Gardermoen International Airport

Located in the capital city of Oslo, Gardermoen is the main airport of Norway and serves as the country’s international gateway. It connects over 100 overseas destinations and 28 other domestic airports. More than 21 million passengers traveled through the busy hub in 2011, which is a modern facility with many convenient passenger services. A new terminal is being built and is scheduled to open in 2017.

There is currently just one direct flight service to the US from Newark on United. Most travelers coming from across the Atlantic connect in London or Amsterdam to get to Oslo with flights on British Airways or KLM. There are also direct routes to several other major cities in Europe and trips eastward to Russia and Asia. There are no direct flights to Canada, Australia or New Zealand. It's easy to get around domestically on Scandinavian Airlines or Norwegian Air Shuttle.

The airport is located 22 miles northeast of Oslo, with good transportation links. There is a dedicated high speed rail that runs downtown in just nineteen minutes on the Flytoget service (the airport express train). There is a freeway connecting the airport with downtown Oslo, and drive time takes about 40 minutes. There are several taxis available at the airport or you can opt to rent a car from the terminal building.

Flesland International Airport

This is Norway’s second busiest airport, and the only other one to provide flights to international destinations, albeit all other European cities. Depending on where you intend to stay in Norway, you may opt to fly directly here if connecting through a European hub from the US. The airport has modern facilities and offers the usual passenger services: duty-free stores, restaurants and an informational desk. The airport is 12 miles from downtown Bergen, and two operators provide a shuttle service that takes about 30 minutes to get to town. There are taxis available at the airport, or you can rent a car from one of five agencies on site.

Other Airports in Norway

Norway has 27 other airports in major cities such as Alesund, Kristiansand, Stavanger, and Trondheim. All of these accept commercial flights with several daily scheduled flights from airlines such as Scandinavian Airlines or Norwegian Air Shuttle. With slow speed limits on Norwegian highways and rugged mountainous terrain in between, journeys by road and rail can take a while even for short distances so traveling by air is a convenient alternative. However, if you can spare the time, traveling by train will allow you to absorb the natural beauty of the country and its breathtaking landscapes.