NorgeStart
Everyday life
Grocery shops close early on Saturday and almost everything is shut on Sunday, so Norwegian weeks have a rhythm you have to learn once. Beer is sold in supermarkets until 20:00 on weekdays and 18:00 on Saturdays; wine and spirits only at Vinmonopolet, which keeps office hours. Bottles and cans carry a deposit (pant) you get back at the machine in any supermarket.
NorgeStart is an independent private service. It is not a government agency and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or operated by any Norwegian public authority. NorgeStart brings information from many official Norwegian sources together in one place, and we work to keep it up to date. Even so, rules, rates and amounts can change at any time, and we cannot guarantee that a page here always matches the authority's latest wording. Always confirm with the responsible authority before you act. We give general information, not professional advice on legal, tax, immigration or medical matters, and we take no responsibility for differences between this page and the official source, or for decisions taken on the basis of it.
Shopping hours & alcohol rules
- Sunday = closed (groceries, malls, most shops). Only small kiosks/petrol stations and some "Sunday shops" are open. Shop on Saturday.
- Beer (max 4.7%) in grocery stores only until 20:00 weekdays / 18:00 Saturday, never Sundays/holidays. The shelf literally gets locked/curtained.
- Wine & spirits: only at state monopoly Vinmonopolet (Mon–Fri ~10–18, Sat ~10–16, closed Sunday). 18 for beer/wine, 20 for spirits, ID checked hard.
- Typical opening hours: grocery stores 07:00–23:00 Mon–Fri, often shorter on Saturday (many 07:00–21:00/22:00). Shopping centres usually 10:00–20:00 Mon–Fri, 10:00–18:00 Saturday. Hours vary by chain, by individual store and by season, and are cut short before public holidays and on Christmas/Easter eves — check the store's own page or map listing before you set off.
- Cheapest grocery chains: Kiwi, Rema 1000, Extra; budget lines First Price/Xtra; "Tilbud" = sale, "salg" = clearance.
Recycling & pant
- Bottles/cans carry a deposit (pant, NOK 2–3) — feed them into the machine at any grocery store for a voucher or charity donation.
- Source separation varies by municipality: typically food waste (green bags), plastic (purple/blue), paper, glass/metal to neighbourhood igloos, and everything electric to shops/recycling stations (free).
- Furniture/large items: municipal recycling stations (gjenbruksstasjon) — often free for private cars.
Phone, internet, ID in daily life
- Cheap mobile: Talkmore, OneCall, Ice, Chilimobil, Happybytes — NOK 200–350/month, eSIM in minutes, passport needed to register.
- Everything runs on your phone number + BankID; get them early and life gets 10× easier.
- Post: mail is delivered every other day; parcels go to grocery-store pickup points (Posten/Bring, PostNord, Helthjem apps).
Eating & drinking out
- Tipping is not expected — service is included. Rounding up for great service is plenty.
- Norwegians eat dinner EARLY (16:00–18:00). Kitchens may close by 21:00 outside big cities.
- Classics to try: brunost (brown cheese), kanelboller, fiskesuppe, reker on a summer dock, hot dog in lompe, taco on Friday (a genuine national institution).
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