Norway is, notoriously, one of the most expensive countries in the world. When I've looked to visit Oslo before, the price of the cheapest hostel would set you back £60 minimum for a bed in a shared dorm, which easily priced me out in my earlier days of travel. For that price I could get a cheap flight to a less expensive country and spend a week in a hostel. It is definitely not a destination for backpackers on a budget, so I knew I had to grab the opportunity when the flights were available and the timings were good.
My flight departed from London Stansted at the reasonable time of 08.20am, meaning arrival in Oslo was a respectable 11.05am. Annoyingly however my free random seat was in the middle of the plane which meant I was one of the last to get out and, in addition, one of the last to get through immigration control which was also painfully slow. It did not help the immigration officer viewed my travel plans with some suspicion. He really could not understand the concept of going on a such a short trip to a place and even spoke to a senior colleague regarding my concerns. Eventually he let me continue on with my trip thankfully.
Oslo's Gardermoen Airport is still a 50km journey to the city centre so it's not a case of a short bus transfer from the airport in other cities (like Vilnius, Lithuania or Prague, Czech Republic for example). This obviously added to the time from landing to arrival in the city centre (and the same on the return journey) but public transport is efficient in Oslo.
There are two main options for getting to central Oslo from the airport. The most advertised and promoted way is the Flytoget express train, which takes 19 minutes and will set you back 252 NOK for a one-way journey (~£18.83). You will see ticket machines for this everywhere on your arrival and big posters advertising this "non-stop express trip" into the city centre. Or you could take the Oslo Public Transport train, run by a company called Vy, for just 129 NOK one-way (~£9.50) which takes just 4 minutes longer and will get you into the centre in 23 minutes. It is by far the better option and unless you have business which can't wait an extra four minutes, then the Vy train is by far the better option for budget-savvy travellers (or any travellers to be honest).
If, however, you are doing a short day trip like me, or even just spending 24/48 hours in Oslo on a quick city break. I believe there is still one superior option which should be considered - and that is the Oslo City Pass. Most major tourist destinations will have something similar which tends to include unlimited public transportation, free entry into a number of museums, and a number of other discounts at selected stores and restaurants, but I find that they are rarely ever worth it. In my opinion, the Oslo City Pass is definitely worth it if only in the city for 24 hours. I paid 550 NOK (~£40.43) for mine, which you can directly download onto your phone as a QR code using the Oslo Pass app for added convenience.
Included in the Oslo Pass app:
- Public transportation on any mode of transport from zones 1-4 (this includes the airport, but not the Flytoget Express train mentioned earlier). A day ticket including these zones would set you back 303 NOK (~£22.24).
- Access to the Bygdøyfergene Ferry, which takes you to the Bygdoy Peninsula, where a number of fantastic museums are located. This is not included in any Oslo Public Transport ticket however and you would have to pay an extra fee - which is 115 NOK for a day/return ticket (~£8.44). Without this ferry, you would have to take a 40 minute bus and metro ride the long way around to the peninsula.
- 31 museums - obviously you cannot visit that many in 24 or 48 hours, but find one that piques your interest and save yourself some money in the process. I visited the Fram Museum, which I'll discuss in a bit, where the normal entry fee would have been 180 NOK (~£13.21).
Just by using those three benefits of the pass, I saved £3, which might not sound like a lot, but it just made everything so much easier as well. I had pre-downloaded the app and activated the pass as soon as I landed. No waiting at ticket machines, no faffing about with paper tickets worrying about losing them, just getting on with the limited time I had.
After arriving at Oslo Sentralstajsion, I jumped on a tram and headed to Aker Brygge, a trendy part of Oslo on the waterfront. In my research beforehand I found a cafe called Supreme Roastworks, which not only had great coffee and customer service, but a Porsche parked inside the shop! A pretty unique spot for a coffee if you ask me.
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| Cortado and pain suisse at Supreme Roastworks |
A cortado and pain suisse was the perfect start to the trip and fuelled me up for my next stop. A short walk from Supreme Roastworks was the Bygdøyfergene Ferry, which departed from Pier 3. Just keep an eye out for 'The Museum Ferry', there are plenty of signs. With my Oslo Pass, it was free and, ten minutes later, I was on the Bygdoy Peninsula right outside a number of fantastic museums. The Viking Ship Museum, located on the peninsula too, is listed by Patricia Schultz in the 1000 Places To See Before You Die. However, unfortunately for me, it is closed until later on this summer I'm told. On the flip side, I visited the Fram Museum, which is a museum about another historical boat, The Fram, which is/was the largest wooden boat in the world and was famous for its various explorations including both the North and South Poles. The museum was excellently laid out and getting the chance to walk through the boat, seeing the history and living conditions was just such a cool experience. While I am not an expert or enthusiast in marine history, the museum felt very much like an ode to the many travellers who came before me, who often times set out on the open ocean facing treacherous conditions, not knowing if they'd ever come back. But they had a vision to explore and discover the world around them, making it possible for people like me to explore the world in my own way decades later. I highly recommend the Fram Museum if you are ever in Oslo.
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| The Fram Museum |
Climbing to all different decks and exploring the small inner-workings of a wooden ship is tiring, so I built up quite the appetite after exploring The Fram for the better part of an hour and a half. I jumped back on the Bygdoy Ferry back to Aker Brygge and headed to my next port of call for a decently priced lunch. With such a short time and limited budget in somewhere as expensive as Oslo, it is important to do your research and find places you want to go to - there are limited budget options and you don't want to waste time researching on the spot. A few stops away on the tram was Oslo Street Food, a huge indoor street food market with a number of different stalls and food options. I opted for Chinese (there's not many budget Norwegian food options in Oslo as most locals tend to like to eat foreign food!), with a huge portion of orange chicken and rice. The meal set me back 195 NOK (£14.33) and a Sprite to drink was 50 NOK (£3.67). For the better part of £18, I couldn't really complain given how much food I was given. I struggled to finish it but it set me up for the latter half of the day really well.
After a brief food coma, it was already 4pm and the day was getting on - there was still a number of things I wanted to see and do - the next of which was the Oslo Cathedral. Unfortunately when I got there I was told it already closed, but there was an opportunity to enter now, if I wanted to see a free organ concert... and by God I said yes! In the world of solo travelling, you are often left to your own devices and as a result, you sometimes get these fantastic opportunities to experience something you never would have otherwise. And this certainly was that - I walked inside and admired the beautiful cathedral. It was simplistic, yet beautiful, probably because it was a Lutheran Church as opposed to traditional Catholic cathedrals with their stain-glassed windows, statues, and whatever else they like to put up to show their wealth. The architecture was magnificent, efficient, much like Norway itself.
When the concert started I was so pleased to have said 'yes' to this opportunity. While the music itself wasn't Norwegian, it was a number of works by German musicians such as Bach through the centuries, it was still really enjoyable! I allowed myself, for the better part of an hour, to let the music overcome me - no phone, no camera, just really enjoying the moment. Who knew organ music could be so entertaining?! At the end of it all, the organ player came out from behind us on the second floor of the cathedral, raising his arm in thanks. Everyone else there were his family, friends, and a few other tourists like me. The applause was raptuous, and deservedly so. I left their with a real sense that I had gotten a truly unique experience. It really was the highlight of my trip.
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| Oslo Cathedral |
I came out of the cathedral and it seemed my little side quest was timely, as it had clearly rained upon exiting. Nevertheless, the brief shower was over and the evening sun was coming back into view. My next stop would be Harald's Vaffels, a waffle shop about a 15-minute walk from the cathedral. It was highly recommended online and is seemingly quite famous in Oslo, although I was the only customer when I was there. While waffles are not generally specific to Norway, I opted for the 'Superclassic' waffle - with brown cheese (a Norwegian delicacy), sour cream, and jam. Boy oh boy was it good - the brown cheese was the real selling point and while it may not sound particularly delicious, it definitely was. In the warmth of the waffle it melted in your mouth to add almost a subtle caramel flavour to really bring everything together. To top it all off, the server had made an extra waffle by accident or in the process, and she offered it to me plain for free, which was a nice gesture too!
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| The Superclassic waffle from Harald's Vaffel - strawberry jam, Norwegian brown cheese, and sour cream! |
Filled up with good vibes, a waffle, and my yearning for adventure filled - I made my way to what would be some of my last stops of the trip. I hopped on a tram to the other side of the city and walked to the top of the Oslo Opera House for fantastic views in all directions of the archipelago that makes up Oslo. Definitely worth visiting while in Oslo.
I wound out the day with a soft drink in the corner of a chill bar where I journaled my thoughts and reflections. The trip had been a success and brought back memories of previous solo adventures. The yearning and quest for a solo trip full of (relative) spontaneity and new experiences really did happen, even with my rough plan. It just goes to show that sometimes you've just got to say 'yes' to something you really did not expect or seek out for - for you to have a truly great travel experience.
