Hello!

When is the best time of year to travel to Norway and why?

May to September. Why? In winter daylight hours are scarse, in summer it is the contrary. In winter it is cold, in summer it even may be warm.

Went in May and it was great. It was still light at midnight, and people were dropping over for a visit!

I loved July - lots of light. Perfect weather (although that can't be guaranteed at any time, of course).

I would vote for May as well... the Norwegian national day is 17th of May and is a interresting celebration. May is often pretty warm as well (even though you might get unlucky), and has lots of lights, as the sun turns 21st of June. You would also avoid most crowds and you might get cheaper hotels as well... But it all depends on what you want to experience If you want to experience lots of snow and traffic chaos I suggest coming to Oslo right now

Cobos

Is Norway as expensive as I've read?
We're making our vacation decisions soon. Can some seasoned travelers to Bergen give me some practical pricing for decent meals(per person), hotel lodging(3 or 4*)?
Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

I actually haven't been to Bergen yet (yes I know...) but I can give you some info on Oslo which I beleive is about the same as Bergen. If you go to a restaurant in Oslo you pay from 150-250NOK ($22-$36) for a main course, this is a good restaurant. If you want chic or really good restaurant we are talking upto 400NOK. And in Oslo there is a big difference in location and prices reflect that. If this sounds too much remember that at a restaurant any alcoholic beverage are a lot more due to high taxes/fees on alcohol and the restaurant doing a nice markup. But you can always order regular tapwater which is free and 100% clean and IMHO tastes better than all the bottled water.
So buying food in supermarkets and fixing a picnic like lunch is usually a cheap alternative, and buying food in cafees/pubs is usually cheaper and you get good food there as well.
But to get some indication of price level, mention something and I'll check the price for it.

Cobos

First off, July is lovely - great weather, tons of sun. But if you're a bad sleeper like me it can be difficult to fall asleep in what is practically a late afternoon sun at 11 PM! I'll second Cobos for the dining suggestion. I was in Bergen in July with my husband, arriving in the evening after driving up the Setesdal valley. We just wanted something easy, and went to Pepe's Pizza (yes, yes, it's a chain, but have you had Norwegian pizza before?) on the water near our hotel (the lovely Clarion Admiral, right on the water overlooking the Bryggen - got an excellent internet rate). Paid US $30 for a large pizza and $7 a beer, which was typical of our entire vacation. Alcohol is taxed very heavily - we paid $20-$25 for a six-pack in grocery stores. And don't even think about driving if you've had a whole beer- the DUI laws are stunningly harsh. The good news is that you can pick up excellent, reasonably priced (for Norway!) fresh seafood sandwiches at the Fish Market right on the water for lunch, then go to the grocery stores for the wonderful gjetost cheese, meats, and breads and have a picnic in your room for dinner. Search the NY Times Travel section for articles on other dining options - I remember printing one out but then not bothering, as by the end of our trip we could only afford picnics!

Hi

I live in Stavanger on the south west coast of Norway and I have to say that the best time here is from end of May until beginning of September. May is nice because the air is still crisp but you can have warm days and you can see trees are getting green again And if you come in May you will also beat the crowds. And if you go up in the mountain and do some hiking you can still encounter a bit of snow

I would like to recommend going to a place called Kjerag near Stavanger (check out this link: http://www.gardkarlsen.com/kjerag.htm).I have been there many times and the view from the top is just amazing on clear summer days

Regards
Gard
Stavanger, Norway

There can be bargains, even in Norway. We found a very nice Bengali cafe in Oslo, and I had dinner every night there for about 60-70 NOK. They also had pizza, and my son had his typical dinner of a margherita pizza - 69 NOK. I've heard it's gone out of business, but I don't know for sure. I found a Salvation Army store near Vigeland Park selling take-out mochas for a price not that much higher than at home.

But most full-service restaurants are very expensive, as are gas, alcohol, and tobacco. We avoided all of these.