Oslo on a budget – can it be done?
On my recent visit to Oslo, they bragged that they were no longer the world’s most expensive city. That might be the case, but Oslo is still a
ridiculously overpriced city for anyone not from Oslo. For that matter, Norway is pretty expensive on
the whole. Can you visit this beautiful
city if you’re travelling on a budget?
ACCOMMODATION
Ah, accommodation. This is the real money-spinner. Yes, Oslo is incredibly overpriced if you’re
not earning their wages, and hotel prices are indicative of this. Luckily, Norwegians have cottoned on and are
offering reasonably priced accommodation all over the city. When I visited, I found a fantastic apartment
on AirBnB, and there were plenty more to choose from. If you’ve not yet given AirBnB a go, you can click here for some tips to get started.
Another option – though not one that I
tried – is camping. You can’t camp in
Oslo central obviously, but there are a couple of islands in the fjord that you
can definitely camp on and take the scenic ferry into the city each day. Norway’s camping laws are some of the best in
the world.
FOOD
Food is the next big one! Everybody complains about how expensive it is
to eat in Norway and, for the most part, this is true. Eating out in Norway is super, super pricey
(I never ate out in Oslo but I gawked at the prices), but groceries aren’t too
bad.
Rema1000, Rimi and Kiwi Minipris are three of the
discount/cheaper-style supermarkets, and you’ll find them everywhere. Biscuits, chips and sweets are all on the
expensive side, but staple products are much more reasonable. Stick to the basics and wait to splurge in
another city.
Nutella lovers – rejoice! One of the cheapest food items I found in
Norway was Nutella (well, no-name brand Nutella) and it was the cheapest of the
spreads. Wasa brand rye crackers are
also extremely well-priced, and come in huge packets. They’re much cheaper than bread, so stick to those.
Fruits and vegetables are some of your
cheapest options in Oslo, which made for a refreshing change, as I’d been in
Scotland before I visited Oslo – and living plant-based there is pricey! While Rema, Rimi and Kiwi have decent-priced
fruit, keep an eye out for Middle Eastern grocery stores for some discounted
greens, bananas and tomatoes. I bought
2-3kg of overripe bananas for 10NOK and had smoothies everyday! This is another advantage to booking through
AirBnB – you can usually rely on a real kitchen, so you can cook up a feast at
home and avoid eating out.
The view of Oslo from Holmenkollen
TRANSPORT
The public transport is Norway is the most
expensive I’ve used. There. I said it.
That being said, the public transport is excellent, and you never have
to wait too long for your service. Most
things are in the same vicinity, too, so you can avoid it altogether and just
walk some days. Alternatively, you might
benefit from renting a bike to your destination. There are bike hires everywhere.
As for taxis… forget about it. Taxis in Oslo are exorbitant. As with AirBnB, there are quite a few
Norwegians jumping on the Uber bandwagon, so get acquainted with the taxi app
before you head over.
ATTRACTIONS
Depending on what you’re wanting to see and
do in Oslo, you’ll be paying different prices – that goes without saying. Unlike other cities I’ve visited, the large
museums and galleries aren’t free. Plan
your time accordingly, though, because many museums will give you discounted or
free entry to other museums.
Wandering around Oslo, especially in the
spring and summer, is a joy in itself, and there’s nothing like having a picnic
at the bustling pier. Visiting the Opera
House is definitely worth it, and completely free of cost. Other free attractions include the botanic
gardens and Vigeland Sculpture Park.
If you’ve paid a 24hr public transport
ticket, get on a metro train all the way up to Frogneseteren and take the
walking track back down to Holmenkollen station – it’s only a 30 minute stroll
and gives some amazing views over Oslo.
It also means you can see the crazy Holmenkollbakken! When you’ve got late evening sun, do this
after other attractions have closed for the day.
If I could recommend one paid-for
attraction, it’d be the Vikingship Museum on Bygdøy. The ships here are absolutely unreal, and the
cost of your entry goes directly toward maintaining the amazing artefacts
there. You won’t see anything like it
anywhere else.
Oslo's iconic Opera House
The Botanic Gardens are beautiful and definitely worth a visit!
Well, that’s about it for Oslo! It’s an expensive city, but if you keep an
eye on accommodation and have picnic lunches, it’s easy to stay within your
budget. It’s a beautiful, vibrant city
with amazing streets to walk down and fantastic gardens – which are all free to
visit! There are also some fantastic
cultural sights, which cost a fee, but shouldn’t break the budget if you watch
how you spend the rest of your money.
Have you ever been to Oslo? Do you have any tips for saving a dollar or
two during your stay? Let me know!
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