If you only have one day in Oslo, perhaps for a stopover (like me), this 24-hour city guide will show you the best of this Scandinavian city and how you can make the most of it.
The city is generally very compact and one day is enough to get a feel for it. you won’t see everything, but one day will allow you to see some of the aspects that make it so special.
Best Time to Visit Oslo
Although Oslo is beautiful to see all year round, it is definitely best to travel during the summer months when you can really enjoy the outdoors.
What is the Oslo Pass?
The Oslo Pass entitles you to free entry to many museums and attractions in the city, as well as discounts on purchases in restaurants and shops and completely free public transport.
Simply download the Oslo Pass app to get all the necessary information and how to activate it.
The cost for 1 adult is 445 NOK (Approx. 40 EUR) for 24 hours, 655 NOK (Approx. 59 EUR) for 48 hours or 820 NOK (Approx. 74 EUR) for 72 hours.
It is an great option if you are interested in more than one museum attraction or if you prefer to travel by transport (which works perfectly well in the city)
Keep in mind that Oslo is a rather small city and you can get around easily on foot or by bicycle.
Oslo Itinerary: what you cannot skip
Oslo opera house
Even if you don’t visit a performance at the opera, it is definitely worth checking out the opera and walking on the roof, perhaps for the sunset.
Oslo City Hall
The City Hall is one of Oslo’s main government buildings. Although it is a government building, it is open to the public. Take a walk inside and you will find the interior walls covered with frescoes created by Henrik Sørensen, Edvard Munch and other famous Norwegian artists.
Vigeland Park
Take a walk in Vigeland Park.The sculpture park is the life’s work of Gustav Vigeland and includes over 200 sculptures in granite, bronze and wrought iron.
Grunerlooka area
This once roughly working-class neighbourhood, but also a haven for artists (Edvard Munch grew up here), is now a great place to explore galleries, restaurants, cafés and vintage shops.
Don’t miss Syverkiosken, not far from the area, one of Oslo’s last hotdog stands. Here you can find sausages prepared in the traditional way,
The Flea Markets on the weekend
The Aker river walk is a very popular (and free) Sunday outing.You can take the walk anywhere along the river, but be sure to visit the Sunday markets in Grünerløkka.
On the other part of the city you can also visit, during Saturday the Vestkanttorvet market filled with locals
Munch Museum and the National Museum
The new Munch Museum is a great place to discover Munch’s art, and you can also visit the sky bar for a view of Oslo and the Opera House.
The National Museum in Oslo, on the other hand, houses one of the most important Norwegian collections in the world and also some of Edvard Munch’s paintings, including the iconic ‘The Scream’ (the earliest known version can be found here and the rest in the Munch Museum).
Oslo Badstuforening
If you have more than 1 day the Oslo floating fjord Sauna it is the perfect experience if you love Sauna and the experience to swim in the fjord to cool down
The saunas and the hot tub can be booked online
Other tips
- To create your itinerary, simply save all the places I mentioned and you like in google maps and create the most efficient way according to your start
- Food is expensive in Oslo, there are different Food Market that you can try for less expensive options (VIppa, Oslo street food, Mathallen Oslo)
- You can download Bysykkel app to explore the city by bike, you can park the bike in one of their 262 stations