I'll be in Norway for a couple of weeks, mostly on a cruise where a credit card will cover shipboard purchases, but also for a couple of days in Bergen and some time in other ports. I'd appreciate anyone's advice about getting cash at a Bergen ATM for small day-to-day expenses, like coffee, snacks, toilets etc. Last year I spent several days in Iceland without any local cash, the card worked for everything. Could I expect the same in Norway, or should I get some krone when I arrive?
Posted by
Arcadia, CA
707 posts
Hi Dick, I was in Norway (including lovely Bergen) last spring and I never used any cash. Everything was tap to pay. Have a great trip!
Posted by
California
763 posts
You will be fine with cards only. I was in Norway in 2024 and 100% cashless. Enjoy Bergen, such a beautiful and lovely city!
Posted by
Belgium
524 posts
You can use your card to make purchases anywhere in Norway. Sometimes, that’s even the only way to pay.
Since cash is hardly used anymore in Norway, ATMs are also disappearing from the streets.
Posted by
London
1637 posts
We were in Bergen last August and didn't use any cash at all- as others have said, you can use card for everything.
Posted by
Sioux Falls, SD, USA
3321 posts
We returned Aug 12 from a trip to Norway Denmark and Germany. In 4 w, we used tap-to-pay everywhere. We needed cash for one ice cream place in Germany.
Posted by
Duluth, MN🌲
12740 posts
I just got back from Norway and was there for eleven days. I didn't spend a penny of cash. In fact, I didn't spend any cash the entire trip, which included a week in Iceland and several days in Stockholm. Even the small towns are cashless, and you will find a lot of signs that say that the business is cashless. Even hotels.
So, in a nutshell, don't bring cash. By the way, enjoy Bergen. It is a wonderful city, and I really loved it!
Posted by
Snohomish, WA
4106 posts
On our trip in August 2024, we did not have any cash, but ended up needing some. We were having breakfast at a place and their internet was having issues and was not taking cards. The owner said to go ahead and eat and they would get the system up and running soon. By the time we were done, it was a bigger mess apparently, so he went us to an ATM down the street. When we came back to pay, he was at his wits end with the system and said breakfast was on the house as he felt so bad. So we still have that cash as he wouldn't take it.
Dick--On every trip to Iceland we have needed at least a little bit of cash, but that was far from Reykjavik. Random toilets that did not take cards, hot springs (not the big ones), one hike we did, farm stand purchases and of course when we were camping we needed it for laundry. If one sticks to Reykjavik and the Golden Circle, then cash would not be needed, but venture further out and you may need it.
Posted by
OP
Olympia, WA, USA
6806 posts
Thanks to everyone for this helpful info. I started looking for Bergen ATMs last night and was surprised to find so few, now I guess I know why. This will ease my trip.
@mikliz97, maybe you could tell me where you got that free breakfast so I can see whether their system is still down. ;-)
Posted by
Snohomish, WA
4106 posts
Dick--LOL, Stavanger. It was really good so we felt bad!