Guide: Weekend Trip to Oslo

Oslo Opera House

I’ve always fancied a trip to Norway despite all the warnings of things costing too much or how cold it gets. So when some cheap flights came up with Norwegian Air for a weekend in Oslo in March 2018, I booked up straight away. The country would take me ever closer to the 30 countries under the age of 30 with this being my 29th country.

Do you know how cold it gets in Oslo in March? I didn’t when I booked the trip… Now I’m Scottish so I’m used to 11 months of being cold. This was next level cold though. -15 in Spring! Even at 10am it was still around -10! On the weekend I travelled it reached a high of 0. A high of 0. High. 0.

Norwegian Air Experience

I thought I’d start off by going in to what I thought of the airline because I know they’re growing fairly significantly and you might’ve seen some of their unbelievable deals to various locations in the United States and even Argentina. I was a bit sceptical about them and how they can offer flights so cheaply. As a budget airline, they boast of their many awards within their magazine and it’s easy to see why they got them. Compared to Ryanair, it was so much better. The leg room on the flight was fairly limited and I don’t think I could sit in that plane for long haul. However, the whole experience was extremely good.

Oslo City Centre

Take a wander through the lovely city centre

You pay for your seat and anything else you’ll have to pay extra for

If you’re aware of that beforehand then you know what to expect. I’d definitely recommend them and I’ll be checking out some of their other deals.

Getting to Oslo City Centre from Oslo Gardermoen Airport

There are a few different options to consider here: NSB regional trains, Flytoget Airport Express train, bus or a taxi. The NSB regional trains take around 25 minutes from the airport and a single costs a total of NOK 101 (£9 / €11 / $13). This is the route I went down and it was easy enough. The Flytoget Express train takes around 20 minutes and a single costs NOK 190 (£17 / €20 / $25). A taxi takes 40 minutes and costs around NOK 610 (£56 / €64 / $79) before 5 pm and NOK 720 (£66 / €75 / $93) after. My recommendation would be the NSB regional trains, there are a few trains you can get so you can quickly get a train to the Oslo S train station.

Getting Around the City of Oslo

We stayed on Kongens gate within Oslo and had no issues at all with transportation. The city itself is fairly confined and you can get around on foot quite easily. We didn’t have to get any other form of public transport at all on our weekend in Oslo. Some tourist landmarks are quite far out of the city but we made use of the Hop On Hop Off bus. There are many other forms of public transport if you don’t want to walk the distance to places like the Viking Museum.

Oslo Boat Tour Picture

Beautiful scenery from the Boat Tour

Fjord Sightseeing Boat Tour

My favourite aspect of my trip was the two hour Fjord Boat Tour. I would be mindful of the temperature if you’re going on this. We were prepared and I had multiple layers, gloves and a hat. I was still a little cold! The boat tour is fantastic though. They operate different timetables based on the time of the year with three running daily in winter and six running in summer. The cost for the tour is NOK 315 (£29 / €33 / $40).

The boat passes a number of different islands around Oslo, various inlets and also the Oslo Opera House. You can get some really cool pictures from the boat. A great way to spend some time on a weekend in Oslo.

Oslo Viking Museum

Oslo has sooo many museums. One that you can’t miss is the Viking Museum. The Museum is based 3 miles from the city centre. The cost is NOK 100 (£9 / €10 / $13). The good thing about this ticket is it also includes access to the Historic Museum. The visit to the Historic Museum must be used within the next 48 hours. The ticket would normally cost NOK 100 (£9 / €10 / $13) on its own.

The Viking Museum boasts three of the best preserved Viking ships in the world – the most famous being the Oseberg Ship. The ships were discovered in the 20th century and date back to c1000 AD. They were burial ships with the museum giving lots of information alongside other items contained within the ships. This is a must visit!

Viking Museum

Take a trip to the amazing Viking Museum

General Prices in Oslo

You’ve probably heard that Oslo, and Scandinavia in general, is very expensive. Well, you hear correctly! We went to a fairly average restaurant and had two courses each with a drink each and it cost just over NOK 600 (£54 / €62 / $77). An alcoholic drink is around NOK 100 (£9 / €10 / $13) each so make sure you bring your credit cards for a weekend in Oslo!

I used my Revolut card in Norway, check out my review here.

Guide: Weekend Trip to Oslo

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17 Comments

  1. May 12, 2018 / 10:19 pm

    Hi David, I am glad you liked Oslo, despite of the cold! I can relate to this as I used to live in Norway for a year ( warmer part though, in Stavanger ) and have been a few times to Oslo. Good job on all your tips and information, especially how to get from the airport , as if you don’t know your options taxis will ruin you! I agree about Viking Museum- it’s really awesome and worth it. Norway it’s an expensive Country, but now at least we can fly there cheaper with Norwegian Air. I see they are going stronger, more affordable and provide good standard with nice planes ( Ryanair can not even compare )! Safe travels!

  2. umiko
    May 13, 2018 / 5:26 am

    Oslo is beautiful. Now, how to fit the city in a budget. That’s the next thing to think.

  3. May 13, 2018 / 8:24 am

    I have beautiful memories of Norway, I was there in August and I did not suffer the cold you found but I saw landscapes that I was impressed in the soul

  4. May 13, 2018 / 7:12 pm

    This is a great read. I wasn’t even aware this place existed so I’m happy you wrote about it. I see that it is very expensive though.. I think another good post would be how to see Oslo on a budget! I would love to see that!

  5. May 13, 2018 / 8:59 pm

    Pleased you liked your weekend trip to Oslo. I spent four days there a few years ago and one of the highlights was the viking ship museum! Glad you enjoyed it and managed to squeeze a visit in.

  6. May 13, 2018 / 9:11 pm

    Oslo had a great impact on me, I started my blog after returning home from Norway. I wish I went on that boat trip too, sounds very cool.

  7. May 13, 2018 / 9:43 pm

    I loved my trip to Oslo! The Viking Museum was one of the best sites for sure! Thanks for sharing your experience!

  8. May 13, 2018 / 10:25 pm

    I’m planning to visit Oslo in next month. Weekend is enough to see everything?

    • David
      Author
      May 14, 2018 / 1:34 pm

      I would say so! You could see the main highlights in Oslo easily within a weekend. If you have more time then I’d try and visit the west coast too

  9. May 13, 2018 / 11:19 pm

    Looks gorgeous. We only ever made it to Finland and just didn’t have the time to make our way to Norway although its high on our list! We don’t get weather like that in Australia so we do love it when we travel. Brings a whole new perspective of cold! The fjords is something I really want to see. No doubt it was beautiful.

  10. May 14, 2018 / 1:06 am

    Oslo, Norway looks amazing. I have read a few posts in Oslo – and by far this is the best. You have included everything we need to know to plan the trip and have a great time
    Thanks for sharing this

  11. May 14, 2018 / 4:31 am

    I was in Norway once when I was a child and I don’t remember much but I do remember the Fjord Boat Tour. Apart from the fact it was very cold, it was so beautiful! No wonder it was your favorite part, I still remember it after 30 years 🙂

  12. August 1, 2018 / 4:16 pm

    Ooh. That sounds really cold. Not sure I’d enjoy it as much at that time of year!

  13. August 1, 2018 / 5:15 pm

    I figured Oslo would be pretty cold, seeing how it’s so far north…but it’s still a shock sometimes! 🙂 Taking a boat tour of the fjords sounds like a dream! I do love history, so the Viking Museum would be right up my alley. Oh, how I wish I lived close to Oslo!

  14. VM MV
    October 25, 2018 / 7:32 pm

    I was in Oslo with my friend in September for 5 days, weather was great at that time, but whole trip costed only about 500€! We stayed at Airbnb close to city center, it’s the best option (202$ for one person), booked plane tickets 3 months earlier, so they were 175$ (from Serbia these are very expensive! It can get up to even 800€ in the middle of season so we had to take care of it..) And we spent there about 150€ mainly on train tickets (because we went in Drammen for a daytrip as well) and food (I have to eat gluten-free food so it costs even more). We didn’t have time for shopping, and prices are not so low, but you can find some good affordable stuff in Storo shopping mall (we just ran through it ). Main recommendation is not to eat in restaurants or caffes, if you stay in Airbnb, you are going to have kitchen, and in Rema 1000 shop food can be found for average prices; Also Mc Donalds is not that expensive – especially if you find it as a rare opportunity to eat glutenfree hamburgers! We went everywhere by feet or eventually by metro, but didn’t have enough time to go to museums or boat. 🙁 I also highly recommend walking around Grunerløkka quartie, and Damstredet street if you come in spring or autumn! 🙂 And modern architecture of Barcode, Akker Brygge and Opera house is just outstanding! So, you can have a great time there, see lot of things and amenities, and still not spend a little fortune on it!

    • David
      Author
      October 26, 2018 / 12:24 pm

      Excellent advice on how to visit Oslo on a budget! I think there is a fear from a lot of people that Oslo can be extremely expensive. It can be but you can also do it cheaper too like most places. Airbnb is a great way to go because it’s usually much cheaper than hotels, especially here. I also found it’s quite easy to walk mostly too and not having to spend too much on buses (other than the sightseeing one I did!). The architecture is brilliant as well. Glad you seemed to enjoy it and got it cheap from Serbia!