Christmas lights around the city are pretty, but that’s about it.
Oslo certainly doesn’t offer the level of Christmas magic of other Norwegian towns and cities on this list.
Best: Drøbak
Yes, Norway has yet another town claiming the title of Christmas Town! Drøbak even goes so far as to call itself the proven home of Santa Claus. And sure enough, if you address a letter to Santa Claus, Norway, it will be delivered to his official home in Drøbak.
In 1947, Norway began sending an annual Christmas tree to Trafalgar Square as thanks to the British for their help during World War II. It was a sweet gesture, but it also betrayed Norway’s until then well kept secret: Santa Claus lives in Norway.
The secret revealed, Norway began to receive thousands of letters to Santa Claus each year. First they went to Oslo, but eventually the council of Frogn agreed to direct the letters to Santa’s true home stating, “as far as the council is aware, the Norwegian Santa Claus must be born in Drøbak. Until proven otherwise, this is considered an established fact, with the consequences it may entail in practice.”
And now you can visit Santa’s actual mailbox in Drøbak!
The post office is so cute and Christmasy with a lovely Christmas themed shop open year-round. There’s not a whole lot to do in Drøbak besides visit the post office, but it’s still a cute destination, and only half an hour from Oslo.
In Drøbak I stayed at the Reenskaug Hotel which is right downtown and has an excellent restaurant.
Best: Telemark
I spent many of my Christmases in Telemark growing up, so I’m definitely biased here. But recently someone in Bergen was telling me how much they want to see Telemark in the winter, so other Norwegians also recognize how special it is!
I always loved spending Christmas in the mountains of Telemark, largely because of all the snow. You could book a cabin somewhere in the mountains here, or really in any mountains in Norway.
Best & Worst: Tromsø
Okay I was so torn between naming Tromsø best or worst for Christmas in Norway, because it’s sort of both!
I used to live in Tromsø and absolutely loved winter there. December falls during Polar Night in Tromsø, so the sun doesn’t rise at all, but there are a few hours each day of beautiful blue light. And then at night you can see the northern lights!
Seeing the northern lights is a dream for many people, and it really is one of those experiences that can’t quite be captured on camera. So yes, I absolutely recommend visiting Tromsø in the winter!
And yet when Tromsø began a marketing campaign advertising itself as “Norway’s Christmas City” I was SO annoyed. This was not only because I love Røros, Mosjøen and Drøbak and didn’t want a bigger city to steal their title, but also because I really don’t think Tromsø offers the most Christmasy experience in Norway.
While Tromsø gets tons of snow in January and February, in December the city can be a bit rainy. Whereas if you visit Røros, Mosjøen or Telemark over Christmas you’re pretty much guaranteed snow. And while Tromsø does have a small Christmas market downtown, the highlight here really is the northern lights.
So if you choose to spend Christmas in Tromsø, do it for the northern lights! And of course add in a few other fun activities like dogsledding and visiting Tromsø’s reindeer.
Matra says
This looks like a magical guide—Norway at Christmas sounds absolutely dreamy!