What to see in Oslo: Milan Bez Mapy’s tips for a summer visit

I’d say Oslo is worth it above all in summer. That’s when it’s green and compact, and people swim right in the centre. The highlights for me were the Opera House, the MUNCH museum, a boat trip to the island of Hovedøya and Vigeland Park. In winter, though, the city left me fairly cold, so if you’re undecided, go in summer.

Quick factsby Milan Bez Mapy

How many days

Two days is just right. It’s at its best in late June and early July; in winter Oslo left me cold

Airport to the centre

The regular Vy train at NOK 124 to 129 is only a few minutes slower than Flytoget at NOK 276

Getting around

A 24-hour Ruter ticket for zone 1 at about NOK 137 also covers the ferries to the islands

Where I stayed

With my mum at Hotell Bondeheimen in the centre, about €200 a night with an excellent breakfast; the air conditioning didn’t work

Hovedøya island

My top recommendation, and the ferry is included in your ticket; allow an hour or two, ideally in the morning

Lille Herbern

A restaurant on a tiny island off Bygdøy; they open at 2pm and take no reservations, so be at the boat on time

What to see in Oslo? I’d been here once before, in winter, and I have to admit it didn’t really grab me. Grey, cold and keeping to itself. Then I came back in summer, and it was a completely different city.

Green, compact and full of people swimming right in the centre. If you’re in two minds about Oslo, go in summer. And if the awkward journey has been putting you off, here’s the good news: you can now fly to Oslo direct from Bratislava with Wizz Air.

Direct flights to Oslo from Bratislava Airport with Wizz Air

Wizz Air has launched a Bratislava to Oslo route and flies it three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The flight takes about two and a half hours, and the departure times are handy, ideal for a long weekend. If you book well in advance, a return ticket comes to about €60 on average, which is an exceptional fare for Scandinavia.

• Tip from Milan The flights land at the main airport, Gardermoen, not at a distant secondary airport, as is so often the case with low-cost airlines. That makes getting into the city much easier. I flew in late June and early July, and it’s a time of year I can recommend wholeheartedly: the days are at their longest and the city lives outdoors.

Tip from Milan I’d recommend booking your accommodation as early as you can, because rooms in a good location at a fair price go first. Here you’ll find accommodation offers in the area valid today.

The route has one more advantage you’ll appreciate if you’re planning more than just Oslo: Gardermoen is the gateway to the whole of Scandinavia. From Oslo you can fly on further north, to Tromsø, for example, for the northern lights or the fjords. You wouldn’t find those prices flying from Slovakia with a change at another airport.

How to get from Oslo Airport to the city centre

The first test comes as soon as you land. Flytoget, the airport express train, shouts at you from every side of the arrivals hall. It looks tempting, but don’t fall for it. A single ticket costs NOK 276 (about €26). A regular regional train run by Vy takes you to Oslo Central Station (Oslo S) for about NOK 124 to 129, less than half the price. And the time difference? Flytoget takes 19 minutes, the regular train 23 to 25. You pay more than double to save five minutes.

Vy trains leave the airport roughly every 20 minutes. You can buy a ticket from a machine in the arrivals hall or in the Vy app. Just watch out when you board: Flytoget trains can stop at the same platform, and a ticket for the regular train isn’t valid on them.

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Getting around Oslo

Oslo is a city where you don’t need a car, and I say that as someone who doesn’t own a car on principle. You can walk everywhere in the centre, and one ticket covers everything else.

Buy a 24-hour Ruter ticket for zone 1 (it costs about NOK 137, roughly €13). It gives you unlimited travel by tram, metro and bus. And, most valuable of all for visitors, it covers almost all the ferries to the islands in the Oslofjord too. Yes, an island boat trip comes with your public transport ticket. The easiest way to buy it is in the Ruter app, and the 24 hours only start when you activate it. It’s worth it from just three journeys a day.

Where to stay in Oslo: Hotell Bondeheimen

My mum and I stayed at Hotell Bondeheimen, right in the centre. It’s close to the pedestrian shopping street and about ten minutes’ walk from the main sights. The room came to about €200 a night. That sounds like a lot by Slovak standards, but in Oslo it’s the going rate for a central hotel. You simply won’t find decent accommodation here for less.

For that money you get excellent value for the location and one of the better breakfasts I’ve had in hotels of this class. My only complaint: during our stay the air conditioning wasn’t working, and in a hot summer week we really felt it. Even so, I’d stay there again.

You’ll find tours of Oslo and trips out of the city here:

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Things to do in Oslo: Milan Bez Mapy’s picks

Oslo Opera House, MUNCH and a swim in the city centre

The best introduction to Oslo is a walk around the new waterfront district. Start at the Opera House, the famous white building whose roof anyone can walk up, all the way to the top. The view over the city and the fjord is free, and at sunset it’s one of the best moments of the whole trip. In the water in front of the Opera House, look out for She Lies, a floating glass sculpture. It looks like a broken-off iceberg and turns with the tide and the wind.

Right next door is MUNCH, the museum devoted to Norway’s most famous painter, Edvard Munch. For coffee, I’d recommend Talormade, then carry on along the water and over the footbridge towards Sørenga. All along the promenade at Sørenga Sjøbad, locals swim right in the fjord. In summer it’s one big city lido with superb views. Swimming in clean water in the middle of a capital is an experience we simply don’t have in Central Europe.

For dinner, I’d recommend Engebret Café, Oslo’s oldest restaurant, in business since 1857. I had reindeer steak and crab soup, and my mum had an Aperol with a view of the square. It isn’t cheap, but if you want to treat yourself to one proper dinner in Norway, make it this one.

A boat trip to Hovedøya island

This is my top recommendation in the whole of Oslo. From the pier in the centre, a ferry takes you to the island of Hovedøya in a few minutes. It runs roughly every 20 minutes and is included in the 24-hour ticket. And suddenly you’re in another world: the island is basically one big forest, there isn’t a single car and everything is peaceful.

Walk to the ruins of a 12th-century Cistercian monastery that burned down in 1532. Its stone walls are still standing, and right next to them is a pleasant café. From there, carry on to the edge of the island and its historic cannons, which once defended Oslo.

The island has beaches too, but honestly they didn’t impress me; if you want to swim, Sørenga is the better bet. Allow an hour or two for Hovedøya, ideally in the morning. It’s exactly the kind of place that shows you why Norwegians love their city so much.

The Fram Museum and lunch on Lille Herbern island

From the centre, head over to the Bygdøy peninsula, Oslo’s museum district. The main draw is the Fram Museum, built around the actual polar ship Fram, which sailed on expeditions to Greenland and Antarctica. After my recent trip to Greenland, standing on its deck was a particularly powerful moment for me. No other wooden vessel in history went further north or further south.

Next door is the Kon-Tiki Museum, devoted to Thor Heyerdahl’s legendary raft voyage across the Pacific. I’d recommend watching the film they screen there, which won an Oscar.

Lille Herbern, a restaurant on a tiny island

Not far from the Fram Museum is the Lille Herbern restaurant, on a tiny island you can only reach by motorboat, which leaves from here. The crossing is simply added to your restaurant bill.

They open at 2pm (they spend the mornings fishing) and don’t take reservations. So I’d be at the boat’s pick-up point at two. Your reward is excellent seafood and an atmosphere you won’t find anywhere else in Oslo: apart from the restaurant, there’s nothing at all on the island.

Vigeland Park, Grünerløkka and the Botanical Garden in Oslo, Norway’s capital

• Vigeland Park is Oslo’s best-known park, and entry is free. More than 200 sculptures by Gustav Vigeland capture human life in all its stages, from birth to old age. It sounds simple, but in person it’s surprisingly powerful.
• Grünerløkka is a neighbourhood that tourism has barely touched. This is where locals meet, and it’s all greenery, cafés and everyday local life. If you want to see how Oslo really lives, come here in the early evening.
• The Botanical Garden by the Tøyen district is a pleasant green stop. One honest word of warning: if you walk there from the centre, you’ll probably pass through the Grønland district. Personally, I didn’t take to this part of the city and didn’t feel comfortable there.

Is Oslo worth a visit on the direct Wizz Air flight from Bratislava?

To sum up, you can fly direct to Oslo from Bratislava with Wizz Air three times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays). The flight takes about two and a half hours. Book ahead and a return can cost as little as €60.

From the airport, I’d take the regular Vy train for about NOK 124 to 129 rather than the pricier Flytoget express at NOK 276. The journey only takes about five minutes longer, and you save more than half the fare. For getting around the city, it’s worth buying a 24-hour Ruter ticket for zone 1 (about NOK 137). It also covers the ferries to the nearby islands.

For a hotel in the centre, Hotell Bondeheimen is a good choice: about €200 a night, with an excellent breakfast included. Oslo is at its best in late June and early July, when the days are longest and life moves out into the streets. Don’t miss sunset on the Opera House roof, Hovedøya island, the Fram Museum or lunch at Lille Herbern around 2pm. Two days or a long weekend is enough to get to know the city.

Oslo is a beautiful, green and compact city that you can easily explore without a car: on foot, by tram and by boat. In summer it’s one of the most pleasant capitals in Europe; in winter I’d rank it lower. Two days is just right, and if you have time to spare, use the route as a springboard further into Scandinavia: from Gardermoen there are flights to Tromsø, for example, and to other places that would otherwise be expensive and complicated to reach from Slovakia. What to see in Oslo? Nature.

This article was written in collaboration with Bratislava Airport.

You might also like my article Tips on packing for a trip around Norway.

Happy travels!
Milan Bez Mapy