The die is cast. We tried out night life in Norway cities and explored the possibilities, the customs and built an overall picture of what does it look like to go out in the evening. Here are some interesting things to point out

 

7. Uh, oh – the queue!

I have seen that before on the weekends only in Oslo and Bergen – people waiting in a long queue to enter the club. When I saw that again, I said ‘’there’s no way we’re waiting in that line. On a Wednesday night!’’. We should have probably arrived as soon as the event started or even before – that being around 10 pm – to grant the entrance sooner, but we were there at 22:15 .However, peeking into the bar and discussing it with my international buddies made us realize that it probably means the bar is not extremely overcrowded and you are actually able keep your personal space to some extent. What a relief! So keep in mind – be there on time.

 

6. Age limit and ID check

Norwegian clubs quite often have the age restriction, that being 21 or 23. There are no ways you will slip through the guards, you will be checked throughout and your birthday will be closely examined. That filter out the teenagers and gives you some kind of comfortable feeling by itself. However, the guards are surprisingly calm and not intimidating at all!

5. Entrance fee

It depends on the event, but quite often the clubs have an entrance fee. This time it was 100 NOK (cca 10 euros/dollars), but you got a glass of wine or a beer for free,which almost evens it out. When you look for the events on facebook or on the flyers, you will have specifically pointed out whether or not the event is free and if not, how much will it cost you to get in. From what I have seen, it is often around 100 NOK.

 

4. What to wear?

Looking at other people around me – they were so casual! Hardly anyone in skyhigh heels, plenty of girls wearing sneakers and pants. I have never seen anything like that before, in my home country most of the club visits require very fancy shoes and mini skirt. So do not overthink it too much, less is more!

3. Norwegians are polite even when they are tipsy

 

The first thing that happened to us at Vaskeriet silent disco was a random girl approaching us with a wardrobe-lock. She said: ‘’Here, please, take it, I have paid for it and never used it!’’. This small, random act of kindness must have made our faces look really surprised. Shortly afterwards we went to get our headsets and purchased their loan including the drink. Even so, we have seen some people leaving – and asking random folks around whether they need a headset, so they could just give it to them to save them 100 NOK. I found that truly amazing and impressive.

 

2. There is normally water at the bar

 

Not only that, it is for free and serve-yourself, so every time you need a break or if you do not feel well, you avoid waiting in the long queue and trying hard to catch the bartender’s attention.

 

1. The party ends at 3 am

The party in Norway ends at 3.00, this is when most all the bars close. 2.00 is the time when people start leaving and the night buses on the weekends do not run after that time in Bergen, but it depends on the city. On the weekdays, well…they do not run at allt all. Not long after midnight, at least, and we discovered that when we left the club. There was too many of us to fit into the taxi, so we had no choice but to walk back to the hostel. That being around 6 kilometers of walking slightly uphill to hiking. I would say there are cozier activities to do in the middle of the night. Also keep in mind that it is very likely you will get caught by rain at some point, so do not go anywhere without rain gear. And keep in mind there are no night buses after 3 am even on weekends.

Are you ready for a nightly adventure in Bergen? Make sure to book your stay at Bergen Hostel Montana! 

Written by: Sandra Meglić