Post: #1

I'm curious about being in Norway for Norway's Constitution Day this year. It takes place officially on May 17 every year.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_...tution_Day

Every Constitution Day (National Day), both male and female citizens go out and dress in elegant traditional Norwegian regalia, probably drinking all day and celebrating the country's existence (Like 4th of July in America). It seems like a very unique experience to drink & party, get immersed in Norwegian culture, and.. meet some Norwegian women?

So my questions are.. has anyone on the forum been to Norway during their Constitution Day? What is a good city to go and enjoy the events (I was thinking maybe Oslo or Tromsø)? How are you supposed to enjoy the day?

All suggestions are welcome.

Post: #2

Well I'm in Oslo right now. Everyone talks about how expensive it is. On the plane ride in from London the Norwegian girl next to me said "I feel sorry for you". Because she knew I had no idea what I was in for.

My advice at this point would be to wait until September because flights and hotels might be cheaper. Here the best weather is May to August. For what you pay in May it might not be worth it. Keep in mind that September might be colder.

I don't want to discourage anyone. Just do your research so you know what to expect beforehand. I was fortunate to find some good deals on flights and hotels.

There are plenty of day game opportunities. Everyone takes public transportation so they are outside and accessible, though not always receptive.

Post: #3

I have lived in Norway my whole life, so I might have some info for you, first off, Oslo is by far the best city to be in if you want a big party, but its also a massive chaos, daytime and night. Alltough, a city like Tromsø will do, for sure, all cities are very alive this day. Picking up girls during daytime might be a little meehh, everyone is with their friends in big groups, and as you probably know, most Norwegians are cold as hell. If u wanna go clubbing you should be early out if you wanna get into one of the popular clubs.

If you decide for Oslo, you can go to the Royal Castle at the end of Karl Johan and see the royal family and all the schoolkids walking in a "train". I think it might be better to go to a smaller city tho, depends on what you like, but alot of people might find it "Too much" in Oslo, and you will get alot of the same in some other city.

Going to Norway in September is usually no problem if ur concerned about the cold, people are still going to the beach and enjoying summer. Atleast in the beginning of september.

Are you going alone or with friends?

Post: #4

I'm going alone, though probably meeting up with people in the UK later in the trip/week.

I was looking into more of the cities to visit during then, and the finalists would be Oslo, Bergen, or Tromsø. I might settle on Bergen since I saw good hostel reviews (there oddly aren't very many nor good ones in Oslo) but I'd want to think about it some more.

I'm very curious about going to Norway for a few days including May 17th since besides the girls and the festivities, Norwegian culture seems very interesting and there's a lot I like. Sometime in the future I'd want to explore the country but for now it seems like a good place to start here. Norwegian Air at the moment has a good spring sale going on and I can fly right to Oslo from where I am, just need to know more to plan for logistics

Post: #5

I'm in Trondheim now. I took the train from Oslo. People here seem much friendlier than Oslo. Still not as friendly as what I'm used to in California.
I took the advice of one forum member, get them to qualify themselves to you. If you say, "I heard Norwegians don't talk to strangers.". They will always qualify themselves to you and say, "that's true but my family taught me to not be that way" or something similar. That way the burden is on them to prove it.

Also try to learn some Norwegian. If nothing else at least it gives you something to talk about. You will be able to understand more of what is going on around you. I used Pimsleur, Duolingo and Michel Thomas. It is true that everyone speaks good English.

Post: #6

The big party is on the 16th. The 17th is for hangovers and kids' shit, if i remember correctly.

Post: #7

So,
on the night of the 16th a lot of people go out to party.
Then typically on the 17th, friends come together for champagne breakfast (any alcohol will do), stay there for a while and then hit the city.
In the daytime out in the city there is a bunch of parades. When they finish people keep partying. I never watch the parades anymore but if you are a tourist maybe you want to catch it.
The kids graduating from high school will finish up their month long partytime ( google search russ / russetid to read about it) , they have their own parade after the other ones.

Norwegians are cold, but not on the 17th. Girls will be with their groups sure, but the further out on the day, the easier it will be to hook up. Its a day of joy and happiness, everyone is dressed up and been drinking since breakfast. Not to mention its springtime after a long cold dark winter.
Keep in mind a lot of people have work on the 18th and those will end the night way before midnight. Also, people will be tired from last night. There is still those who party until the clubs close at 0300.

Remember to bring a suit.
And money. Oslo is the 5th most expensive city in the world. Other norwegian cities are not much cheaper.