Hi all!
I'm planning a 1-week trip in August and am torn between two very different options:
Spain: Madrid and Seville
Norway: Oslo, Bergen, and a fjord tour (like Norway in a Nutshell)
I'm looking for advice based on:
Weather (too hot? too rainy?)
Prices (accommodation, transport, meals)
Crowds/tourists
Overall travel experience for a first-time visitor
I’d love to hear thoughts from anyone who has done either (or both). Thanks in advance!
Well, if you can't tolerate consistently hot weather, don't go to Spain in August.
Spain can be done fairly reasonably costwise and probably has more history and culture to
soak up than Norway.
Norway is expensive for the most part and has more stunning natural scenery. As such,
you may be able to escape crowds once in a while depending on how far off the beaten
path you want to go. More of the Spanish sights are located in cities, so it will be more
hectic.
I am not that good in hot weather, so in August (the main qualifier), I would go to Norway.
Spain, go in the spring or fall.
Spain in August is going to be hot-average temps of around 90-95 F, while Norway average temps are mid 60s-mid 70s. For that reason alone I'd choose Norway, but it depends on your tolerance for heat. It seems like the local August holiday is more common further south in Europe, meaning you may experience more crowds in Spain. My experience in the Nordics is that most people get a good long summer break, but it's more staggered, meaning everyone isn't crowding the tourist hot spots at the same time.
Spain in August will be very warm. I'm not someone who's very bothered by heat myself, but if you are you may want to consider going another time. Norway at that time of year should be really nice- in fact we have booked a trip to Bergen and the fjords this August and it looks like a good time to go. I've been to Oslo in early September and the weather was very pleasant. The price differential for these locations is extreme. Norway is the most expensive place I have ever been to (I felt bankrupt after just a weekend in Oslo). Spain on the other hand is very affordable. I think both of these places will be crowded in August- maybe Norway slightly less so.
I love Madrid and Sevilla and had a great time in Oslo despite the prices... I think you'll have a great time in either place. Good luck deciding.
August=Norway
I have not been to Spain (yet!), but strangely enough have been to Norway. Specifically, to Oslo and Bergen (and some smaller destinations on the West Coast). It is not only a place of stunning beauty, but the Norwegians couldn't be nicer. I never felt like an outsider or got treated as a "tourist." I'd go again in a heartbeat.
Norway is fantastic in August.
Spain melts people in August.
We were in Norway last August. Weather was mostly nice, but we had a few days of heavy rain. We did the NIN but added on Stavanger for 3 nights as well. We had several nights in both Oslo and Bergen. If you do NIN, check the cruise ship schedule and avoid Flam on days that cruise ships are there. They completely block the view and the town is so small that it just is overrun with people. We had been there once before, with no cruise ships, and it was lovely. Last summer though, we couldn't get out of there fast enough.
I booked our hotels separately as I knew what I wanted.
We stayed in Oslo on the front and back end of the trip, and crowds were nonexistent. Bergen had a lot of crowds during the day when the cruise ships were there, but it was bearable.
We had excellent meals all around, and not too expensive.
If you do this and go to Stavanger, I highly recommend going to https://florogfjare.no for their gardens and a wonderful meal. We thought we would enjoy it, but it was a real highlight!
Spain in August?!
Uff-da!!! Pass the lutefisk, brother...
Confirming the warnings about summer weather in much of Spain:
Seville weather -- August 2024
Seville weather -- August 2023
Miserable weather is not an anomaly in southern Spain in the summer; it's to be expected nearly every day in Seville, and Madrid is also likely to be oppresively hot. The places to go on a summer trip to Spain are the mountains and the north coast between Galicia and the Basque Country.
Bergen can be quite rainy in mid-summer (as can northern Spain for that matter); Bergen is sometimes said to be Europe's most rainy city, so it is difficult to avoid precipitation if you're in the city for very long. However, deathly heat is a lot more prevalent in southern Spain than rain is in Bergen.
We were in Norway last August (for a cruise) and the weather was mild and pleasant, but we did have light rain a day or two. We've stuck to Spain in the Fall (Sept-Oct and Oct-Nov) and the weather both times was pleasant - but it was still warmer than I remember Norway ever being.
To my thinking, Norway (pretty much any northerly destination) is my focus for Summer travel. We generally are Spring or Fall European travelers, so catch the shoulder weather in most destinations - good and bad. I think the more Southern parts (Greece, Southern Italy, Spain, Southern France, etc) are really good for sun lovers who want the heat, but for me, if I had to travel in August, I'm likely aiming for all the lovely Northern options - from Iceland, the British Isles, BeNeLux, Germany, Scandinavia, or the mountainous areas in places like Italy, Slovenia, France, and Spain.
Long story short, Spain and Norway are both worth your time and money. Since August is the month you've got, I say Norway is the better option. Maybe your next trip can be in the Spring or Fall and can be Spain.
Mikliz, that is great info about not visiting Flam on the days cruise ships are there. You have prompted me to check there are no cruises the day we booked to visit and I am relieved to see there aren't! If it helps others, this is where you can check the cruise schedule for Flam in August: https://www.cruisemapper.com/ports/flam-port-1361?month=2025-08#schedule
CatVH--I am glad that helped you! When I was planning our trip, my mom had just died the month before so I was not on my game and didn't think to look. It makes such a big difference IMO. Enjoy!
Spain should not be entirely written off in August: the northern Atlantic coast is at its prime at that time of the year.
However, Madrid and especially Seville should really be avoided. Seville, in particular, is brutal - highs above 95F basically every day, and often above 100.
And yet people live in Spain in August and life goes on.
I dont like these questions much because you can see the temps for yourself in any of a hundred internets sites. Only you know how that compares to what you are comfortable experiencing in return for the opportunity to see something that you are interested in.
I dont like these questions much because you can see the temps for yourself in any of a hundred internets sites.
The temperature in C or F does not tell the whole story, though.
Well, for Seville, it kind of does.
But in many places, it helps to have extra input. For instance, if you just look at averages, you'd think that with 30C, Tokyo is fine to visit in August. Spoiler: it is not.
As for living vs. sightseeing: different activities, different requirements. I don't need to be out at 3 PM on a blazing afternoon in my daily life, but tight sightseeing schedules can require it.
Or you go to the museum at 3 pm ... or you go to the hotel and nap, then tear up the evening. It's all about common sense.
For myself, coming from 105F August Texas, if Spain interested me and that's the only time I could get away ... I would go.
Oddly, here at least, we are below the averages for the date. Its always a crapshoot.
