Global Wanderer

21/1/26 – 23/1/26

It took a rather long time for me to reach Oslo, the capital of Norway – but after a short morning out in Manchester pre-flight, I was good to go. My SAS flight landed at Gardermoen Airport at a touch before 4pm – which, with January’s sunrise and sunset times, meant that it was almost dark!

Once I’d cleared immigration, I headed for the train. There are two types of train you can catch from Gardermoen to the city centre: the Flytoget train; and the VY regional trains. Flytoget, a private operator, offers quick, regular journeys – for twice the price of VY’s trains, which operate the same route, at a slightly slower pace, and a little less frequently. Given Norway is a pretty expensive country anyway, I definitely recommend you take a VY train!

The platform at Oslo lufthavn station

It had been snowing that afternoon in Oslo, and as the train made its way towards the city, the landscape was covered in a beautiful sea of white. It only takes about 25 minutes to reach Oslo Sentralstasjon, located in the heart of the city, and my accommodation for the next few nights – Thon Hotel Astoria – was only a 5 minute walk away. Not a bad thing, given my thermal tops, gloves and beanie were sitting somewhere in the bottom of my bag, and the -9 degrees outside was pretty cold without them!

After re-dressing myself for the weather, I headed off out to do some exploration of the area. I was strongly reminded of Helsinki, another Nordic capital which I visited just over a year earlier – in that it was cold, dark, and very quiet. I learned later that Norwegians tend to eat dinner quite early (we’re talking 5pm!), and given the rather chilly weather, didn’t stay out much!

Karl Johans Gate at night

Karl Johans Gate, a major thoroughfare in Oslo, is bookended by the two major institutions of Norway’s political system: the parliament building, and the Royal Palace. The parliament, known as the Stortinget, is located on the eastern side – and when I actually got to it, was a hive of activity, due to a pro-Kurdish protest which had taken over the space in front!

A protest outside the Storting, and the entrance of the National Theatre

The cost of travel in Norway is an oft-discussed topic amongst visitors, with Norway being considered one of the most expensive places to visit in Europe after Switzerland. There are a variety of reasons for this, including high average salaries and high tax rates, however this is offset for Norwegians by the great number of services provided by the government, including free healthcare, and free university education. Nevertheless, it is absolutely possible to eat (relatively) cheaply in Oslo, if you know where to look.

Grønland, a suburb located just behind the bus station and train station in Oslo, is a focal point for the city’s immigrant community. There are a range of immigrant-run businesses, ranging from Middle Eastern halal butchers to Indian restaurants, and Asian grocers. It is also the best place to find affordable food in Oslo! I made my way through, stopping for a shawarma at a Syrian storefront, and browsing the fresh fruit and vegetables that were being sold outside – it is definitely an interesting place to wander through, given the multicultural vibe here.

Walking through the streets of Grønland at night!

I had begun to freeze internally, but I wasn’t willing to call it a night yet – so I walked back through the city and down to the port. Here, you can get fantastic views of the coastal parts of the city, and is absolutely worth checking out – especially with the city lit up against the night sky. With that done, however, I decided to head back to the accommodation – the cold definitely starts to get to you!

Views of the cityscape from the port at night

I slept like a log (thanks, jetlag) and subsequently gorged myself on the free breakfast. I’d highly recommend staying somewhere in Oslo that comes with breakfast – given that a coffee at a café costs at least $8 – but if you aren’t, there is a cool trick you can use. The TooGoodToGo app, an anti-food-waste initiative (there are a few things like it in other countries!), lets businesses sell produce that would otherwise be thrown out, at steep discounts, as a way of preventing food being discarded. One of the cool things I noticed, is that in Oslo, a number of hotels offer their buffet breakfasts on the app – usually just after they finish serving hotel guests (10am/10:30am). It’s a great way to get fed for under $10!

My first stop of the day was the Oslo Opera House – located right on the water, built of glass, and made to look like an iceberg! The design slopes upward, so that pedestrians can actually walk along the roof of the building – unfortunately, this was fenced off when I was there, due to the snow and ice!

Oslo’s uniquely-designed opera house!

Behind the opera house is the Sørenga district, and the Munch museum, dedicated to famous Norwegian artist, Edvard Munch. The Munch museum contains a number of his artworks, including three preliminary sketches of the famous ‘Scream’ – the final copy however, is located at the National Museum (which I went to see later!).

The Munch Museum, and the nearby sculpture, ‘The Mother’

I then continued back to Karl Johans Gate, walking to the opposite end to see the Royal Palace – home to the Norwegian king and queen. Unlike other head-of-state residences (White House, Buckingham Palace, etc.), you could pretty much walk up to the entrance without issue – obviously there are guards by the front door, and the back entrance into the Queen’s Gardens is fenced off – but I was pleasantly surprised by the accessibility. This seems to be a bit of a thing in Norway, as I found out later at the Fortress!

The Royal Palace – home to Norway’s King and Queen

Despite the cold, it wasn’t snowing, and it wasn’t too windy, so I decided to make the hour’s walk into Frogner, a district to the west of the city centre (home to some of the most expensive real estate in Oslo, apparently!). Frogner Park is where you can find the Vigeland Installation, an area of the park with number of impressive statues, sculptures, and physical art created by famous Norwegian sculptor, Gustav Vigeland. There were some amazing pieces on show, and it was certainly worth the walk from the city centre (you could also take a tram down, but where’s the fun in that).

A collection of statues and sculptures from the impressive Vigeland Installation at Frogner Park

I’d spent the whole morning outside at this point, and was beginning to feel rather cold, so I took the opportunity to walk back into the city centre, and check out the National Museum. This was a fascinating museum, but I’d have to say my favourite part was the art gallery on the second level. There is a room dedication to Edvard Munch, where one can find the iconic ‘Scream’ painting, and the gallery is also home to artworks from Matisse, Van Gogh, Picasso, Monet, amongst others – plus a generous serving of homegrown artistic talent. I found it really worth the visit!

The iconic painting ‘Scream’, by Edvard Munch, plus some other works of art that caught my eye at the National Museum

Next to the museum, you can find the Nobel Peace Centre, where the prize is awarded each year – the fanfare from the last award, however, having been long cleared up!

My last stop of the day was Akershus Fortress, an impressive fortification on the water, over 700 years old. Apparently, the only time it has ever been successfully invaded was during WWII, when the Nazis overran Norway. Interestingly, the fortress is still an active military site – and I came across a number of armed soldiers going about their duties whilst I was there. Despite the sensitive location, most of the fortress is accessible and open to the public, which I thought was pretty impressive – lots of countries won’t even let you within eyesight of a military installation!

Akershus Fortress at dusk

By the time I left the fortress, the sun had well and truly set, and I was starting to get cold and hungry! I decided to head back into Grønland, to Punjab Tandoori, an institution when it comes to cheap eats in Oslo! They serve Indian food, and you can get a vegetable thali for around $20 here, which was great value for money – and just what I needed after a long day!

I’d absolutely recommend a trip through Oslo, if you get the chance. It might not be a nature escape, or a bustling big city, but it’s certainly worth checking out!