48-hours in… Oslo

Hey, so this is a new kinda idea I wanted to test the water on with everyone. I have done many short trips to various cities in the past year, and I wanted to summarise it under a “48-hours in” caption. Let me know in the comments if you like the idea, or if you’ve been feel free to share your tips on places you visited.

So let’s kick it off with Oslo, Norway…

Getting there

There are many options to explore when getting to Oslo from Gothenburg. Or from any city for that matter. Like most places you’re able to fly, however, this is not great from an environmental point of view, not only because of the air travel but also because you’ll have to travel to and from the airports at both ends.

So let’s explore trains and buses. Trains are great, I love travelling by locomotive, it is an opportunity to see the landscapes without the traffic. Similarly, as I am tall I am able to roam freely around the carriages which are needed on longer trips.

For this trip the cost of such was expensive and there were no direct trains for the times we wanted to go and return.

This sent us down the path of wonderful bus services, something some friends of mine recommended. Only took 3 hours and 30 minutes, this was amazing considering there were a number of stops. Also to note that the buses are really comfortable and if you’re lucky you will have a service with a top deck and wider and more comfortable seats.

What we did:

City break trips are often frantic, you’re arriving on a Friday after work and only have one full day on the Saturday before having to head back again on Sunday. Therefore having a small list of things you want to do is always a good idea. I find it helpful star-ing some key places on google maps to get a rough plan of the city.

You can use the journey to check out the things you’d be interested in doing. Another tip is to chat with your receptionist at your hotel/hostel, or the welcome pack at an Airbnb is always a good place to look.

Now on to what we did, after arriving we got great advice to take a look up Thorvald Mayers gate… this is a really great road and has a road parallel which is full of great restaurants, shops, etc. which feel independent. One thing we noticed mainly was that there was a large number of second-hand and vintage shops… I like this vibe!

On Saturday we took a walk from near the central station to the palace, this is such a beautiful building and even has guards, but unlike Buckingham palace, you can actually walk up to the front door… crazy!

A walk down to Astrup Fearnley Musset, such an interesting place to walk around, the area very much felt like the canary wharf of Oslo. Around the art gallery are these beautiful sculptures along the coastline which just evoke thought and conversation.

The opera house in Olso is a must-visit place both inside and also you can walk onto the rooftop… this is so cool. situated in a beautiful part of the city, near some saunas which offer a floating sauna experience.

Adjacent to this is the Munch gallery, you know the guy who painted the screaming face on a boat…

Anyway, this has a rooftop bar and restaurant so visit that. This brings us nicely to what we ate!

What we ate:

That is right, find some food. After a few moments looking on google maps, we found this Pasta bar located next to a theatre a short walk from our hotel. Insanely quick service, but not the best attitude. Did the job on us tho, as we left happy with what we had eaten.

Leaving here on the hunt for some dessert… yum!

And some dessert we did find, in the form of vegan ice cream… The place was called Cultivate food and they are for sure worth a visit. They offer a load of food, and next time I come I will be having a full meal here… plus more ice cream.

Now a quick sidebar for some drinks…

Ling Ling Oslo, is a really cool place in a harbour with some outdoor seating… it gets taken quickly. They played some great music and had some interesting drinks even bringing a cute hat for my espresso.

Then as mentioned above the Munch gallery, please go to the rooftop, the views are amazing, the vibe is really chill, and you can see some amazing art inside!

Now back to the food!

Check out the Street food restaurant literally called Olso Street Food, it is full of small vendors selling a variety of dishes from around the world, but not only that had the cheapest drinks we found all over.

One thing which is not eating out, but based on the cost of food and drinks in Norway, we made some packed lunches out of our hotel breakfast with fruit and sandwiches. These really hit the spot whilst walking around and even on the bus home…Yessss!

What we would do if we had more time:

Park run - we did intend to do this on Saturday, but both felt a bit under the weather, and as we never actually rest took the chance to spend 2 more hours in bed and hit the day strong later. Next time I am back on a weekend I am doing a park run.

Botanic gardens - located near one of the park run sites is the botanic gardens, I usually always hit up any botanic gardens when I visit a city, as the care and effort that went into curating such a space are worth my time to enjoy.

Nobel Peace Center - Now as the world is going mad with polarising views, this seems like a great place to come and see all the good going on, all that conflict resolution that is happening. I strongly believe this prize is a key part of our society as we look to come out of all global conflicts.

Fjord Tour - You should not visit Norway without doing this, there are many options to choose from, if you google Fjord tour I am sure a handful will pop up. This is something I need to research and update you on, once I’ve done it.

Walking Tour - A staple of most of my trips is a free walking tour as soon as possible. So I will be going on one next time. It is such a great way to learn and take in the history of a city.

Catch a show - This might be difficult as most shows are in Norwegian, I can’t speak it, so not going to try to understand the subtle undertones in the Norwegian theatre. However, the Opera is something I could very well enjoy. So this is something I’d try and pre-book next time.

Let me know your Olso tips and spots. This is very much a work in progress… so as always

to be continued…