Norway is one of the friendliest countries that gay tourists can visit. People in this country treat gay tourists in the same way they treat heterosexual tourists. The capital city, Oslo, is one of the places in Norway that has a remarkably large percentage of gay people, if you hold it in contrast to rural areas.

A number of gay-friendly events and venues are also found in this country. Major gay events in Norway include the Raballder Sports Cup held in Oslo, the Scandinavian Ski Pride that is held in Hemsedal, Gay Week that is held in Trondheim, the Parodi Grand Prix held in Bergen, and of course the famous annual Oslo Pride Festival.

There are also several prominent gay public and celebrity figures in Norway. This means that gay rights are well provided for in Norway and therefore, people can make their choices without facing discrimination.

In Norway, gay tourists should not feel threatened to hold hands in public or even share a kiss. To the Norwegian people these are normal activities that do not cause any alarm. As such, Norway is a great holiday destination for gay tourists and certainly one of the most welcoming and open-minded. This is because the law there does not discriminate against gay community. Norwegians acknowledge and respect the fact that different people have varied sexual orientations and make diverse choices.

In Norway, gay and lesbian people are not discriminated against in restaurants. They go to the same hotels and attend the same events as heterosexual people. They live their private lives much like heterosexual couples. There are however, hotels and events where tourists can find more gay people.

Popular hangouts in Oslo include the club The Fincken, as well as Bob's Pub, Eisker and a restaurant known as London.

Like many Scandinavian countries, Norway is very liberal in regard to lesbian, bisexual and gay rights. It was the first country in the world to enact a law protecting homosexuals in certain areas. Same-sex intimate activities have been legal in Norway since 1972. The Norwegian government has set the legal marriage age at sixteen years regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

In the year 2008, the Norwegian parliament passed a law that allows homosexual couples to marry and start families of their own. This allows gay people to conduct weddings in a similar way to those of heterosexuals and further allows them to adopt children. The new law changed the meaning of civil marriage to make it gender neutral. Prior to this newer same-sex marriage law, there was a partnership law that had existed since 1993. "Partnerskapsloven", as the partnership law was known, granted same-sex couples the typical rights of marriage without necessarily referring to it as marriage.

Current laws allow gay couples in Norway to adopt children and raise them just like heterosexual parents do. In a situation where the two partners are women and one of them has a child through artificial insemination, the other partner acts as a core parent. This has made it possible for gay people to have their own families.