I took this trip back in May and never got round to blogging about it. Oslo was such a charming city, sitting right on the Fjords and surrounded by stunning scenery with great eateries, it made for the perfect city break.

The marina and around the waters edge, were personally my favourite areas. With delightful bars and restaurants with that sea air.

I wouldn’t say Oslo was a hustle and bustle sort of place. It seemed relaxed with minimal traffic. Oslo is also full of history with Norwegian maritime museums and plenty of Viking attractions/museums.

Here’s some of my recommendations of where to go and what to do, that would easily fit into a 2 night trip;

Holmenkollen Ski Museum & Tower

Island hopping in the Oslo Fjord

Use the local ferry not the tourist cruise boats. This is far cheaper and is more flexible in regards to times and lets you access more islands.

Check the timetables, as routes vary dependent on the season/time of year. A lot of the islands are only accessible during the spring and summer months.

Ferry lines run from Aker brygge, and the routes take you to several islands from here, Hovedøya > Bleikøya > Gressholmen > Lindøya øst to name a few.

I found this was a great way to explore outside the city itself. We were able to see the city from the Fjords and see some beautiful, tranquil spots on the islands. It was hard to believe these islands were only a 15minute ferry away from a major city.

Floating sauna

Ok, so the coolest (quite literally) experience I had in Oslo was by far the floating Sauna. This was the KOK Oslo saunas that are located opposite the opera house, accessed from the sea wall at Langkaia.

Saunas seem to be all the craze in Nordic countries, boasting about health benefits and basking in history.

This sauna, was a shared experience with 10 strangers, alcohol and food could be brought on board. The sauna was unbelievably efficient and within around 10 minutes you really didn’t think twice about the refreshing dip into the Fjord.

Reasonably priced at £17pp for 2 hours, with the views over the fjord and the opera house it was an unforgettable experience and if you are a local or a tourist I couldn’t recommend this enough.

If you have more friends, they also have options to rent the whole sauna/boat and cruse around rather that staying docked.

A few extra points;

• Oslo is an expensive city, this is representative of all of Norway. So be prepared to spend £10 on a bottle of beer.
• Use the high speed train from the airport, Uber/taxi’s were extortionate, even for the 40 minute journey.
• Be wary when booking your flights. I tried booking flights on the cheap with Ryanair. It stated Manchester to Oslo flights £50 return however this airport was Oslo Torp (TRF) (near Sandefjord) which is 1 and half hour car ride or 2hour train journey. NOT Oslo (OSL) (the main airport Gardermoen). This airport would be fine if you are doing a road trip however not if you are after a quick city break
• Take layers – we went in May and I felt like we went through all the seasons in one day.
• Use the local Scooters/bike rentals; a great way to get around.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Ness x