By the time I was able to pull myself away from living my hipster dream life in Grünerløkka, my trip was coming to an end. I was left with two days in Oslo to see some of what the rest of the city has to offer. Thankfully, Oslo is very compact and manageable. Even if a place is “on the other side of town,” chances are, you can reach it in about 15 minutes by public transportation.
Oslo is convenient from the moment you land. From the airport the Flytoget Train goes to Oslo’s central station in 20 minutes for 196 NOK. From there, a good number of Oslo’s main sites are a short walk away. The rest, including Grünerløkka, is a quick tram or bus ride away.
Day 1
On the first day I hit the ground running. Conveniently, the station’s main exit leads right to Oslo Fjord. Of course Norway has to show off with a fjord in the middle of its capital. This buzzing waterfront area has some of the city’s best activities.
Oslo Opera House
The centerpiece of Oslo’s fjord is the opera house. The hyper modern building appears to come right out of the water. The roof is open to the public and they actually encourage people to walk up there to take in some of the city’s best views. Also, somehow, my fear of heights disappeared when I learned there is a café on the roof with delicious baked goods. The slanted marble roof even becomes epic stadium seating for special outdoor events.
Ekbergparken
From the central station I took tram 18/19 to Ekbergparken. This park is often overlooked while tourists head to the more famous Vigeland Park. But, they’re missing out. It’s outside of the city center which, since we’re talking Oslo distances here, is still only 15 minutes by tram.
The park has pieces by several renowned artists like Dali, Rodin, and some other famous people that I’m not cool enough to know about. Instead of displaying them in a stuffy museum, the sculptures are scattered around a beautiful forest with epic views. Following the trails feels like a hike in the Norwegian countryside. Best of all, it’s free!
Ekbergparken has a great on site café called Karlsborg Spiseforretning. This café looks like a mountain cottage on the outside with a sleek Scandinavian designed interior. It’s pretty much like going to visit the cool Scandinavian grandma you wish you had. It also has an epic view of the fjord and Downtown Oslo. Most importantly, its Kanelboller game is strong. This was one of the highlights of my quest to find Norway’s best cinnamon roll. I also tried smørrebrød, a traditional Scandinavian open faced sandwich. They’re mounded with smoked fish or beef and are a great way to fuel up for the hike ahead.
Reading about the park, I knew to expect beautiful art and views, but it still had one surprise in store….BABY GOATS. If one was to get tired of looking at sculptures. (Not me obviously. How dare you?) They might just want to go ahead to the petting zoo. I fed baby goats and got screamed at by sheep, which is pretty much all I’ve ever wanted out of an art exhibit. There is an entrance fee to the petting zoo, but some of those fences in the back are just low enough to reach over and pet a goat without going through the main gate. (Not that I would ever do that).
SALT Sauna
After the long hike, I headed back to down to the city center to see a more relaxing side of Norwegian culture: The Sauna. A short walk from the Opera House is SALT (Always spelled in all caps for drama I guess). SALT is a hub of activity along the fjord. They have food trucks, a cozy bar, rotating art exhibits, and the stars of the show: an awesome collection of saunas. They offer everything from small private sauna rentals to sauna sessions with DJ’s or lectures in the biggest sauna in Europe. I chose the standard entry. It included three hours at Árdna, a good size sauna with glass windows looking out at the fjord.
For the brave, there are a few barrels of FREEZING water to cool off between sauna sets. The locals insisted that I couldn’t say I’d experienced a Norwegian sauna without jumping into the shocking water. I couldn’t muster more than a quick dip. But it definitely cooled me off and let me stretch out the amount of time I could spend in the sauna. Shortly after my first jump in the cold barrels, a summer storm rolled in. The booming thunder and rain pounding on the roof of the sauna made for a pretty magical soundtrack. After the sauna, SALT’s cozy bar was a great place to wait out the rest of the storm.
Day 2
Viking Ship Museum
Day 2 was all about seeing Oslo’s history. The Viking Ship Museum is one of the best places in the world to see Viking history up close. The museum, along with a few others, sits on the Bygdøy Peninsula. It was the farthest I ventured outside of Oslo, yet it is still only a 25 minute bus ride from downtown on Bus #30. In that short time, the view outside goes from busy city to suburban houses to farms and countryside. Right in the middle of cute houses and cows in rolling green fields, is the museum dedicated to some of history’s most fearsome warriors.
Vikingshipshuset as the locals call it, has three “burial ships.” These were seafaring ships that the Vikings built for their famous raids. When a wealthy ship owner died, they were buried with all their belongings inside the ship . The ships were all discovered accidentally by farmers digging in the countryside and they’re in amazing condition. You can still see the delicate carvings even though they were in the ground for over a thousand years. The museum does a great job of presenting the right amount of info to stave off museum fatigue. I felt like I had seen it all in a little more than an hour. The ticket also includes free admission to the nearby Historical Museum.
Downtown Shopping
Leaving the museum, as the bus reached the city, I hopped off in one of Oslo’s best shopping areas. The area around Karl Johan’s Gate is full of stores selling classic Scandinavian design. This is where Norway’s expensive reputation comes in to play, but it was worth it to pick up a few unique things. Kaibosh is famous for its unique sunglasses. There was excellent department store shopping at Paleet, Eger, and Steen and Strøm. Some higher end stores include Filippa K and Samsøe Samsøe.
I didn’t know much about Oslo before I arrived. But after a few days surrounded by great scenery, interesting sites, and friendly locals, it’s become one of my favorite cities in Europe.
Do you have more than two days in Oslo? Check out my guide to Grünerløkka: Oslo’s hipster paradise!
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