streetwise

streetwise 

your budgetguide to Oslo 2007/2008 

Tourist information and cheap 

accommodation. Get help at Møllergata 3

Norwegians are shy! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From left. Standing: Harald, Wainaina and 

Siri. Sitting: Alv, Mia and Ellen. Laying: Eli. 

Not present: Else-Marie and Celine.

table of contents 

Note: Each museum, pub or food store we’ve mentioned 

in Streetwise has coordinates that correlates to the 

maps you’ll find in the back of our guide. We hope this 

will make Streetwise even easier to use. 

architecture, city planning, history 

museums, Oslo by tram, day-tripper, 

Oslo in one hour 

do it yourself, dirt cheap, vegetarian, 

Norwegian cuisine, gourmet 

partytime! also for those under 20... 

where to shop, second hand, records, 

books, comics, souvenirs 

bar/café, festival, magazine, organisations 

when nature calls, winter sports, city 

sports, parklife, fjords, lakes and rivers, 

affordable accommodation, 

private accommodation, student flats, camping 

all practical information, getting around in Oslo, 

facts about Norway, leaving Oslo 

4 Oslo in a nutshell 

11 sightseeing 

19 Food 

25 nightlife 

39 shopping 

51 Queer Section 

53 activities 

65 sleep 

71 practical 

78 So you wanna stay for good? 

80 maps

4Oslo in a nutshell 

Oslo is a small capital city. Most tourist 

attractions are within walking distance. 

There are several unique areas to be 

discovered. We give you: 

- Oslo in a nutshell. 

Downtown 

The main street in Oslo is Karl Johans 

gate. Karl Johans gate is kind of like a 

Scandinavian La Rambla. The downtown 

area is much more than Karl Johans gate. 

For instance the charming Basarhallene 

by Youngstorget, with small cafés and 

gourmet grocery shops. Youngstorget 

is an old market place where you’ll find 

everything except Norwegian souvenirs! 

We recommend a walk in Kvadraturen 

for an impression of 18th century Oslo. 

Here are lots of galleries, for instance 

the Museum of Contemporary Art and 

the House of Photography. Close by is 

Akershus Fortress, dating from 1299. 

These lovely surroundings also have 

a fantastic view of the harbour and the 

City Hall. Other interesting sights are the 

University of Oslo, the National Theatre, 

the Parliament, Oslo Cathedral, the Nobel 

Peace Center and the Royal Palace. 

Aker Brygge 

In the 80s, this former shipyard by the City 

Hall was renovated. Fancy apartments, 

restaurants, bars and pubs shot up like 

mushrooms after rain. Unnecessary to 

say: this place is expensive. If you’re 

looking forward to cooling down on a 

hot summer’s day, Aker Brygge has the 

largest number of outdoor seats in Norway. 

Norwegians on vacation in Oslo have a 

tendency to end up here. 

Grünerløkka 

Grünerløkka is somewhat the Greenwich 

Village of Oslo. 100 years ago this was 

a working class area. Today the working 

class is replaced by people who hardly 

know anything about manual labour. 

Artists, lawyers, students and stock 

brokers have all fallen in love with this area. 

“Løkka” is charming, with renovated 

houses as well as green areas, small 

shops and cafés. Grünerløkka is a small 

town in itself and offers a wide range of 

services from post, banking and library, to 

fashion, dining, and theatrical events. 

Grønland/Tøyen 

Tired of pale Norwegians? Then visit 

Grønland. This immigrant area is packed 

with small restaurants, jewellers, fabric 

shops and vegetable markets. Changes 

are happening here as it did in Grünerløkka, 

and so in a few years this area will probably 

lose some of the qualities that made 

it unique in the first place. Pity. A handful 

of beautiful mosques have been erected

Oslo in a nutshell 

5 

in Grønland during the last decade. They 

are all well worth a visit. 

Follow Grønlandsleiret, pass the 

Police Station and the prison, and you’ll 

end up in Gamlebyen. 

Gamlebyen 

Situated in the eastern part of the city 

centre, this is where medieval Oslo 

lay. In Sørenga Medieval Park there are 

ruins of The Church of Mary and the 

King’s Royal Palace, among others. The 

park with the pond is perfect for picnics. 

Kampen/ Vålerenga 

Just like Grünerløkka and Vålerenga, 

Kampen used to be a typical working 

class area, only worse off. Class differences 

aren’t as big now as then but this 

area has remained 100% working class. 

It is a charming neighbourhood with 

wooden houses. The working class spirit 

is still intact. 

Bislett/St. Hanshaugen 

This is where up-town and down-town 

meets. This is a nice area with nice 

people, nice cafés and nice shops. It is 

neither this nor that, neither expensive 

nor cheap, neither exiting nor boring, just 

really nice. The park has a great view and 

it is definitely worth checking out, especially 

at evenings! 

Majorstua and Frogner 

Looking to spend all your money in two 

hours? This is the area for shopping in 

fashionable boutiques and paying way too 

much for your lunch. The main shopping 

street is Bogstadveien. There is also 

a large flea market every Saturday at 

Amaldus Nielsen plass (Vestkanttorget) 

where you may invest in some Norwegian 

antiques. 

Ekeberg 

The most spectacular thing about Ekeberg 

is the view. Edvard Munch got inspiration 

for his famous painting The Scream while 

walking in Ekebergåsen. You might recognize 

the background in The Scream as 

the view of Oslo as seen from Ekeberg. 

In addition, the world’s biggest football 

tournament, Norway Cup, is held here. 

Enjoy the view from the newly refurnished 

Ekebergrestauranten. 

The islands 

There are over 40 islands in the Oslo 

Fjord. Take the ferry from Vippetangen, it 

stops at the six biggest islands. Get off at 

the island of your choice, or just stay on 

the boat for a nice round-trip. Read more 

about the islands in the Activities section. 

Bygdøy 

In Bygdøy you have the opportunity to visit 

six museums in one day without having 

to travel great distances. When you are 

tired of walking around in museums, you 

can take a swim at Paradisbukta or Huk, 

or just take a stroll around the area and 

observe the rich who lives here. 

Nordmarka 

Nordmarka is the name of one of the forests 

surrounding Oslo. It is an ideal place for 

watching Norwegians doing their thing: 

walking in the woods. It can be a pleasant 

experience and the paths are signposted. 

Read more in the Activities section.


St. Hallvard – the patron saint of Oslo 

On Oslos’ coat-of-arms, there is an image 

of a man holding a millstone and three 

arrows. This is St. Hallvard, the patron 

saint of Oslo. Legend has it that young 

Hallvard Vebjørnson (1020-1043) on 

May 5th 1043, was about to cross the 

Drammenfjord in a boat. Suddenly a 

woman ran up to him, begging his help; 

she claimed she was falsely accused of 

theft and feared for her life. Hallvard took 

her aboard, but the pursuers reached 

them before he could push off. They 

demanded he give her up, but he refused, 

saying the woman swore she was 

innocent. One of the pursuers shot and 

killed both Hallvard and the woman with 

a bow. The mob attached a millstone to 

Hallvard’s body 

and threw it into 

the sea; even 

so his corpse 

floated, and was 

later enshrined at 

Christ Church in Oslo, 

Norway. St. Hallvard was 

revered as a martyr because he died in 

defence of innocence, in the best spirit 

of chivalry. 

His remains were first buried in Lier, 

but because of the cult that grew, they 

were later moved to the more central 

St. Hallvard Cathedral. The ruins can still 

be seen in the Old Town, see J7 on the 

map in the back. 

What = Oslo? 

Other tourist guides 

avoid this topic, but 

we won’t. You have 

probably seen them 

already, by the Central 

Station and the lower 

part of Karl Johans gate. 

There are a lot of junkies in Oslo, a situation 

that has been picked up by international 

media. Naturally, the city and 

the tourist industry are not pleased with 

this situation; it looks bad when visitors 

arrive. 

People in Oslo are not more into 

injecting heroin than people elsewhere. 

It’s just that Norway is a small country, 

and Oslo is its’ only major city. That’s why 

people from all over Norway, with a liking 

for hard drugs, have a tendency to end up 

in Oslo. The rules of supply and demand 

are in full effect on the illegal drug market, 

as everywhere else. 

=Oslo is a magazine about the lives 

of people that are going through a hard 

time, being homeless, addicted or on 

welfare. =Oslo is a magazine about Oslo, 

and each issue focuses on different 

aspects of the Norwegian capital. It values 

aesthetics using beautiful photographs 

and glossy paper. 

=Oslo is sold on the streets, on the 

metro and everywhere where there is 

people. =Oslo gives many people an 

alternative to begging. Half of what you 

pay for an issue goes directly to the seller. 

If you are buying only one souvenir in 

Oslo, forget about trolls, buy =Oslo. This 

magazine really makes a difference.


7 

Architecture in Oslo 

Most of the buildings you see when 

walking in downtown Oslo are from the 

second half of the 19th century. Oslo experienced 

a rapid growth and quadrupled 

in size from 1850 to 1900. Then in 1899 

the bubble burst. This, combined with the 

First World War, created a situation where 

almost nothing was built until the early 

20s. There is hardly any Art Nouveau 

architecture in Oslo at all, but in Trondheim 

and especially Ålesund it flourishes. 

Oslo has just recently begun to 

acknowledge its large mass of functionalistic 

architecture deriving from the late 

1920s onwards to the Second World War. 

You find examples of this period all over 

the city, from the Ekeberg Restaurant 

to the high-rising Folketeaterbygningen 

at Youngstorget and the industrialized 

blocks at Carl Berner. In Scandinavia 

Oslo is only rivalled by Helsinki when it 

comes to widespread functionalism. 

Cleanliness in style became the pivotal 

point for architecture in Norway in the 

twenties. At Sandaker the Neo-Classical 

blends with the modernistic, paradoxically, 

one might say, since the first has Classical 

Antiquity as source of inspiration and the 

latter wishes to break radically all bonds 

to history. Still, they look quite the same. 

The French architect Le Corbusier, 

inspired by Italian Futurists, had visions 

of a totally new city, where traditional 

street patterns were dissolved into a new 

order. These ideas, filtered through the 

post-Second World War social-democratic 

era, resulted in the massive growth of 

blocks of flats in the outskirts of town. The 

ideas were the same as before the war: 

sanitary housing conditions for those less 

privileged, with lots of light and air, unlike 

the inner city slum areas. 

The farmland of Groruddalen was chosen 

as a perfect site for the city expansion. 

Especially the gigantic block architecture 

in the late 60s and early 70s has 

been heavily criticised for its sheer brutality 

and monstrous size. Few seemed to mind 

when they were built, simply because 

of the social agenda they represented. 

Though shortly afterwards the criticism 

began: these buildings weren’t “social” 

at all; they didn’t spawn environments 

for people to thrive in. This situation has 

changed for the better, but still some 

places in Groruddalen have a bad ring 

to them. 

Still, you find little “villages” hidden 

away here and there in Oslo, where the 

old working class wooden houses have 

been preserved. Areas like Rodeløkka, 

Vålerenga and Kampen have this homely 

neighbourhood feeling intact, in the midst 

of Norway’s largest city.


Foto: Vianova


9 

The New City 

When you arrive at Oslo Central Station it is hard not 

to notice the construction on the seaside. The Fjord 

City is an enlargement of Oslo, into the fjord. This 

project is spearheaded by the new Opera, on which 

the exterior is just about finished. There has been 

dispute over the size of the buildings and a final decision 

has not yet been made. What is certain though is that 

next time you visit Oslo the city will look completely 

different.


Brief history of Oslo 

Oslo is an old city, founded over 1000 

years ago. No one really knows how, why 

or when people started living here, but 

they did. Same goes for the name Oslo. 

Linguists and archaeologists have disputed 

its origin, and most likely the name has 

something to do with rivers, plains and 

hills (this is actually a description of the 

area of the old-town). Oslo does definitely 

not mean “bloodshed in Viking battle”, as 

some creative tourists have suggested. 

Anyway, as far as the story goes, 

Oslo was founded in the year 1000 by 

either Harald Bluetooth (yes, the Bluetooth 

function on your mobile is named 

after him) or his son Svein Tjugeskjegg. 

To make this even more confusing: Harald 

Hardråde is officially recognized as the 

founder of Oslo. A city grew around the 

mouth of river Alna. Today most of the 

medieval settlements in Oslo are either 

in ruins or buried underneath newer 

houses, but by visiting the Medieval Park 

in the Old Town you get an impression of 

how it was back then. At that time Oslo 

was dominated by churches and monasteries, 

but it was yet to be the capital of 

Norway. King Håkon V was the first king 

to permanently reside in Oslo, making it 

the capital. Both Trondheim and Bergen 

had been capitals prior to this. Håkon V 

was also the one who erected Akershus 

Fortress. This was the prime of medieval 

Norway’s power and influence. 

A hundred years later Norway was 

the weaker part in a personal union with 

Denmark, which lasted 434 years, until 

1814. The capital was now Copenhagen 

and Oslo was reduced to a provincial outpost 

in Europe. Everything was decaying, 

and as most medieval cities Oslo burned 

down time and time again. 

Finally, in 1624, the Danish-Norwegian 

king Christian IV decided to build a completely 

new and modern city close to 

Akershus Fortress. Unselfishly, he named 

this city Christiania. At one moment in 

time there were actually two cities here; 

the old Oslo and the brand new Christiania. 

Despite being in the outskirts of civilization, 

Christiania grew, and Oslo became a part 

of Christiania itself. 

In 1814 the union with Denmark 

came to an end, and for six months Norway 

was an independent nation. During that 

time we managed to write a constitution 

which was signed on May 17th, our national 

day. Then Christiania was made 

capital of Norway. This was actually quite 

a good piece of work before we were 

handed over to the Swedes, as some war 

trophy of the Napoleon wars. At this point 

14 000 people lived in Christiania. 

In 1850 Oslo superseded Bergen as 

the most populated city in Norway. From 

1850 to 1900 Oslo quadrupled in size, a 

development that still echoes in the city 

architecture. The term “1890-block” 

describes the houses that dominate 

central Oslo, Grünerløkka and Majorstuen. 

And finally, in 1905 we became 

independent, and Christiania became a 

real capital. Naturally national identity was 

of great importance, and so in 1925 Oslo 

got rid of its Danish name, Christiania, 

and was renamed Oslo. 

Today Oslo is a small, but modern 

and thriving capital with around 550 000 

inhabitants (1.5 million if you include the 

surrounding areas in “greater Oslo”). Still 

we are in the outskirts of Europe, but 

there is very little we can do about that.

Museums 

Sightseeing 11 

Exhibitions for free. 

Open on Mondays. 

Astrup fearnly museum 

for modern art 

(F6) Dronningsgate 4 

Tel: 22 93 60 60 

Admission: Free 

Open Tue, Wed, Fri 11:00-17:00. 

Thu 11:00-19:00. Sat-Sun 12:00-17:00. 

The Fram Museum 

(A7) Bygdøynesveien 36 

Tel: 23 28 29 50 

Admission: NOK 50/20 

Open all week. 

1 Jan-28 Feb 10:00-15:00. 

1 Mar-30 Apr 10:00-16:00. 

1 May-31 May 10:00-17:00. 

1 Jun-31 Aug 09:00-18:00. 

1 Sep-30 Sep 10:00-17:00. 

1 Okt-31 Okt 10:10-16:00. 

1 Nov-31 Des-10:00-15:00. 

At the Fram Museum you can learn 

about Norwegian polar exploration. 

Historical Museum 

(E5) Fredriksgate 2 

Tel: 22 85 99 12 


Open Tue-Sun from 15 May-14 Sep 

10:00-17:00, otherwise 11:00-16:00. 

Holmenkollen Ski Museum 

Kongeveien 5 

Tel: 22 92 32 00 



May-Sep 10:00-17:00. 

Okt-Apr 10:00-16:00. 

Jun, Jul, Aug 09:00-20:00. 

The Ibsen Museum 

(D5) Henrik Ibsensgate 26 

Tel: 22 12 35 50 


Open all week except Mondays. 

24 May-15 Sep Tue-Sun 11:00-18:00. 

16 Sep-24 Mai 11:00-16:00, 

Thu 11:00-18:00. 

The Kon-Tiki Museum 

(A7) Bygdøynesveien 36 

Tel: 22 08 67 67 



1 Jan-28 Feb 10:30-15:30. 

1 Mar-31 Mar 10:30-16:00. 

1 Apr-31 May 10.00-17.00. 

1 Jun-31 Aug 09:30-17:30. 

1 Sep-30 Sep 10:00-17:00. 

1 Okt-31 Okt 10:30-16:00. 

1 Nov-31 Des 10:30-15:30.

12Sightseeing 

The Munch Museum 

(K5) Tøyengata 53 

Tel: 23 49 35 00 


Tue-Fri 10:00-16:00. 

Sat-Sun 11:00-17:00. 

The Museum of 

Contemporary Art 

(F7) Bankplassen 4 

Tel: 22 86 22 10 

Admission: 

Permanent exhibitions: Free 

Temporarily exhibitions: NOK 60/40 

Tue, Wed, Fri 10:00-18:00. 

Thu 10:00- 20:00. Sat-Sun 10:00-17:00. 

The National Gallery 

(E4) Universitetsgaten 13 

Tel: 21 98 20 00 

Admission: 



Tue, Wed, Fri 10:00-18:00. 

Thu 10:00-20:00. Sat-Sun 10:00-17:00. 

Natural Historical Museum, 

University of Oslo 

(J4) Sarsgate 1 

Tel: 22 85 16 30 


Open all week except Mondays 

Tue-Sun 11:00-16:00. 

The National Museum of Art, 

Architecture and Design 

(F4) St. Olavsgate 1 

Tel: 22 03 65 40 

Admission: 



Tue, Wed, Fri 11:00-17:00. 

Thu 11:00-20:00. Sat-Sun 12:00-16:00. 

Nobel Peace Centre 

(D6) Brynjulf Bulls plass 2 

Tel: 48 30 10 00 

Admission NOK 80/55 

Tue, Wed, Fri 10:00-16:00. 

Thu 10:00-18:00. Sat 11:00-17:00. 

Norway’s Resistance 

Museum 

(F7) Akershus Castle 

Tel: 23 09 31 38 

Admission: NOK 30 

1 Sep-30 Apr Tue-Fri 11:00-16:00. 

1 May -31 Aug Mon-Fri 10:00-17:00. 

Sat-Sun 11:00-17:00. 

Learn about Norwegian Resistance 

during the second World War. 

The Norwegian Museum 

of Cultural History 

(A7) Museumsveien 10 

Tel: 22 12 37 00 

Admission: 

Winter NOK 70/45. Summer 90/60 


15 May-14 Sep 10:00-18:00. 

15 Sep- 14 May 11:00-15:00, 

Sat-Sun 11:00-16:00.


Oslo City Museum 

(B4) Frogner Hovedgård, 

Frognerveien 67 

Tel: 23 28 41 70 


Free admission Saturdays. 

Tue-Sun 11:00-16:00. 

Get to know Oslo past and present 

at Oslo City Museum. 

The Stenersen Museum 

(D6) Munkedamsveien 15 

Tel: 23 49 36 00 


Tue, Thu 11:00-19:00. 

Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun 11:00-17:00. 

The Stenersen Museum has exhibitions 

of Norwegian and international art, 

mainly of a contemporary nature. 

OSLO PASS 

The Oslo Pass provides free travel 

on all public transport, free admission 

to some museums and sights, 

free parking in all Oslo municipal 

car parks and discounts on selected 

activities. The Oslo Pass is valid 

for 24(NOK 210), 48(NOK 300) or 

72(NOK 390) hours from the time 

the card is stamped with the current 

date on for example a tram or bus. 

There are discounts for children. 

See www.visitoslo.com for more info. 

The Vigeland Museum 

(A3) Nobelsgate. 32 

Tel: 23 49 37 00 

Open all week except Mondays. 


1 Jun-31 Aug Tue-Sun 11:00-17:00. 

1 Sep-30 May Tue-Sun 12:00-16:00. 

The Viking Ship Museum 

(A7) Huk Aveny 35 

Tel: 22 13 52 80 



1 May-30 Sep 09:00-18:00. 

1 Okt-30 Apr 11:00-16:00. 

Emmanuel Vigeland 

mausoleumet 

(The Emmanuel Vigeland mausoleum) 

Grimelundsveien 8 

Open Sun 12:00-16:00 all year. 

You have probably heard about 

the Frogner Park, designed and 

carried out by the artist Gustav 

Vigeland. But did you know he had 

a brother called Emmanuel, who 

was also an artist? Gustav actually 

decorated his own future burial, the 

Tomba Emmanuelle. This mystical 

and symbolic mausoleum is located 

a little outside the central Oslo, but 

is definitely worth the trip! Find your 

way to Oslo’s best kept secret and an 

echo that will take your breath away.

14Sightseeing 

Oslo by tram 12 and 19 

Berlin has bus number 100. This is a 

regular bus, and it passes by major 

sights. That way you don’t have to 

spend a lot of money on guided tours, 

and you can mingle with locals, or other 

tourists who refuse to be seen as 

out-of-towners. This is easily done in 

Oslo as well. The tram combined with 

Streetwise will provide you with all the 

budget guiding you need. 

We suggest that you start at Kjelsås on 

the12 tram.You have to get there 

first, but all excursions have to start somewhere, 

and actually Kjelsås is as good as 

anywhere else. Kjelsås (0 minutes) is a 

nice area dominated by villas. Kjelsås has 

a suburban feel to it, even though it is just 

outside central Oslo. Visiting Kjelsås is 

a good way to see typical Scandinavian 

suburbia. 

After leaving Kjelsås, you get to Storo 

(8 minutes). Generally speaking you 

can say that central Oslo begins here. 

Going from Storo to Sandaker 

(10 minutes) you go through a typical 

early 20th century working class area. 

The further down you go the further back 

in time you get. 

At Torshov (13 minutes) you see 

how 1920s working-class houses mix with 

those of the 1880s. Torshov has a relaxed 

atmosphere and is yet to be completely 

overtaken by the young and the hip, but 

probably not for long, since Grünerløkka 

PAGE 4 is straight down the street, so to


speak. When first entering Grünerløkka 

you pass by Birkelunden (17 minutes). 

Birkelunden and the surrounding houses 

are completely preserved as a monument 

over a time long gone. The area from 

Birkelunden, through Olaf Ryes plass (18 

minutes) to Schous plass (19 minutes) 

is the embodiment of the new hip Grünerløkka. 

The trendy cafés are a big contrast 

compared to how worn-down “Løkka” 

used to be. 

Around Nybrua (20 minutes) you can 

still see how conditions used to be. 

In Hausmannsgate (21 minutes) 

you find Anker Hostel. Then the tram 

continues along Storgata and passes the 

Central Station and Jernbane-torget 

(26 minutes) before entering Kongens 

gate (27 minutes) and Kvadraturen, the 

remains of 17th century Oslo, see Brief 

history of Oslo PAGE 7. 

After Kvadraturen you pass 

Rådhusplassen (30 minutes), the City 

Hall and Aker brygge (32 minutes). After 

this architectural high water mark of the 

yuppie eighties, you enter the Westside 

of central Oslo. After some minutes you 

pass the famous sculpture park Vigelandsparken 

(40 minutes), before you end up 

at Majorstuen (43 minutes) PAGE 6. 

If you are not fed up with trams yet, we 

suggest you switch trams at 

Majorstuen. Get on the 19 tram 

that goes in the opposite direction 

from which you came. 

When leaving Majorstuen (0 minutes), 

passing Schultz gate (1 minute) and 

Rosenborg (3 minutes), you experience 

the expensive shopping streets of 

western Oslo. Suddenly the tram turns 

right, leaving the buzz behind. 

In Inkognitogata (8 minutes), 

you are surrounded by large bourgeoisie 

brick villas. The greater parts of embassies 

in Oslo are found here. After leaving 

this area you will soon get to Slottsparken 

(10 minutes), the park surrounding the 

Royal Castle at the top of Karl Johans 

gate. From here the tram runs parallel 

with Karl Johans gate, passing the 

National Theatre Nationaltheateret (12 

minutes) and Stortinget, the parliament, 

before it enters Kvadraturen. The tram 

passes Jernbanetorget (20 minutes) 

before it turns right and heads for Gamlebyen. 

PAGE 5. First it stops at Bussterminalen 

Grønland (21 minutes). 

At St. Halvards plass (24 minutes) 

you are in down-town medieval Oslo. If 

you get off here you have the possibility 

of exploring what is left of the cathedrals. 

We suggest you end your trip at 

Sjømannsskolen (27 minutes). To your 

right you find the facilities where they used 

to educate seafarers, and on your left you 

find the beautiful functionalistic Ekeberg 

restaurant PAGE 9. Go and have a drink 

there in the evening, and enjoy life!

16Sightseeing 

Day-tripper 

If you’re spending some days in town, 

why not see Greater Oslo? These suggested 

trips can all be made in one day. 

Brønnøya 

Are you looking for a place completely 

free of cars? Then Brønnøya Island, 15 

minutes from Oslo, is the place to go. 

Take the local train to Sandvika and catch 

bus 705 from there, and walk over the 

suspension bridge to the island. 

Tønsberg 

Tønsberg is Norways oldest town. It has 

all facilities of a city: entertainment, clubs 

and a lot of places to go for young people 

– combined with the peace and calm of 

a holiday resort. There are good bathing 

possibilities nearby at Tjøme and Nøtterøy. 

Lillehammer 

This picturesque town hosted the Olympic 

Winter Games in 1994. The idyllic centre 

has numerous shops and restaurants. 

Make sure to visit the open-air museum 

Maihaugen. Over 100 buildings have been 

moved there from Gudbrandsdalen, showing 

Norwegians peasant lives throughout 

the centuries. 

Fredrikstad 

A visit to the old fortified town centre of 

Fredrikstad is worthwhile on a sunny 

day. Actually this is the largest and only 

completely preserved fortress town in 

Scandinavia. The town itself dates from 

1567, but there have been fortresses here 

since the Viking age. The picturesque 

old buildings house the town’s numerous 

restaurants, galleries and small shops. 

While visiting Fredrikstad you can 

take a ferry to the Hvaler islands in the 

fjord. These islands are small, attractive 

and crowded with people living there in 

cabins during summer. 

Drøbak 

This small town is only one hour away 

from Oslo. You can go there by boat during 

summer or buses at winter. A return 

ticket costs around NOK 120, and will 

give you a magnificent view of the Oslo 

fjord. Drøbak is a small and idyllic place, 

dominated by traditional white wooden 

houses. It’s also the home of the Norwegian 

Santa Claus. The Christmas Shop and the 

Christmas post office are open all year. 

Nevlunghavn 

This is a real treat on the Norwegian 

coast. Nevlunghavn is situated approximately 

20 km from the city of Larvik, which 

is also worth a visit. Nevlunghavn has 

less than 600 inhabitants, but during the 

summertime thousands of guests visit this 

idyllic village. 

Close to Nevlunghavn is Mølen, a 

huge moraine from last ice age. Here are 

14 huge burial places of rolling stones, 

made during the Bronze Age and early 

Iron Age. Spend some hours looking at 

the scenery but remember: The whole 

area is preserved. Close to Nevlunghavn 

you also find Stavern, the smallest town 

in Norway.


Bærums verk 

The iron works here date from 1610 but 

nowadays you’ll find 65 different shops 

and restaurant here. There is also an iron 

works museum, here you can see how 

iron was produced centuries ago. 

Eidsvollbygningen 

The Norwegian Constitution was proclaimed 

in the Constitutional Assembly 

Hall at Eidsvoll on the 17th of May 1814. 

This is an excellent way to experience 

an important piece of Norwegian history, 

with a picnic on the side! 

Audio Tor 

Visitors can rent an iPod nano 

from the Visit Oslos Tourist Information 

Centres, complete with over 

60 audio tracks, together with a free 

map. Visitors have the choice to 

listen in English or Norwegian. All of 

the best restaurants, cafes, cultural 

events and nature walks are explained 

in separate 4-5 minute tracks, 

providing entertainment for visitors 

during their stay in Oslo. You get all 

this for NOK 149 for a day. 

Other attractions: 

Skibladner 

Tel: 61 14 40 80 

The wheel steamer Skibladner - known 

as the White Swan of Mjøsa, is built in 

1856, and is the world’s oldest wheel 

steamer still in use. Take the train from 

Oslo Central Station to Eidsvoll, Hamar, 

Lillehammer or Gjøvik and return by train 

from either place. 

Hadeland glassverk 

Tel: 61 31 64 00 

The most famous Norwegian glass factory 

is located just 20 min. outside Oslo. Be 

inspired by glassblowers using traditional 

tools. Try the art of glassblowing yourself, 

visit the pewterer, make your own candles, 

stroll around the factory museum or visit 

temporary exhibitions. 

Blaafarveverket 

Tel: 32 78 49 00 

A cultural heritage centre located at a 

former cobalt mine, which was in operation 

between 1773 and 1893. The mines are 

open to visitors. There is an art gallery and 

collections displaying cobalt pigmented 

glass and china. 

Fetsund lenser 

Tel: 63 88 75 50 

This is a cultural heritage centre dedicated 

to the transportation of timber on rivers. 

Visit the log driving museum, the old forge, 

herbal garden or the dockside area, which 

can offer both old boats and a café.

18Sightseeing 

Get to know Oslo in one hour. 

01. Use-It 

Your home away from home. 

02. Government blocks 

Government blocks is made up of several 

buildings over several blocks. Here you 

find the official ministries. 

03. The Court House 

Go to jail or get married here. 

04. Ibsenkvartalet 

This office building is most known for 

lending its façade to Hotel Cæsar in the 

soap opera bearing the same name. 

Actually Hotel Cæsar is the longest running 

soap opera in whole of Scandinavia. 

05. Blitz 

Blitz is an independently run youth house 

that is still going strong after 25 years. 

Here you can experience punk concerts 

and eat cheap vegetarian food. 

06. Pilestredet 30 and 30B 

This was Edvard Munchs childhood 

home. Today it is unfortunately not well 

preserved. In some of Munchs paintings 

you’ll find motives from this area of Oslo. 

07. The National Gallery 

Tidemand, Gude and Munch are among 

some of the Norwegian painters you can 

contemplate at The National Gallery. 

09. The City Hall 

Some call it the brown cheese, but the 

citizens of Oslo have taken pride in this 

grand national romantic/functionalistic 

construction. On the inside you find frescos 

depicting both modern and rural life in 

Norway, some of which are painted by 

Edvard Munch. 

10. The Harbor 

The harbour and the surrounding facilities 

are almost the only evidence of Oslo being 

close to the water. 

11. Akershus Fortress 

The Akershus Fortress was first built in 

1299, but has later been renovated 

several times. This explains why it looks 

more like a 17th century building than 

something that came out of Scandinavian 

dark ages. 

12. The Parliament 

The Parliament is called Stortinget. 

Actually “Ting” is a norse word for gathering/court. 

Stortinget is then The Big Court. 

In Iceland the parliament is called Allting, 

meaning “all court”. 

13. Karl Johans Street 

Karl Johans Street is named after the 

Swedish-Norwegian king Karl 3. Johan. 

It is considered Oslos equivalent to La 

Rambla or Champs-Elysee. 

08. The Royal palace 

Ok, it is small, but when it was built 

Norway wasn’t independent. We were 

united with Sweden. 

14. Oslo Cathedral 

Oslo Cathedral was completed in 1699 

and still has its original bronze doors and 

stained glass. The interior is a delightful 

surprise.

Do it yourself 

When exploring Oslo you certainly 

will encounter the highly convenient 

but rather boring food stores chains 

like Rema 1000, Rimi, Kiwi and Ica. 

Most of these are open from 09:00-21:00 

on weekdays and from 09:00-18:00 

on Saturdays. On Sundays smaller 

chain stores like Joker and Bunnpris 

are open. 

Where to find them: 

Rimi, Oslo Central Station (G6) 

Rema 1000 Torggata 2-6 (G5) 

Kiwi Byporten (G6) 

Bunnpris, Oslo Central Station (G6) 

Food 19

20Food 

“All of this happened while I was walking 

around starving in Christiana – the strange 

city no one escapes from until it has left 

its mark on him.” 

– Knut Hamsun, Hunger (1890) 

Dirt Cheap 

Here we focus on price before style. 

These restaurants are far from being 

mentioned in the Michelin guide, but 

they will nevertheless provide you with a 

decent meal. 

A cheap meal in Oslo is in the price 

range of NOK 50 to 100. Roughly NOK 100 

is what you should expect to pay in 

regular cafes and bars. Less than this 

is considered cheap. 

Enjoy! 

Bari Pizza 

(G5) Torggata 23 

Tel: 22 11 19 65 

Torggata is the place for having a quick 

snack and Bari is the place for having 

pizza in Torggata. The pizza is tasty and 

cheap, and Bari is even inviting enough to 

eat in. Yummy! 

Punjab Tandoori 

(H6) Grønland 24 

Tel: 22 17 20 86 

This restaurant is a classic. It has been 

around for ages and people flock here to 

enjoy Indian fast food. Punjab gets crowded 

after working hours, from around four in 

the afternoon. If you get thirsty, there is a 

bar on the first floor where the prices are 

equal to those downstairs. 

Tandoori Curry Corner 


Tel: 22 17 99 06 

Tandoori Curry Corner is right next to 

Punjab Tandoori. TCC also serves cheap 

Indian cuisine, in addition to regular burgers 

and kebab. The menu is a bit more 

exciting than Punjabs. Don’t be scared by 

the shady appearance, the food is more 

than all right. 

Thien Nga 

(G5) Bernt Ankersgate 68 

Tel: 22 20 44 41 

Thien Nga adds new meaning to the term 

multi-cultural. Located in a former Greek 

restaurant you get delicious Vietnamese 

food. Redecorating was never top priority 

here, but who cares as long as the meals 

are tasty and affordable. 

Vegetarian 

As you have probably noticed, Norway is 

not an easy place to be vegetarian. From 

time to time it can be hard to come by 

decent vegetarian dishes, but Oslo is 

slowly catching up on the rest of the world. 

There are in general few vegetarian 

restaurants in Oslo, but the ones that 

exist are quite nice. By the way: it is no 

real problem finding vegetarian food in 

most up-to-date cafes and restaurants. 

Blitz 

(E4) Pilestredet 30c 

Tel: 22 11 42 80 

Blitz is an independently run youth house, 

with punks, dogs and cheap vegetarian 

food. The café is open from noon to six in the 

afternoon. Hot dinner is served every day.

Food 21 

Helios 

(G5) Hausmannsgate 10 

Tel: 22 11 33 75 

Helios is actually a chain of stores with 

focus on ecology, health and vegetarianism. 

In Hausmannsgate you find both a Helios 

supermarket and a café serving nice and 

affordable vegetarian meals. 

Krishnas cuisine 

(C2) Kirkeveien 59b 

Tel: 22 60 62 50 

Krishnas cuisine serves, as you can 

imagine, food inspired by the Hare Krishna 

movement. Krishnas cuisine gives you ok 

value for money in an otherwise rather 

expensive neighbourhood. 

Norwegian food stores 

Quite often we are asked where to get 

traditional Norwegian food. Here is a short 

list over food stores that represent traditional 

Norwegian cuisine. Forget about 

pesto. Here you find food with deep roots 

in Norwegian culture. Just the way our 

grandmother’s made it! 

Fenaknoken 

(E6) Tordenskioldsgate 7 

Fenaknoken offers a wide range of 100 % 

Norwegian food, made from Norwegian 

raw materials, mostly meat. 

Vegeta 

(E5) Munkedamsveien 33 

Tel: 21 66 28 65 

Vegeta has a standing all vegetarian 

buffet, where the prices vary with the size 

of your plate. A plate may even include 

fruit and pizza! If you are really creative 

and shameless, you can gather a whole 

lot of food on the smallest plate. 

Spisestedet 

(D3) Hjelmsgate 3 

Tel: 22 69 01 30 

Spisestedet serves ecological vegan food 

nice, cheap and tasty. Hjelmsgate 3 is 

also the home of Gateavisa, Oslos own 

Village Voice, so to say. This gives a hint 

of what to expect, in addition to great food 

that is! 

There are quite a few fishmongers in 

Oslo; some of them also offer specialities 

in game meat. Here is a brief selection. 

Erling Moe A/S 

(G5) Youngstorget 2, at Youngstorget 

Fjelberg Fisk & Vilt 

(B4) Bygdøy allé 56 

Flyvefisken 

(H6) Lilletorget 1

22Food 

Norwegian Cuisine 

Norwegian food, which they serve at nice 

prices. All bread and cakes are homemade 

and some say they have the best breakfast 

in town. 

Most Norwegians do not recognize the exceptional 

culinary traditions in Scandinavia. 

Trendy food is very often synonymous 

with bruschettas with ruccola and mozzarella, 

or something similar, just as long 

as it is imported from the Mediterranean 

countries. Don’t get us wrong. Mediterranean 

food is great, but you can equally get 

great Scandinavian food, if you can go 

without the ruccola that is… 

Some restaurants specialize in Norwegian 

food. Here is a brief list for the 

daring ones. Bon appetite! 

Dovrehallen 

(G5) Storgata 22 

Tel: 22 17 21 01 

Dovrehallen is not a gourmet restaurant, and 

actually quite far from being mentioned 

in other tourist guides. Dovrehallen offers 

nevertheless something very unique and 

authentic. Here you can catch a glimpse 

of real Norwegian working class culture, 

both when it comes to food and regulars. 

Kaffistova 

(F5) Rosenkrantz gate 8 

Tel: 23 21 42 10 

Kaffistova is the restaurant at Bondeheimen 

Hotel. Kaffistova specializes in traditional 

Kampen Bistro 

(K6) Bøgata 21 

Tel: 22 19 77 08 

Kampen Bistro is an informal restaurant 

in a picturesque part of town called Kampen. 

In addition to an altar devoted to Elvis Aaron 

Presley and 50s furniture you find real 

tasty food here. To say that Kampen Bistro 

is an unpretentious low cost gourmet is 

actually a quite fitting description. All in all, 

Kampen Bistro is highly recommended. 

Oslo spiseforretning 

(J7) Oslogate 15 

Tel: 22 62 62 10 

Oslo Spiseforretning started out as a most 

exciting project. Think about it: a gourmet 

restaurant, offering dishes made only from 

Norwegian ingredients, situated on a shady 

street on the east side of town. Do not 

hesitate about going there – the food and 

service are great, but beware that the 

prices might not fit your budget. In the 

summertime you can enjoy the evening 

sun in the backyard, which is highly 

recommended! 

Lofoten 

(D6) Stranden 75 

Tel: 22 83 08 08 

Lofoten fiskerestaurant is said to be the 

best fish restaurant in Norway, which 

instantly makes it one of the best in Europe. 

The food is, as you may guess, based on 

Norwegian seafood. Enjoy cod, halibut,

Food23 

lobster, mussels and a nice view of the 

harbour. If you can’t afford a three course 

meal; at least check out the fish soup 

for lunch. 

Schrøder 

(F3) Waldemar Thranes gate 8 

Tel: 22 60 51 83 

Schrøder is perfect if you are searching 

informal atmosphere in a restaurant with a 

long history. Schrøder is dominated by 

locals and the interior is quite, let’s say, 

“pro Oslo”. Schrøder serves traditional 

homemade Norwegian food, on white 

stained table cloths – you get the idea, 

right? Just remember, the food is cheap 

and plentiful. 

***Tap water*** 

”Low price” gourmet 

Streetwise is a guide for low cost experiences. 

Nevertheless, we still want to include 

some affordable gourmet restaurants. 

Arakataka 

(G5) Mariboes gate 7 

Tel: 23 32 83 00 

At Arakataka you will find international 

cuisine with a slight breeze from the Middle 

East. Arakataka combines creative dishes 

with top quality service at reasonable 

prices. The interior is decorated with the 

works of Scandinavian designers. 

The Ekeberg Restaurant 

(J7) Kongsveien 15 

Tel: 23 24 23 00 

The Ekeberg Restaurant is functionalistic 

high water mark in Norway. Today it offers 

great food, and if the weather is nice we 

highly recommend the terrace outdoors. 

When there – ask for a glimpse of the 1st 

floor as well. The design and decoration 

is beautiful. Make sure you check out the 

sculptures surrounding the building as well. 

Tap water in Norway is drinkable 

indeed. Buying bottled water is in 

most cases unnecessary. Getting 

a glass of water at cafes and restaurants 

is almost always free. Just 

remember to buy something in addition 

to getting water. Freeloaders 

are never popular. 

Sult 

(H2) Thorvald Meyersgate 26 

Tel: 800 20 166 

Sult is a stayer, offering low price high 

class food for the masses for ten years 

running now. The quality produced by 

the different chefs has varied. Lately Sult 

has picked itself up and is now back on 

track. Sult is recommended after a day of 

parklife in Sofienbergparken.

24 

Frogner Stadium 

go organic 

Helios Colosseum 

Middelthuns gate 23 

Tel: 23 20 13 13 

Bygdøy 

Heliosbutikken 

Colbjørnsens gate 12 

Tel: 22 56 32 90 

Royal Castle 

Bislett Stadium 

Solsikken Helios 

Textiles and Childrens 

assortement 

Parkveien 6 

Tel: 22 59 20 76 

Helios Grünerløkka 

Hausmanns gate 10 

Tel: 22 11 33 75 

Organic food supplements • Baby food • Natural skincare 

Environmentally friendly detergents • Baby, children´s & adult clothing

nightlife 25 

Nightlife 

– is Use-Its own guide to what’s on in Oslo. 

Nightlife is not a complete overview but 

merely a guide made by us at the Use-It 

office. We’ve knowingly avoided more 

expensive places, keeping Streetwise 

budget you know. If you stumble across 

something you feel should be included, 

please let us know. 

Please use the map in the back of 

Streetwise to locate our selection. 

Age Limits 

There are, as mentioned, two general age 

limits when it comes to alcohol, - 18 and 

20. Nevertheless, at some clubs you have 

to be 23, 26 or whatever to enter. This is 

just something clubs do so they easily 

can decide what kind of crowd they wish 

to let in. If you want to go to a club, just do 

it. You’ll most probably get in anyway. 

Smoking 

Smoking is banned in bars and restaurants 

in Norway. “Ridiculous!” you might think, 

but guess what! Almost everyone approves 

of it, even smokers. Ok, you have to go 

outside to enjoy a fag, but it is worth the 

effort, especially when in crowded clubs. 

By the way, smoking isn’t particularly healthy 

either, but it makes you look way cool! 

Check out what’s on 

www.nattguiden.no 

www.oslopuls.no 

www.underskog.no 

– and local papers Aften, Dagsavisen 

and the free paper Natt og Dag. 

The Symbols: 

The first thing young travellers are 

looking for when arriving in a new city, is 

somewhere to sleep. The second thing is 

somewhere to go out, drink, dance and 

meet others. Here is a list of places to 

meet you needs in Oslo. We assembled 

of course this information ourselves; it 

reflects our collective likings. In other 

words: it covers a lot and should at least 

point you in the right direction. 

Beer – this is a pub. This icon 

means that drinking beer is the 

main activity in the establishment. 

Rock – Oslo has many bars with 

focus on rock music. The rock 

icon shows you the real deal. 

Dance floor – this icon tells you 

that dancing is on the agenda, 

but nothing about what music to 

dance to – read the full text. 

Live stage – either theatre, 

concerts or whatever else you can 

put on a stage. 

Café – this icon indicates that the 

establishment is suited for long 

conversations over a mug of latte. 

Food – lots of places serve food 

to a certain degree. This signs 

shows you where we´d like to eat. 

Drinks – if you are looking for a 

yummy Mojito or a sinful Mai Tai 

this icon guides you. 

Sports – some pubs and bars 

specializes in live sports events.

26 nightlife 

Beer Prices 

No matter where you are from you 

will probably find Norwegian beer 

heavily overpriced. This is correct in 

some cases, but then again, Norway 

is expensive and this you knew 

before you came here. Remember, 

sometimes you pay for more than 

just the drinks. You also pay for 

being in a nice clean environment, 

with friendly bartenders and nice 

music as well. Anyway, here is a 

quick guide to beer prices in Oslo: 

Under NOK 30: 

This is as cheap as it gets! 

NOK 30-45: This is a good bargain. 

If the place is nice – go for it! 

NOK 45-55: 

This is in general what it costs 

for a beer at nice places in Oslo. 

NOK 55-60: 

It is starting to get expensive… 

Over NOK 60: EXPENSIVE! 

Some bars carry 0.4 litres and other 

0.5. In this issue we didn’t make a 

difference. We count glasses of 

beer, not the accumulated amount 

of liquid. 

East side/West side 

There are up-town and down-town 

areas in Oslo, as in all major cities. 

West side is up-town and east side 

is down-town. This divide is quite old 

and you find manifestations of it on 

different socio-political levels. For instance; 

there is no point in looking 

for a cheap pint on the west side. 

Bar Boca 


Beer: NOK 52 

Here you go for the best drinks in town. 

This 50s-inspired shoebox sized cocktail 

bar is the place to be for the non-claustrophobic 

drinker. With only 5 tables it is 

impossible not to speak to your fellow 

customers. Bar Boca is visited by all kinds 

of people of all ages. 

Bar Robinet 


Beer: NOK 48 

Robinet is a really tiny retro-esque bar, 

populated by musicians, media-people 

and all sorts of liberal hedonists. Robinet 

gets easily crowded so expect to hang 

around a while before you get a seat. 

Robinet has a southern feel that is rarely 

found in other bars in Oslo, all in all, 

highly recommended! 

Bare Jazz 

(F5) Grensen 8 

Beer: NOK 54 

Bare Jazz (or “Just Jazz” in English) is 

something as rare as a jazz café in Oslo. 

Bare Jazz is run by an internationally 

acclaimed saxophonist Bodil Niska, so 

the credibility is definitely maintained at 

this place. Bare Jazz is also a records store 

that has a large selection of – just jazz!

nightlife 27 

Blå 

(G4) Brenneriveien 9c 

Beer: NOK 52 

Café Stenersen 

(E5) Munkedamsveien 15 

Beer: NOK 52 

Blå is a legendary jazz club, with a really 

wide definition of jazz. On Saturdays you 

go clubbing, on Sundays you go shopping 

at the market, and on Mondays you rock 

out to metal. This is the way Blå is, and 

that is why we love the place. Check out 

their program to see what’s on – it is probably 

something of interest. 

Bohemen 

(F5) Arbeidergata 2 

Beer: NOK 46 

Café Stenersen is a stylish and friendly 

café, in the basement of the Stenersen 

Museum. After visiting the exhibitions you 

can have a drink or a tasty meal in spacious 

surroundings. From time to time there are 

both concerts and exhibition here. Café 

Stenersen is all in all highly recommended! 

Café Sør 


Beer: NOK 48 

Bohemen is the place for meeting local football 

supporters. It is the official Vålerenga 

friendly pub, but it is also considered a 

traditional sports bar. Every night matches 

are being shown here, both local derbys 

and international football. Where do real 

men hug? On a football field, or at Bohemen. 

Café M 

(C2) Valkyriegata 9 

Beer: NOK 54 

Café Sør is a semi alternative café, which 

turns into a more relaxed club in the 

evenings. The crowd consists largely of 

immigrants from north-Africa, Sweden 

and young people, who are a bit on the 

side of the mainstream but nevertheless 

like beautiful and wild orchids! Café Sør is 

a relaxed place to be and definitely worth 

checking out. 

Dattera til Hagen 

(H6)Grønland 10 

Beer: NOK 54 

Café M is one of the nicest cafes on the 

west side of town: Friendly staff, good coffee 

and quite ok continental cuisine. On a 

sunny day, you have to scratch someone’s 

eyes out to get a good table outside. 

This is one of the most popular hangouts 

in Grønland. It’s always crowded, from 

morning until late in the evening. At Dattera 

you have a drink, coffee or beer, eat good 

food and also go clubbing if you’d like. You 

might as well stay here all day if you can

28 nightlife 

afford it. Compared to the neighbouring 

pubs one can say you pay a little extra 

for the colourful setting, but it’s definitely 

worth it. 

Elm Street 

(G6) Dronningensgate 32 

Beer: NOK 39/49 

Motorhead, Skid Row, Faith no more and 

Bonnie Tyler (!) have all spent evenings at 

Elm Street. The clients vary from fans of 

alternative rock to death metal. Elm Street 

is well known in Norway, and among 

metal fans all over Europe. 

Fabrikken 

(G4) Nedre gate 7 

Beer: NOK 50 

Fabrikken is Blås “sister club”. Due to 

some controversy Blå split in to fractions. 

The first is still running Blå as regular, 

but the booking crew started doing club 

evenings at Fabrikken, just across the 

river. Fabrikken is more or less the same 

as Blå, and worth checking out. 

Fru Hagen 

(H3) Thorvald Meyers gate 40 

Beer: NOK 49 

Fru Hagen was one of the first hip cafés 

that popped up when Grünerløkka went 

from being a working class area to a 

supermegatrendy magnet for artists, 

“tourists” from the west side of Oslo and 

wannabees. Though Fru Hagen might 

have dropped a bit on the hotspot barometer, 

the place still attracts people of all 

ages. At daytime you can sink down into 

the red, high-backed velour couches and 

enjoy sandwiches and cakes while looking 

at the stars in the ceiling. At night, 

it turns into a popular party place for 

the younger generation of Swedes and 

students. Fru Hagen is frequently visited 

by skilled DJs. 

Garage 


Beer: NOK 52 

Garage is a hang-out for people with a 

genuine interest in music, especially 

rock’n roll. Garage is both a venue and a 

great bar at the same time. It is dominated 

by a younger alternative crowd. There are 

concerts here all the time, and in the 

weekend Garage turns into a great club. 

Gloria Flames 


Beer: NOK 54 

Rock is the keyword here. They often have 

DJs playing rock music, and there are also 

live bands from time to time: The standard 

is high, and so are the prices. In the summer 

time they move the bar outside on the 

roof. If you are looking for a rock’n roll 

night club, check out Gloria Flames!

nightlife 29 

Music 

Oslo has a really great 

music scene. All good 

bars or clubs in Oslo 

have distinct tastes 

when it comes to music. 

Good tunes, whether 

it is rock’n roll or club 

music, separates quality 

bars from the not so 

interesting ones. The 

bar/club/music-scene 

in Oslo is probably one 

of the best in Europe. 

No joke!

30 nightlife 

Hell’s Kitchen 

(G5) Møllergata 23 

Beer: NOK 52 

Last Train 

(E5) Karl Johans gate 45 

Beer: NOK 53 

What do you think they got cooking here? 

Oslo’s most sinful Pizza! Hell’s Kitchen 

was voted Oslo’s best bar in 2005 and is 

still popular by the in-crowd. Hell’s Kitchen 

offers great drinks and good music in addition 

to killer pizza. What more can you ask for? 

Horgans 

(D4) Hegdehaugsveien 24 

Beer: NOK 58 

Horgans is a nice pub, sports bar type of 

thing, located among expensive designer 

stores. The general price level in the 

neighbourhood is quite high, and the 

same goes for Horgans. But then again, 

Horgans is a real nice place and throwing 

a party here at weekends is excellent! 

Kaos 


Beer: NOK 38 

Kaos is a spacious mainstream place 

where the young and wild go crazy at 

weekends, dance the night away and 

practice their pick up lines in the fancy 

bar. Proper facilities for smokers, with a 

heated tent in the backyard. 

Last train is a rocking and rolling bar and 

musical scene in the city centre of Oslo. 

Known for its focus intimate concerts and 

loud rock; conversation between more 

than two persons is difficult. So just sip 

your beer, smile and listen. Last train is 

the perfect location for flirting on Fridays 

and Saturdays, and you will meet all sorts 

of Norwegians. Black walls with posters, 

and a sign saying “No music requests”. 

Living Room 

(E6) Olav V’s gate 1 

Beer: NOK 56 

Living Room is a classy club or at least 

it sets out to be. A certain dress code is 

required at Living Room, which is fine 

taken into consideration the high class 

atmosphere in this club. The DJs are 

good and the girls are just as beautiful 

as the lads are strapping! Enjoy. 

Mir 

(H4) Toftesgate 69 

Beer: NOK 46 

Mir is by far Grünerløkka’s best kept secret; 

you can’t possibly find this place if you 

don’t already know where it is! Hang out 

with rockers and the alternative nation. 

On the ground floor you drink your beer

nightlife 31 

in old aeroplane seats, or whatever they 

decide to decorate with. Go down to the 

basement and you’ll have the feeling of 

hanging out in someone’s living room. 

Play dart or fußball game, or check out 

the small library, where you can take a 

book, as long as you leave another book. 

If you come here and the staff is covering 

the windows with fabric, it is simply because 

there will be a concert later on. 

Mono 

(G5) Pløens gate 4 

Beer: NOK 52 

Mono has been around for five years and 

has grown very popular during that time. 

Mono is a rock’n roll bar with more focus 

on Americana than Heavy Metal, not 

necessarily meaning Hank Williams’ Lost 

Highway is stuck in the cd-player. If the 

bar looks empty during a nice hot day, the 

regulars are probably to be found in the 

cosy backyard. 

Odeon 

(D4) Hegdehaugsveien 34 

Beer: NOK 58 

Onkel Donald 

(E5) Universitetsgata 26 

Beer: NOK 57 

Onkel Donald is a bar, restaurant and a 

club – all in one! The rooms are large and 

bright. This somewhat echoes the people 

coming here. Onkel Donald is your regular 

Saturday night pick up joint – but hey! 

What a party! 

Oslo Mirkobryggeri 

(D3) Bogstadveien 6 

Beer: NOK 62 

Mikrobryggeri means micro brewery, 

so you can probably guess what they’re 

making here. Yup, that’s correct! Beer! 

And really good beer that is. If you are 

accustomed to high standards in beer you 

should pay Oslo Mikrobryggeri a visit. 

Parkteateret 

(H3) Olaf Ryes plass 11 

Beer: NOK 52 

Odeon fits many needs, both dining and 

dancing among other. Just bear in mind 

that Odeon is rather expensive. But if you 

want a night out on Oslos west side, Odeon 

is a great point of departure. 

Parkteateret is a former movie theatre, 

where the foyer has been transformed into 

a minimalist 50’s inspired bar. The place 

and its visitors are cool without being too 

much. There is also a concert stage in the 

back, with clubs and live music.

32 nightlife 

Rockefeller 


(entrance from Mariboes gate) 

www.rockefeller.no 

Beer: NOK 54 

Rockefeller is Oslo’s most consistent rock 

venue. It has a big concert stage with room 

for approx. 1400 people. A lot of activities, 

ranging from concerts, cinema, literary 

debates etc. You’ll find the program in local 

newspapers or on their website. Make 

sure to book most concerts up front if it 

is something you really want to attend. 

Booking is at “Billettservice”/Post office. 

Rå 

(G6) Karl Johans gate 10 

Beer: NOK 49 

To establish a decent club on the lower 

part of Karl Johan is an achievement. 

Rå is a friendly hip hop club where you 

feel welcome. Rå was actually voted best 

2006 by Oslos hipster bible Nattogdag.

nightlife 33 

Spasibar 

(E4) St. Olavsgate 32 

Beer: NOK 48 

Stargate 


Beer: NOK 38 

Spasibar evolved from a club concept 

called Bar Moskva, hence the name 

Spasibar (“thank you” in Russian, + “r”). 

At Bar Moskva everything was for sale; 

chairs, glasses, even the clothing worn by 

the staff! This is still the case at Spasibar. 

Therefore the place looks like a Russian 

flea market – for real! Spasibar is a hang 

out for art students and a good place to 

gather impressions and inspiration. Quite 

often live shows are held here. 

Smuget 

(F6) Rosenkrantz’ gate 22 

Beer: NOK 62 

Smuget has been around for ever, or at 

least it feels that way. Smuget is often 

compared to the ferries going between 

Norway and Denmark: they’re both large, 

kitschy and filled up with party people. In 

other words, a real pick up joint! Smuget 

is often the host of various shows with 

Norwegian artists, and all in all a place 

worth checking out. 

This is the place to go on a warm summer 

evening. Stargate is one of very few places 

where you can sit outside and at the 

same time enjoy the sun and real cheap 

beer. And, when the sun is gone it’s still 

possible to sit outside covered in blankets. 

The interior is a weird mix of old and new, 

in a totally tasteless combination, so don’t 

go here for an aesthetic experience, please. 

Südøst 

(H4) Trondheimsveien 5 

Beer: NOK 56 

Südøst strives to force as many non- 

English vowels as possible into their 

name. A part from that Südøst is a popular 

hang out for the bold and the beautiful. 

Südøst is located in an area that used 

be dominated by drug dealers and other 

shady individuals. When Südøst arrived 

things started to change. At Südøst you 

can both dine and dance, but remember 

that there is a certain dress code there. 

Did we mention that the food is excellent? 

Well it is!

34 nightlife 

Teddys 

(G4) Brugata 3 

Beer: NOK 52 

Thors Hammer 

(F6) Rosenkrantz’ gate 20 

Beer: NOK 54 

Teddys has kept its original interior from 

1958, they even have an old original 

Wurlitzer jukebox here! Teddys is quite 

small and intimate, and you get the 

feeling that you’re not alone, even if you 

are. It’s also totally ok only to sit down 

and read a book, or enjoy their famous 

breakfast. You should definitely go here, 

if only to have a look, because this is Oslo 

history in the making. 

Thors Hammer is a stayer. It’s been 

along for ages, or at least since 1994. 

What make this night club special are the 

opening hours. Thors Hammer is one of 

the few clubs in Oslo that is open until six 

in the morning, even though regulations 

prohibit sale of alcohol after three in the 

night. GOOO PARTY!

nightlife35 

Verkstedet 

(G5) Hausmanns gate 29 

Beer: NOK 48 

The Villa 


Beer: NOK 48 

Verkstedet used to be an illegal boxing 

club some forty years ago. Today it is a 

bar and venue for local bands. If you want 

to dig deeper into the Oslo scene, check 

out Verkstedet, when gigs are on. The 

crowd usually consists of semi-alternative 

people. Verkstedet is all in all a friendly 

place, and a great alternative to Oslo’s 

hip bars. 

The Villa is a new techno club in Oslo for 

new electronic dance music. They are 

open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays 

with a focus on Norwegian and international 

electronic artists, in addition to 

cutting edge rock The Villa probably has 

the best sound system in whole of Oslo.

36 nightlife 

Snuff 

No! Not the movies! We are talking 

about tobacco. As a result of the cigarette 

ban in bars lots of people have 

started to use snuff or “snus” which is 

the Norwegian name. A regular Oslo 

bar has probably the largest variety 

of snuff you’ve ever seen, so “when in 

Rome…” 

Vorspiel 

Yeah, yeah. We know what “vorspiel” 

means in German, but anyway this is 

what we call “warm-up parties” in Norway. 

These parties are the reason get-in time 

at bars at weekends is quite late. You see, 

we don’t drink less, we just start drinking 

at home. 

Nachspiel 

As vorspiel is the party before you go 

to the club, nachspiel is what happens 

when clubs are closing. Then we go 

home and continue the mayhem there. 

This is, as you might figure, usually the 

more interesting part of the night – and 

definitely last chance for a slow dance.

nightlife 37 

For those under 20… 

At most clubs bars and pubs in Oslo, you 

need to be 20 to enter. This is because 

you can’t buy spirits if you are below this 

age. But if you are 18 or 19 and want a 

night out, there is still hope. 

Underage Drinking 

Elsewhere you are either underage 

or not. It is not that easy in Norway. 

You have to be 18 to buy beer or 

wine, but 20 to purchase hard liquor. 

And since most bars sell spirits you 

have to be 20 to enter. We know this 

is a bummer for all “underage kids”, 

but money talks. Bars are in general 

interested in a more financially able 

developed crowd. Sorry. 

Blocbar 

(F6) Kirkegata 26 

Beer: NOK 49 

Club 112 

(F6) Kirkegata 34 

Beer: NOK 39 

According to national newspaper Dagbladet, 

Blocbar is an attempt by a group 

of interior decorators, to create a nice bar 

for those under 18. We agree, and we 

think they succeed – at least to a certain 

degree. All in all Blocbar is a good place 

to go on at Saturday night! 

Club 112 is a place to go at weekends, 

crowded and hectic, but good fun. Despite 

the NOK 100 cover charge, the prices are 

quite reasonable.

38 nightlife 

Choice 


Beer: NOK 29 

Møllers Café 


Beer: NOK 34 

Choice is a skanky pub and as far away 

from high society as you possibly can travel. 

Nevertheless Choice is quite popular. 

In the morning you find older alcoholics 

here, but in the evening Choice attracts 

a younger, healthier crowd. All in all it is a 

great place to start your evening. 

Hemingway 

(F6) Øvre Slottsgate 10 

Beer: NOK 56 

Møllers is an institution among young 

rock´n roll enthusiasts. After some years 

they stop going here, only to leave the 

empty chairs to a younger generation of 

punks. Møllers is by the way well known 

for having Oslos most evil juke box. 

PI 


Beer: NOK 42 

Hemmingway is a bar that’s not serving 

spirits, which actually makes it a pub. 

Even though Hemingway is situated next 

to Rock In you won’t find many studded 

leather jackets here, only a nice atmosphere 

on a Saturday night. 

Mosquito 

(F5) Pilestredet 9 

Beer: NOK 48 

Technoheads in Oslo have had a hard 

time the last five years. Nothing has been 

going on, until PI came around. PI is to be 

found in Storgata, in a place which hosted 

a former great club – Killyrego. Nevertheless, 

PI is not a sentimental 90s trip down 

memory lane, but a place for everyone in to 

electronic club music. 

Trompeten 

(G6) Skippergata 29 

Beer: NOK 48 

Mosquito is a huge club/discotheque for 

people under twenty, but they still have a 

section for those old enough to buy hard 

liquor. 

Trompeten (the Trumpet) is definitely a 

suiting name for a karaoke bar. Trompeten 

has no cover charge except Saturdays, 

when they charge NOK 70. At weekends 

Trompeten gets really crowded, which is 

no surprise actually, considering where it 

is situated, just next to the central station.

shopping39 

Opening hours 

Opening hours are usually weekdays 

10:00-17:00, and Saturdays 09:00-15:00. 

Many shopping centres are open from 

10:00-21:00 Monday to Friday, and 

10:00-18:00 on Saturdays. Most shops 

are closed on Sundays, though many 

souvenir shops are open. Thursdays are 

in general good for evening shopping, 

since shops are open until early evening. 

Where to shop? 

If you don’t know what you’re looking for 

or if you just want to do some window 

shopping, here is a very rough guide to 

shopping in Oslo. 

Hegdehaugsveien, 

Bogstadveien and Majorstua (D3) 

Between the Royal Palace and the Frogner 

Park is one of the largest shopping districts 

in Oslo. Oslo is the city in the world 

with most designer labels represented 

relative to population, most of which are 

found in this area. Here you´ll find several 

posh boutiques where you don’t 

want to enter wearing smelly sandals and 

a backpack. 

Karl Johans Gate(F6) 

Karl Johans gate is the most famous street 

in Oslo. Karl Johan is Oslos equivalent to 

La Rambla or Champs Elysée. Karl Johan 

stretches from the Royal Palace to Oslo 

Central Station. Here you´ll find hundreds 

of shops and all kinds and lots of street 

artists and vendors during the summer. It is 

recommended to cool your feet in the water 

fountain in Studenterlunden on hot days. 

Aker Brygge (D6) 

At Aker Brygge you’ll find expensive 

designer shops as well as more standard 

shops, cafés, restaurants, theatres, cinema 

and bars. Aker Brygge is all in all fairly 

expensive. 

Grønland (H6) 

Grønland is famous for its large population 

of non-western immigrants. If you’re looking 

for cheap fabrics, fancy jewellery, spices, 

fruit and vegetable markets, Grønland is 

where you want to be. From Oslo City, 

follow Stenersgata and Grønlandsleiret, 

and within a few minutes you’re right in the 

middle of Grønland. Most of the stores are 

situated on the streets Grønlandsleiret and 

Tøyengata. Every Saturday there is a flea 

market at underneath the highway bridge. 

Grünerløkka(H3) 

Grünerløkka, or simply “Løkka” among 

friends, is the equivalent to Greenwich 

Village in Oslo. Here you have the chance 

to discover small designer boutiques, 

small cafes, parks and everything else 

you might need for lazy urban days.

40 shopping 

Shopping malls 

If you don’t know what you’re looking for 

and don’t bother walking aimlessly around, 

heck out this list! 

Arkaden 

(F6) Karl Johans gate 5-7 

– a more youthful mall with focus 

on streetwear. 

Byporten Shopping 

(G6) Jernbanetorget 6 

– this one has everything. 

GlasMagasinet 

(F5) Stortorvet 9 

– if you are looking for cutlery, souvenirs 

and designer objects. 

Gunerius Shopping centre 


– has something for everyone. 

Oslo City 

(G6) Stenersgate 1, by the Central Station. 

– the ”main mall” in Oslo. 

Paléet 

(E5) Karl Johans gate 37/43 

– they’ve got live piano music. This 

connotes high class. 

Steen og Strøm 

(F6) Kongensgate 23 

– Steen & Strøm is a shopping mall 

chain, that speaks mostly to a grown up 

audience. 

Markets 

Youngstorget (G5) 

Youngstorget is a 150-year renovated 

marketplace. Among the street vendors 

you will find everything from organic food, 

to second hand LPs and pan pipes. 

Blå (G4) 

Brenneriveien 3, each Sunday from 12:00 

until 17:00. Each Sunday young local 

artists gather at Blå to sell arts and crafts 

products. The market at Blå is really nice 

and worth a visit, even if you are not 

looking for anything in particular. 

Flea markets (B2) 

Vestkanttorget, Saturdays 10:00-17:00. 

Go to the main entrance of The Frogner 

Park and ask for Amaldus Nilsens Plass 

or Vestkanttorget. 

Birkelunden (H3) 

At the top of Grünerløkka so to say, you 

find the park Birkelunden. The market is 

at Sundays from 12:00 until 18:00. 

Grønland (H6) 

Each Saturday from 12:00 until 18:00 

there is a market under the highway 

bridge at Grønland. Here you can find 

absolutely everything! 

Slurpen (J4) 

The best way to get to Slurpen is from 

Sars gate, opposite the Botanical Gardens. 

Here there is a market every last Sunday 

of the month, from 12:00 until 16:00.

shopping 41 

Second hand stores 

Fretex 

Fretex is a chain of second hand stores, 

run by the Salvation Army. Fretex has 

branches in: 

(B3) Kirkeveien 32 

(K5) Ole Deviks vei 20 (outside the map). 

(E1) Ullevålsveien 12 

(H6) Smalgangen 8 

Underground Fashion 


Mon-Fri 11:00-19:00, Sat 10:00-17:00. 

Underground Fashion specializes in 60s 

and 70s clothing. In this colourful environment 

you find lots of shirts and lots of 

track suits. 

Gatsby 

(G5) Brugata 12 

Mon-Fri 12:00-17:00, Thurs 12:00-18:00, 

Sat 12:00-15:00. 

Gatsby has a variety of everything. Jus 

beware the lady who runs the store. She 

might be a bit snappy. 

not being too thrilling. In all second hand 

stores you have the possibility to get good 

bargains. This goes for UFF as well. 

Viklunds Brukthandel 

(D2) Stensgata 2 

Mon–Fri 11.00-17:00. 

Viklunds Brukthandel is very inexpensive 

when it comes to glasses, pictures and 

so forth. 

3rd Hand 

(H5) Markveien 58 

(entrance from Leirfallsgata) 

Mon-Sat 11:00-18:00, Thurs 11:00-19:00. 

(flexible opening hours...) 

3rd hand means making usable clothes 

from garment that cannot be sold as 

2nd hand, combining the environmental 

thinking with a healthy form of vanity. 3rd 

hand is expensive, but you are guaranteed 

a one of a kind item! 

Pentagon 


Mon-Fri 10:00-18:00, Sat 10:00-16:00. 

Sells a mix of real 2nd hand military 

equipment, rave and party clothing and 

fantasy gear. 

UFF 

(G6) Jernbanetorget 2 

Mon-Fri 10:00-19:00, Sat 10:00-17:00. 

UFF is not the more exciting of second 

hand stores in Oslo, but the location is 

excellent! And don’t be scared off by UFF

42

43

44 

SouvenirS 

Travelling always includes the 

endless search for souvenirs, 

authentic reminders of those 

golden days in Oslo.....

The different souvenirs, 

from upper left: 

binders (paper clip) 

=Oslo (magazine) 

samelue (Lapp cap) 

snus (snuff) 

engangsgrill (disposable barbeque) 

brunost (brown cheese) 

akevitt (aquavit) 

sælbuvotter (Sælbu mittens) 

Kvikk Lunsj (Norwegian chocolate) 

ostehøvel (cheese slicer) 

45

46shopping 

Books, comics and other stuff 

Buying books when you are travelling is 

like taking pictures or buying postcards. 

When you get home you will associate that 

particular book with that lovely vacation 

- for instance in Oslo. 

Here is a list of bookstores, where you 

find good and cheap reading material. 

Some of these could have been mentioned 

in the Shopping Records section 

too, since they carry records as well. But 

we think they are more paper than vinyl, 

so to say. 

Second Hand 

Literature (and records) 

Gammel Moro 

(H4) Korsgata 24, entrance from Markveien. 

Gammel Moro is run by Norwegian skateboard 

champion 1989 Lars Petter! He is a 

nice guy with a great interest in 60s rock’n 

roll. Gammel Morro carries used books, 

videos, dvds and records. 

Lucky Eddie 

(J3) Trondheimsveien 63 

Lucky Eddie carries the same sortiment 

as Gammel Moro. Lucky Eddie is a nice 

store, but they are rather expensive on 

records. 

Pretty Price Antikvariat 

(G6) Dronningens gate 23 

At Pretty Price the owner has an ashtray 

at the counter. This is quite untypical 

Norway, and therefore quite charming. 

Anyway, at Pretty Price you find used 

books, comics, records etc. They also have 

the best selection of used porn in Oslo. 

Specialized bookstores 

Bokcafeen 

Jaap van Huysmanns Minde 

(D3) Hjelms gate 3 

This is your regular anti authoritarian 

bookstore, specializing in freedom fighting 

literature. – You get the picture, right? 

Direct action NOW! 

Nomaden 

(D4) Uranienborgsveien 4 

Nomaden, or the Nomad in English is a 

bookstore specializing in travel literature. 

If travelling, you will definitely find something 

of interest here. 

Torpedo Art Book Store 

(G4) Hausmannsgate 42 

Torpedo is an independent book store 

focusing on contemporary arts and visual 

arts. They also carry some other stuff, like 

vinyl, so Torpedo is well worth a visit. 

Tronsmo 

(F5) Kristian Augusts gate 20-24 

This is a really good alternative bookstore. 

They have absolutely every possible 

cultural phenomenon represented here. 

The best advice is to go and have a look 

for yourself.

shopping 47 

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48 shopping 

Old Stuff 

There are some good Antiquarian bookstores 

in Oslo. These stores are actually 

more for collectors of literature than backpackers, 

but we mention them anyway. 

If you are looking for an early edition of 

Ibsen check them out. 

J.W. Cappelens antikvariat 

(E5) Universitetsgaten 20 

Damms Antikvariat AS 

(F6) Akersgata 2 

Bjørn Ringstrøms Antikvariat 

(F4) Ullevålsveien 1 

Norwegian Design 

Norways Says 

(H2) Thvorvald Meyers gate 15 

Norway Says is an office with an international 

approach to design. Norway Says 

works with both domestic and international 

clients and has gotten some buzz in the 

international design scene. In Grünerløkka 

you find the Norway Says store. Enjoy! 

Pur Norsk 

(E2) Theresesgate 14 

Pur Norsk is a store specializing in 

Norwegian products. Pur Norsk seeks to 

heighten the general awareness regarding 

Norwegian quality design. You don’t find 

wool sweaters here, though. Instead you 

can get more or less everything else.

shopping49 

Shopping records 

There are many record shops in Oslo, most 

of which are main stream music stores like 

Free Record Shop and Platekompaniet. 

The latter is a Norwegian chain, with 

branches all over Oslo. Actually we’d like 

to recommend Platekompaniet because 

they have a huge selection at reasonable 

prices and the staff knows what they are 

talking about. 

If you are the possessor of a more 

exquisite taste in music, we have some 

suggestions that might be to your liking. 

Bare Jazz 


Bare Jazz is a good jazz store and café 

(see review in Nightlife section). 

Big Dipper Records 


Big Dipper is the stereotype independent 

music store. Big Dippers has a huge 

selection of music, especially on vinyl, 

with a focus on rock’n roll. 

Filter Musikk 

(F6) Skippergata 33 

Filter has a good selection of equipment 

for electronic music, keyboards, mixers, 

headphones etc. Filter also carries quite 

a few 12” actually. 

Multima 

(F5) Teatergata 1 

Multima has more or less the same selection 

as Filter, and they also carry piles of 

second hand 12”. 

Shadowland 


If you are equally fascinated by light as 

by darkness, you’ll probably find Shadowland’s 

selection of goth, synth, ebm and 

industrial attractive. 

Sound of Noise 

(G5) Youngsgate 11 

(entrance Hammersborggata) 

Sound of Noise specializes in Heavy Metal. 

GRRRRR! 

Stress 


In addition to streetwear, clothes and 

shoes, Stress has a selection of mainly 

new hip hop 12”s. 

Tiger 

(G6) Youngsgate 11 

(entrance Hammersborggata) 

Tiger started out as a punk/hard core 

mailorder, but eventually evolved into 

a great independent record store, that 

definitely hasn’t lost its do-it-yourself 

punk roots. 

Tribal Trax 

(G6) Osterhaus gate 9 

Over the last years stores that were 

devoted to electronic music have disappeared, 

on by one. Tribal Trax is still in 

business. In addition to a good selection 

of new stuff, they have used 12” at 

reasonable prices.

50shopping 

Used Record Stores 

Bjørn Ringstrøm Antikvariat 


We like Ringstrøms. Here you find great 

records for reasonable prices. Ringstrøms 

has a good jazz selection, and also includes 

a book store. Recommended! 

Neseblod 

(H3) Rathkesgate 7 

Well-hidden in Grünerløkka you find 

Neseblod (or Nosebleed in English). 

Neseblod is the place to look for oldschool 

Norwegian punk and black metal, 

or used punk and metal records in general. 

If you’re looking for Mayhems first 

release or old Turbonegro 7”s – Neseblod 

is the store for you. 

Råkk & Rålls 

(G5) Akersgata 39 

Råkk & Rålls has a huge selection of 

second hand records, but you have to be 

really lucky to find something truly special. 

And they often charge more than 

necessary for irrelevant releases. Råkk & 

Rålls expanded recently and started selling 

vintage furniture and other used stuff 

as well. 

Youngstorget 

(G5) Quite often some guys are selling 

second hand records at Youngstorget. 

Some times it is pure rubbish, other times 

you may run across something really 

good. Worth dropping by. 

Oslo Rock-Antikvariat 

(F5) Fredensborgveien 17 

Oslo Rock-Antikvariat focuses on classic 

rock. All in all a nice and friendly store.

Queer Section 51 

Queer capital 

Oslo is the capital of Norway, which also 

makes it the queer capital. Many queers 

move to Oslo to meet others and be a 

part of the gay community. There is no 

single gay community in Oslo. You can 

either be as queer as you want or completely 

invisible. The only negative aspect 

of Oslo as a queer city is an increase 

in violence against homosexuals. This 

should nevertheless not keep you from 

enjoying the city. 

Skeive Dager is Oslos queer festival, and 

well worth attending. Otherwise queer 

movies are often screened at Cinemateket. 

The Club Scene is quite exiting and 

actually quite queer, meaning no one 

really cares what sexual orientation you 

got. If you want to experience gay history 

go to the club Bar Royale which used to 

be public rest rooms where men used to 

meet to hook up. To find out what’s going 

on when you’re in town we recommend 

www.blikk.no. 

This information was provided by 

Reidar Engesbak, journalist Blikk. 

As all major cities, Oslo has an active 

queer scene. We asked Erna, the editor 

of Blikk magazine to help us compile a list 

over queer stuff to do. That she did, and 

here is the result. 

Organisations 

LLH 

(E7) Kongens gate 12 

Tel: 23 10 39 39 

www.llh.no 

LLH is the oldest and biggest organisation 

for homosexuals and lesbians in Norway. 

LFTS 

(H5) Hausmanns gate 7 

Tel: 22 05 44 40 

www.lfts.no 

LFTS is a organisation for transsexuals. 

Skeiv ungdom 


Tel: 23 10 39 36 

www.skeivungdom.no 

Skeiv ungdom = queer youth 

SM/Fetish 

SLM-Oslo 

Scandinavian Leather Man 

(H6) Grønlandsleiret 73 

www.slm-oslo.no 

Smia-Oslo 

(K6) Oppland gate 19 

Smia is once a month a playground for 

SM and fetish oriented queers.

52 Queer Section 

Festival 

Skeive dager/ 

Gay and Lesbian Pride Week 

22 Jun - 01 Jul 2007 

www.skeivedager.no 

Skeive filmer/Oslo Gay 

and Lesbian Film Festival 

www.skeivefilmer.no 

The festival takes place 22 Jun - 27 Jun 

2007. The festival is a part of the official 

programme and a major event during the 

Oslo Pride Week 2007. 

Magazines 

Blikk 

www.blikk.no 


Tel: 22 33 44 55 

Norways biggest gay magazine. Blikk is 

sold in Narvesen kiosks. 

Pink Planet 

www.pinkplanet.no 

Free Straight-Friendly magazine for the 

queer community. 

Online Queer 

www.blikk.no 

www.gaysir.no 

www.boyfriend.dk 

www.qx.se 

Bar/Café 

Bobs Pub 


Bobs is a traditional pub with a 

considerable queer crowd. 

Elsker 

(F5) Kristian IVs gate 9 

Queer bar and restaurant, DJs at 

Weekends. 

Ett Glass 


(entrance from Rosenkrantz’ gate) 

Tel: 22 33 40 79 

Queer cafe close to Karl Johans gate. 

London Pub & Club 

(H4) CJ Hambros plass 5 

Tel: 22 70 87 00 

Oslos larget gay club. 

Never Mind 

(H1) Vogts gate 68 

Tel: 23 39 03 45 

Studio17 

(E4) Pilestredet 17 

The newest club in Oslo.

When nature calls 

activities 53 

Bicycling in the woods 

Norwegian nature is known for being 

challenging. Bicycling is usually permitted 

on all forest roads. When it comes to both 

jogging and cycling, opportunities are 

endless in Nordmarka. Suggested points 

of departure are Frognerseteren, Sognsvann 

or Skullerud. 

Day trip (70 km) 

Start at Dal, which can be reached by 

train from Oslo. Follow the route to 

Røtterudmoen - Engelstadvann - Hakkim 

- Hakadal - Langvann - Bjørnsjøen - 

Kikutstua - Sørkedalen skole and south 

to the city centre. The route is varied and 

sometimes challenging, but it is wonderful 

to cool down in one of the lakes along 

the way. 

Short trip (20 km) 

This is a shorter alternative. You start at 

Holmenkollen, go north to Frognerseteren, 

down to Skjennungstua cabin, further on to 

Ullevålsseter, straight down to Hammeren/ 

Maridalsvannet. Then you return downtown 

by following the cycle path by Akerselva. 

online booking for: 

SUMMER: 

- biking 

- walking 

- kayak tours 

SKI: 

- ski holidays 

- weekend breaks 

- ski packs 

- lessons and touring 

www.summeroslo.com www.skioslo.com 

call centre: +47 23 36 85 77 (08:00-16:00 Mon-Fri)

54 activities 

You can rent bikes at: 

Skiservice AS 

Tomm Murstadbakken 2 

Tel: 22 13 95 00 

www.skiservice.no 

You need to call them at least 

a day in advance. 

Summer Oslo 

(D3) Industrigata 36 

Tel: 23 36 85 77 

www.summeroslo.com 

For more bike-related information, try: 

Syklistenes Landsforening 

(G5)Storgaten 23c 

Tel: 22 47 30 30 

Hiking and cabins 

The woods are fairly well signposted, but 

bring a map. Maps are bought at Narvesen 

Kiosks, gas stations or bookstores. 

Den Norske Turistforening (DNT) 

(G6) Storgaten 3 

Tel: 22 82 28 00 

www.dntoslo.no 

Open: Mon-Fri 10:00-16:00, Thu 10:00- 

18:00, Sat 10:00-14:00. 

Offers hiking information, cabins and 

maps. They also have a list of self-service 

huts in the Oslo woods. 

Other cabins: 

Kikutstua 

Tel: 22 42 01 73 

Book in advance. 

Kobberhaughytta 

Tel: 22 49 90 14 

Book in advance. 

Climbing 

There are several possibilities for climbing 

in and around Oslo. Here you find phone 

numbers, hints and tips for climbing in Oslo: 

www.klatring.no 

www.steepstone.com 

www.gekkoklatring.no. 

Gekko Klatring 

(J7) Bispegata 16 

Tel: 22 67 28 44 

Skøyen Klatresenter 

(A4) Drammensveien 130 

Tel: 22 04 98 88 

Myrens sportssenter 

(H1) Sandakerveien 24C, entrance D10 

Tel: 22 04 06 80 

www.klatreverket.no 

For further info ask the staff at: 

Anton Høyfjellsutstyr 

(D3) Bogstadveien 1 

Tel: 23 33 43 80 

They are specializing in hiking and mountain 

climbing, and they have all the information 

you need about climbing in Norway.

winter sports 

activities 55 

is from the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo. 

When at the bottom, you simply take the 

metro back up again. Sleighs can be 

rented at Skiservice, www.skiservice.no 

Open: Mon-Fri 09:30-22:00, Sat/Sun 

09:30-17:30. To get there: subway no 1 to 

Voksenkollen station. 

Downhill skiing 

If you like downhill skiing, there are 9 

alpine ski slopes in the Oslo area. The 

most popular is: Tryvann 30 min. from city 

centre with the metro, has 14 slopes and 

7 lifts. Check out www.tryvann.no. 

If you’re in Norway and Oslo during the 

winter, you are obliged to try the national 

sport; cross country skiing. Skis can be 

rented at: 

Skiservice AS 

Tomm Murstadbakken 2 

Tel: 22 13 95 00 

www.skiservice.no 

Ski Oslo 

(D3) Industrigata 36 

Tel: 23 36 85 77 

www.skioslo.com 

Sleighing 

Take the metro to Frognerseteren. Sledge 

down a bendy track Korketrekkeren, the 

Cork Screw. It is lit in the evenings, and is 

about 2 kilometres long. Korketrekkeren 

But you can also go to: 

• Kolsås has 1 slope, snowpark and 3 lifts. 

• Kirkerudbakken has 3 slopes, 

halfpipe and 3 lifts. 

• Grefsenkleiva has 3 slopes and 2 lifts. 

• Trollvannskleiva has 3 slopes and 2 lift. 

• Ingierkollen has 2 slopes. 

All slopes are electrically lit. 

Ice skating 

You can go ice skating in the middle of 

Oslo in the winter time. You’ll find a skatingrink 

in Spikersuppa, the park between the 

Parliament and the National Theatre. 

Other skating rinks in Oslo 

Frogner Stadium, next to the Vigeland park. 

Here you can rent ice skates. 

Grünerhallen, in the eastern part of town. 

A helmet is compulsory, and they have 

skate rental.

56 activities 

Citysports 

Skateboarding 

There are not too many skate spots in 

Oslo, but those mentioned here are fairly 

easy to get to, either on foot, or by public 

transportation. 

Gamlebyen, under Dyvekes bro 

This is a hardcore park run by the GSFcrew. 

We believe the place is open for 

everyone, but ask before you enter. A mini 

ramp and street area, partly located under 

the bridge. Old School atmosphere. 

Voldsløkka 

At Voldsløkka there is a large wood bowl 

and street area with banks and a pyramid, 

but the standard is sketchy. 

Jordal, by the station Galgeberg 

Here you’ll find a vertramp and a wood 

bowl. The people here are usually friendly. 

There are plans to expand the park, adding 

a concrete section as well.

activities 57 

Hausmania 

Every occupied house with a sense of 

taste should have a tiny mini-ramp with 

roof. Sessions are held here from time to 

time. Check out www.lyderfragata.org for 

updates. 

Galgeberg Skate Hall in Lodalen 

At Galgeberg there is a mini ramp. 

Marienlyst 

Right next to the national broadcaster 

NRK you’ll find two mini-ramps. They are 

ok, but nothing special. 

The stairs in front of the City Hall is a 

well known skate spot. Here you’ll normally 

find skaters on a sunny day. Same 

goes for the stairs at Tinghuset. 

gamlebyen 

Table Tennis 

Just bring your own ball and racket. 

(H3) The Sofienberg Park 

(G3) The Kuba Park 

(J4) Lakkegata school, Lakkegata 79 

Inline skating 

Frognerparken is a popular place for 

inline skating. There are always lots of 

skaters here. It’s important though to show 

respect for pedestrians, or skating will be 

banned. Same goes for the Aker Brygge 

area and the underground stations as well. 

Passing Aker Brygge towards Bygdøy 

there are excellent cycling and skating 

possibilities along the docks and marina. 

Miniature golf 

You can find a miniature golf course in 

Thorvald Meyers gate by Nybrua Bridge 

at Grünerløkka. The address is Theodor 

Kittelsens plass, named after a much 

loved Norwegian artist, but no one pays 

any attention to this. However, other places 

for miniature golf are: 

Ekeberg Minigolf Park 

Ekebergveien 97 

Tel: 22 68 26 69 

Østmarksetra minigolfsenter 

Sarabråtveien 

Tel: 22 26 15 59 

Indoor skating 

Valle Hovin skate rental, 

in the eastern part of town. 

Jordal Ungdomshall, 

also in the eastern part of Oslo. 

Walking trips 

A Norwegian particularity is walking trips. 

This must not be mistaken for hiking in 

the mountains or the woods. Walking trips 

can be done anywhere; downtown, in the 

neighbourhood, along Akerselva in the 

park etc. The walking trip doesn’t need a 

particular aim or purpose. The only point 

is to get out, stir yourself and move about 

a little. The duration of the trip vary based 

on your mood and condition and your 

remaining program for the day. It can be 

performed any day, at any time of the day, 

depending on preferences and needs, but 

Sunday is prime walking trip time.

58 activities 

Parklife 

Disposable Barbecues 

Barbequing in the parks is very typical 

Oslo. And it is a rather cheap alternative 

compared to eating out. Step one: At regular 

food stores you can get everything 

you need; meat, fish (salmon is good), 

salad or whatever and even a disposable 

barbecue. Step two: find a park, the rest 

is up to you. Just make sure you clean 

up afterwards. 

Akershus Fortress (E7) 

The park surrounding Akershus fortress 

is perfect for picnics. From here you have 

a great view of the Town Hall, the fjord 

and Aker Brygge, the former shipyard that 

was renovated in the 1980s. Akershus 

fortress was built in 1299 but was heavily 

rebuilt a couple of hundred years later. 

Today the Norwegian Resistance 

Museum and the Armed Forces Museum 

are found here. You can also find a miniature 

model of 18th century Oslo, and a 

multimedia show on the history of Oslo. 

Stroll down from the fortress to the 

Town Hall which is open to the public. 

Inside you can experience heroic frescos 

depicting the struggle of the Norwegian 

socialist movement, and other events 

from the history of Oslo. 

Birkelunden (H3) 

Birkeunden is situated in the middle of 

Grünerløkka. Birkelunden has become 

one of the more popular spots to spend 

sunny afternoons. Crowded with young, 

trendy and apparently extremely relaxed 

people, you might get the feeling that this 

is an all summer festival. If you’re asthmatic, 

beware of the continuous smog 

from the barbecues. 

Botanical Gardens (J5) 

Close to the Munch Museum are the 

Botanical Gardens, a colourful oasis on 

Oslo’s east side. Many of the plants and 

flowers originate from Norway’s mountain 

areas, including the national flower, Røsslyng. 

If the weather gets bad, seek refuge 

in the tropical world the greenhouses offer. 

The Frogner Park (B3) 

The artist Gustav Vigeland designed this 

park. It contains more than 200 of his 

sculptures. It is Norway’s most visited 

tourist attraction. Visiting is completely 

free. Maybe that’s why more than one 

million tourists are drawn here each year? 

The Frogner park is not a museum, 

but a wonderful place to go for a stroll or 

have a picnic and at the same time enjoy 

Vigeland’s sculptures. 

Kuba (G3) 

Kuba is a popular park among younger 

people, located between Akerselva and 

Grünerløkka. Concerts and other activities 

are arranged here quite often in the 

summertime. Kuba is a breeder, away 

from the café lattes and the shopping at 

Grünerløkka.

activities 59 

The Medieval Park (J7) 

The Medieval Park is a real treat. It is 

quite large and soon you find yourself in a 

state of perfect Zen, surrounded by ruins 

from the dark ages. It is perfect for picnics 

and you learn a bit of Norwegian history 

in the process. 

The Royal Park (E5) 

The Royal Park, surrounding the royal 

castle is the largest park in downtown 

Oslo. It is a nice place to relax after hours 

of sightseeing. This is the only park in 

Oslo where sunbathing is prohibited, but 

not everyone abides by this rule. 

the Sofienberg park (H3) 

This park is huge. Sofienbergparken was 

built in the late 19th century, and was 

supposed to be the green lungs of the 

heavily industrialized east side of Oslo. 

And it still is. It is very popular among 

locals, all day and all night. 

St. Hanshaugen (F3) 

This park is hilly with a great view of Oslo. 

There is a bandstand with happenings 

on Wednesdays throughout the summer. 

The park also has a quite popular outdoor 

café. The park is just a 20-minute walk 

from the city centre, but the lazy ones can 

take bus 37 from Stortorget. 

Stensparken (E2) 

Stensparken is a green cosy hill for park 

dwellers. Stensparken is quite small but 

has a great view of Oslo. Walking from 

the city centre it takes you 20 minutes to 

get here, or 10 minutes from Majorstua. 

Otherwise you can take trams 10, 17 or 18.

60 activities 

Fjords,Lakes and Rivers 

Boat trips can be expensive. An alternative 

is using your day pass on the ferry 

number 93 from Vippetangen to the 

islands Bleikøya, Gressholmen, Lindøya 

and Hovedøya. 

Otherwise, try this: 

Båtservice Sightseeing AS 

www.boatsightseeing.com 

Rådhusplassen, pier 3 

Tel: 23 35 68 90 

Båtservice offers city-sightseeing by boat 

and bus. For instance evening cruises on 

the Oslo fjord with dinner or bus tours to 

Oslo’s most popular tourist attractions. 

Renting a car might be expensive in Norway. 

If you’re staying in Oslo, we suggest 

that you stick to public transport. If you’re 

planning trips out of town, renting a car is no 

problem. Rental Companies have weekend 

offers so if you are a party, this might 

be the cheapest way of transportation. 

If you are lucky, you can get a car for 

free. Some rental companies need to 

transport cars back and forth between 

cities. www.transfercar4u.no 

Beach volleyball 

Did you know Norwegians play beach 

volleyball? Check out beaches for matches. 

For the real deal, here are some of the 

permanent courts: Huk (Bus 30 to Bygdøy), 

Voldsløkka (Bus 34 to Tåsen) and at 

the island Langøyene (Ferry no. 93 from 

Vippetangen). 

CAYAK and Canoeing 

You can paddle in the Oslo Fjord and most 

lakes surrounding Oslo. For canoeing in the 

city itself, check out Bull Ski og Kajakk, 

Majorstua, tel. 22 56 94 86. 

In Nordmarka you can rent canoes at 

Kikut and Bjørnholt at the Kikut-cabin In 

Nordmarka. Why not combine it with an 

overnight stay? Tel: 22 42 01 73. 

Rent kayak at: 

Oslo Kajakkutleie, 

on the pier at Sjølyst Marina. 

www.oslo-kajakk.no 

Tel: 986 78 606 / 926 99 050 

(call in advance) 

Open all week from 09:00-21:00. 

One hour of kayaking costs NOK 100. 

Take bus no 32 to Sjølyst. 

Swimming 

Any lake will do, except for the two reservoirs 

for drinking water – Maridalsvannet 

and Skjersjøen. The most popular lake is 

Sognsvann. Take metro 5 to Sognsvann. 

You can also take bus 54 to Kjelsås and 

get off at Stillatorvet. There is a part of 

Akerselva that’s great for swimming. 

There is also a waterfall where you can 

take a shower. Here you have the chance 

to have a closer look at the nineteenth 

century factories along the river. 

Coastline fishing 

Fishing with a pole or a hand line is permitted 

more or less year round along the 

entire coast. There are however some 

restrictions on equipment when fishing 

salmon, sea trout or red char. Common 

fish are coalfish, pollack, cod, and whiting. 

Chances of catching mackerel are 

best during summer. A lot of people be-

activities 61 

lieve that you have to go to the west cost 

or up north to experience good fishing. 

This is not necessarily true. There are lots 

of good spots around the Oslo Fjord, just 

ask us at the Use-It office. We give away 

free fishing maps. 

Freshwater fishing 

For freshwater fishing, you have to buy a 

fishing permit which can be obtained at: 

Oslomarka Fiskeadministrasjon 

Tel: 400 06 768 

or at any post office in Oslo. 

You get 48 hours of fishing for NOK 75, 

7 days costs NOK 200. Contact Use-It if 

you need more information. 

Crawfish 

The season for catching crawfish is August 

only. Craw fishing must be done at night, 

and you need a fishing permit. If interested 

contact Oslomarka Fiskeadministrasjon, 

tel. 400 06 768. 

Mussels 

You can gather mussels anywhere in the 

Oslo Fjord but first you need to check if 

the mussels are poisonous. Contact: 

Giftinformasjonen 

Tel: 22 59 13 00 

Mattilsynets blåskjelltelefon 

Tel: 820 33 333 

They will inform you whether or not you 

can eat mussels in your area. 

Norway has an extensive coastline. 

This has influenced the language. 

Norwegian has lots of expressions 

revolving around fish and fishing. 

Here are some examples: 

Frisk som en fisk 

lit. “healthy as a fish”, 

meaning “in perfect health”. 

Glad laks 

lit. ”happy salmon”, 

meaning “happy camper” 

Dø som ei sild 

lit.”dead as herring”, 

meaning “really dead” 

Bare død fisk flyter med strømmen 

lit.”only dead fish goes with the flow”, 

meaning ”be independent”. 

Som sild i tønne 

lit.”as herring in barrel”, 

meaning ”really cramped” 

Sleip ål 

lit. ”slippery eel”, meaning 

”describing a untrustworthy person” 

Som fisken i vannet 

lit.”as fish in water”, 

meaning ”enjoying oneself” 

Slappfisk 

describing a lazy person

62 activities 

The Oslo fjord 

Sydstranda at Ulvøya 

Connected to the mainland with a bridge, 

Ulvøya is a good alternative to other bathing 

spots in Oslo. You have to pay a little 

fee in the high season, but that gives you 

access to a clean beach, diving tower, 

tennis court, kiosk and telephone. You may 

also find people fishing from the bridge 

connecting the island to the main land. 

How to get there: bus 85 from the 

Central Station. 

The water in the inner Oslo Fjord is clean 

and usually keeps 15-20 degrees during 

summer. Certainly swimming in the fjord 

is a summer activity, but visiting the islands 

and other fjord areas are nevertheless 

recommendable throughout the year. It’s 

well worth the energy to walk along the 

fjord, accompanied by humming birds and 

the fresh, salty smell. 

Ferries run less frequently off-season, 

but both Hovedøya and Gressholmen have 

good connections all year, and Bygdøy is 

accessible by bus. The buses and ferries 

listed below are all part of the public 

transport system. 

Ingierstrand 

Once known as the jewel among bathing 

spots in the Nordic countries, Ingierstrand 

is still a great place to spend a summer 

day. The functionalistic (see Architecture 

in Oslo) restaurant from 1933 is worth a 

visit, though unfortunately it’s not open for 

business any more. 

Ingierstrand is a little further away 

from the centre of Oslo, but has a nice 

beach, diving board, kiosk, and shower. 

There is no bus going to this place but 

biking is possible or maybe hitchhiking. 

How to get there: Train 500 direction Ski. 

Get off at Kolbotn. Switch to bus 907 at 

Kolbotn, get off at Ingierstrand. 

Huk & Paradisbukta 

at Bygdøy 

Two excellent bathing spots are located at 

the Bygdøy peninsula. Several museums, 

such as the Norwegian Folk Museum, the 

Viking Ship Museum and the Kon-Tiki 

Museum are situated there. Bygdøy is 

populated with a fairly highbrow section

activities 63 

of Oslo’s population, but luckily large sections 

of the peninsula are public areas. 

Bygdøy is situated a few kilometres west 

of Oslo city centre, and is easily reached 

by different means of transport. Huk and 

Paradisbukta are two beaches covering 

the South-Western part of Bygdøy. In 

between the two there is a nudist section. 

At Huk there is a small kiosk, a beach 

volleyball court and a nice beach crowded 

with young people. Paradisbukta is less 

crowded, and this area is popular among 

families with toddlers. How to get there: 

Walking takes 50 minutes from the city 

centre. 

How to get there: Take bus 30 Bygdøy 

from the National Theatre or Central Station. 

Ferry 91 to Bygdøynes from pier no. 3 by 

The City Hall (only during summer). 

Hovedøya 

This is the largest island in the inner Oslo 

Fjord, and also the most crowded one. 

Hovedøya is green and lush with plenty 

of small paths covering the island. At 

Hovedøya there are ruins of a Cistercian 

abbey from the 11th Century, built by 

English monks. Hovedøya later formed 

an important part of the defence of Oslo, 

and you’ll find military buildings and installations, 

mostly from the 17th Century, 

at different strategic spots on the island. 

Hovedøya is suitable for picnics or football, 

and the ferry runs more frequently 

here than to any other island. The beaches 

are small and often pebbled, but still lovely. 

Gressholmen 

Until recently this island was populated 

by hundreds of rabbits. Unfortunately the 

rabbits ate too much of the vegetation, so 

the authorities reduced the livestock considerably 

three years ago. Not far from the 

pier you’ll find Gressholmen Kro, a small 

restaurant, which serves sandwiches, 

dinners and cold beers. Gressholmen 

doesn’t have large sandy beaches, but 

is still a lovely place to take a dip. Dive 

from the rocks and count the numerous 

birds, 160 different species have been 

observed until now. Gressholmen has a 

nudist beach on the southern part of the 

island. 

How to get there: Ferry 93 from 

Vippetangen. 

Langøyene 

Langøyene has a camping ground (see 

the accommodation section), hence it is 

the only island where overnight stay is 

permitted. If the weather is on your side, 

you don’t need a tent, just a sleeping bag. 

Summer evenings in Oslo are bright and 

snug, and swimming in the sea past midnight 

is a pleasant experience you certainly 

will remember. The southern part of 

the island is designated naturists. 

How to get there: Ferry no. 94 from 

Vippetangen. 

How to get there: Ferry 92 and 93 from 

Vippetangen.

64 activities 

Free Happenings! 

Summer 2007 

Free Happenings are completely free 

events arranged by Use-It Oslo. Each 

Thursday at 13:00 we embark on an 

excursion to something un-touristy, yet 

exciting, place in Oslo. Both locals and 

tourists are welcome to join in. Unfortunately 

we’ve only got capacity to bring 

with us a limited number, so sign up at 

the Use-It office beforehand. 

14. Jun: Use-It Season starts 

We cock up a small party at the office 

in Møllergata 3. 

05. Jul: Mosque and mediaeval 

We visit the mosques at Grønland and 

barbeque in the Mediaeval Park. 

12. Jul: Oslo in one hour 

Explore down-town Oslo in one hour. 

19. Jul: Boattrip to Hovedøya 

Visit the islands in the Oslo Fjord. 

At Hovedøya you can explore the ruins 

of a mediaeval monastery as well as 

sun bathe. 

26. Jul: Functionalistic Carvings 

We head for Ekeberg to explore rock 

carvings at the beautiful functionalistic 

Ekeberg Restaurant. 

02. Aug: Mosque and mediaeval 

09. Aug: Oslo in one hour 

16. Aug: Boattrip to Hovedøya 

23. Aug: Functionalistic Carvings 

30. Aug: Mosque and mediaeval 

06. Sep: Oslo in one hour 

13. Sep: Boattrip to Hovedøya

As all, and we really mean all, 

accommodation in Oslo and the 

immediate surroundings tend to 

get full from August to September, 

we strongly recommend to book 

in advance if you plan to visit 

Oslo during this period. 

Sleep 65

66 Sleep 

Place: 

Oslo vandrerhjem Haraldsheim 

Haraldsheimveien 4 

Tel: 22 22 29 65 

www.haraldsheim.oslo.no 

Cochs pensjonat 

Parkveien 25 

Tel: 23 33 24 00 

www.cochs.no 

Anker hostel 

Storgata 55 

Tel: 22 99 72 00 

www.ankerhostel.no 

Oslo Hostel Rønningen YMCA 

Myrerskogen 54 

Tel: 21 02 36 00 

www.oslohostel.com 

Oslo vandrehjem Holtekilen 

Michelets vei 55, Stabekk 

Tel: 67 51 80 40 

www.vandrehjem.no 

Perminalen Hotel 

Øvre Slottsgate 2 

Tel: 23 09 30 81 

www.perminalen.no 

Ms Innvik 

Langkaia, behind Havnelageret 

Tel: 22 41 95 00 

www.innvik.no 

Prices: 

Single room NOK 355/425. 

Double room NOK 495/575. 

Quad room NOK 220/245 per pers. 

- prices with or without wc and bath. 

Single room NOK 420/520/560. 

double room NOK 580/680/740. 

3 beds NOK 735/855/915. 

4 beds NOK 900/1020. 

Single room NOK 500. Twin bed room NOK 500. 

4-bedded dorm NOK 200 per pers. 

5-/6-bedded dorm NOK 185 per pers. 

Breakfast NOK 75, towels NOK 20 per set. 

Bed linen NOK 50 per person/set. 

Kitchen equipment deposit NOK 100. 

Single room NOK 306/360. Double room 

NOK 493/580. Triple room NOK 638/750. 

Quad room NOK 765/900. 

Bed in dorm NOK 150/175. 

Sheets, pillow, blankets NOK 35. Towels NOK 15. 

Single room NOK 355. Double room NOK 496. 

Triple room NOK 660. 

Bed in shared room NOK 185. 

Non- members pay additional NOK 50 per person. 

Lunch to go NOK 45 

Single room costs NOK 499. 

Bed in 2- bedded room NOK 720. 

Bed in 4- bedded room NOK 335. 

Single room NOK 425. 

Double room NOK 750. 

P-hotels 

Grensen 9 

Tel: 23 31 80 00 

www.p-hotels.no 

Single room NOK 645. 

Double roon NOK 745. 

Triple room NOK 895. 

4-bedded room NOK 1045.

General information: 

- breakfast, lunch and dinner included. 

- car park. 

- great view over the fjord. 

- members 15% discount. 

Alt 1: toilet/shower in corridor, no kitchen 

facilities or TV. 

Alt 2: bathroom, tea making facilities, cable TV. 

Price 3: fridge/kettle, bathroom and cable TV. 

- reception is open 24hrs in the summer and 

between 07-23.30 in the winter. 

- NOK 200 in key deposit. 

- all rooms with private shower and toilet. 

- you have to rent linen upon arrival. 

- sleeping bags are not allowed. 

- breakfast included for all accommodation. 

- sleepingbags are not allowed. 

- prices for members/non members. 

Sleep 67 

From Oslo Central Station: 

Tram 15 or 17 to Sinsenkrysset. 

Train to Grefsen station. 

From Gardermoen: NOR-WAY Ekspressbuss. 

F1 to Sinsenkrysset or F3 to Grefsen station. 

Tram number 17 and 18, stop at Høgskolen/ 

Dalsbergsstien. From there Cochs is a mere 

250 metres walk along Parkveien. 

10 minutes walk from Oslo Central Station. 

Tram 11,12 to Hausmannsgate. 

Bus 30, 31, 32 to Hausmannsgate. 

Tram no 12 to Kjelsås. 

Take the path across the grass; continue up 

Myrerskogveien until you come to no 52B. 

20 min with tram. 

Breakfast is included. 

- all prices include breakfast, TV and 

private bathroom. 

- Towels not included in 4-bedded room. 

Train to Stabekk station. (10 min). 

Bus 151, 153, 161, 162, 252 and 261 from 

Bussterminalen to Kveldsroveien. 

By car: follow E18, and take off at Strand 

(9 km from Central Oslo). 

Tram 13 Kongens gate, or just walk! 

It is really no distance. 

- this is a boat! 

- continental breakfast is included. 

- all occupancy rates are subject to change. 

By foot: Via the bridge that crosses the E18 

by Stock Exchange or Skippergata. 

By car: Follow E18 onto the flyover by the 

Central Station and follow signs for Danskebåtene, 

or drive via Vippetangen. 

- breakfast and newspapers included. Tram 19 to Tinghuset, or just walk.

68 

Sleep 

Student Flats 

If you are staying for a month or two during 

summer, you may rent student flats. 

Check out: www.hybel.no, www.finn.no, 

www.bofellesskap.no 

Drop by our office and we will help 

you translate the ads. 

Anker Studentboliger 


Tel: 22 99 73 00 

E-mail: studentbolig@anker.oslo.no 

Anker is a student house and leases 

student flats for shorter periods from 

April to August. Rent is from NOK 3854 

pr month, with one month deposit. The 

flats have private bathrooms. Bring your 

own linen and kitchen utensils, or rent 

at Anker. 

Private Accommodation 

Use-It will help you to find accommodation 

in private apartments. Drop by our office 

and we’ll find a nice place for you. Prices 

usually start around NOK 140 a night for 

a bed in shared room. We don’t intend to 

be pessimistic but finding a bed in Oslo 

for less than NOK 100 is impossible. But 

please tell us if you do! 

Bed and breakfast 

www.bbnorway.com 

This website gives you an overview of 

Bed & breakfasts in Norway. It provides 

contact information and all necessary information 

about the different alternatives. 

For reservations you need to contact 

each host individually. 

Cabins/Trekking 

Den Norske Turistforening is Norway’s 

biggest outdoor activities organisation. 

For 135 years they have promoted trekking. 

The offer both suggested trips and 

cabins for rent, in the woods of Oslo and 

everywhere else in Norway. 

Den Norske Turistforening 


Tel: 22 82 28 00 

www.turistforeningen.no

Camping 

You may camp anywhere you like as 

long as you are 150 meters away from 

the nearest house or fence surrounding 

private property. Please clean up after 

yourself and remember: no fire! 

Bogstad Camping 

Ankerveien 117 (not in map) 

Tel: 22 51 08 00 

8 kilometers from the centre you find 

Bogstad Camping, close to nature and 

open all year. 

Prices: Tent NOK 245. 

Motorhome NOK 230. 

Caravan NOK 245 

Ekeberg Camping 

Ekebergveien 65 (not in map) 

Tel: 22 19 85 68 

Open June - August 

The view from up at Ekeberg is great! 

When you get bored contemplating this 

spectacle you find a miniature golf course 

and horse riding nearby. 

Prices: Tent NOK 150. 

Motorhome NOK 205. 

Caravan NOK 230. 

How to get there: Bus 34 or 46 from Oslo 

Central Station to Ekeberg Camping. 

Langøyene 

Langøyene is not a camping ground, 

but this does not prevent people from 

camping here. At Langøyene you can 

bathe, fish and play volleyball. Be aware 

of the time tables for the ferries. Check 

out thoroughly when last boat leaves. 

69 

A modern hostel, 

situated in the heart of Oslo 

Anker Hostel is located between the main 

street in Oslo, Karl Johan, and Grunerløkka. 

You find shops, restaurants, pubs and bars 

just around the corner. 

Anker Hostel is a modern hostel and offers: 

- Single room NOK 500,- 

- Twin bed room NOK 250,- per pers 

- 4-bedded dorm NOK 200,- per pers 

- 5-/6-bedded dorm NOK 185,- per pers 

- Breakfast NOK 65,- 

- Bed linen NOK 50 per person/set 

- Towel NOK 20 per person/set 

Bar, kitchen, luggage lockers, internet, 

parking, laundry services. 

See separate prices for Easter on our website. 

We are also open for x-mas and new year! 

Contact us: 

Address: Storgata 55, 0182 Oslo 

Phone: +47 22 99 72 00 

Fax: +47 22 99 72 20 

Web: www.ankerhostel.no 

E-mail: hostel@anker.oslo.no

70 Sleep 

www.ekebergcamping.no

practical information 

71 

Alcohol 

You have to be 18 to buy wine and beer, and 

20 to buy spirits. Beer is sold in supermarkets 

until 20:00 in the evening on week days and 

until 18:00 on Saturdays. Wine and spirits are 

found in Vinmonopolet. Most stores are closed 

Sundays. Vinmonopolet is open Mon-Wed 

10:00-17:00, Thurs and Fri 10:00-18:00, Sat 

10:00-15:00, closed Sundays. 

Chemist’s / pharmacy 

There are many pharmacies in Oslo and they 

usually follow regular opening hours from 

10:00-18:00 on Weekdays. The pharmacy 

opposite the Central Station is open 24 hours. 

Cinemas 

All screenings are in the original language 

with Norwegian subtitles. Tickets come with 

an assigned seat, and prices vary from NOK 

60-90. You can buy tickets for all cinemas at 

the cinema of your choice. 

Cinemas: 

Colosseum, (C2) Fridtjof Nansens vei 6. 

Eldorado , (G5) Torggata 9. 

Felix, (D6) Bryggertorget 3. 

Filmteateret, (E6) Stortingsgata 28. 

Frogner, (B2) Frognerveien 30. 

Gimle, (B5) Bygdøy allè 39. 

Klingenberg, (E5) Olav V’s gate 4. 

Saga, (E5) Stortingsgata 28. 

Vika, (E5) Ruseløkkveien 14. 

IMAX Theatre, (D6) Holmensgate 1. 

In case of emergencies 

Fire: 110 

Police: 112 

Ambulance: 113 

You can call these numbers free of charge 

from any public telephone. 

Exchange/money 

You can exchange money in almost every 

bank and post office. Plastic is accepted in 

most shops. The Norwegian currency is the 

Norwegian Krone (abbreviated “kr”, “nkr” or 

“NOK”). One krone is made up of 100 øre. 

However, the smallest coinage is 50 øre. 

There are ATMs everywhere, usually at 

7-elevens. Regular banking hours: Mon-Wed, 

Fri 08:15-15:30, Thu 08:15-17:00, Saturday 

closed. The following places have extended 

opening hours: 

Oslo’s main post office 

(G6) Dronningensgate 15 

Oslo Central Station K-bank 

(G6) Airport Express Terminal. 

With 24h automatic exchange. 

Internet cafés 

Arctic Internet café 

(G6) Oslo Central Station 

Opening hours are 08:00-24:00 every day. 

Galleriet Internettcafe 

(G6) Schweigaards gate 6 

It-palasset.no 

Majorstua T-bane 

(C2) Sørkedalsveien 1 

(NOK 60 per hour) 

Open: Mon-Fri 10:00-24:00, 

Sat- Sun 11:00-24:00. 

QBA 

(H3) Olaf Ryes plass 4 

Tel: 22 35 24 60 

Tertitten Kafé og Bar 

(K3) Trondeimsveien 99 

Tel: 22 19 20 10 

Free internet 

Deichmanske/Oslo Public Library 

(F5) Arne Garborgs plass 4 

Open: Mon-Fri 10:00-19:00, Sat 10:00-16:00.

72 


Riverside 

Grønland 1 

Open: Mon-Fri 09:30-20:30. Sat-Sun 14:00-20:00 

Agelimits: 16-21 for boys and 16-23 for girls. 

Use-it 


Open: Mon-Fri 09:00-18:00. Tue 11:00-18:00. 

Free wireless networks 

Hotels: 

Holmenkollen Park Hotel Rica 

Kongeveien 26 

Rainbow Hotel Opera 

(G6) Christian Fredriksplass 5 

First Hotel Millenium, 

(G5) Tollbugaten 25 

Bristol Hotel, 

(E5) Kristian IVs gate 7 

First Hotel Noble House 

(D5) Kongensgate 5 

Radisson SAS 

(F5) Holbergsgate 30 

Norlandia Saga Hotell 

(D4) Eilert Sundtsgate 39 

Cafés/Restaurants 

Kaffe & Krem 

(B6) Haakon VIIs gate 10 and 

(B6) Essendropsgate 9 

Café Mono 

(G5) Pløens gate 4 

Artic Internet Oslo 

(G6) by the Central Station 

Bagel & Juice 

(F6) Øvre Slottsgate 7 

Collets Café 

(F3) Collets gate 33 

Café Sør 


Peppes Pizza 


Laundry (self service) 

Selva AS 


Opening hours: 08:00-21:00 (Sat. 15:00) 

Snarvask Vu Thi Minh Nguyet 

(H3) Thorvald Meyers gate 18 

Open: 10:00-20:00, Sat 15:00. 

Enerhaugen Rens og Vasketeria 

(J5) Jens Bjelkes gate 47 

Vask-Service 

(F3) Sannergata 25 

Open: 10:00-18:00, Sat 15:00. 

Majorstua Myntvaskeri AS 

(D3) Vibes gate 15 

Open: 08:00-20:00, Sat 15:00. 

MrClean 

(D3) Parkveien 6, entrance from Welhavens gate. 

Open: 10:00-20:00, Sat 15:00. 

Libraries 

Deichmanske bibliotek is Norway’s largest 

public library and Oslo municipal library. 

Deichmanske bibliotek 


Tel: 23 43 29 00 

Open: Jun-Aug Mon-Fri 10:00-18:00, 

Sat 09:00-14:00. Sep-May Mon-Fri 

10:00-19:00, Sat 10:00-16:00.


73 

Lost and found 

Lost and Found at the police station 

(H6) Grønlandsleiret 44 

Tel: 22 66 98 65 

Open: Mon-Fri 08:15-14:00. 

Lost and Found trains 

Hittegodskontoret 


Tel: 23 15 40 47 

Open: Mon-Fri 07:00-15:00. 

Lost and Found buses/subway/trams 

(E5) Oslo Sporveier 

Hittegodskontoret 

Nationaltheatret(Underground station) 

Tel: 22 08 53 61 

Open: Mon-Fri 08:00-19:00. 

Luggage lockers 

Oslo Central Station has luggage lockers. 

You can also store luggage at Use-It 

during opening hours for free. 

Medical assistance 

Casualties 

Legevakten (Municipal Casualty Ward) 


Tel: 22 93 22 93 

Open 24 hours. 

Emergency Dental Treatment 

Tannlegevakten Tøyen Senter 

(K5) Kolstadgata 18 

Tel: 22 67 30 00 

Open: Daily 11:00-14:00 and 19:00-10:00. 

Police 

Sentrum Politistasjon 

(G5) Hammersborggaten 12 

Tel: 02800 

Tax free shopping 

If you are resident outside Scandinavia, you get 

5% cash refund upon departure, depending 

on how much you’ve spent in one store. Your 

purchase has to exceed NOK 308. Ask for a 

Global Refund Cheque, the shop assistant 

will then wrap and seal the goods. When 

leaving the country, you must show the 

sealed goods, your ID and the Global Refund 

Cheque. You will immediately receive your 

cash refund. Global Refund is found several 

places, at the airport, at the tourist information 

at the train station. In addition each boat 

that goes abroad has an office onboard. For 

information pamphlet on Tax Refund drop by 

the Use-It office. 

Telephones 

Public telephones accept NOK 1, 5, 10 and 

20 coins. You need a minimum of NOK 5 to 

get through. Most phone booths accept both 

credit cards and telephone cards as well as 

coins. Telephone cards are called “Telekort” 

in Norwegian and can be purchased at 

kiosks. In Brugata and at Grønland you’ll find 

many small shops where you can buy international 

phone cards as well. If you intend to 

talk for a long time, these phone cards are 

worth buying. 

AT&T: 800-190-11, use any public phone. 

A deposit may be required to get a dial tone. 

Phoning to Norway? The country code is 47. 

Collect calls: 115(Abroad), 117(Norway) 

You can make collect calls from all public 

telephones. 

Directory enquiries: 1881, 1882 

(international numbers). 

NB! Inquiry service is expensive from 

a public call phone!

74 


Streetwise will like to use opportunity to 

recommend the website: 

www.thebathroomdiaries.com.Here you 

find reviews of free toilettes, from all over the 

world. A must for travellers! 

When we are on the subject of useful 

websites, www.sleepinginairports.net is 

a killer. The site has the same structure as 

The Bathroom Diaries, with reviews of airports 

both international and domestic. Why pay, 

when you can get it for free with such magnificent 

sites as these? 

Tourist information 

Toilets 

Free and Clean – Total Coverage 

Where do you go, when you need it? Here is 

a list of free decent toilettes in central Oslo: 

Deichmanske Public Library 


Toilettes on each side of the 

information counter. 

Glasmagasinet 

(F6) Stortorvet 1 

Toilettes on the 2nd floor, nice and clean. 

Paleet 

(E5) Karl Johans gate 34-43 

Toilettes on the 2nd floor, nice and clean. 

Skybar, Radisson SAS Scandinavia Hotel 

(E4) Holbergs Plass 

Skybar has a magnificent view over Oslo, at 

the Men’s room, definitely worth checking out! 

Oslo Tourist Information Centre 

(E6) Fridtjof Nansens Plass 5, 

entrance from Roald Amundsens gate 

Tel: 24 14 77 00 

Open: Jun-Aug 09:00-19:00 all week. 

Rest of the year it’s shorter opening hours. 

Accommodation service. 

Check out the website: www.visitoslo.com 

Oslo Central Station Tourist Information 


Open: Jun-Aug 08:00-23:00 all week. 

Rest of year ithorter opening hours. 

Accommodation service 

Worship 

Churches 

American Lutheran Church 

(B5) Fritzners gate 15 

Tel: 22 44 35 84 

Deutsche evangelische gemeinde 

in Norwegen 

(D4) Eilert Sundts gate 37 

Tel: 22 44 16 43 

St. Edmund’s Anglican Episcopal Church 


Tel: 22 69 22 14


75 

St. Olav Domkirke – Catholic 

(E1) Akersveien 5 

Tel: 23 21 95 00 

Services in several languages at various times. 

Synagogue 

Det Mosaiske Trossamfund 

(F3) Bergstien 13 

Tel: 22 69 65 70 

Mosques 

Anjuman-E-Islahul-Muslimeen of Oslo, 

Norway 

(J2) Malmøgata 3 

Tel: 22 38 05 08 

Islamic Cultural Centre Norway 

(6H) Tøyenbekken 24 

Tel: 22 17 25 91 

Nor Moské Islams Ahmadiyaa-Menighet 

(3B) Frognerveien 53 

Tel: 22 44 71 88 

World Islamic Mission, Norway 

(6K) Åkebergveien 28 B 

Tel: 22 68 27 08 

Others 

Karma Tashi Ling Budhist Centre 

Bjørnåsveien 124, Bjørndal 

(Train to Hauketo, then take the bus) 

Tel: 22 61 28 84 

International Society for Krishna Consciuosness 

(ISCKON) 

(B6) Gustav Vigelands vei 9 B 

Tel: 22 44 68 20 

Sikh Center & Gurudwara Organization 

Aabruveien 3, Alnabru 

Tel: 22 64 52 72 

Leaving Oslo 

Youth and student travels 

www.kilroytravels.no 

www.statravel.no 

Leaving Oslo by bus 

Swebus: www.swebusexpress.se 

Tel: 800 58 444 

Säfflebussen: www.safflebussen.se Tel: 

815 66 010 

NOR-WAY Bussekspress: 

www.nor-way.no 

Tel: 815 44 444 

Leaving Oslo by plane 

To Gardermoen airport: 

Airport Express Train: www.flytoget.no 

The Airport Bus: www.flybussen.no or 

www.flybussekspressen.no 

To Torp airport: www.torpekspressen.no 

Norwegain airlines: www.norwegian.no, 

www.sas.no, www.wideroe.no 

Leaving Oslo by train 

NSB is Norway’s national railway company. 

www.nsb.no, tel. 815 00 888. 

The Central Station is located at the beginning 

of Karl Johans gate. 

Leaving Oslo by boat 

DFDS: 

Oslo-(Helsingborg)-Copenhagen 

www.dfds.no, tel. 21 62 13 40. 

Stena Line: Oslo-Fredrikshavn 

www.stenaline.no, tel. 02 010. 

Color Line: Oslo-Hirtshals/Oslo-Kiel/Larvik- 

Fredrikshavn: 

www.colorline.no, tel. 810 00 811. 

Also check out: 

www.hurtigruten.no, tel. 810 30 000. 

www.fjord-tours.com, tel. 815 68 222. 

www.rutebok.no

76Getting around in Oslo 

Public Transportation 

Single ticket: NOK 22 if you buy it from 

the ticket machine/ NOK 30 if you buy it 

from the driver. 

Day pass (24h): NOK 60 

Flexi card (= 8 tickets): NOK 160 

Week pass: NOK 190 

Tickets are valid on all buses, trams 

and metros within the city boundary as 

well as on ferries to Bygdøy and some 

of the islands. 

On trams and buses, single fare tickets and 

flexi cards can be bought from the driver. 

On the metro you have to buy tickets before 

entering the train. Don’t forget to stamp 

day- or week-cards before using them! 

If you get caught without a valid ticket, 

you will get a NOK 750 fine. This goes for 

tourists as well. 

At the Use-It office, you can get timetables 

and maps of all public transportation in Oslo. 

Taxi 

Taxis have a white sign on the roof. If it is 

lit, it is disengaged. Taxi stands are easily 

found, but you can catch one where ever 

you come across it. There are several 

taxi-companies in Oslo. The largest ones are: 

Norgestaxi: 08000 

Oslo Taxi: 02323 

Taxi 2: 02200 

And yes - these ARE phone numbers! 

Biking downtown 

Oslo has a system of renting city bikes. 

You’ll find over 1000 of them in the city 

centre. To access them you need a special 

card, pay a deposit of NOK 500 and 

a fee of NOK 60 at the tourist information 

by the city hall or at the train station. You 

can only use a bike for 3 hours before you 

have to return it to the bike stand. There 

you can take a new one if needed. The 

card is valid for 24 hours. 

Check out public transportation at: 

www.trafikanten.no

Facts about Norway 

77 

Population 

4.7 millions. Over 550 000 live in Oslo. 

The average Norwegian household consists 

of 2,24 persons. In Oslo, the average 

household consists of 1,9 persons. 

Coastline 

2 650 km 

At its narrowest, Norway is only 6 km wide, 

while it is 430 km wide at its broadest. 

The longest fjord in Norway is Sognefjorden, 

which is 204 km long. Oslo’s pride, 

the river Akerselva is about 8 km long. 

The kingdom of Norway is 385 155 

square km. This includes the islands 

Svalbard and Jan Mayen. Norway also 

claims the territories Queen Mauds Land 

and Peter 1 Island in the Antarctic as well 

as the unhabituated Bouvet Island southwest 

of South Africa. 

Language 

Norwegian. The written languages are 

bokmål and nynorsk. The first being 

based on Danish and the latter based on 

dialects. 

Climate 

The summer is mild and pleasant, and 

more pleasant than the latitude would 

indicate, due to favourable influence from 

the Gulf Stream. Statistically speaking, 

Oslo is Scandinavia’s sunniest capital! 

The average monthly day temperature in 

the summer is +20C (68F). 

Hours of Daylight (Jul) 

Oslo: 18 hours, 41 min. 

Trondheim: 20 hours, 21 min. 

Tromsø: 24 hours 

Religion 

The official religion in Norway is Protestantism. 

88% of the population belongs to 

the Evangelical Lutheran State Church. 

Political system 

Parliamentary democracy, monarchy. 

Prime Minister: Jens Stoltenberg from a 

red/green coalition. 

The Royal Family 

Harald V, King of Norway, born Feb 21st 1937. 

Sonja, Queen of Norway, born Jul 4th 1937. 

Haakon Magnus, Crown Prince of Norway, 

born Jul 20th 1973. 

Married to Mette-Marit, 

the Crown Princess of Norway, 

born Aug 19th 1973. 

Ingrid Alexandra, princess and the daughter 

of Haakon and Mette-Marit, 

born Jan 21st 2004. 

They also have a son, 

Prince Sverre Magnus, born 03 Des, 2005. 

Märtha Louise, Princess of Norway, 

born Sept 22nd 1971, married to Ari Behn. 

Maud Angelica Behn, daughter of 

Märtha Louise and Ari Behn, 

born Apr 29th 2003. 

Leah Isadora Behn, born Apr 8th 2005.

78So, you wanna stay for good? 

Provided here are some of the basic 

essentials that are mandatory if you 

intend to live, work or study in Oslo. 

Legal requirements 

To apply for the following documents you 

will need to show a valid ID or passport, 

your employment contract are necessary 

and two passport photos. A small fee is 

charged to process the applications. 

Residence permit 

Persons who intend to work in Oslo for 

more than three months are required to 

obtain a residence permit. Depending on 

the duration of the employment contract 

one will be granted a corresponding residence 

permit. However, if your contract is 

valid for an indefinite period a five year permit 

is granted and is renewable annually. 

Separate rules apply for citizens from EU/ 

EEA/EFTA member countries. 

Visa 

All foreign nationals are required to obtain 

a visa to visit Norway. However, persons 

from Schengen countries and others that 

have visa a waiver- agreement are exempted 

from this requirement if they stay 

for less than 90 days. 

Work permit 

This is mandatory for everyone and a fee 

(non-refundable) is charged to process 

the application. However, some are exempted 

from obtaining a work permit 

e.g. Nordic citizens, seamen etc and also 

depending on the duration (less than 

months) also persons and groups from 

EU/EEA/EFTA are exempted. There are 

different types of work permits depending 

on the kind of work you are looking for 

e.g. students, specialist, temporary etc. 

Work permits are renewed after their 

validity has expired which is normally 

after 12 months. NOTE: if working you are 

entitled to the same pay and working 

terms as Norwegians in accordance with 

your contract.

So, you wanna stay for good? 

Other basic requirements 

• you must register with the police 

accompanied with all the necessary 

identification papers. 

• if you have a work permit you should 

visit the Norwegian national population 

for registration. 

• if intending to stay for more than three 

months one is expected to get a 

tuberculosis test. 

Typical Norwegian 

• Norwegians are generally thought to be 

shy and reserved. However, given time 

you will find them warm and friendly. 

You just have to be a little patient with 

them and you will be surprised by the 

change of things. 

• If you go out its expected that you will 

foot your bill and when invited to a 

party its advisable to bring along your 

own drinks. Its every man for himself. 

79 

• if intending to work in Oslo for a significant 

period you are obliged to undertake 

a Norwegian language course. 

• if you are engaged in employment you 

must remember to apply for a tax card 

or else your employer is obliged to pay 

50% of your wages/salary. The exceeding 

amount will be refunded to you 

the following year. 

• if you are unemployed it is advisable 

to register with the national employment 

bureau (NAV). 

• You are entitled to a personal doctor 

but you need referral to seek specialised 

treatment. You also have to pay a costsharing 

charge although children under 

12 years and expectant women get free 

treatment. 

For further information: www.nyinorge.no, 

www.udi.no, www.nav.no 

• Since Norwegians do not appreciate 

impromptu visits you are better advised 

to call before. 

• Norwegians are very time conscious 

and are likely to get irritated or see 

you as impolite if you arrive late for 

an appointment. 

• Although Norwegian prices are considered 

high, don’t use that as an excuse 

for converting every item into your local 

currency. You might end up buying very 

little, poor quality items or even worse, 

absolutely nothing. 

• Norwegians take cognisances of personal 

space so don’t take offence if you 

see them standing in public transport 

yet there is an extra space next to you. 

It is not easy to strike a conversation 

with them if you are a stranger. 

• Motorists and cyclists rarely honk or 

blow horns. This is impolite. 

For further information you can look up 

the following addresses: 

www.studyinnorway.no, www.norway.no, 

www.norway.info, www.visitnorway.com

gate 

ate 

52 

glehaugga 

gate 

23 

e 

39 

1A 

2A 

80 Majorstuen 

Professor Dahls gate 

10A 

MAJORSTUEN 

53 

6 

22 

28 

29 

37 

28B 

9 

15 

40 

29 

37 

6 

44A 

ta 

gate 

39 

42 

55 

30 34A 

12A 

2 

12 

9 

40 

2 

1 

44B 

30 

26 

11 

Majorstua 

sk. 

41 

Arbos gate 

Jacob Aals gate 

Elsters gate 

46 

31 43 

59 

25 

8 

3 

2 

45 

Maries gate 

Amaldus 

Nielsens 

pl. 

Lang aards gate 

5 

18 

47 

27 

4 

50 

7 

32 

63A 

Schives gate 

2 

Arno 

Bergs 

plass 

22 

1 

80 

16 

10 14 

16 

1 

9 

6 

1B 

8 

10 

3 

Fritz Thaulows gt. 

Neuberggata 

86 

20 

19 

53 

72A 

12 

57 

9 

13 

62 

11 

39 

36 

Majorstuveien 

Bris ke byveien 

17 

8 

38 

18 

2 

Ole Fladagers gate 

Fearnleys gate 

Preside 

Industrigata 

Harald 

15A 

Valkyriegata 

Bogstadveien 

1 

Dybwads gate 

Prof. Dahls gate 

7 

11 

5 

2A 

6 

19 

1 

73B 

6 

30 

15 19 

12B 

35 

24 

64 

66 

26 

24 

35 

21 

32 

25 

21 

8 

24 

51 

7 

13 

5 

23 

11 

31 

31A 

6 

28 

8 

31 

2 

4 

Uranienborgparken 

Langårdsløkken 

Uranienborghj. 

3 

Daas gate 

14 

59 

1 

10 

20 

18 

2B 

1 

7 

18 

29 

29 

25 

Ole Vigs gate 

45A 

Gjørstads gate 

1 

52 

Majorstuveien 

Jørgen Moes gate 

38 

8 

24 

11 

26 

16 

27 

28 

15 

12 

11 

30 24 

17 

68 

1 

30B 

21 

11 

9 

19A 

23 

12 14 

2 

25 

17 

Trudvangveien 

11 

Nordahl 

Rolfsens 

plass 

Uranienborg 

sk. 

1 

30 

8 

18 

11 

4 

23 

b- 

16 

15 

Hammerstads gate 

Sorgenfrigata 

42 

Dunkers gt. 

Holmboes gate 

Eilert Sundts gate 

10 

9 

eien 

2 

39 

29 39 

8 

50 

34 

21 

Holtegata 

Uranienborg 

15 

31 

5 

22 

26 

2 

4C 

Ingelbrecht 

Knudssøns gt. 

Schultz’ gate 

40 

8 

25 

40 

1 

1 

19 

18 

Henrik 

Wergelands 

allé 

33 

Ulfstens gate 

20 

40 

30 

Jacob Aals gate 

27A 

11 

8 

12 

Fauchalds gt. 

Dronning Astrids 

gate 

Bogstadveien 

3 

12 

22 

41 

25 

27 

1 

6A 

7 

16 

24 

23 

22D 

11 

Hjelms gate 

47 

1 

14 

letts vei 

47 

22 

6 

2 

Åsaveien 

Schønings gate 

10 

3 

Ole Vigs gate 

Vibes gate 

Prof. Dahls gate 

Uranienborg terrasse 

Josefines gate 

38 

2 

48 

20 

45 

14 

21 

4 

8 

2B 

28 

17 

22B 

17 

11 

14 

7 

1 

9 

7 

12 

52 

51 

1 

5 

41 

16 

7 

10 

2 

33A 

1 

8 

s gate 

Industrigata 

6 

3 

14 

13 

8 

34 

8 

11 

2 

24 

Rosenborggata 

Rv168 

6 

1 

Uranienborgveien 

13 

35 

38 

2 

6 

1A 

11 

1 

32 

7 

8 

61 

9 

2 

19 

12 

4A 

20 

8 

37 

2 

17 

30 

6

7 

33 

41 

68A 

1 

Alexander 

Kiellands 

plass 

24 

70 

51 

8 

28 

Maridalsveie n 

42 

72 

40C 

1 

39 

33B 

31 

29 

23 

46 

71 

Darres gate 

Waldemars 

Hage 

33 

2 

1 

Hauchs gt. 

6 

Fr. Haslunds gt. 

BIRKE- Grünerløkka 

sk. 

LUNDEN 

Arkitekthøysk. 

27 

45 

73 

23B 

86 

6 

Akerselva 

Sanner 

77brua 

Foss 

v.g. sk. 

9B 

Steenstrups gate 

Kunsthøgsk. 

i Oslo 

Fakultet for 

scenekunst 

1 

6A 

24 

20 

35 

16 

20 

24 

23 

19 

12 

Sannergata 

23 

1 

2 

1 

13 

Markveien 

2 4 

11 

5 

7 

25 

27 

6 

4 

6 

1 

4 

9 

2 

33D 

72 

57 

55 

43 

50A 

8 

3 

17 13 

8 

6 

12 

6 

16 

24A 

10 

30 

2 

4 

Øvrefoss 

1 

2 

4A 6 

Paulus 

3 

7B 

Hesselbergs gate 

Schleppegrells gate 

Helgesens gate 

7 

14 

7 

1 

15 

23 

27 

31 

14 

15A 

35 

41 

13 

Grunerløkka 81 

18 

26 

2 

25A 

30 

Grünerstubben 

Bergverksgt. 

20 

Seilduksgata 

17 

30 

32A 

34 

8 

3 

6 

B 

29 

5 

1 

15 

16 24 

26 

Nissens gt. 

52 

6 

58 

7 

11 

22 

Gisle 

17 Johnsons 

23 pl. 

41 

35 

24 

8 

1 5 

25 

Falsens gate 

10 

17 

20 

16 

28 

2 

32 

25 

31 

4B 

Maridalsveien 

Marselis gt. 

11 

hetsstien 

11 

54 

44B 

Iduns gate 

9 

5 

41B 

3 

7 

ichmans gate 

14 

12 

gate 

11 

53 

13 

9 

19 

10 

2 

1 

50 

4 

Møllerveien 

3 

1 

Brenneriveien 

39 

ns 

2 

14 

11 

Vestre 

Elvebakke 

Grünerhagen 

park 

2 

Grüner 

brua 

9 

8 

Nedre gate 

Elvebkn. 

v.sk 

2 

5 

268 

4 6 

3 9 

24 

3 

7 

15B 

Østre 

bakke 

8 

10 

Fossveien 

1 

13 

9A 

1 

5 

Øvre gate 

5 

2 

11B 

2A 

3A 5 

1 

Nordre gate 

Stolmakergata 

Torvbakkgt. 

2 

Grüners gate 

7 5A 

6 

Markveien 

35C 

16 

17 

15 

51 

12 

67 

Olaf Ryes 

1B plass 

3 

46 38 

18 

48 

54 

56 

6 

Leirfallsgata 

58 

10 

6 

57 

1 

27 

Søndre gate 

85 

55 

71 65A 59 

Thorvald Meyers gate 

73A 

12A 

22A 

Korsgata 24 32 

25 29 

2A 10 

1 7 

9 

56K 

5 

81 

11 

12B 

54 

70 

42 

44 

56 

8 

1 

66 

76 

78 

11 

51 

10 

Schous 

plass 

53 

Toftes gate 

61A 

13A 

3A 

8 

17 

SOFIENBE 

Sofienbergg 

Schæffers gat 

5 

6 

1 

2 

2 

Rathkes gate 

1A 

3B 

Herslebs gate 

2A 

5 

4 

veien 

8 

7A 

Sverd 

6 

1A 

6B 

11 

3 

4 

4A 

8

Anker 

brua 

ertorget 

a 

3A 

7 

51 

Søndre gate 

Aksel 

Maurers 

vei 

Norges 

Røde Kors 

Prinds 

Chr.Aug. 

Minde 

Christian Krohgs gate 

Olafiag. 

Schweigaards 

bru 

Nybrua 

Lakkegata 

Smalgangen 

Øvre 

Vaskegang 

Nedre 

Slåmotgangen 

Hausmanns 

bru 

Breigata 

Lilletorget 

Vaterlands 

bru 

terlands 

parken GRØNLAND 

3 

82 Grønland 

11 

53A 

36C 

99A 

1 

6 8 

14B 

Nylandsveien 

57 

55 

38 

15 

22 24 

15 

2 

Oslo kom. 

legevakt 

7 

10 

1 

55A 

40 

6 

16 

Akerselva 

2A 

42 

47 

35 41 

30 34 48 

3 

3 

28A 

3 

Trondheimsveien 

15A 

14 

21 

3 

10 

31 

10B 

4 

5 23 

8 

2C 

60 

50 

15 

30 

16 

Schweigaards gate 

W.A. Wexels 

plass 

Grønland 

44 

12 14 

15 

16 

Joachim 

Nielsens 

gang 

Tøyenbekken 

Oslo 

musikk- og 

kultursk. 

Grønlands 

torg 

17 

23 

5 

2 

18 

43 

21 

9 

4 

17 

4 

19 

2C 4 

1 

1 

34 

3A 

Enerhaugkleiva 

Teaterpl. 

Norbygata 

Margit 

Hansens 

gt. 

Rubina Ranas gate 

Tøyenbekken 

16 

7 

6B 

18 

47 

24A 

7 

55 

9 16 

12 

9 

19 

34 

Heimdalsgata 

5 7 

1 

7 

13 17 

23 

5 

Mandalls gate 

26 

8 

14 

11 

Urtegata 

1 

lkes gate 

Hersleb 

sk. 

Rudof 

Nilsens 

plass 

Jens 

Evensens 

pl. 

Motzfeldts gate 

Platous gate 

Siebkes gt. 

Vahls gate 

36 

19 37 

24 

1 

29 

65 

2 8 

12 

9 

5 

1 

17 

19 

3 

6A 

20 

64 

11 

2 

26 

13 

44A 

23 

6 

14 

23 

16A 

10 

4 

13 

33 

32 

15 

20B 

20 

23 

2 

9 

27 

14 

12 

26 

3 11 

34D 

14A 

18 

Friis’ gate 

39 

9 

18 

34 

19 

32A 

1A 

26A 

18 

56A 

Vahl sk. 

21 

17A 

Tøyengata 

Helga 

Helgesens 

pl. 

Grønlandsleiret 

2A 

30A 

31 

2 6 

3 

45 

29 

13 

18A 

33B 

48B 

25 

4A 

26 

22 

1A 

4B 2A 

27 

5 

6B 

24B 

50 

Hollendergata 

40B 

26 

Rv.4 

Herslebs gate 

2D 

32 

21A 

1 

47A 

UNIVERSITETET 

BOTANISKE HAG 

Enerhauggt. 

Sørligata 

St. 

Halvard 

Høvlerigangen 

Grønland 

8 

34 

53A 

35B 

28 

29A 

32C 

34 

44 

31 

35 

3 

30 

41A 

2 

44 

10A 

Smedga 

Schübele 

B 

Enerhaug 

plassen 

Grønlands 

park 

36 

37A 

36A 

37 47A 

43 

27A 

2B 

3 

4 

1 

5 

73 

4 

2B 

7 

38C 

8 

2 

4 

39A 

42 

35A 

47 

11 

Politihuset 

46 

53A 

S

83 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Central Oslo

84 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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page 85 

© Oslo kommune, Plan- og bygningsetaten

page 81 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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85

86 

You haven’t seen Oslo until you visit Use-It 

The tourist information centre for backpackers 

 

 

Use-It 

Møllergata 3 

0179 OSLO 

Near Stortorvet 

(market place) 

and Glasmagasinet 

(department store) 

Tel: +47 24 14 98 20 

Fax: +47 24 14 98 21 

E-mail: use-it@ung.info 

Web: www.use-it.no 

Opening hours: 

02 Jul-07 Sep: Mon-Fri 09:00-18:00, 

Tue 11:00-18:00. 

Rest of year: Mon-Fri 11:00-17:00, 

Thu 11:00-18:00. 

What we can do for you: 

- help you to find cheap accommodation. 

- budget tips and advice for your stay 

in Oslo and other parts of Norway. 

- free maps and brochures for Oslo and 

other parts of Norway. 

- free luggage storage. 

Other Use-It offices:

streetwise

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