Table of Contents
Introduction
Welcome to my fourth series: A Day with MBV in Oslo. In this post, I will be having two other travel bloggers join me! Carry on reading to find out more! Here is what a day in Oslo looks like.
Last year, I was asked by Jenna of JennasWorldView if I would like to catch a cheeky flight to Oslo for the day, and of course, I said yes! We were later joined by Liz of Lei. Noire, who also wanted to spend a day in Oslo! Looking back now, I can honestly say that it was a lovely day, filled with lots of laughter, plenty of shade and small girls talk. Read below on more details and find out how we spent a day in Oslo.
I mean, who in their right mind would say no?
Key Things to Know Before Going to Oslo
- Internet: You’ll definitely want internet while exploring the city. I usually use Airalo for an eSIM, which allow you to get mobile data as soon as you land.
- Travel Insurance: I recommend anyone travelling should have travel insurance which you can get via SafetyWing here.
- Payments: Most places in Oslo accept card payments, so you rarely need to carry much cash.
Where is Oslo?
Oslo is the capital of and most populous city in Norway. It was known as Kristiania from 1877 to 1925 when its original Norwegian name was restored. Oslo is now known to be the economic and governmental centre of Norway. Oslo is primarily a city that is a little bit like London in that it’s a city that is meant to be walked. Many of the city’s attractions lie in the central part of the city. To make the most of your day in Oslo I would suggest using the city’s extensive and efficient public transportation system.
Please don’t make the same mistake of travelling on the fast train as we did. And then end up paying more than you need to. I would also advise against using taxis in Oslo. Oslo is known to be very expensive, and you’ll be spending more than you anticipated.
A day in Oslo
We started our one day in Oslo bright and early by catching and meeting Jenna on the train to Victoria station. It was good to catch up before the busy day we hadn’t planned ahead! Jenna had niced me with some tasty snacks, which I was soo grateful for. Me and Jenna were so busy chatting that we almost missed our coach. You can book your train here.
You can easily catch a coach to Stanstead Airport by booking through National Express.
Gunnars Generasjonsbar
We first headed out to get some brunch! We hadn’t really planned what we were going to do. Well, Liz had given us a list of things that we should do a few days before, but we hadn’t agreed on a brunch location.
Lucky for us, Jenna was able to locate Gunnars, and we headed to the restaurant. It took us forever to find this restaurant! We went through back streets and all sorts! When we eventually found the restaurant we were very much impressed with what we ordered.
JWV: I don’t really do travel logistics but when it comes to finding a good spot for brunch you can count on me. Social media is a powerful tool and I managed to find this lovely spot after a few minutes of scrolling on the gram.
Location: Torggata 13, 0181 Oslo, Norway
The Royal Palace
We then headed to the Royal Palace in Oslo. It wasn’t far from where we had brunch, but it had started raining! Can you believe me and Jenna paid 10 pounds for an umbrella?!! Honestly, you should be smart and bring your own umbrella-like Liz did!
Historical Fact: The Royal Palace in Oslo was built in the first half of the 19th century. It was built as the Norwegian residence of the French-born King Charles III John of Norway. Who reigned as king of Norway and Sweden.
Liz: I love learning more about history when travelling. The palace is sitting on top of a hill elegant and modest. I was surprised at how close you could get – unfortunately, we could not go in as it was closed. Oslo is a beautiful, calm place – you can see more on my Oslo vlog coming soon on my YouTube Channel.
Location: Slottsplassen 1, 0010 Oslo, Norway
Frogner Park
Liz then suggested that we should head over to Frogner Park. This park was the most challenging place to find! and I didn’t waste any time to let Liz know about it! I do apologise, Liz. Once we were able to locate the park, I was blown away by how beautiful it was.
Liz: The ladies doubted that this place existed and where ready to head back but to be fair we had been walking for a while and a random lady had directed us down a ‘short cut’. In the end, we found the park just before it got dark! The sculptures are a unique and interesting expressing of ‘human form’ by Gustav Vigeland – definitely check it out if you are in Oslo.
Jenna– Finding Frogner Park was a stressful yet funny experience. Lucky for you I caught the entire thing on video so be sure to Subscribe to my Youtube Channel. A day trip to Oslo blog is also coming soon.
Location: Nobels gate 32, 0268 Oslo, Norway
Oslo Opera House
The last thing we wanted to do was head over to the Oslo Opera House. I had heard how beautiful the sunset was and wanted to see it for myself! Unfortunately, google maps lied to us and we didn’t manage to see the sunset.
A Day Trip to Oslo
So is a day trip to Oslo feasible. Yes. I would say soo. If you are trying to travel on a budget and you are keen to go to spend a day in Oslo I would highly recommend 1 day in Oslo. It’s quite an expensive city to stay in so it is nice to be able to do it in a day and then come back again when you can. Below are some other tips for day trips to know before visiting Oslo:
- Everything closes a little earlier than usual on Saturdays.
- If you don’t want to do day trips then you can check out hotels via Expedia and Booking.com and for tours check out Viator or GetYourGuide.
- Oslo is very expensive so bare this in mind if you want to stay there! You will first want to go for the day as I mentioned and then maybe go back.
- The Norwegian currency is NOK (Norwegian Krone) so you won’t get very far with Euro. However, a credit or debit card is approved almost anywhere so grab your Monzo.
Final Views on a day in Oslo
I think it’s fair to say that we all enjoyed our one day in Oslo and would certainly go back! A few things you might want to make note of if you are going.
Hope you enjoyed our one day in Oslo. I still have Dublin and Bologna to walk you through, so subscribe to the blog so you never miss an update. Want more travel tips? Visit the Travel Resources.
Now over to you would you risk it and do one day in Oslo?
Speak soon,
MBV x
