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TRAVEL NEWS

Everything you need to know about travel in Norway for Easter 2024

Whether you're driving to the in-laws in Bergen, taking the train, or flying to your family elsewhere in the world, here's everything we know about travel to, from, or around Norway this Easter.

Published: 19 March 2024 15:20 CET
Updated: 28 March 2024 10:34 CET
Everything you need to know about travel in Norway for Easter 2024
A woman studies the timetable to find out about replacement buses. Photo: Bane NOR

Travelling by road

Norwegian schools break up for påskeferie (Easter holidays) this Friday (March 22nd) so you can expect heavy traffic on the roads out of the big cities starting from Friday afternoon and continuing over the weekend.

Typically well over a million Norwegians take to the roads over Easter to stay in their cabins or visit relatives.

There is also likely to be heavy traffic between Maundy Thursday (March 28th) and Easter Saturday (March 30th), and again on Easter Monday (April 1st) as people return home.

The E6 in Gudbrandsdalen around Lillehammer and the E18 in Agder tend to see delays over Easter,

The Norwegian Public Roads Administration has yet to issue its traffic prognosis for Easter (we will update this article when they do).

Rail lines closed over Easter

As fewer people in Norway tend to take the train on public holidays, Norway’s track operator Bane NOR tends to schedule major track works for these times, and this Easter is no exception, although this year only one line is affected. 

Bane NOR is closing the track between Drammen, south of Oslo, and Stokke between March 23rd and April 1st, with the segment replaced by buses.

Air travel

This year, there are no strikes directly affecting airports or airlines in Norway, but industrial action in Spain and the UK might affect Easter travel if you are venturing abroad.  

Workers at airports in Valencia and Madrid, two of Spain’s busiest, have announced that they will strike over the Easter period. At Madrid-Barajas airport, the UGT union has called a strike by employees of the Platform Management Service (SDP) for Wednesday 27th and Friday 29th March between 7am-12pm.

At Valencia airport, flights could be affected between Thursday March 28th and Monday April 1st, between 11am-13am, when workers will walk out and protest outside the Terminal 1 building in Manises.

The Lufthansa airline struck a deal with ground staff on Wednesday, March 27th, averting the risk of strikes over the Easter holidays, which might have affected flights to and from Germany from Norway. 

Finally, border force workers at the UK’s Heathrow Airport voted on March 22nd to strike over the Easter holidays, although walkouts will not happen until after April 8th, so Easter travel will not be affected. 

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For members

WORKING IN NORWAY

Why do Norwegians take such long summer holidays?

Summer in Norway sees offices nationwide come to a standstill as workers head out on three-week-long holidays. Have you ever wondered how summer holidays of at least three weeks became so popular?

Published: 5 July 2024 11:48 CEST
Why do Norwegians take such long summer holidays?

Offices, cafes, shops, salons, and plenty of other business close for a few weeks in July, with other things such as public services becoming much harder to reach until the end of the month or beginning of August.

This is referred to as “fellesferie” or the “joint” or “collective” holiday when translated into English. Given how many take the holidays, large parts of Norway can feel surprisingly empty during the summer.

Syden is the affectionate Norwegian term to describe the Mediterranean destinations that are typically popular, although many will also choose to holiday in Sweden, Denmark, or a cabin in rural parts of Norway.

READ ALSO: How to enjoy summer in Norway like a Norwegian

When did Norwegians start taking such long holidays?

The practice dates back to the interwar years in Norway when employers and employee organisations agreed on a three-week collective holiday period.

This ended up being a win/win situation for both parties. For the companies, it was more practical and profitable to let all the workers take holidays at the same time and close their operations down completely.

The workers were allowed to enjoy time off when Norway typically expects (but doesn’t always get) its best weather.

The scheme made its way into other industries through collective bargaining agreements. Collective bargaining agreements have played a massive role in developing workers’ rights in Norway and continue to play an important role today.

Three-week-long holidays written into law

Workers’ rights in Norway are best described as a result of tripartite cooperation where employers, employee organisations and the government work together on matters regarding employment in the country. This is also referred to as the ‘Norwegian Model’.

This model has led to high levels of union membership in the country. Furthermore, the model has filled in gaps where there aren’t laws. For example, there is no universal minimum wage in Norway, the law only covers minimum wages in a handful of sectors.

Instead, unions strike collective bargaining agreements that cover minimum wages, working hours and conditions, and salary increases on behalf of members. Some non-members can also benefit from these to ensure that non-members don’t undercut workers in unions.

Sometimes, collective bargaining agreements covering working rights can lead to legislation later down the light. The right to annual leave in Norway began to develop around 1900, through union deals, but later through law.

Norway has its own Holiday Act these days. Under the law, workers in Norway have the right to at least 25 days of holiday per year. Some workers are entitled to more through their collective bargaining agreement.

Much like the initial right to holiday, the law was updated to allow more workers to enjoy a summer holiday. The Holiday Act means employees can demand up to three consecutive weeks off between the start of June and the end of September.

This means that even companies that do not shut up shop for the summer holidays will see large parts of the workforce disappear.

The other ten days of the year can be taken whenever you wish and can be used up in blocks or used individually.

Employers also have rights during fellesferie and can require employees to take a holiday during this period if the business reduces or closes operations during the “main holiday period.”

Workers can only refuse to take a holiday during this period if the holiday pay they have earned so far will not cover the loss of income during the holiday.

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