Cheap flights. That’s pretty much the main reason I chose Oslo as my first foreign city break in over two years. However in all the excitement of finding flights for just shy of £100 on a May bank holiday, I neglected to do proper research about where exactly those flights were taking me. I knew it was in Norway, that there’s a strong theme of Vikings and that Lilyhammer wasn’t too far (home of the 1994 Olympics and the humorous Netflix series of the same name) I also knew it was pretty snowy and so planned to hit the slopes and put my non-existent skiing skills to the test. Unfortunately this dream was soon dashed by the Oslo Tourist board, who informed me my trip was just a few weeks too late for winter and ski season. Dammit.
I also didn’t realised it was one of the pricier European cities to visit until my joyful announcement of the holiday was met by several sharp intakes of breath and “oh it’s so expensive there, it’s like a million quid for a coffee” comments. Double dammit.
Learning this I then spent some considerable time searching and found a reasonably priced Airbnb in Majorstuen, a great location close to the station and a lengthy but achievable walk to most parts of the city (money saving tip #1) I then discovered I could buy an Oslo pass which would give me free access to the main activities and attractions, including transport for 24 hours (money saving tip #2) all for about £30, before filling my suitcase with snacks and porridge oats to cover me for breakfast (money saving tip #3). I was ready to go.
Although prepared for any snacking eventuality, I was however ill prepared for the downpour that the skies of Oslo unleashed upon me on that first day. I rained and it rained hard. Big fat rain drops, for hours and hours, so consistently that by the time I reached the Royal Palace I was wet through and seriously grumpy. Soaked, I finally managed to find a bar that didn’t remind me of a tourist trap in London’s west end, bought an overpriced pint (around £6.50) and wished I hadn’t bothered with the whole bloody trip, meh. Resigned to my fate and still soaked from earlier I cut my losses and headed back out and towards Oslo Central Station. Luckily the Tourist Centre was joined to the station so I did a quick weather check and purchased my Oslo Pass for the following day.
Next morning, along with the weather I was in a much brighter mood. I ate my oats on the balcony as I listened to my host moan continuously about how expensive Oslo was and the bleak financial future that lay ahead of her. But as I said, I was in a much better mood and had no time for her neggy Nora attitude so hot footed it across the road (literally a 5 minute stroll) to the Vigeland sculpture park.
Both the sculptures and the park were the life work of Gustav Vigeland and he has certainly done a good job, it is a beautiful space to be in. The park is said to attract over a million visitors a year but it felt quiet and peaceful. Other than a group of Japanese tourists who worked hard to find their way into most of my photos, I really felt like I had the park to myself.
For me though, the best part was stumbling across a small waterfall and a path that led me along a river and through the woodland.
I meandered slowly enjoying the view, stopping to read my book and eat my snacks and had several friendly joggers stop to offer me directions. This was pretty helpful as other than knowing it was vaguely in the direction of Bygdoy, where I had planned to spend the afternoon splashing my Oslo pass about, I had no idea where I was going. Walking all the way to the peninsula was a stretch too far even for me, so with a little guidance and my Oslo pass in hand I hopped on a couple of buses and headed towards the museums.
First stop was the Folk museum, which was very cute. Typical Norwegian houses were dotted amongst the woodland, allowing you to walk in and out as you pleased. I even stumbled across two young Norwegian girls who must have travelled forward in time just to bake us some oldy worldy bread and charge 50 Nok for the pleasure of trying it, which I didn’t. But it did look lovely! And was the perfect start to a busy afternoon.
Next I pondered the Kon-Tiki Museum, stared in awe at the beasts in the Viking Ship museum and felt saddened but grateful to just be a tourist at the Holocaust Centre.
On my third and final day I was up early and headed across town to the Munch Museum, excited to see the famous ‘The Scream’, painted by Edvard Munch himself. I either hadn’t read the information leaflet correctly or the information leaflet wasn’t quite up to date (I’m stubbornly claiming the latter) and the painting was annoyingly out of town on loan. But it was a nice gallery to visit and only short walk from the station so worth the trip.
I then headed back towards the port, enjoyed my final homemade sandwiches on a bench in the sun whilst watching the folk of Oslo go about the day. The great thing about the Oslo pass is that it includes free travel across to the Bygdøy Peninsula (check with the boat staff first) so I made the most of it before heading to the airport and hopped on the ferry boat for a final trip on the fjord.
I wish I could tell you about great restaurants, but other than a small slice of pizza and coffee before my homeward flight, I hadn’t eaten out in any restaurants. I’ll be honest, I hadn’t seen any that had made me want to part with a wedge of my cash….some people might call me tight by I prefer the title ‘expert budget traveller’!
