Best Places to Live in Norway

Throughout the past decade Norway has been a consistent presence in the top 10 countries featured in the World Happiness Index. It’s a country that has built a strong reputation for having a low crime rate, and good work-life balance, and an innate sense of communal trust. It’s hardly a surprise, therefore, that Norway is now firmly on the radar of UK professionals wanting to live and work overseas.

Schepens Removals has been providing stress-free removals to Norway for over a century now. As Scandinavian specialists we’re often asked where are the best places to live in Norway. In this article we provide a quick introduction to the 4 locations we relocate movers to most regularly.

1. Oslo

It’s the capital of Norway but has a far less hectic vibe than its counterpart in England. This has a lot to do with both its population – under a million – and the location it enjoys. Oslo’s waterfront, the harbour promenade, offers a blend of natural elements, culturally diverse foods, and iconic architecture.

Oslo is a young city, which attracts a diverse, international workforce. And no wonder; a recent survey found that Oslo gets top ranking globally when it comes to work-life balance. Its major industries are IT, environmental technology, and life sciences.

2. Bergen

Bergen is a small port town (the population is less than 500,000) with a huge reputation. It’s home to the University of Bergen which makes it a lively urban centre with cultural events going on throughout the year. Plus, it’s situated on the southwestern coast, and surrounded by 7 absurdly picturesque mountains!

We should mention that Bergen has a reputation for being rainy, and we do seem to get wet more often than not when we make one of our regular runs there. There is, however, a real charm to this lively port which is quite unique. It’s always tempting to spend some time getting lost in the rickety backstreets of the old docks, enjoying the quirky independent shops and excellent coffee.

3. Stavanger

The 144,000 people who live here will tell you that it’s, without doubt, the best place to live in the whole of Norway. They have a point. Stavanger located on the west coast, which is famed for its wild beauty, and provides easy access to some of the country’s most renowned fjords.

There’s no lack of universities in Norway, but Stavanger surely has more than its fair share.

It’s home to 3 universities which means that there’s an energy about the town throughout term time, and a startling transformation each summer as an almost Zen-like calm descends upon it.

4. Tromsø

If it’s the Arctic north you’re keen to experience, Tromsø is the ideal location. Situated in the Arctic Circle, it loses the sun between 21st September and 21 January each year. It’s the largest of Norway’s fishing ports, and is dramatically surrounded by high, snow-covered peaks.

Despite its Arctic isolation, Tromsø has an important part to play in the cultural life of Norway. As the northern capital, each year it hosts an international film festival which draws a large audience which momentarily swells the population of under 100,000. It’s also home to a symphony orchestra, a university and prestigious theatre performances.

Bespoke Removals to Norway

Schepens is a family-run removals company, now in its 4th generation. For more than 100 years we have been providing specialist removals to locations across Norway. Our weekly runs to a range of Norwegian locations means that we can offer affordable prices, flexible scheduling and full or part load shipping.

Schepens Provides an Excellent Service for Movers

"I moved from England to Norway, and Schepens provided the most competitive quote as well as an excellent service from start to finish. Very good communication, a friendly team, efficient and very good packing service (everything arrived intact), all the customs paperwork was sorted very professionally, and the delivery was on the date expected, without any delays. Highly recommend, would definitely use them again for an international move."

Amanda Price - Digital Content Executive and Researcher for Imagefix | After joining the Imagefix team, she brought to the business an expertise in social media, copywriting and blogging.