Oslo travel guide
Where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Things to do in Oslo, planned over three days
Best time to visit Oslo
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Summer peak, long light evenings, fjord swimming, full island ferries, terraces and zipline running.
Spring value sweet spot, lengthening days, skiing into March and Constitution Day on 17 May.
Autumn shoulder, milder September, falling prices and queues, cultural season restarting.
Winter dark and cold, best for sauna and plunge, toboggan, city skiing and Christmas markets.
What's on
- Oslo Pride late June
A week of parties and talks, with the parade through the centre on the Saturday.
- Øya Festival Mid August
Norway's biggest contemporary music festival, in Tøyen Park. Hotels go early.
- Oslo Jazz Festival mid-August
Mid August festival in venues citywide, running since 1986.
- Mela Festival August
Free world music festival at City Hall Square in August.
- Holmenkollen Ski Festival March
World Cup ski jumping and cross country that turns Holmenkollen into a national party.
- Constitution Day 17 May
Children's school parades past the Royal Palace, bunad, champagne breakfasts and flags everywhere.
- Nobel Peace Prize ceremony 10 December
Ceremony at City Hall is not public, but the torchlight procession is a street level spectacle.
Worth the trip for
Best things to do in Oslo
MUNCH
The largest Munch collection in the world in a waterfront tower, with rotating versions of The Scream.
National Museum
The largest museum in the Nordics, merging art, design, architecture and another version of The Scream.
Oslo Opera House
White marble roof you can walk on for free, rising from the fjord with the best free view in central Oslo.
Vigeland Park
More than 200 Vigeland sculptures along one axis to the Monolith, in a park locals use every day.
Fram Museum
Board the actual polar ship Fram and go below decks to feel how small the expedition cabins were.
Norsk Folkemuseum
Open air museum with 150 historic buildings from across Norway, including the Gol Stave Church from 1200.
Akershus Fortress
Medieval castle and fortress grounds free to enter, with harbour views above the waterfront.
Oslo City Hall
Free to enter, with vast murals and the hall where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded each December.
Where to stay in Oslo
Sentrum / Kvadraturen
first trip, all-round base
Main sights, National Museum, Aker Brygge and Oslo S all walkable, with the widest hotel choice.
Bjørvika
design, museums and sauna mornings
New fjord quarter by the Opera House, MUNCH, library and floating saunas, two minutes from Oslo S.
Frogner / Majorstuen / Solli plass
local upscale stay
Grand apartment streets, Vigeland Park, independent cafes and serious restaurants, calm at night.
Aker Brygge / Tjuvholmen
waterfront luxury and a splurge weekend
Rebuilt wharf with marina restaurants, Astrup Fearnley Museum and swimming and sauna off Tjuvholmen.
Grünerløkka
nightlife, younger travellers and apartment value
Bars, vintage shops and coffee by Mathallen, with cheaper apartments and fewer full service hotels.
Think twice about
- Grønland / Brugata, east and north-east of Oslo S
Open drug scene concentrates here with pickpocketing. Visit for food in daytime, sleep elsewhere.
- Directly on Karl Johans gate / Jernbanetorget station square
Noisiest, most transient and most tourist priced blocks. Two streets away in Kvadraturen is better.
- Gardermoen / airport corridor and outer suburbs
Airport is about 50km away and costs the walkability that is the point of Oslo, plus daily train fares.
Best restaurants in Oslo
Maaemo
Norway's defining three star tasting menu built entirely on Norwegian organic, biodynamic and wild ingredients.
Kontrast
Two star tasting menu of Norwegian ingredients at seasonal peak, with small farm sourcing explained per dish.
Hot Shop
One star modern Nordic dining in a former shop, served casually with pure flavours and no theatre.
Smalhans
Laid back bistro doing a set menu of modern Norwegian cooking from whatever the market gave that day.
Kolonialen
Lively corner bistro with a short changing menu, Spanish French tilt and a serious wine list.
Fiskeriet Youngstorget
Part fishmonger, part small restaurant for fish soup, fish and chips, cod tongues and snow crab.
Vaaghals
Norwegian ingredients cooked to share in a big warm Barcode room, brilliant for groups without a tasting menu.
Mathallen Oslo
Food hall in a former factory with about 30 stalls, from Vulkanfisk seafood to Hrimnir Ramen.
Best bars in Oslo
Himkok
Working distillery behind an unmarked door, with aquavit made on site and a backyard bar.
Svanen
Bar in a preserved 1890s pharmacy on Karl Johans gate, with drinks as careful as the room.
Eff Eff
Oyster and natural wine bar, a good place to drink and snack well before or after dinner.
Best coffee in Oslo
Tim Wendelboe
A world champion barista's tiny cafe and roastery in Grünerløkka, the reference cup in Oslo.
Supreme Roastworks
The main local rival to Tim Wendelboe in Oslo coffee arguments, in Grunerlokka.
Fuglen
Coffee by day and cocktails by night in vintage furniture that is all for sale, in Sentrum.
Outdoor things to do in Oslo
Sognsvann
Lake at the end of the metro with a flat loop, summer swimming and trailheads into Nordmarka forest.
Vettakollen
Short hike up from Sognsvann, about an hour, for a panorama over the whole city and fjord.
Holmenkollen Ski Jump
Working ski jump with the world's oldest ski museum inside it and Oslo's highest view from the top tower.
Korketrekkeren
Two kilometre municipal toboggan run dropping from Frognerseteren to Midtstuen, ridden again by metro.
Skimore Oslo
City ski resort at Tryvann with 18 slopes and 11 lifts, floodlit evening skiing and full rental.
Hovedøya
Fullest island day with Cistercian monastery ruins from the 1100s, beaches, swimming coves and woodland.
Gressholmen
Wilder island that is a nature reserve, with birdlife and coastal trails a short ferry from Aker Brygge.
Lindøya
Quiet island walk past rows of tiny coloured summer cabins, reached on ordinary Ruter ferries.
Best hotels in Oslo
Clarion Hotel Oslo
Reliable upscale Bjørvika pick next to the Opera House and MUNCH, with a big breakfast and the station two minutes away.
Clarion Hotel The Hub
Oslo's largest hotel in a tower at the station, with huge breakfast, rooftop and practical early train base.
Grand Hotel Oslo
The 1874 grand dame on Karl Johans gate, home of the Nobel Peace Prize laureates each December.
Hotel Continental
Family owned since 1900 opposite the National Theatre, the quieter traditional five star alternative.
Thon Hotel Rosenkrantz
Mid range Sentrum pick repeat visitors swear by, mainly for its award winning breakfast.
Citybox Oslo
Self service budget hotel 250 metres from Oslo S, with small stylish rooms and no minibar by design.
Sommerro
Restored 1930s Art Deco landmark with bathhouse, rooftop pool and several restaurants and bars.
THE THIEF
Design luxury flagship on its own islet, with contemporary art, a serious spa and fjord swimming.
Is Oslo expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | NOK 700 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | NOK 1,500 a person |
| Splurge | NOK 3,200 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- MUNCH: a few days ahead
- Oslo Badstuforening: a few days ahead
- SALT: a few days ahead
- KOK Oslo: a few days ahead
- Oslofjord: a few days ahead
- Oslo Golfklubb: weeks ahead
- Maaemo: months ahead
- Kontrast: months ahead
- Maaemo and Kontrast as far ahead as reservations open, weeks to months for weekends.
- MUNCH timed tickets book days ahead, weeks in summer. Book zipline, sauna cruises and Opera ahead in season.
- Oya Festival week in August and 17 May fill hotels. Book cancellable rooms early for either.
Is Oslo safe?
- Very safe capital, with pickpocketing around Oslo S, Jernbanetorget, crowded trams and Gronland as main risk.
- Open drug scene in Gronland and Brugata belt. A plain no and walking on ends approaches at night.
- Ice from November to March makes pavements and the Opera roof slippery. Emergency numbers 113, 110 and 112.
- Check your government's current travel advice before you go.
Oslo travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Don't plan around the Viking ships: the old Viking Ship Museum is shut until the new Museum of the Viking Age opens, planned for late 2027.
- Aker Brygge marina facing restaurants are the most tourist priced. Eat a street inland instead.
- Karl Johans gate souvenir and traditional restaurant fronts, and hop on hop off buses, are poor value.
Getting around Oslo: public transport and more
- Use the Ruter app for metro, trams, buses and island ferries on one ticket system, with period tickets.
- Centre is flat and walkable. Metro line 1 serves Holmenkollen, Winter Park and Frognerseteren trailheads.
- Vy train and Flytoget both take about 20 minutes from Gardermoen to Oslo S. Flytoget costs more.
Who Oslo suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Oslo your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
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