Norway
According to Countryaah, the Kingdom of Norway is located in northern Europe on the Scandinavian peninsula. It borders Sweden to the east and Finland and Russia to the northeast.
Climate:
The southern Norwegian coast has a mild climate, as does the western coast due to the influence of the Gulf Stream. The north-east and the eastern part of Norway are characterized by a continental climate. In the deep north there is sometimes an arctic climate with very cold winter temperatures of up to minus 40 degrees Celsius and a lot of snow. It rains a lot, especially in the transition months, especially on the southwest coast.
Best travel time:
Both winter and summer offer ideal conditions for traveling to Norway. While winter sports enthusiasts in particular get their money’s worth between December and April, the summer months offer numerous opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking or paddling. North of the Arctic Circle, with a little luck, you can see the northern lights from September to March.
Iceland
Iceland is the second largest island nation in Europe after the United Kingdom and the largest volcanic island in the world. It is located in the North Atlantic, just south of the Arctic Circle.
Climate:
The Gulf Stream ensures a relatively mild climate in Iceland. Nevertheless, the weather is changeable all year round, north and east Iceland are more oceanic and cool. On average, the summer temperature is 12 degrees Celsius, in winter the thermometer only drops just below freezing point.
Best travel time:
If you like the winter beauty of Iceland, you should use the period from February to April. This time is snowy, but it will be brighter again than in the earlier winter months. From the end of August you can watch the Northern Lights in Iceland, which make up for the short days. At this time, however, it is stormier. Icelandic hiking trips should be planned between late June and early September when the days are the longest and less rain is expected. From the end of June to the beginning of July you can also see an impressive display of flowers in Iceland.
Greenland
Greenland is the largest island on earth. Geographically, it is part of the Arctic North America, politically it is an autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Greenland is internally independent, but is represented externally by Denmark, the former colonial power. The Greenland island name is Kalaallit Nunaat – “land of the people”, in Danish the island is Grønland – “grassland”.
Greenland is a unique country: a huge island with a total area of around 2.2 million km², the interior of which is covered by a huge glacier, which is surrounded by a mountainous, often steep coastal area. The west coast is the most populous region, including the capital Nuuk with around 16,200 inhabitants. The north as well as the east are almost uninhabited. Since there is no road network outside of the cities, traffic takes place exclusively by ship, plane, helicopter or dog sled.
Climate:
The different ocean currents influence the polar climate in Greenland. The Irmingerstrom softens the temperatures on the west coast, here, even in winter, hardly any ice forms and in summer the temperatures in villages that are somewhat protected in fjords can rise to 20 ° C. South Greenland has more rain than the north and can even be a little cooler than the west in summer. In East Greenland there is ice on the sea and in the fjords almost all year round, which keeps the temperatures correspondingly low. The winters in Greenland are crisp and cold with little humidity and temperatures down to -33 ° C.
Best travel time:
In order to be able to use the full range of leisure activities in Greenland, the summer period from mid-June to early September is ideal. Those interested can then take part in whale watching, kayaking trips and hikes through the imposing nature. If you want to spend the winter months in Greenland, you have the opportunity to see the northern lights and pursue all kinds of winter sports. However, between November and February it gets very cold and dark here, which is why skiers should travel to Greenland in March at the earliest.
Svalbard
Svalbard is a group of islands belonging to Norway in the North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean. In Norwegian usage, the archipelago has been called Svalbard (“Cool Coast”) since the Svalbard Treaty of 1920. However, this name is not widely used in German; the name Spitzbergen is used. It is also the name of the largest main island in the archipelago. Svalbard was primarily settled from around 1900 because of the rich coal deposits. More recently, Spitzbergen has been considered the “largest laboratory in the world” for Arctic research, which also includes a launch site for research rockets (SvalRak). According to the Svalbard Treaty, the archipelago is a demilitarized zone.
Best travel time
The season for expedition cruises in Svalbard starts in April and ends in September.