Norway Travel: What To Expect In 2023

While the northern lights and Norwegian fjords remain the biggest international tourist draws in Norway, regular visitors often prefer to seek out something new.

Many new attractions opened in 2022 including the National Museum and the Munch Museum, both in Oslo. Although few major attractions are set to open in 2023, there’s still plenty of interesting news and changes to travel in Norway in the year to come.

New exhibitions at the National Museum

Following a successful launch, Oslo’s National Museum enters its first full year with an intriguing slate of exhibitions covering older, modern and contemporary art, crafts, design, and architecture.

From February to mid-May, a selection of prints by American artist Carroll Dunham go on display in the Nordic region for the very first time.

From early May to early August, the museum’s vast Light Hall puts the personal, emotional works of Louise Bourgeois (1911–2010) into focus alongside the likes of Edvard Munch and Pablo Picasso to showcase themes like loneliness, love, illness, sexuality and gender roles.

In November and December, the work of pioneering Norwegian painter Harriet Backer (1845–1932) will fill the Light Hall before going on tour to Stockholm, Paris and Bergen.

World’s first fully-electric public transit

Norway’s capital Oslo has an ambitious plan to be a net-zero emissions city by 2030. While its emissions have steadily reduced in recent years, Oslo needs to tackle its emissions from road traffic.

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A recent deal to replace the city’s last diesel-fueled buses with 450 electric buses by the end of 2023 will complete Oslo’s transition to an all-electric public transit system. City residents and visitors can already enjoy electrified trains, trams, ferries and the few hundred electric buses already in service.

With electric vehicles now dominant on the city’s streets, green-minded tourists can also take advantage of electric taxis, airport shuttles, rental cars and tour buses.

Troll tourism

The unexpected hit Netflix movie Troll placed Norwegian nature front and center of its story. Whether it results in more bookings to the mountainous filming locations remains to be seen, but Visit Norway is doing all it came to encourage just that.

The high vertical rock face Trollveggen, the Dovrefjell and Jotunheimen mountains, and the Valdresflye scenic route are among the places that could see a tourism boost in 2023.

A great year for the northern lights

Experts say the spectacular, multi-colored aurora displays seen across Norway towards the end of 2022 are just the beginning of what we can expect as the sun’s activity increases in the coming year.

While an exact time for a northern lights display can rarely be predicted, the cycle of solar activity is much more predictable. As we head towards a solar maximum, the number of intensive displays should increase. If you’ve always wanted to see the northern lights, 2023 and 2024 are great years to plan a trip.

New small ship expedition cruises to Svalbard

Planning to travel to Svalbard? While tourism to the Arctic archipelago is still encouraged, environmental rules could soon make larger ships a thing of the past in the most protected areas.

Entering service in Svalbard in June 2023, MV Vikingfjord is the new expedition cruise ship from polar experts Secret Atlas. One of the greenest small expedition ships in the world, the Vikingfjord operates with a reported 95% reduction in NOx emissions.

It takes just 12 guests, ensuring an intimate experience and a low impact on the delicate Arctic environment. Guests can choose from a 7-day micro cruise, a 14-day circumnavigation of Spitsbergen or a 10-day expedition focused on photography later in the year.

Ferries will be cheaper

In its 2023 budget, The Norwegian government announced it will slash the cost of using ferries. The cost of all ferries that receive a public subsidy will fall by up to 50%, with ferries to islands without a road connection made completely free.

While not all ferries are included in the cost reduction, it should still result in a saving if you’re planning on a lengthy Norway road trip this summer, especially along the coastline.

A new wellness retreat in Oslo

Opened at the very end of 2022, the urban wellness retreat Vestkantbadet at the striking new Sommerro hotel is ready to welcome guests all year round.

The team spent five years renovating the former public baths in Frogner and the results are spectacular.

The entire original pool complete with 1930s mosaic has been renovated and restored, the bathtubs once used by Oslo locals who didn’t have facilities at home have been converted into treatment rooms, and the roman bath has become a cold plunge pool and infrared sauna.