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Everything you need to know about travel rules between Norway and the UK 

Covid entry restrictions, traffic lights and quarantines- if you’re travelling between Norway and the UK, here’s what you need to know. 

Everything you need to know about travel rules between Norway and the UK 
Boeing 737 landing at Oslo Airport. Photo: Alan Wilson/Flickr

Travel to Norway 

Entry into Norway has been restricted to a very small group of people outside of residents and citizens of Norway since January to try and limit the spread of the Covid-19 virus. 

Norway isn’t letting foreign citizens enter the country unless they are residents of Norway, bar a few exceptions, so it isn’t recommended to attempt to travel between the UK and Norway unless you are exempt from the entry restrictions or are a resident of Norway. 

You can read a list of the entry restrictions and exceptions in English here.

The UK to Norway 

All travellers to Norway must fill out a registration form before departing. 

You can take a look at the registration form here

All arrivals into Norway, including from the UK, will need to quarantine for 10 days, reduced to seven if they return a negative coronavirus test.

Since June 4th arrivals from the UK have not been required to enter a quarantine hotel, as long as the Covid-19 incidence rate is less than 150 per 100,000 and remains on the helsenorge.no list of countries that don’t require a quarantine hotel stay. 

Travellers arriving from the UK that were vaccinated against Covid-19 in Norway can test themselves out of quarantine entirely after three days.

READ MORE: LATEST: Who has to enter quarantine hotels when travelling to Norway? 

Travellers must also provide a negative Covid-19 test on their arrival to Norway, taken within 24 hours of their arrival in the Nordic country. This can be either an antigen or PCR test. A rapid test is the more practical option of the two as PCR test’s take longer to deliver results. 

Foreign residents returning must also provide documentation, such as a rental contract, that proves they resided in the country before their departure. You can read more on the required proof here. Foreigners living in Norway will also be required to present a copy of the ticket they used to depart Norway with. 

READ ALSO: Update: Covid-19: How to avoid potential hiccups when travelling to Norway

From Norway to the UK 

The UK has a Covid-19 traffic light system that gives each country a designation- green, amber or red- based on infection numbers and vaccination rates. 

Norway has been placed on the amber list. 

To enter the UK from Norway, you will need to provide a negative Covid test taken within 72 hours. In Norway, testing is handled individually by each of Norway’s municipalities. You can use this link to find info on testing in your municipality.

Testing provided by the municipality is free. However, it can take some time to deliver results, so you may need to book privately for around 1000 kroner for faster results. You can also take a private drop in test at the airport you are travelling from.

Once you arrive in the UK, you will need to undergo a ten-day quarantine period at home or with friends or family. You will also need to fork out around £200 per person for compulsory Covid tests on days two and eight of quarantine. You can find the list of approved test providers here.  

You may be able to end quarantine early if you pay for private Covid testing through the UK’s new test to release scheme

Restrictions in Norway 

Norway is currently on step two of its four-step plan to reopen society, so coronavirus measures are still in place. 

Bars, restaurants, and gyms are open. So are shops and malls. Alcohol can be served in restaurants until midnight, and up to 10 people can meet indoors. 

Municipalities can implement their own rules, so it’s worth checking the local rules of the area you are travelling to. 

This also applies to facemasks. 

You can read about Norway’s current national and local Covid rules here

READ ALSO: Norway to enter next stage of lifting Covid-19 restrictions next week

Restrictions in the UK

The UK is in the process of leaving lockdown. Pubs and restaurants are open for indoor and outdoor hospitality. 

Face masks are required on public transport and indoor public spaces, there are exemptions for those with certain medical conditions. 

You can read more info on the UK’s roadmap for lifting lockdown here

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TRAVEL

Explore Austria: Mauer, a charming wine-hiking spot on Vienna’s outskirts

Catch the very tail-end of the wine season and autumn foliage in one of the lesser-explored corners of the Austrian capital: Mauer.

Explore Austria: Mauer, a charming wine-hiking spot on Vienna’s outskirts
Beautiful views and cosy taverns await you on the edge of Vienna. Photo: Catherine Edwards

Wine-hiking is an autumn must-do in Austria. There’s the official Wine Hiking Day (Weinwandertag) that usually draws in big crowds, but it’s also possible to follow the routes through beautiful scenery and wine taverns on your own.

Mauer in the southwest of Vienna is one of the routes that is mostly frequented by locals.


The footpath takes you through scenic vineyards. Photo: Catherine Edwards

You can reach this part of the 23rd district using Vienna’s public transport, and you have a few options. From the Hietzing station on the U4 line, you can take the tramline 60 or bus 56A. The former will take you either to Mauer’s central square or you can get off earlier at Franz-Asenbauer-Gasse to start the hike. If it’s too early in the day for wine just yet, you could start your day at the small and charming Designo cafe (Geßlgasse 6).

Otherwise, the residential area itself doesn’t have much to see, but keep an eye out as you wander between the taverns later — there are some beautiful buildings.

To start the hike, head west along Franz-Asenbauer Gasse, which will take you up into the vineyards, growing some red wine and Vienna’s specialty Gemischter Satz or ‘field blend’, which as the name suggests is a mixture of different types of grapes.

Photo: Catherine Edwards

The paved road takes a left turn, but the hiking route follows a smaller path further upwards. Here you’ll have magnificent views over the whole of Vienna.

If you stick to the official hiking route (see a map from Weinwandern here) you can keep the whole route under 5 kilometres. But more adventurous types don’t need to feel limited.

You can also follow the Stadtwanderweg 6 route (see a map here) either in full, which will add on a hefty 13 kilometres, or just in part, and venture further into the Mauerwald. If you do this, one spot to aim for is the Schießstätte, a former hunting lodge offering hearty Austrian meals.

EXPLORE AUSTRIA

In any case, you should definitely take a small detour to see the Wotrubakirche, an example of brutalist architecture from the mid-1970s built on a site that was used as a barracks during the Second World War.

Not far from the church is the Pappelteich, a small pond that is not only an important habitat for local flora and fauna, but a popular picnic spot for hikers. Its only water supply is from the rain, and due to climate change the pond has almost dried out in recent years, prompting the city to take action to boost its water supply by adding a permanent pipe.


The church is made up of over 150 concrete blocks. Photo: Catherine Edwards

What you really come to Mauer for, though, are the Heuriger or Viennese wine taverns. 

The most well-known is Edlmoser (Maurer Lange Gasse 123) which has previously been named as the best in Vienna. Note that it’s not open all year so check the website, but in 2021 it should be open between November 5th and 21st, and is also serving the goose that is a popular feature on Viennese menus this time of year.

Tip for translating Heuriger opening times: look for the word ausg’steckt, which is used by those taverns which aren’t open year round. They will also often show that they’re open by attaching a bunch of green twigs to the sign or front door.


Buschenschank Grausenburger. Photo: Catherine Edwards

Also worth visiting are cosy Buschenschank Grausenburger (Maurer Lange Gasse 101a), Heuriger Wiltschko (Wittgensteinstrasse 143 — located near the start of the hiking route, this is a good place to begin your tour) and Heuriger Fuchs-Steinklammer (Jesuitensteig 28).

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