Oslo rewards a long weekend and punishes a badly planned one, mostly because of cost. It is among the most expensive cities in Europe, and the difference between a good trip and an expensive disappointment is knowing which of the expensive things are worth it.
The fjord is free
This is the single best thing about the city and it costs the price of a public transport ticket. The B-boats from Aker Brygge to the islands of Hovedoya, Lindoya, Gressholmen and Langoyene run on the ordinary Ruter ticket, not a tourist fare.
Hovedoya has 12th century monastery ruins and a beach. Langoyene is the swimming one. In July half of Oslo is out there on the rocks with a disposable barbecue and a carrier bag of shrimp, which is close enough to a national summer pastime that nobody thinks to comment on it.
Museums worth the money
The new Munch museum on the waterfront is a 13-storey tower that the city argued about bitterly and now mostly accepts. It holds an enormous share of Munch’s output, including versions of The Scream, and it takes half a day.
The Fram Museum on Bygdoy contains the actual polar ship, and you walk around inside it. It is the most memorable museum in the city and the one people mention years later. Bygdoy also has the Kon-Tiki and the maritime museums, and the ferry there from City Hall is part of the pleasure.
Vigeland Sculpture Park is free, always open, and holds over 200 sculptures by one man. Go early or late.
The price problem, addressed directly
Alcohol is the main shock. It is taxed heavily, sold in restaurants at prices that startle visitors, and available in shops only through the state Vinmonopolet chain, which closes early and does not open on Sundays.
The standard local solution is to eat at home and go out late. The visitor version is to make lunch the main meal, since the dagens ret lunch deal is a fraction of the evening price for the same kitchen.
Winter
Oslo in December has about six hours of daylight and the city leans into that rather than hiding from it. There is skiing inside the city limits at Holmenkollen, reached on an ordinary metro line with a ticket that costs the same as any other journey, which is a genuinely unusual thing for a European capital to be able to offer. The floating saunas on the harbour run all winter, with a ladder down into the ice.
Practical
- Public transport is one system, one ticket, and it works.
- Card payment is universal. Cash is close to unnecessary.
- Tipping is not expected and rounding up is plenty.
- Everything closes on Sundays except restaurants and museums.
The limits of this page
It is a city guide and carries no offer. This agency works in Athens and Mykonos and nowhere else, has no presence in Norway, and nobody there acts on its behalf. If a Greek trip is on your calendar, see Athens.
