YOUR GUIDE TO OSLO
YOUR GUIDE TO OSLO - Use-It Oslo - UngInfo
YOUR GUIDE TO OSLO - Use-It Oslo - UngInfo
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<strong>YOUR</strong> <strong>GUIDE</strong> <strong>TO</strong> <strong>OSLO</strong><br />
Food / Nightlife / Shopping / Sleep / Activities / Practical<br />
WHERE<br />
<strong>TO</strong> GO<br />
WHAT<br />
<strong>TO</strong> SEE<br />
TIME &<br />
MONEY<br />
MADE BY USE-IT <strong>OSLO</strong><br />
MADE BY LOCALS / NO-NONSENSE / NOT COMMERCIAL
TABLE OF CONTENTS<br />
Introduction<br />
Shopping<br />
Editor<br />
René Brunsvik<br />
art director<br />
Magnus Moholdt<br />
writers & research<br />
René Brunsvik, Magnus Moholdt,<br />
Nina Aziza Plau, Kasper<br />
Munk, Sigrun Tara Øverland,<br />
Erlend boe, Odrun Misje<br />
photography<br />
Magnus Moholdt, sxc.hu, Erik<br />
Moholdt<br />
print<br />
07 gruppen<br />
thanks to<br />
openstreetmap.org for the free<br />
maps!<br />
Norway<br />
population<br />
5,000,000<br />
area<br />
385,252 km2<br />
capital<br />
Oslo<br />
government<br />
Unitary parliamentary constitutional<br />
monarchy<br />
Currency<br />
Norwegian Krone (NOK)<br />
biggest cities<br />
Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger,<br />
Kristiansand<br />
welcome to oslo 4<br />
welcome to use-it 5<br />
know the people 6<br />
souvenirs 7<br />
find your way from karl johansgate 9<br />
things to do in oslo 10<br />
know the areas 12<br />
tips from our friends on underskog 13<br />
Food<br />
cheap food 16<br />
norwegian food 18<br />
gourmet on a budget 19<br />
sushi 20<br />
vegetarian 21<br />
cAfés & diners 22<br />
Nightlife<br />
youngstorget 26<br />
grünerløkka 30<br />
downtown 34<br />
grønland 36<br />
concert venues 38<br />
under 20 39<br />
buying norwegian 44<br />
book stores 45<br />
alternative shopping 46<br />
record stores 47<br />
Activities<br />
festivals 52<br />
islands 53<br />
forrest & hiking 54<br />
bathing 55<br />
museums 56<br />
park life 61<br />
winter activities 62<br />
cinema & theatre 63<br />
Sleep<br />
hotels & hostels 66<br />
camping 68<br />
Practical information<br />
leaving oslo 75<br />
DISCLAIMER: By the time Streetwise was printed, in May 2012, content was accurate and up to date. Streetwise will<br />
not be held responsible for any changes being made later or printing errors. Constructive feedback is always welcome.<br />
3
welcome to oslo<br />
Help is on the way<br />
welcome to use-it<br />
The information center for young travelers<br />
OK, so you decided to visit the land of the Vikings<br />
and the fjords. You probably imagined yourself<br />
dancing and ice-skating with polar bears in an<br />
endless sum of non-expensive joy and happiness.<br />
Now you are standing outside the central station,<br />
spending a huge amount of your salary on a bagel<br />
and a soda.<br />
Norway is expensive. We are famous for it. Our<br />
norwegian salarys are raised to match the expenses,<br />
but even we prefer to sit at home in the weekends<br />
until midnight so we won’t spend most of our<br />
money on beer. A pack of cigarettes? A 100 NOK.<br />
That’s 12 euros a pack. A cheap beer in Norway<br />
is around 50 NOK and a cheap lunch about 80<br />
NOK. Jeez.<br />
A norwegian poet once said that it is not possible to<br />
turn around in Oslo without using a “hundrings”<br />
(100 NOK). If you are not aware, your stay can get<br />
expensive.<br />
As always, when in trouble - heroes emerge. For<br />
20 years Streetwise has guided the young travellers<br />
trough the city highlighting the cheapest alternatives<br />
to make their stay in Oslo as budget friendly<br />
as visiting another country, without loosing out on<br />
any experiences.<br />
So - welcome to Oslo. And enjoy your stay.<br />
Welcome to Use-It Oslo. The information center<br />
for young travelers between the ages of 13 to<br />
26. Every year we get visitors from all over the<br />
world asking for information about Oslo and<br />
we do not charge money for our many services.<br />
It is highly recommended that you drop by<br />
our offices before you start exploring Oslo. We<br />
don't want your money, we don't want to sell<br />
you anything and we don't bite. We just want<br />
you to make the most out of your stay in the<br />
city we love.<br />
Free lugguage storage<br />
Free internet<br />
Free Information<br />
Use-It Oslo<br />
Møllergata 3<br />
+47 24 14 98 20<br />
oslo.use-it.travel<br />
Use-It Oslo is run by Oslo Youth Information<br />
center (UngInfo) and is located in Møllergata 3.<br />
Use-It produces info for young people traveling<br />
on a budget. Use-It guidebooks, maps and<br />
websites are made by locals, free, no nonsense<br />
and up to date.<br />
Do you like our guidebook? Wouldn't it be<br />
great if such a publication were to be published<br />
where you live? You can help us expand Use-It<br />
Europe network - contact us at post@ung.info!<br />
4<br />
5
know the people<br />
Here is what you need to understand us better<br />
souvenirs<br />
Bring something back home<br />
Norwegians are “harsh”, the ancient old<br />
myth goes. “It’s the climate. It makes<br />
them bitter”.<br />
Nonsense.<br />
Yes, we define our personal space as more<br />
“sacred” than say the Italians. And no.<br />
We will not strike a conversation with<br />
you just to kill time on the bus.<br />
But smile, be friendly and seem interested,<br />
and you will be surprised by the<br />
warmth and generosity you will receive<br />
in return.<br />
Remember that the timid norwegians you<br />
bump in to on the streets, are the same<br />
ones that wrap their tie aorund the head<br />
during the weekends and dance on tables<br />
with loud and energetic noises. There are<br />
a lot of great persons and personalities in<br />
this city.<br />
When bumping into these norwegians,<br />
these great personalities, have this checklist<br />
in mind.<br />
It is like a mirror into our soul.<br />
Your average norwegian<br />
• We are cross-country skiers in the winter,<br />
and park-animals in the summer.<br />
• Norwegians are mostly rich (due to the<br />
oil industry), and you’ll see iPhones and<br />
Androids everywhere.<br />
• There is nothing your average norwegian<br />
cares more about than beating the<br />
Swedes in whatever sport or event. We<br />
usually beat them too, you know.<br />
• We love the outdoors and spend our holidays<br />
in the mountain, the weekend in<br />
the forest and once a year a trip to Spain.<br />
• One of our favourite past-times is a stroll<br />
– you can see Norwegians wandering<br />
around, sometimes for hours, with no<br />
other purpose than to “ponder”.<br />
• 7 out of 10 Norwegians work out at least<br />
once a week (young people in Oslo even<br />
more), and there are over a 100 crowded<br />
gyms in the city.<br />
• As a people we are fashion-oriented,<br />
technologically equipped, and with<br />
plenty of time to indulge in cultural<br />
activities.<br />
These are your typical Norwegian Souvenirs. They all hold some cultural value to us, they are all<br />
easy to get hold of, and none of them are too expensive. We’re not saying that these will revolutionize<br />
your life – we’re just saying they might.<br />
Brunost & Ostehøvel<br />
{ Brown cheese & slicer }<br />
Brunost is made by boiling a mixture of milk, cream and whey<br />
for several hours. The milk sugar then turns into caramel. And -<br />
voila. A traditional lunch in Norway consists of sliced bread with<br />
brown cheese on top. The cheese slicer - maybe our most cherished<br />
creation - was invented by the norwegian Thor Bjørklund<br />
in 1925.<br />
Freia Melkesjokolade<br />
{ Norwegian milk chocolate }<br />
You can get this product everywhere you turn. Swiss chocolate is<br />
not bad, but this one is for connoiseurs. Children all over Oslo<br />
have their obligatory school trip to the Freia Factory as we speak,<br />
to see how it all goes down. “Et lite stykke Norge”, Freia’s slogan,<br />
means A little piece of Norway.<br />
Aquavit<br />
{ Norwegian liquor }<br />
Aquavit is a scandinavian liquor made by potatoes. It’s strong<br />
taste and character comes from a variation of spices. The name<br />
Aquavit, (Akevitt in norwegian), comes from the latin words<br />
Aqua Vitae, which means water of life. This product is only available<br />
in our liquor stores; Vinmonopolet.<br />
With these things you are on your way to becoming norwegian. Go to a grocery store and buy some<br />
Jarlsberg cheese and some Norwegian smoked ham, and you got our lifestyle perfectly pinned.<br />
6<br />
7
The opera house<br />
5 minute walk. The famous opera<br />
house. Go over there and take a<br />
walk on the roof. Beautiful view.<br />
The islands<br />
10 minute walk. From Vippetangen<br />
you can take the ferries over to the<br />
islands. Three great destinations to<br />
relax, swim, barbeque and enjoy the<br />
sun.<br />
‘T’ is for T-bane, which in turn means subway.<br />
If you see a sign like this there’s an underground<br />
subway stop nearby. There are three subway stops<br />
in downtown Oslo; Jernbanetorget, Stortinget and<br />
Nationaltheateret. All lines go from these stops.<br />
find your way<br />
from karl johansgate<br />
Karl Johansgate is the busiest street<br />
of Oslo and the first street you meet<br />
when you arrive. Walk all the way up<br />
to the Royal Castle.<br />
AKER BRYGGE / AKERSHUS Fortress<br />
10 minutes walk. Busy boardwalk pier<br />
with restaurants, shops and ice cream<br />
stands. View the fjord from Akershus<br />
fortress.<br />
YOU ARE<br />
HERE<br />
Nationaltheateret<br />
Stortinget<br />
Jernbanetorget<br />
8<br />
CENTRAL TRAIN STATION<br />
This is where you arrive.<br />
GRØNLAND<br />
10 minute walk. The<br />
multicultural area of Oslo,<br />
flavours, tastes, full of life.<br />
grünerløkka<br />
20 minute walk. The popular urban<br />
area. Cafés, independent shops, designer<br />
boutiques and nice parks.<br />
USE-IT / YOUNGS<strong>TO</strong>RGET<br />
3 minute walk. Here you’ll find our<br />
office. Drop off your luggage, use the<br />
computer and get information.<br />
Theatre square<br />
3 minute walk. Theatres, coffee shops,<br />
book stores and museums – including<br />
The National Gallery.<br />
THE ROYAL CASTLE<br />
2 minute walk. Majesticly rested at the<br />
top of Karl Johansgate. If the flag is up,<br />
the King is in.<br />
9
1<br />
8<br />
Here are the 8 things you should do in Oslo - and tell your<br />
friends about later.<br />
The Fram-ship<br />
Seriously. How often do you get the<br />
chance to do this? This is the original<br />
ship which explorer Fridtjof Nansen used to<br />
conquer the North Pole. And it is perfectly<br />
rested on land in Oslo, in the beautiful Bygdøy<br />
Peninsula, and you can walk all around on it.<br />
You can walk inside or stand by the steering<br />
wheel like a boss. This is cool – cooler than you<br />
think. Do it.<br />
2<br />
The Opera<br />
We know, we know. There are plenty<br />
of Operas around. But this one is<br />
quite new, it is definitely trying to be up there<br />
with the Opera<br />
in Sydney and<br />
other landmark<br />
buildings.<br />
And it pretty<br />
much succeeds.<br />
5-minute-walk<br />
from downtown,<br />
beautiful<br />
scenery, the “tourist” thing to do at the Opera<br />
is to walk on the roof. So when your friends<br />
ask you what you did in Oslo, you can say: Oh,<br />
nothing. Just wandering about on world class<br />
rooftops.<br />
things to<br />
do in oslo<br />
3<br />
The Forest<br />
It may sound stupid to spend your day<br />
in a Capitol city on going to the forest,<br />
but it really is not. If you find a city this<br />
size with a more beautiful forest surrounding<br />
it - merely a 15 min metro-ride away – tell us<br />
about it. The forest is the pride of Oslo and perfectly<br />
renders the Norwegian spirit. You’ll meet<br />
plenty of a friendly Norwegian among the trees,<br />
this forest is truly beloved. Take the metro to<br />
either Frognersetern or Sognsvann and walk<br />
around. There is peace to be found.<br />
4<br />
the famous painting scream<br />
Yes. You have seen it, even though you<br />
may not be aware of it. The painting<br />
“Scream” from Edvard Munch is the most iconic<br />
painting in the world besides Mona Lisa. It is<br />
the inspiration<br />
for Macauley<br />
Culkins “Home<br />
Alone”-pose, as<br />
well as the horror<br />
mask in the<br />
scream-movies.<br />
A version of<br />
“the Scream” recently<br />
sold for 120 million dollars at an auction<br />
in New York. In Oslo, there are three original<br />
versions of this painting – one in the National<br />
Gallery and two in the Munch Museum. Go see<br />
at least one of them.<br />
tusenfryd amusement park<br />
A bit expensive, and be prepared to<br />
5 7<br />
use the full afternoon – this is nevertheless<br />
hilariously fun. It is just a 15 min bus<br />
ride out of town, and filled with kids, teenagers<br />
and people<br />
looking to<br />
have a good<br />
time. Some really<br />
good rollercoasters<br />
(one<br />
entirely made<br />
of wood) and<br />
some top notch<br />
w a t e r y - t y p e<br />
rollercoaster<br />
slides. Some of<br />
the attractions are not for the faint hearted.<br />
With pictures of you in a slide, your friends will<br />
question your social status no more.<br />
6<br />
The royal castle<br />
This is not up there with the likes of<br />
Buckingham Palace, but it is a castle<br />
nonetheless, and we should pay our respects.<br />
This one rests majestically on the top of the<br />
main street Karl Johan and is a popular tourist<br />
venue. If the<br />
flag is up, that<br />
means the King<br />
is in. And he is<br />
not a stiff upper<br />
class King,<br />
he is a downto-earth,<br />
nice<br />
chap. Once at You’re welcome.<br />
the castle, watch the Royal guards. The have a<br />
routine when they swap places on and off duty,<br />
and tourists crowd around them and point and<br />
take pictures. You too. Go do that.<br />
the vigeland park<br />
Probably our most known tourist attraction.<br />
This park is huge, it is definitely<br />
pretty, and it is packed with impressive<br />
statues from artist Gustav Vigeland. On the<br />
highest top in the middle you will see “the<br />
Monolitt” a 17 meter high, firm, cylinder<br />
shaped statue. Almost like a giant fallos symbol,<br />
watching over where you go. The Vigeland Park<br />
is free, it is crowded also with Norwegians, and<br />
you should go there. Not only for the statues,<br />
go there for relaxation and general park life.<br />
Throw some Frisbee. Grill some meat. Just be<br />
yourself. Stop being such a tourist.<br />
8<br />
akershus fortress<br />
Fortress situated next to the Oslo<br />
Fiord, built in the 1300s. Some great<br />
guided tours inside, the best view over the Oslo<br />
Fiord from up on the hill, and popular park<br />
surrounding it.<br />
This Fortress<br />
is next to the<br />
Town Hall and<br />
Aker Brygge,<br />
the popular<br />
port where you<br />
shop, meet up<br />
with some friends, buy ice cream and dangle<br />
your feet over the pier.<br />
So. There you are. Nail down at least a couple<br />
of these things, and your life, both here and<br />
when you return, will be more fun.<br />
10<br />
11
12<br />
know the areas<br />
Here are some areas you should know of<br />
Downtown<br />
This is where most of you will spend your<br />
days. Downtown you’ll find shops, restaurants,<br />
museums, as well as the Opera House and the<br />
beautiful Akershus Fortress. Most Norwegians<br />
actually don’t live downtown, but in the areas<br />
surrounding it – and then hit downtown for<br />
stuff to do.<br />
Grünerløkka<br />
Former working class areas gone hip and trendy,<br />
this is a mere 10-15 min walk from downtown<br />
and is packed with cafés, diners, small designer<br />
boutiques and hairdressers – as well as some immensely<br />
popular park areas. Grünerløkka is the<br />
closest Oslo gets to Berlins Kreuzberg or NYs<br />
Greenwich village, and is a place you definitely<br />
should check out.<br />
Grønland / Tøyen<br />
If you’re tired of pale norwegians, visit Grønland.<br />
This immigrant area is packed with small<br />
restaurants, jewellers, fabric shops and vegetable<br />
markets. A handful of beautiful mosques<br />
have been erected in Grønland during the last<br />
decade. Just as Grünerløkka, Grønland is undergoing<br />
changes, but seems more resistant to<br />
gentrification than Grünerløkka.<br />
Majorstua and Frogner<br />
This is where you find the Famous Vigeland<br />
Park, as well as Oslos second biggest shoppingstreet,<br />
Bogstadveien. Majorstua, and it’s<br />
neighboring part of town Frogner, is among<br />
the most posh city-areas (rivaled by some areas<br />
more up north and west, near the forest), so<br />
expect high quality smoothies, caffe lattes and<br />
fashion stores.<br />
Gamlebyen<br />
Situated in the eastern part of the city centre,<br />
this is where you find the medieval Oslo. In the<br />
Medieval Park there are ruins of The Church<br />
of Mary and the King’s Royal Palace. The park<br />
has a nice pond and is perfect for picnics. Those<br />
residing in Gamlebyen are not allowed to dig<br />
deep in their backyards, due to the chance of<br />
discovering items of archeologically importance.<br />
Visit to get a historical feel of old Oslo.<br />
Bygdøy<br />
Here you can visit six museums in one day without<br />
too much travelling. When you are tired of<br />
the museums, you can take a swim in Paradisbukta<br />
or Huk, or just take a stroll around the<br />
area and observe the life of the bold and the<br />
beautiful. Rich, quiet and nice.<br />
underskog.no<br />
the ultimate saving tip<br />
“If you’re really broke and you’re hungry, you can<br />
take the free buses to IKEA. A giant warehouse with<br />
cheap swedesh furniture. However, they also have a<br />
cafeteria where you can buy brekfast (eggs and bacon)<br />
for only 19 NOK.”<br />
cheap opera tickets<br />
“For only 100 NOK you can get<br />
tickets to all the main performances<br />
at the Opera. Not the best seats,<br />
but still well worth the price.”<br />
tips from<br />
our friends<br />
on underskog<br />
Underskog is Oslos popular web forum<br />
for events, activities and cultural happenings.<br />
Here is what they want you<br />
to know.<br />
sunday tradition<br />
“Each and every Sunday for eleven<br />
years, and still going strong.<br />
Frank Znort Quartet plays at Blå.<br />
The shows are free and highly<br />
recommended for the friendly<br />
atmosphere.”<br />
The towns best hot chocolate<br />
“Check out Oslos best hot chocolate,<br />
go to Hotel Bristol right off<br />
Karl Johan. Delicious!”<br />
a quick and cheap snack<br />
“Go to United Bakeries in<br />
Karl Johan and order a bread<br />
roll with butter and jam for<br />
only 25 NOK.”<br />
islandhopping<br />
“There are three beautiful<br />
islands out in the Oslo<br />
fjord. For a day pass you<br />
can travel from island to<br />
island. Bring your own<br />
food and drinks, swim<br />
in the ocean, see the old<br />
ruins at Hovedøya, have<br />
a few beers on Gressholmen.<br />
You can even camp<br />
at Langøyene.”<br />
13
14<br />
food<br />
Eat and dine in Oslo<br />
– budget style<br />
The main character in the famous Norwegian novel “Hunger” by Knut Hamsun wanders around<br />
Oslo trading in his clothes and belongings for the next meal. He did not have Streetwise in his<br />
hand. Oslo has plenty of class A restaurants, plenty of cheap, hidden places as well. Here is what<br />
you need to know:<br />
Eating out late<br />
Norway is not Spain and Oslo is not Barcelona. We eat early, at least compared<br />
to rest of Europe. Expect restaurant kitchens to close between 9pm and 11pm.<br />
However, you’ll find lots of Fast food until 3-4 am. Check out the kebabs and<br />
pizzas in the street Torggata if you are hungry.<br />
Grocery shopping<br />
You’ll find regular food store chains like Rema 1000, Rimi, Kiwi and Ica<br />
everywhere. Most of these are open from 0900-2200 on weekdays and from<br />
0900-2000 on Saturdays. Smaller chains such as Joker and Bunnpris are open<br />
on Sundays as well.<br />
Watch Out for Kiosk prices<br />
All over the place you’ll find Kiosks like 7-11 and Deli de Luca. Great for a<br />
quick snack or some basic groceries when everything else is closed, but be aware<br />
that prices here are nearly double. Open all night some places, this convenience<br />
has a cost.<br />
Also, tap water in Norway is drinkable, and of excellent quality. Don’t waste your money on bottled<br />
water, fill up your empty bottle and walk happily around with a smile of success and content.<br />
14<br />
15
cheap food<br />
You won’t find these places in the Michelin Guide, but they are<br />
decent meals nonetheless. A price range of NOK 50 to NOK 150<br />
is considered a cheap meal in Oslo.<br />
vietnam house<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
Bernt Ankersgate 6B<br />
Adds new meaning to the term multicultural;<br />
in a former Greek restaurant you get delicious<br />
Vietnamese food. Redecorating was never a top<br />
priority, but who cares when the meals are this<br />
tasty and cheap.<br />
Ma´Raja<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
Torggata 8<br />
Indian food, not that there’s anything special<br />
about that, but their lunch special is exceptionally<br />
cheap. Ma´Raja has an all lunch buffet until<br />
15:00 each day, starting at budget friendly 60<br />
NOK.<br />
Gil Gamesj<br />
{ Grünerløkka }<br />
Trondheimsveien 10<br />
Main dishes priced at around 100 NOK. Nice<br />
atmosphere as well. Visit this place before a<br />
night out at Grüneløkka’s clubs.<br />
Curry & Ketchup<br />
{ Majorstuen }<br />
Kirkeveien 51<br />
Charming Indian restaurant with a casual atmosphere,<br />
nearby the Vigelandspark. Tasty<br />
meals for about 120 NOK. The interior is remniscant<br />
of an Indian shop with ricebags, spice<br />
and tin cans. The quality of both food and<br />
prices together is a great combo. The place is<br />
crowded, mostly by students.<br />
Rice bowl<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
Youngsgate 4<br />
www.ricebowl.no<br />
Really good thai-food in the city center, nearby<br />
Youngstorget. Only 54 seats so make sure to<br />
be there early! Very budget friendly with main<br />
dishes from about 90 NOK.<br />
Illegal burger<br />
{ Youngstorget }<br />
Møllergata 23<br />
The best burgers in town and right next to the<br />
Use-It office. Try the Cheese Royale, with potatoes<br />
on the side, mmmm! You can get a burger<br />
everywhere, but not like this. Usually crowded<br />
during the weekends.<br />
Pizza Pancetta<br />
{ Majorstuen }<br />
Kirkeveien 69<br />
www.pancetta.no<br />
These guys started up with one store in the<br />
posh area Frogner, quickly won everyone over,<br />
and are now expanding with branches all over<br />
town. Try one!<br />
Vann og brød<br />
{ Tøyen }<br />
Tøyenbekken 5<br />
www.vannogbrod.no<br />
Vann og brød (water and bread) is placed in an<br />
old prison building now restored to a place for<br />
cultural events. Great tapas menu. The place is<br />
semi expensive, but if you’re low on your budget<br />
you can order potatoes with aioli and fried<br />
chicken clubs with salad for about 70 NOK.<br />
Restaurant Dehli Tandoori<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
Maridalsveien 4<br />
rdtandoori.com<br />
If there’s one indian restaurant you should<br />
check out, it is this one. They are located a 10<br />
minute walk from downtown Oslo.<br />
Yaya’s<br />
{ Downtown, Majorstuen }<br />
Øvre vollgate 13<br />
Industrigata 36<br />
Munkedamsv 53b<br />
www.yayas.no<br />
A piece of Thailand in the middle of Oslo.<br />
Surrounded by a jungle, you’ll be walking on<br />
bambus floor and sit in small “stalls” – these<br />
guys imported tons of interior, and everything<br />
you see is authentic. The food is great as well.<br />
Nice staff, great prices – and a surprise thunder<br />
storm during your meal.<br />
Hell’s kitchen<br />
{ Youngstorget }<br />
Møllergata 23<br />
On the top of Youngstorget you’ll find the<br />
place that serve spicy Italian pizza from hell.<br />
The prices are ok, but the pizza’s legendary. But<br />
beware, after you’ve had your delicious meal,<br />
the staff is eager to give your table away to some<br />
other hungry group. We strongly suggest you<br />
book a table if you’re thinking of going there in<br />
the weekend. Hell’s Kitchen is a great place to<br />
start your night out.<br />
Café sara<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
Hausmanns gate 29<br />
www.cafesara.no<br />
A fusion between a pub and a diner, Café Sara<br />
serves a variety of meals for a reasonable price.<br />
The kitchen is open until 02:45 every day and<br />
is a very popular place to get some food after<br />
a night out. Café Sara also serves as an all-inone<br />
option, whereas you spend the night drinking<br />
topped off with a great meal before you go<br />
home. Or maybe it was the other way around,<br />
we don’t remember.<br />
people’s<br />
{ Youngstorget }<br />
Arbeidersamfunnetsplass 1<br />
www.cafepeoples.no<br />
Serving burgers, salads, mexican, grill<br />
and more, People’s is a very popular<br />
choice during the summer season. Not<br />
only because they serve a cheap 0,6l beer,<br />
but mainly because of their huge outdoor<br />
area. The place is central and is located<br />
right between Oslo’s two popular concert<br />
venues; Rockefeller and Sentrum Scene.<br />
16<br />
17
norwegian food<br />
Trendy food in Scandinavia is often imported - like bruschettas<br />
with mozzarella from the Mediterranean. Here are restaurants<br />
that specialize in the Norwegian culinary traditions<br />
gourmet on a budget<br />
Streetwise is a guide for low-cost experiences, but be too tight<br />
on your budget and you can miss out on some great experiences.<br />
Here are some affordable gourmet restaurants<br />
Fyret<br />
{ Youngstorget }<br />
Youngstorget 6<br />
www.fyretmatogdrikke.no<br />
We love Fyret. The atmosphere is informal<br />
and relaxed and the Norwegian/Scandinavian<br />
menu is brilliant and affordable. In the summer<br />
you can sit outside in the arcades, looking over<br />
to Youngstorget. 1 minute walk from Use-It.<br />
Kaffistova<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
Rosenkrantz gate 8<br />
www.kaffistova.com<br />
Kaffistova is the restaurant at Bondeheimen<br />
Hotel, specialising in traditional Norwegian<br />
food at affordable prices. All bread and cakes<br />
are homemade, and some say they have the best<br />
breakfast in town.<br />
Lofoten fiskerestaurant<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
Stranden 75<br />
www.lofoten-fiskerestaurant.no<br />
Lofoten is said to be the best fish restaurant in<br />
Norway. The food is, as you may guess, based on<br />
Norwegian fresh seafood. But be aware, this is an<br />
expensive restaurant, so if you can’t afford a three<br />
course meal, check out the fish soup for lunch.<br />
Schrøder<br />
{ St. Hanshaugen }<br />
Waldemar Thranes gate 8<br />
www.restaurant-schroder.no<br />
Informal atmosphere in a restaurant with a long<br />
history. Schrøder serves traditional Norwegian<br />
food on white stained tablecloths. It is definitely<br />
worth a visit, as the food is cheap and tasty<br />
plus they are generous with the portions.<br />
Buying norwegian food<br />
Fenaknoken<br />
Tordenskioldsgate 12<br />
www.fenaknoken.no<br />
Meat prepared the Norwegian style:<br />
smoked, dried and salty! And flatbread,<br />
of course! When you have eaten cured<br />
meat from Fenaknoken, you know how<br />
cured meat should taste.<br />
The farmers Market<br />
www.bondensmarked.no<br />
The farmers market is a market place<br />
where you can buy food directly from<br />
the producer. Check out their website to<br />
see when and where the next market is.<br />
Arakataka<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
Mariboes gate 7<br />
www.arakataka.no<br />
At Arakataka they serve international cuisine<br />
with a slight breeze from the Middle East. Arakataka<br />
combines creative dishes with top quality<br />
service at reasonable prices.<br />
Ekebergrestauranten<br />
{ Ekeberg }<br />
Kongsveien 15<br />
www.ekebergrestauranten.com<br />
The Ekeberg Restaurant is functionalistic high<br />
watermark in Norway. Today it offers great<br />
food, and if the weather is nice we highly recommend<br />
their terrace. When there, ask for a<br />
glimpse of the 1st floor as well. The design and<br />
decoration is beautiful. Make sure you check<br />
out the sculptures surrounding the building as<br />
well. Fancy a walk before dinner? Walk through<br />
Grønland to the restauraunt.<br />
Oslo Spiseforretning<br />
{ Grønland }<br />
Oslo gate 15<br />
www.oslo-spiseforretning.no<br />
This is the gourmet restaurant we recommend<br />
which is nearest to the Opera. Here normal<br />
people can have their anniversary or celebrations<br />
without getting ripped off. A three course<br />
meal is about 460 NOK. But the dinner is<br />
cheaper before 6 pm, if you want to save money.<br />
We know that Oslo is not friendly on your<br />
wallet, but these places are good. Go feel like<br />
a bigshot!<br />
Nam Fah<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
Prinsens gate 18<br />
www.nam-fah.com<br />
Nam Fah has one of the best thai dishes<br />
in Oslo. Strong curry & coconut noodle<br />
soup made with fresh ingredients. This<br />
is a very popular place and it’s sometimes<br />
wise to book a table in advance.<br />
They have two restaurants in Oslo, one<br />
downtown and the other at Grünerløkka,<br />
which is take-out only. Go buy yourself<br />
a decent meal for about 100 NOK and<br />
bring it to a local park.<br />
18<br />
19
sushi<br />
It’s raw, healthy and trendy<br />
vegetarian<br />
Here are some vegetarian places in Oslo<br />
Once the norwegians were sceptics, but now<br />
sushi is everywhere in Oslo. It’s convenient,<br />
delicious, and not too expensive. For a fast and<br />
healthy meal in Oslo, you could do a lot worse.<br />
Most places you’ll stumble across will have excellent<br />
quality. And check out these if you want<br />
to be sure.<br />
Mitsu<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
Møllergata 42<br />
This is the place for huge chunks of sushi<br />
wthout going broke. Mitsu is ranked high<br />
among sushi-lovers in Oslo, and if you are in a<br />
different mood, try their chicken baguette.<br />
Sumo Sushi<br />
{ Youngstorget }<br />
Youngstorget 3<br />
www.sumosushi.no<br />
This is nearby the Use-It Oslo office, so if you<br />
spot someone extraordinarily handsome and<br />
well-behaved at Sumo Suhi during lunch hours,<br />
it might be one of us. Great place.<br />
Dvdon Hai Minh Hoang<br />
{ Grünerløkka }<br />
Grüners gate 9<br />
Sushi and asian dishes! 99,- for “todays special”.<br />
Includes appetizer and a main course.<br />
Fish mongers<br />
Fiskeriet<br />
{ Youngstorget }<br />
Youngstorget 2<br />
fiskeriet.com<br />
A fishmonger and take-away restaurant<br />
all in one. Trendy and young employees,<br />
definitely trying to be the rockstars<br />
of the industry.<br />
Fjelberg fisk & vilt<br />
{ Frogner }<br />
Bygdøy allé 56<br />
Fjelberg fisk&vilt have been selling<br />
food since 1917.<br />
Flyvefisken<br />
{ Grønland }<br />
Lilletorget 1<br />
www.flyvefisken.no<br />
A fishmonger at Grønland with good<br />
and fresh fish.<br />
Blitz<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
Pilestredet 30<br />
www.blitz.no<br />
An independently run youth house with a punk<br />
and anarchist crowd – and some cheap vegetarian<br />
food. Hot dinner is served everyday.<br />
Spisestedet<br />
{ Majorstuen }<br />
Hjelmsgate 3<br />
www.vegetar.com/spisestedet<br />
Spisestedet serves ecological vegetarian food.<br />
The major part of their menu is vegan; free of<br />
milk, eggs and other animal products.<br />
The Café at Hausmania<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
Hausmannsgate 34<br />
www.hausmania.org<br />
A famous building previously occupied by<br />
punks and anarchists. It has evolved into a<br />
haven for creative and free spirits and now offers<br />
a vegan café, a bar and a place for cultural<br />
happenings.<br />
Krishnas Cuisine<br />
{ Majorstuen }<br />
Sørkedalsveien 10 B<br />
www.krishnas-cuisine.no<br />
Krishnas cuisine serves, go figure, food inspired<br />
by the Hare Krishna movement. Krishnas cuisine<br />
gives you value for your money in an otherwise<br />
expensive neighbourhood.<br />
Vega Fairfood<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
Akersgata 74<br />
www.vegafairfood.no<br />
Vega is a buffet restaurant, with its own café<br />
and bakery. Their food is varied with vegan,<br />
lactose vegetarian and gluten-free. Menu’s start<br />
from NOK 60.<br />
Vegetarian food<br />
Even though there are not a crazy ammount<br />
of specialized vegetarian restaurants,<br />
you’ll find good vegetarian<br />
options in most up-to-date restaurants.<br />
20<br />
21
cAfés & diners<br />
Norwegians love to socialize in a cozy café or diner<br />
Liebling<br />
{ Grünerløkka }<br />
Øvrefoss 4<br />
A little piece of Berlin right in the middle of<br />
Oslo. A café with cheap breakfast and lunch,<br />
combined with a delicate corner shop. Liebling<br />
has an informal continental atmosphere, with<br />
ever-friendly staff.<br />
Tim Wendelboe<br />
{ Grünerløkka }<br />
Grünersgate 1<br />
www.timwendelboe.no<br />
Oslo’s best coffee. Precise, passionate, charming.<br />
Quality is in the front seat at Tim Wendelboe<br />
and co. The price is above average but so is<br />
the coffee. PS! Not to many seats<br />
Fuglen Café<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
Universitetsgaten 2<br />
www.fuglen.no<br />
Fuglen (the bird) is inspired by the 60’s and 70’s<br />
and can remind you of your grandparents interior<br />
– in other words it’s retro. In the evening<br />
Fuglen turn into a cocktail bar.<br />
Oslo Mekaniske Verksted<br />
{ Grønland }<br />
Tøyenbekken 34<br />
www.oslomekaniskeverksted.no<br />
Chill atmosphere, nice people and best of all<br />
– you can bring your own food. They have<br />
takeout menus instead of their own, so you can<br />
order whatever from the takeouts nearby.<br />
Diners<br />
Ryes<br />
{ Grünerløkka }<br />
Thorvald Meyers gate 59<br />
Bacon & eggs, pancakes, various flavoured<br />
milkshakes, popcorn and more. Ryes is your<br />
stereotypical american inspired diner with elements<br />
from the fifties. The price is reasonable<br />
and the staff is nice.<br />
The Nighthawk Diner (TND)<br />
{ Grünerløkka }<br />
Seilduksgata 15<br />
www.nighthawkdiner.com<br />
Truly dedicated to the american thirties theme,<br />
walking into TND can feel like a time travel.<br />
Price over the average, but they have a better<br />
menu than their competitors and most of the<br />
food is organic.<br />
q<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
Pløensgate 4<br />
www.cafemono.no/stedet-q<br />
If you are planning a night out, Q is a popular<br />
place to start. Grab a burger and a beer in this<br />
seventies inspired diner.<br />
nina<br />
What is your favorite place to eat out with<br />
friends?<br />
I must say Vann og brød. This is a small and<br />
delightfully cheap tapas place in Grønland,<br />
5 minute walk from downtown. Great food.<br />
And they serve San Miguel in big frozen<br />
glasses. In the summer you should sit outside<br />
in their backyard and just enjoy life.<br />
Somewhere else?<br />
Also, Yaya’s a classic - especially if it’s cold<br />
outside. If there is a birthday to celebrate or<br />
just some of us going out to eat, Yaya’s is often<br />
picked. They have a really good vibe and<br />
atmosphere, with chill music and a feeling of<br />
being in a restaurant in Thailand.<br />
What is a perfect food day to you?<br />
I am a park animal and in the summertime I<br />
always chill in the park or on the islands. So<br />
the perfect food day for me would be buying<br />
a disposable barbeque and either prepare food<br />
at home or buy it - then buy some vegetables<br />
where do<br />
you love<br />
eating out?<br />
Nina works at the Use-It office and<br />
is one of the friendly faces you might<br />
meet if you stop by.<br />
in the shops at Grønland and just spend the<br />
evening in the park with friends in the sun.<br />
And, of course, with something good to<br />
drink!<br />
what about the day after a night out?<br />
Well, the day after an evening in the park<br />
(and perhaps a night out as well, like it always<br />
turn out), I would definitely recommend Illegal<br />
Burger. Tasty burgers, right of the grill!<br />
Illegal is kinda small though, so if it’s full, I<br />
go to Peoples right down the street. Peoples<br />
serve their “House Classic”-burger which is<br />
really good!<br />
anywhere you should avoid?<br />
I would just stay away from the expensive<br />
places. You will easily find good food without<br />
spending too much anyway, so don’t bother<br />
with too fancy restaurants.<br />
22<br />
23
24<br />
nightlife<br />
Oslos nightlife is more vibrant<br />
than you might expect.<br />
Norwegians most like to party, and people save up both stamina and money to let it all out in the<br />
weekends. Norwegians may be shy during regular hours, but not so when it comes to partying. As<br />
a result we can get more outgoing drunk than say our brothers and sisters in southern Europe – but<br />
don’t be put off by this. It is just a way of acting out all the conformity in the daily life. If you are<br />
friendly and open-minded, Norwegians most would love to get to know you.<br />
Where to go<br />
There are basically three main areas to go out – Downtown, with the hip<br />
“Youngstorget Square”, Grünerløkka for some bar life and serious clubbing, and<br />
Bogstadveien/Solli plass, with more “posh” clubs and a decent amount of rich,<br />
white kids.<br />
Prices<br />
You’ll rarely face cover charge (unless there is a concert playing) – which is good.<br />
But the prices on drinks and beer will kill you. Which is bad. What you generally<br />
should do, as all the Norwegians do, is to arrange you own “vorspiel” beforehand.<br />
The parks scattered around Oslo is great for this. Norwegians most hit town<br />
around 11pm.<br />
Things to know<br />
Everything closes 3 am (and even earlier, 1 am, in the areas outside of downtown).<br />
It is near impossible to find a place with alcohol after that. “Nachspiel”, the “after<br />
party” at home, is where people go if they want more. Hook up with some Norwegians<br />
and join them. Also, lines form quickly and get pretty heavy around the<br />
12am - 1am mark. If you are smart, you’ll hit town around 11am.<br />
24<br />
Pigalle at Grønland<br />
Photo: Sara Rose<br />
On weekdays, people tend to go out mostly to relax, and the nightlife in general is less crowded.<br />
You’ll still find a good party if you are up for it, but not anywhere you like. Look for special concerts<br />
or gatherings.<br />
25
youngstorget<br />
Youngstorget is located in the very heart of Oslo. The word<br />
“torg” means square, and Youngstorget is a classical example<br />
of a square; full of life, happenings and history.<br />
Café Sør<br />
Torggata 11<br />
www.cafesor.no<br />
An extremely chill café that turns into a club in<br />
the evenings. They serve coctails with emphasis<br />
on fruits and berries, and in the daytime you<br />
can enjoy their tasty soup. This is one of our<br />
usual hangouts after work, as well as Saturday<br />
nights.<br />
Mono<br />
Pløens gate 4<br />
www.cafemono.no<br />
Mono has been around for years and has grown<br />
very popular. It is a rock’n roll bar with more focus<br />
on Indie and Americana than Heavy Metal.<br />
If the bar looks empty during a nice hot day,<br />
the regulars are probably to be found smoking<br />
in the backyard. Mono has expanded and now<br />
includes a 60s diner & bar called Q.<br />
Justisen<br />
Møllergata 15<br />
www.justisen.no<br />
A pub/restaurant in a 18th century building,<br />
with a popular backyard in the summer. In the<br />
wintertime inside is the place to be, and you can<br />
wander around the two floors of Justisen and<br />
stumble over cosy, little places to sit.<br />
Stratos<br />
Youngstorget 2A<br />
www.stratos.as<br />
Open only in the summer, Stratos is on the<br />
rooftop of the big building at Youngstorget.<br />
Take the elevator to the top of the building<br />
and sit on their terrace with a cold drink. Terrific<br />
view over the city, popular pulsating club.<br />
Often around 100,- in cover, but well worth it.<br />
Tilt<br />
Torggata 16<br />
www.tiltoslo.no<br />
This place kicks ass. Tasty beer brands,<br />
arcade games, pinball machines and shuffleboards.<br />
Tilt is divided into four rooms,<br />
two bars and two gaming rooms. The<br />
place is sometimes crowded but if you’re<br />
there early, about seven-ish, you and your<br />
friends will find a table to sit down and<br />
there’s probably no queue for a game of<br />
shuffleboard. Absolutely a place to check<br />
out during your time in Oslo. Have fun,<br />
we always do!<br />
Playing shuffleboard at Tilt, Youngstorget.<br />
Photo: Magnus Moholdt<br />
26<br />
27
Hanging out at Mono.<br />
Photo: Magnus Moholdt<br />
Fisk og vilt<br />
Pløens gate 1<br />
A cool bar with a cool crowd. If you want to<br />
hang with Oslo hipsters, check out Fisk og<br />
vilt. A combined dance floor/smoking section<br />
in the back yard is always a winner. If you get<br />
bored with Mono, Fisk og Vilt is just across the<br />
street, and it manages somehow to be cool and<br />
popular without being overcrowded or have big<br />
lines outside.<br />
Internasjonalen<br />
Youngstorget 2<br />
www.internasjonalen.no<br />
This used to be a bar only but has expanded<br />
on the first floor with a dancefloor. There are<br />
a lot more hipsters upstairs than on the ground<br />
floor. Internasjonalen has a great selection of<br />
both brilliant booze and bartenders.<br />
Sosialen<br />
Møllergata 13<br />
www.sosialen.com<br />
Sosialen attracts people in their thirties who<br />
are looking to mate. Recommended if you are<br />
interested in a serious commitment. The trick<br />
with Sosialen is to arrive before 12 when the<br />
line outside has yet to form.<br />
The Villa<br />
Møllergata 23<br />
www.thevilla.no<br />
One of the most clean cut clubs in Oslo. Very<br />
popular, some great DJs, and lots of electronica.<br />
Go here to dance and go wild.<br />
bonanza<br />
Youngstorget 6<br />
www.barbonanza.no<br />
Sit in the old bazaar while enjoying a scenic<br />
view of Youngstorget by night. This little pub<br />
in the very centre of Oslo is a popular starting<br />
point for a relaxing beer. The place is tiny but<br />
they do have a few tables outside with heated<br />
lamps, which makes for a cozy evening observing<br />
the square of Youngstorget.<br />
Beer Prices<br />
No matter where you’re from you<br />
will probably find norwegian beer<br />
heavily over priced. Even norwegians,<br />
with our salaries, think the<br />
prices are too high.<br />
What you pay for a 0,5l varies, as you<br />
can imagine, from place to place. All<br />
depending on the location, the quality<br />
of the place and other factors. We’re<br />
not saying that you won’t find a cheap<br />
beer at a very nice place. There are lots<br />
of nice and cheap places, butthese factors<br />
often impact the prices.<br />
>35: as cheap as it gets<br />
35-49: a good bargain<br />
50-65: the average price in Oslo<br />
65-75: This place should be awesome<br />
75
grünerløkka<br />
Set your foot in Grünerløkka and your night will unfold<br />
naturally. You are probably going to dance rockabilly-style at<br />
Ryes and find some intense African rhythms at Fru Hagen.<br />
Kaos<br />
Thorvald Meyersgate 56<br />
www.cafekaos.no<br />
A spacious mainstream place where the young<br />
and wild go crazy in the weekends, dance the<br />
night away and practice their pick up-lines in<br />
the fancy bar. Kaos has proper facilities for<br />
smokers, with a heated tent in the backyard.<br />
Blå<br />
Brenneriveien 9c<br />
www.blaaoslo.no<br />
Blå is Oslos popular factory hall style club and<br />
a legendary jazz club – with a really wide definition<br />
of jazz. On Saturdays you go clubbing, on<br />
Sundays you go shopping at the market and on<br />
Mondays you rock out to metal. This is the way<br />
Blå is, and that is why we love the place.<br />
Bar Boca<br />
Thorvald Meyersgate 30<br />
Bar Boca is the place for high quality drinks.<br />
This 50s-inspired shoebox sized cocktail bar<br />
is ideal for social non-claustrophobic people.<br />
With only 5 tables it is impossible not to speak<br />
to your fellow customers. Bar Boca is visited by<br />
people of all ages. Best drinks in Oslo.<br />
Aku Aku Tiki Bar<br />
Thorvald Meyersgate 32<br />
www.akuaku.no<br />
Aloha! If you want a night with high quality<br />
drinks in a Hawaiian inspired bar, go to Aku<br />
Aku. They carry a huge selection of various<br />
exciting drinks and are definitely worth a visit.<br />
Cool surf music in a friendly environment.<br />
Fru Hagen<br />
Thorvald Meyersgate 40<br />
www.fruhagen.no<br />
Fru Hagen was one of the first hip cafés<br />
that popped up when Grünerløkka transformed<br />
from being a working class area to<br />
a trendy magnet for hipsters. Though Fru<br />
Hagen might have dropped a bit on the<br />
hotspot barometer, the place still attracts<br />
people. At daytime you can sink into the<br />
red velour couches and enjoy sandwiches<br />
and pastry. At night, it turns into a popular<br />
party place with some real groove and<br />
rhythm. Some top notch DJ’s.<br />
Enjoying a home made brew<br />
at Schous Mikrobryggeri.<br />
Photo: Magnus Moholdt<br />
30<br />
31
32<br />
Blå by day.<br />
Photo: Magnus Moholdt<br />
Ryes<br />
Thorvald Meyersgate 29<br />
Groovy bar and restaurant. Great interior design<br />
and a rockabilly style, this is an American<br />
diner in the middle of Grünerløkka. Enjoy<br />
tasty burgers, pancakes and milkshakes in the<br />
afternoon. Before 8pm you can have three pints<br />
for NOK 100. Then – before you know it – the<br />
place is packed, with a dancefloor that goes<br />
wild to music form the 50s and 60s.<br />
Parkteateret<br />
Olaf Ryes plass 11<br />
www.parkteatret.no<br />
A former movie theatre where the foyer has been<br />
transformed into a minimalist 50’s inspired bar.<br />
The place and its visitors are cool without being<br />
“too much”. There is a concert stage in the<br />
back, with clubs and live music. They also host<br />
some cool concept nights. Check out “Get Dancy”<br />
on Facebook, see when it is on next, and pop<br />
in for a night of moves and grooves.<br />
Mir<br />
Toftesgate 69<br />
www.lufthavna.no<br />
By far Grünerløkka’s best kept secret. Hang out<br />
with rockers and the alternative nation. On the<br />
ground floor you drink your beer in old aeroplane<br />
seats, or whatever they decide to decorate<br />
with. In the basement you’ll feel you’re visiting<br />
someone’s living room. Play dart or fußball<br />
game, or check out the small library, where you<br />
can take a book with you – as long as you leave<br />
another book.<br />
Sound of Mu<br />
Markveien 58<br />
www.soundofmu.no<br />
Sound of Mu is an art galleri, bar and concert<br />
venue. Sound of Mu is always crowded but considering<br />
the place is as big as a bed room, filling<br />
up the place is never a challenge. The live gigs<br />
are intimate and cozy. If you have trouble getting<br />
in and the band is very interesting, you can<br />
always stand outside and watch through their<br />
huge window.<br />
schous mikrobryggeri<br />
Trondheimsveien 2<br />
Situated in the basement of the old Schous<br />
brewery you will find the micro brewery of<br />
Schouskjelleren. This charming damp basement<br />
serves you high quality, self-brewed beer.<br />
It’s not as budget friendly as many other places<br />
but the beer alone is definately a reason to visit.<br />
When in doubt of what beer to go for, ask for a<br />
taste and you will get a small glass with a mouth<br />
full of beer for 15 NOK.<br />
the crossroad club<br />
Maridalsveien 3<br />
www.thecrossroadclub.no<br />
Between Grünerløkka and downtown in a<br />
big red brick house you’ll find The Crossroad<br />
Club. If you’re into rock, blues, beer and delicious<br />
food, this is definately your place. The<br />
food is not that budget friendly, but if you’re<br />
looking for a place to listen to some great music,<br />
drink a few and meet new people it’s great. They<br />
are known to have alot of concerts with cover<br />
charge so check their website to see what’s up.<br />
Oslo Nights<br />
Originally a fashion blog from Oslo<br />
but the site offers alot of pictures from<br />
a variety of Oslo’s clubs, bars and<br />
pubs: oslonights.blogspot.com. A good<br />
first place to start to get a feel of Oslos<br />
nightlife.<br />
33
downtown<br />
Downtown is not only the popular Youngstorget square, there’s<br />
a cool collection of clubs, bars and pubs. Stumble over them<br />
yourself, or find one of these places.<br />
Bohemen<br />
Arbeidergata 2<br />
www.bohemen.no<br />
Bohemen is the place for meeting local football<br />
supporters. It is the official Vålerenga pub (local<br />
team) , but is also considered a traditional<br />
sports bar. Every night they screen matches,<br />
both local derbys and international football.<br />
Where do men hug? On a football field, or at<br />
Bohemen.<br />
Nomaden<br />
Bernt Ankers gate 17<br />
One of our favourite clubs in Oslo. A basement<br />
with colorful interior and everything between<br />
funk, reggae and afro-pop. Still a great<br />
underground feel in this club. They do have a<br />
cover charge, but nothing over the top. Recommended!<br />
Bare Jazz<br />
Grensen 8<br />
www.barejazz.no<br />
Bare Jazz (“Just Jazz”) is something as rare as<br />
a jazz café in Oslo. Run by internationally acclaimed<br />
saxophonist Bodil Niska - the credibility<br />
is definitely maintained at this place. In the<br />
summer the place opens its charming back ally.<br />
This is also a records store that has a large selection<br />
of – surprise, surprise – jazz!<br />
Living Room<br />
Olav V’s gate 1<br />
A club for urban hip hop and RnB music. After<br />
a hip hop concert, Living Room used to be the<br />
place for the afterparty. Not so much anymore,<br />
but occasionally. The club is expensive and has<br />
a cover, but it is still one of the places with real<br />
RnB and hip hop.<br />
Fugazi<br />
Tordenskioldgate 3<br />
www.fugazi.no<br />
Fugazi has two floors and an outside backyard,<br />
where everybody can dance the night away. A<br />
couple of times a month they have concerts<br />
in the backyard with some of Oslos best DJ’s.<br />
Some great clubbing to be had here.<br />
Revolver<br />
Møllergata 32<br />
www.revolveroslo.no<br />
Just a small 3 minute walk from Youngstorget<br />
you’ll find the little red painted<br />
house. Revolver is a place for everyone.<br />
Tasty food, loads of concerts in the basement,<br />
tasty beers, drinks and music from<br />
different genres. Revolver has become<br />
a popular weekend destination for the<br />
young and trendy.<br />
Bar Robinet<br />
Mariboes gate 7<br />
A tiny retro-esque bar, populated by musicians,<br />
media-people and all sorts of liberal hedonists.<br />
Robinet gets easily crowded so expect to hang<br />
around a while before you get a seat. Robinet<br />
has a southern feel that is rarely found in other<br />
bars in Oslo, all in all, highly recommended!<br />
Remember to bring cash, they don’t take card.<br />
Great drinks!<br />
Last Train<br />
Karl Johansgate 45<br />
www.lasttrain.no<br />
Last Train is Oslo’s oldest rock bar serving concerts,<br />
beer and no bull shit for 20 years. Just a<br />
stone throw away from Hard Rock Café you can<br />
experience true rock and roll in a friendly environment<br />
amongst the many regulars. Whatever<br />
you do, do not request a song.<br />
Rock In<br />
Øvre Slottsgate 10<br />
www.rockinoslo.com<br />
Tattoos, long black hair and makeup. This kinda<br />
describes both the female and male guests<br />
of Rock In, a 7 year old metal bar in the heart<br />
of Oslo. If you want heavy and black metal<br />
topped off with power ballads and sentimental<br />
drunken talks at the end of the day, this is the<br />
place to go.<br />
Picking up a Norwegian<br />
Norwegians are often referred to as<br />
more straight forward than Swedes<br />
and Danes. But that doesn’t mean we<br />
are easy to get to know, or that your<br />
Don Juan-skills don’t need an adjustment.<br />
Here are some quick pointers:<br />
• Norwegian girls aren’t particulary<br />
easy to sweep off their feet. For instance;<br />
they may turn sceptical if<br />
you try to buy them a drink. Ask<br />
before buying.<br />
• Norwegian boys are always happy<br />
when girls take initiative.<br />
• Norway is a very egalitarian society<br />
and we like to split the bill. Very few<br />
girls expect to be paid for, and guys<br />
can get surprised if girls expect them<br />
to pay.<br />
• If you’re interested in getting to<br />
know Norwegians, be prepeared<br />
that the talkative and outgoing person<br />
you met in the bar, can turn out<br />
to be quite introvert and shy the day<br />
after.<br />
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35
grønland<br />
Grønland has a rich culture, lots of immigrants and lots of life.<br />
Close to downtown, this is a growing place for Oslos nightlife.<br />
Olympen<br />
Grønlandsleiret 15<br />
www.olympen.no<br />
Café, pub and restaurant. The interior looks<br />
like an old courtroom with brown tall walls and<br />
big chandeliers in the middle of the room. Beer<br />
from several Norwegian producers you won’t<br />
find other places. They are also known for serving<br />
Norwegian food. We usually go here after<br />
working hours, just to relax, eat, drink.<br />
Pigalle<br />
Grønlandsleiret 15<br />
www.olympen.no<br />
So now you are at Pigalle, and you suddenly notice<br />
that the bartenders are the same as Olympen.<br />
Relax you’re not drunk, the two places<br />
belong together. Here you can relax in the stalls<br />
and every stall has its own phone so you can call<br />
other stall-people. They have a good dancing<br />
floor and good music.<br />
Queens pub<br />
Brugata 14<br />
queenspub.no<br />
A little place hidden in Grønland. The crowd is<br />
a mix of adults out looking for fun and regular<br />
drunks. But what makes this worth mentioning<br />
is their live piano performances and karaoke<br />
nights, which are really fun. You can choose to<br />
participate or just hang out on their “balcony”<br />
and watch the show from above.<br />
Oslo mekaniske verksted<br />
Joachim Nielsens gang<br />
www.oslomekaniskeverksted.no<br />
Chill atmosphere, nice people and best of all –<br />
you can bring your own food. They have takeout<br />
menus instead of their own, so you can order<br />
whatever from the takeouts nearby. People<br />
in the neighborhood usually hang here, especially<br />
in the summer when you can sit outside.<br />
Dattera til Hagen<br />
Grønland 10<br />
www.dattera.no<br />
One of the most popular hangouts in<br />
Grønland. Dattera is always crowded,<br />
from morning until late in the evening.<br />
Have a drink, some food, and go clubbing<br />
later on. Great backyard. Recommended.<br />
Tara<br />
Where do you usually hang out, Tara?<br />
I pretty much go to either Grünerløkka or<br />
Youngstorget. Both areas are packed with<br />
great clubs, pubs and concert halls, so if you<br />
don’t like where you are you can just go to the<br />
next!<br />
Do you have any favorites?<br />
Sure! I’m a big fan of cocktails, so usually my<br />
nights out start or end at Bar Boca in Grünerløkka.<br />
They have the best cocktails in Oslo!<br />
The place is tiny, so you probably have to<br />
share a table with someone. But that’s just a<br />
great way to get to know people! Robinet and<br />
Fuglen (downtown) also have great drinks!<br />
Where do<br />
you love<br />
going out?<br />
Tara runs the online calendar Kult<br />
and definately knows what is going<br />
on in this city.<br />
Nice. Anywhere else?<br />
Sure! “Tilt” at Youngstorget is a really cool<br />
place with shuffle board and lots of arcade<br />
games. To quote a male friend of mine: “Tilt is<br />
where all the cool girls hang”. And all the cool<br />
guys know it, so it’s usually packed... They<br />
also have a great selection of drafts and bottled<br />
beers. Another beer faovurite is Grünerløkka<br />
brygghus. Say hi to the bartender from<br />
me! Oh, and try Mono in Youngstorget. This<br />
place is legendary in the Oslo nightlife, and<br />
they have a free concert every Saturday at<br />
18.00 with up-and -coming bands.<br />
Any other tips?<br />
Most people tend to eat kebabs in the street<br />
Torggata (near Youngstorget) when the night<br />
is over, but I usually go an extra block to<br />
Trondheimsveien (near Anker Hostel) for my<br />
falafel. The kebabs and falafels here are better,<br />
and the shops are more like small restaurants<br />
than fast food joints - but still cheap! Also,<br />
I have this ritual: the day after a night out I<br />
always go to Liebling in Grünerløkka. They<br />
have the towns best breakfast, and even a special<br />
menu for hangovers.<br />
AnY LAST tips?<br />
Check out havresekken.no, a genre free, popup<br />
concert series I run!<br />
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37
concert venues under 20<br />
Thanks to some hardworking spirits, Oslo is the best concert<br />
city in Scandinavia. You’ll find the big headliners as well as<br />
some great underground stuff<br />
To find a suitable place when you are under 20 is not to<br />
easy. The places are scarce, they often have a line outside,<br />
and expect some cover charge<br />
Oslo Spektrum<br />
Sonja Henies pl. 2<br />
www.oslospektrum.no<br />
If Snoop Dog or Rihanna or some other biggie<br />
is in town, this is where they’ll be. Spectrum<br />
is located downtown with a capacity of around<br />
10.000 guests.<br />
Rockefeller<br />
Torggata 16<br />
www.rockefeller.no<br />
Maybe the most popular live scene, though not<br />
the largest. The main stage area plus the two<br />
extra balconies houses about 1.300 guests.<br />
Parkteateret<br />
Olaf Ryes plass 11<br />
www.parkteatret.no<br />
One of the oldest cinemas in Europe (dating<br />
back to 1907), Parkteatret is now a popular<br />
400-capacity music venue. Intimate scene, easy<br />
accessible bar, cool and alternative line ups.<br />
John Dee<br />
Torggata 16<br />
www.rockefeller.no<br />
Located in the same building as Rockefeller.<br />
John Dee houses about 400 guests.<br />
Møllers Café<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
Mariboes gate 9<br />
Møllers is known as the place every 18-year<br />
old goes to, even though they mostly play hard<br />
rock/metal. This is one of the first places we try<br />
out when we turn 18.<br />
Trompeten<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
Skippergata 29<br />
One of the more popular places for people under<br />
20, Trompeten (the Trumpet) is a karaoke<br />
bar. No cover charge except on Saturdays.<br />
Studenten<br />
{ Bislett }<br />
Parkveien 1<br />
Cheap food, cheap beer, and tv-screens. This is<br />
very budget-friendly and very student friendly.<br />
Evergreen<br />
{ Bislett }<br />
Pilestredet 39<br />
A small pub with really good beer prices. The<br />
result is a tight pick-up marked for thirsty and<br />
horny students who are out to have fun.<br />
Sentrum Scene<br />
Arbeidersamfunnets plass 1<br />
www.rockefeller.no<br />
Just a stone throw away from Rockefeller and<br />
John Dee you will find Sentrum Scene. It’s<br />
slightly larger than the Rockefeller area, housing<br />
1.750 guests.<br />
Blå<br />
Brenneriveien 9 C<br />
www.blaaoslo.no<br />
Great place for club nights, but also a concert<br />
venue housing 300 guests and with some pretty<br />
interesting line-ups.<br />
Who’s playing?<br />
To find out who is playing where,<br />
check out kultoslo.no and underskog.<br />
no. They are both in Norwegian, so<br />
use Google Translate.<br />
Buy tickets<br />
The fastest and most efficient way to<br />
obtain tickets is to buy online at<br />
billettservice.no and pick up your<br />
ticket at a local kiosk such as Narvesen<br />
and 7-Eleven<br />
Studentersamfunnet<br />
{ Bislett }<br />
Pilestredet 52<br />
samfunnetbislet.no<br />
This student-run pick up joint is not visible<br />
from street level since all the action takes place<br />
in the basement. Cool place, lots of people.<br />
Nexus<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
C.J. Hambros plass 2A<br />
A Brazilian style night club. The music is mostly<br />
Latino.<br />
Could you sneak in?<br />
We at streetwise never condone irresponsible<br />
behavior of course - but<br />
if we were to be asked hypothetically<br />
if it is possible to sneak in at regular<br />
20+ clubs when your under 20 – we<br />
might have to answer: “not too easy”.<br />
You might be able to get in if you look<br />
sharp, grown and well behaved. And if<br />
the place is not too full. But generally,<br />
you either need fake ID or some luck.<br />
38<br />
39
40<br />
shopping<br />
Oslo is filled with fashion,<br />
design, and artifacts<br />
If you have money in your pocket and wondering where to go, look no further. We try to be budgetfriendly<br />
in this guide, but if you haven’t spent all your salary on overpriced bagels and a smoothie<br />
just yet, there are some places that will give you greater value for your money than others. Here’s<br />
where to go.<br />
Areas<br />
Downtown is where most of the malls and regular stores are. You’ll see them<br />
whether you like to or not. At Grünerløkka you’ll find Sunday markets, small<br />
designer boutiques, and generally a more alternative outlook. If you want to go<br />
all “posh”, visit Bogstadveien or Aker Brygge.<br />
Prices<br />
Norway as a country and Norwegians most are doing financially very well. As a<br />
result you’ll find expensive designer clothing and other high class stuff all over<br />
the place. Expect some high prices - and some decent ones.<br />
Things to know<br />
The most popular, and probably the cheapest, mainstream clothes shops are<br />
H&M, Indiska and Gina Tricot. If your head phones break or you need some<br />
batteries, the cheapest place to get these is the very budget friendly Clas Ohlson.<br />
Moods of Norway<br />
Photo: Magnus Moholdt<br />
40<br />
41
Oslo kollektivtrafikk / Public transport / Nahverkehr<br />
T-bane<br />
Metro<br />
U-bahn<br />
Trikk<br />
Tram<br />
Straßenbahn<br />
Hovedbusslinjer<br />
Main bus services<br />
Hauptbuslinien<br />
Båt<br />
Boat<br />
Boot<br />
Overgangsmulighet<br />
Interchange stop<br />
Umsteigemöglichkeit<br />
Stoppested i én retning<br />
One direction stop<br />
Eine Richtung Haltestelle<br />
Jernbane<br />
Railway<br />
Eisenbahn<br />
Informasjon<br />
Information<br />
Information<br />
trafikanten.no<br />
U-bahn Straßenbahn Hauptbuslinien Boot<br />
Information<br />
Hakadal<br />
Frognerseteren<br />
Voksen skog<br />
Sognsvann<br />
Østerås<br />
Bogstad camping<br />
2<br />
Jar<br />
Bekkestua<br />
6<br />
13<br />
Sandvika Asker<br />
Jar<br />
32<br />
23 32<br />
31<br />
Røa<br />
1<br />
32 3<br />
23<br />
Lilleaker<br />
23<br />
Lysaker<br />
Fornebu<br />
20<br />
Holmenkollen<br />
Smestad<br />
Skøyen<br />
Skøyen st<br />
30<br />
32<br />
2 6<br />
30<br />
Folkemuseet<br />
Vikingskipene<br />
1<br />
Vigelandsparken<br />
Frogner plass<br />
Olav Kyrres plass<br />
20<br />
Gaustad<br />
30 31<br />
13<br />
Dronningen<br />
Bygdøynes<br />
Slemdal<br />
3 4 5<br />
12<br />
12<br />
91<br />
20<br />
19 11<br />
1 2 3 4 5 6<br />
Briskeby<br />
Skillebekk<br />
32<br />
Rikshospitalet<br />
17 18<br />
Blindern<br />
Majorstuen<br />
Solli<br />
19<br />
21<br />
23<br />
Ullevål stadion<br />
SLOTTET<br />
(april–september)<br />
54<br />
Kringsjå<br />
Ullevål sykehus<br />
Rosenborg<br />
21<br />
Homansbyen<br />
20<br />
11 17 18 37<br />
74<br />
12<br />
Aker brygge<br />
Adamstuen<br />
BISLETT<br />
Holbergs pl<br />
13 19<br />
93 92<br />
34<br />
Forskningsparken<br />
Radiumhospitalet<br />
Nationaltheatret<br />
Tåsen<br />
Tåsen<br />
37<br />
4<br />
ILA<br />
6<br />
Ringen<br />
Sagene<br />
Stortinget<br />
RÅDHUSET<br />
37 54 54<br />
21<br />
St Hanshaugen<br />
AKERSHUS<br />
SLOTT<br />
34 54<br />
Stortorvet<br />
Hovedøya<br />
11 12 13<br />
93 94<br />
23<br />
Nydalen<br />
30<br />
Nydalen T<br />
37<br />
20 30<br />
30<br />
54<br />
GRÜNERLØKKA<br />
Vippetangen<br />
Torshov<br />
17<br />
20 21<br />
31<br />
Brugata<br />
Kjelsås<br />
11<br />
Tøyen<br />
Munchmuséet<br />
OPERA<br />
5<br />
Grefsen<br />
6<br />
Sinsen<br />
Jernbanetorget/<br />
Oslo S<br />
32 34 74<br />
12<br />
13<br />
17<br />
18 19<br />
5<br />
Carl<br />
Berners plass<br />
Storo<br />
23<br />
18<br />
74<br />
31<br />
Sinsenkrysset<br />
1 2 3 4<br />
20<br />
Disen<br />
Hasle<br />
Galgeberg<br />
Ekeberg<br />
camping<br />
Aker sykehus<br />
Økern<br />
1<br />
21<br />
37<br />
32<br />
34 23<br />
EKEBERGSLETTA<br />
Holtet<br />
Bjerke<br />
Kværnerbyen<br />
Tonsenhagen<br />
Helsfyr<br />
Ekeberg hageby<br />
Brynseng<br />
Simensbråten<br />
31<br />
Bryn<br />
4<br />
Ryen<br />
23<br />
Gardermoen<br />
Ellingsrudåsen Lillestrøm Vestli Grorud<br />
31<br />
5<br />
3 1 2<br />
Mortensrud<br />
Utg 2011.11 – © Truls Lange Civitas 1998–2011<br />
Kon-Tiki, Ra II, Fram<br />
trafikanten.no<br />
31<br />
Snarøya<br />
Bygdøy<br />
Huk<br />
Nakholmen<br />
93<br />
Gressholmen Langøyene<br />
Mortensrud Bergkrystallen<br />
92 93 94<br />
18 19<br />
74 4<br />
Ski<br />
Ljabru
uying norwegian<br />
When you visit the land of the fjords and forests, be sure to<br />
bring back a piece of our culture. Why not bring back some<br />
unique design or clothing?<br />
book stores<br />
Chain stores like Norli and Ark all over the city, and they have<br />
huge selections, great line-up in English and decent prices. But<br />
check out these independent stores as well.<br />
AntiSweden<br />
{ Majorstuen }<br />
Kristian Augusts gate 13<br />
www.antisweden.no<br />
Sweden has dominated the Scandinavian jeans<br />
scene for years, with brands like Acne, Cheap<br />
Monday and Nudie. Some Norwegians got sick<br />
and tired of Swedish dominance and established<br />
an Norwegian alternative – AntiSweden Jeans.<br />
Moods of Norway<br />
{ Majorstuen }<br />
Akersgata 18<br />
www.moodsofnorway.com<br />
In 2003 two brave Norwegians entered the international<br />
fashion scene with hip clothing, influenced<br />
by Norwegian arts and crafts, history<br />
and mentality. Moods of Norway never set out<br />
to make souvenirs or to be ironic or funny. It is<br />
simply very stylish clothing.<br />
Pur Norsk<br />
{ St. Hanshaugen }<br />
Theresesgate 14<br />
www.purnorsk.no<br />
A store specializing in Norwegian products.<br />
Pur Norsk seeks to heighten the general awareness<br />
regarding Norwegian quality design. You<br />
don’t find wool sweaters here, though. Instead<br />
you can get more or less everything else that has<br />
good, maybe even exquisite, norwegian design.<br />
Probat<br />
{ Günerløkka }<br />
Thorvald Meyers gate 54<br />
www.probat.no<br />
A t-shirt company with an all-Norwegian approach.<br />
Probat makes t-shirts depicting brown<br />
cheese, moose and catch phrases from Norwegian<br />
pop culture. They’ve become quite<br />
popular and are expanding into the American<br />
market – promoting Norway to Norwegian<br />
Americans! They also sell childrens clothing<br />
with stylish motives.<br />
Tronsmo<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
Kristian Augusts gate 19<br />
www.tronsmo.no<br />
This is a truly beloved alternative bookstore.<br />
They have absolutely every possible cultural<br />
phenomenon represented here, and the whole<br />
basement is dedicated to comics and graphic<br />
novels. Right next to Tinghuset downtown, this<br />
place is worth a visit.<br />
Cappelens forslag<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
Bernt Akersgate 4<br />
Two guys started this bookstore and decorated<br />
it like a living room. Hand picked books, both<br />
new and second hand. Some great finds to be<br />
made her. And worth the visit just for the atmosphere.<br />
Check them out on Facebook.<br />
torpedo bookshop<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
Trelastgata 3<br />
www.torpedobok.no<br />
Torpedo is an independent book store focusing<br />
on contemporary and visual arts. Occasionally<br />
a venue for exhibitions and concerts.<br />
House of literature<br />
Wergelandsveien 29<br />
www.litteraturhuset.no<br />
Situated close to the Royal Castle,<br />
The House of Literature was built in<br />
2007 and is the main gathering place<br />
for literature events, debates and happenings.<br />
They have their own bookstore<br />
on the first floor, and a café/<br />
restaurant. Norwegian poets, authors<br />
and cultural celebrities mingle here,<br />
and you are almost bound to stumble<br />
upon one.<br />
44<br />
45
alternative shopping<br />
There is nothing wrong with either H&M or Zara, but you find<br />
those stores everywhere. Here’s a shopping guide to Oslo – with<br />
sort of an alternative outlook.<br />
record stores<br />
Not for everyone in these piratebay-times, but wandering<br />
around charming, independent record stores and browsing<br />
through weird collections can still be a great way to spend time.<br />
Angels Speed Equipment<br />
{ Grünerløkka }<br />
Rathkesgt 7<br />
www.angels-speed-equipment.com<br />
A pretty cool store. Rockabilly and 50’s style,<br />
Nudie Jeans, Rocha, Route 66 and Vivian Hollywood.<br />
Hunting Lodge<br />
{ Grünerløkka }<br />
Markveien 58<br />
www.huntinglodge.no<br />
Contemporary street wear, shoes and decoration.<br />
Hunting Lodge makes men look good.<br />
Los Lobos<br />
{ Grünerløkka }<br />
Thorvald Meyers gate 30<br />
www.loslobos.no<br />
A charming store in Grünerløkka. Los Lobos<br />
sells rockabilly and 50’s style clothes, gadgets<br />
and LPs with music to accompany the looks.<br />
Scorpius Import<br />
{ Grünerløkka }<br />
Schleppegrellsgate 16<br />
www.scorpius.no<br />
On the far top of Grünerløkka in a colorful<br />
building that will make you stare in awe for<br />
quite some time, you’ll find Scorpius. Scorpius<br />
is nirvana for hippies – colourful scarves,<br />
clothes and accessories.<br />
Shangri-La<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
Karl Johans gate 2<br />
www.shangri-la.no<br />
Hippie style clothes and accessories – more or<br />
less the same as Scorpius.<br />
Skaperverket<br />
{ Grünerløkka }<br />
Markveien 60<br />
www.skaperverket.no<br />
Some young designers are running this store<br />
together. You`ll find clothing, postcards, ceramics,<br />
photos, earrings, notebooks and much<br />
more. Charming store with charming products.<br />
Freudian Kicks<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
Prinsens gate 10 B<br />
www.freudiankicks.com<br />
180 square meters with selections from Acne,<br />
American Apparel, A.P.C, Best Behavior, Casio<br />
Databank, Henrik Vibskov, J-Brand jeans, Kokon<br />
To Zai, Sneaky Steve, Wood Wood and some<br />
second hand.<br />
Big Dipper Records<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
Torggata 36<br />
www.bigdipper.no<br />
Big Dipper is a stereotypical independent music<br />
store. They carry a huge selection of music,<br />
especially on vinyl. Everything from Pop/Rock,<br />
Indie, Soul, Metal/Hardrock, Jazz, Punk, Garagerock,<br />
Hip-hop, Blues, Country, Electronica<br />
and Reggae.<br />
tiger<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
Hammersborggata 18<br />
www.tigernet.no<br />
An independent record store in the center of<br />
Oslo. Their main focus is underground music,<br />
punk and diy-culture. They also import alot<br />
from various foreign labels.<br />
Bare Jazz<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
Grensen 8<br />
www.barejazz.no<br />
Café, concert arena and record store all in one.<br />
Bare Jazz (“Just Jazz”) is run by internationally<br />
acclaimed saxophonist Bodil Niska – and have a<br />
large and good selection, says the connoisseurs,<br />
of jazz records.<br />
Shadowland<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
Storgata 9<br />
www.shadowland.no<br />
If you are equally fascinated by light as by<br />
darkness, you’ll probably find Shadowland’s<br />
selection of goth, synth, EBM and industrial<br />
attractive.<br />
Used record stores<br />
Bjørn Ringstrøm Antikvariat<br />
{ St. Hanshaugen }<br />
Wessels gate 2B<br />
We like Ringstrøms. Here you find great records<br />
at reasonable prices. Ringstrøms has a<br />
good jazz selection, and also includes a book<br />
store.<br />
Neseblod Records<br />
{ Grünerløkka }<br />
Rathkesgate 7<br />
www.neseblodrecords.com<br />
Well-hidden in Grünerløkka you find Neseblod.<br />
This is the place to look for old-school<br />
Norwegian punk and black metal, or used punk<br />
and metal records in general.<br />
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47
48<br />
queer<br />
Bar & cafés<br />
There are a few bars and nightclubs for the<br />
queer crowd in Oslo. New ones keep popping<br />
up - but unfortunately tends to close again as<br />
well. It might seem like the capital isn’t big<br />
enough for more than a couple of places. But<br />
there are some existing and established gay<br />
bars and nightclubs, and we’ve singled out the<br />
stayers.<br />
Elsker<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
Kristian IVs gate 9<br />
Elsker is both a bar and a café, with DJs at weekends<br />
and several dance floors. Popular place for<br />
heterosexuals as well. This one has been around<br />
for several years now, and is a safe shot.<br />
So<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
Arbeidergata 2<br />
www.so-oslo.no<br />
This little bar is for girls who like girls. SO is<br />
open Wednesday to Saturday from 1800-0300.<br />
Ett Glass<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
Karl Johans gate 33<br />
www.ettglass.no<br />
Ett Glass is a café close to Karl Johans gate with<br />
a considerable gay crowd.<br />
London Pub & Club<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
CJ Hambros plass 5<br />
www.londonpub.no<br />
Oslo’s largest gay club, it’s been around forever.<br />
This, along with Elsker, might be the most established<br />
places around.<br />
Indieseksuell<br />
A club concept happening about once a month,<br />
normally at Revolver. The DJs play indie music,<br />
and the people hanging out are part of the<br />
Oslo sub-culture – both gay and heterosexuals.<br />
Check out “indieseksuell” on Facebook.<br />
Magazines<br />
Blikk<br />
www.blikk.no<br />
Norways biggest gay magazine.<br />
Gaysir<br />
www.gaysir.no<br />
Online magazine and social society<br />
Other<br />
Oslo Pride/Skeive Dager<br />
www.skeivedager.no<br />
Skeive dager (Queer Days) is a festival held each<br />
June. This is the biggest cultural event for LG-<br />
BTs in Norway, and people from several countries<br />
attend the festival and its events.<br />
Cinemateket/Queer Sundays<br />
www.cinemateket.no<br />
The first Sunday in every month you can watch<br />
queer films at Cinemateket (see activities section).<br />
Skeive Filmer<br />
www.oglff.org<br />
A festival of queer movies in the early fall.<br />
Check it up on see when it’s on.<br />
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49
50<br />
activities<br />
Buckle up your backpack and<br />
get out of your hotel room<br />
For a city this size, Oslo is reeking of things to do – museums, festivals, theatres, markets and other<br />
happenings. No reason to spend your days moping around the lobby of your hotel, asking the<br />
owner timidly where he is from, and what is “up”. Read this section instead.<br />
Happenings and events<br />
Internet is your friend in this city. But so are we. You should definitely stop by<br />
our office for some tips on things do to. But for a daily calendar of things and<br />
happenings – go to www.visitoslo.com. They have a great calendar in both<br />
English, French and Spanish, with plenty of info on what is happening. We at<br />
the USE-IT office also run a calendar “Kult Oslo” at kultoslo.no with lots of<br />
things to do like concerts, clubs and theatres. It is in Norwegian only, but use<br />
Google Translate, and you will be fine.<br />
Nature<br />
What separates Oslo from other European capitols really is the nature. Where<br />
else can you be in the forest or on an beautiful Island in the Fiord literally 15 min<br />
away from the main shopping street? The Islands is perfect for hot summer days,<br />
the forest is majestic and the pride of the city. And if you are here during winter,<br />
skiing or ice skating or snowboarding is almost obligatory. Pay nature a visit.<br />
Museums<br />
Museums are one of Oslo’s strong points as well. We have some things that really<br />
shine in the crowd, like the Fram-ship (which you can walk around on) and the<br />
famous painting Scream. Some of the museums are for rainy days, others are for<br />
every day. www.visitoslo.com is a good place to read more about them, as well<br />
as in this section in Streetwise.<br />
The Øya festival<br />
Photo: Erik Moholdt<br />
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51
festivals<br />
For many norwegians, festivals are the mere definition of<br />
summer. Watch the shy, introvert Norwegians turn into<br />
smiling party animals.<br />
islands<br />
There is nothing better than cooling off in the friendly<br />
summer sea when Oslo is at its hottest. Be sure to visit the<br />
Islands during your stay.<br />
Øya<br />
7.-11. August<br />
www.oyafestivalen.com<br />
Expanded across the ruins of the old part of<br />
town, Øya is the biggest festival in Oslo. Five<br />
days packed with superstars and underground<br />
artists alike, and nightclubs all over town filled<br />
with DJ-concepts. The festival is expensive,<br />
but you can still join in the party in the city afterwards<br />
– or find a small piece of grass nearby<br />
and listen for free.<br />
Norwegian wood<br />
14.-17. June<br />
www.norwegianwood.no<br />
Norwegian Wood is a revered rock festival in<br />
Oslo. Our biggest outdoor public bath is transformed<br />
to a festival area, with some of the greatest<br />
rock artists of our time. If you can’t afford<br />
the festival ticket you can always relax in the<br />
Vigeland Park and enjoy the music from there.<br />
Musikkfest Oslo<br />
2. June<br />
www.musikkfest.no<br />
This is the best day of the year! If you are in<br />
town this day you have to go out and enjoy local<br />
artists playing concerts free of charge. There are<br />
stages all around Oslo. Every park or area has its<br />
own music style.<br />
Summer Island Electronica Festival<br />
6.-8. July<br />
www.sommeroya.no<br />
This festival is on the islands Langøyene just<br />
outside Oslo. Late summer nights with electronica<br />
and house. Camp on the island and use<br />
the ocean as your shower.<br />
Inferno<br />
Every easter<br />
www.infernofestival.net<br />
Norway is known for its black metal so it’s only<br />
natural that we also have a festival in its genre.<br />
It’s held annually around the easter holiday,<br />
which is kinda funny in a symbolic way.<br />
October fest<br />
October<br />
Hilarious atmosphere, various beer brands,<br />
German ompa and polka music, large beer tents<br />
and low prices. This great festival is arranged by<br />
students, for students and everybody over 20.<br />
Kollen<br />
29.-30. June<br />
kollenfest.no<br />
Brand new festival in 2012 – this one is at famous<br />
Holmenkollen ski resort (20 mins ride<br />
with the T-bane up in the forest). We are anticipating<br />
this one.<br />
You can find a peaceful, harmonic spot for<br />
bathing and a picnic in no time – especially if<br />
you visit one of the beautiful Islands. They are<br />
among the most popular places for Oslo citizens<br />
looking to relax. Take a break from your regular<br />
city life.<br />
Hovedøya<br />
The largest island in the Oslo Fjord, but also<br />
the most crowded one. It is green and lush with<br />
plenty of small paths. You’ll find ruins of a<br />
cistercian abbey from the 11th Century, built<br />
by English monks. The Island later formed<br />
an important part of the defense of Oslo, and<br />
you’ll find military buildings and installations,<br />
mostly from the 17th century, at strategic spots<br />
on the island. Perfect place for picnics. The<br />
ferry runs more frequently to Hovedøya than<br />
to any other island.<br />
Langøyene<br />
It is possible to camp at Langøyene (see the accommodation<br />
section), and it is the only island<br />
where overnight stay is permitted. If the weather<br />
is nice, you don’t need a tent, just a sleeping<br />
bag. Summer evenings in Oslo are bright and<br />
snug, and swimming in the sea past midnight is<br />
a pleasant experience you certainly will remember.<br />
The south side of the island is reserved for<br />
nudists.<br />
Gressholmen<br />
Until recently this island was populated by<br />
thousands of rabbits. Unfortunately the rabbits<br />
ate too much of the vegetation, so the authorities<br />
reduced the livestock considerably. Not far<br />
from the pier is Gressholmen Kro, a small restaurant<br />
serving sandwiches, dinners and cold<br />
beers. Gressholmen doesn’t have large sandy<br />
beaches, but is still a lovely place to take a dip.<br />
Dive from the rocks and count the numerous<br />
birds. 160 different species have been observed<br />
until now.<br />
How to get there<br />
Just take a quick ferry ride from<br />
Vippetangen, near the Opera building.<br />
They run less frequently off-season,<br />
but both Hovedøya and Gressholmen<br />
have good connections all year. The<br />
ferries is a part of the public transportation<br />
system in Oslo, so regular<br />
tickets from Ruter are valid here.<br />
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forrest & hiking<br />
If you feel trapped or “psychedelic” in the city, there is peace<br />
to be found among the trees. The forest is never more than 20<br />
minutes away.<br />
bathing<br />
If people were swimming more than they do, there would be less<br />
wars. Cool down and refreshen in one of these nearby bathing<br />
spots.<br />
Citizens of Oslo love the surrounding forest<br />
“Marka” and use it all the time. Skiing in the<br />
winter, recreational trips in the summer. Marka<br />
is huge and well signposted, and both easy and<br />
safe to explore, even for inexperienced hikers.<br />
When exploring Marka, Frognerseteren is a<br />
good point to start. From here it is about 5 kilometers<br />
to the café Ullevålseter, a former pasture<br />
full of visitors and hot chocolate. Bring a<br />
map if you want to be adventurous and explore<br />
on your own. You can get free maps from the<br />
Use-It office.<br />
If you feel like spending the night, buy a cheap<br />
tent and set up camp.<br />
Trips and cabins in Marka<br />
These places have information about where to<br />
go hiking and skiing in Marka. They also have<br />
a list of self-service huts, both in Marka, and all<br />
over Norway. Sleeping in these cabins is cheaper<br />
than paying for a hotel room downtown. Remember<br />
to book in advance.<br />
Den Norske Turistforening (DNT)<br />
Storgaten 3<br />
turistforeningen.no<br />
Skiforeningen<br />
Kongeveien 5<br />
www.skiforeningen.no<br />
Canoe and kayak<br />
You can paddle in the Oslo Fjord, Akers river<br />
and most lakes surrounding Oslo. To rent a vessel,<br />
contact:<br />
Bull Ski og Kajakk<br />
www.bull-ski-kajakk.no<br />
Kikutstua<br />
www.kikutstua.no<br />
Allemannsretten<br />
In Norway we have freedom to roam.<br />
This freedom is called Allemannsretten<br />
and gives us the right to camp in<br />
nature, use boats, canoes etc. pick<br />
berries, mushrooms and flowers,<br />
and things like fishing in the sea and<br />
make bonfires in certain areas and<br />
periods. Good for us. And you.<br />
None of the islands are far away, and all of them<br />
are terrific bathing areas. But if you hate ferries<br />
for some reason, go to these places instead.<br />
Outdoor<br />
Huk & Paradise Bay, Bygdøy<br />
Two excellent bathing spots located at the Bygdøy<br />
peninsula. Easily reached by bus or other<br />
transport. Paradisbukta is less crowded, and is<br />
popular among families with toddlers. We recommend<br />
both places, and if you are smart, you<br />
can combine the afternoon with a visit to the<br />
popular museums nearby. Take bus 30 Bygdøy<br />
from the National Theatre or Central Station.<br />
Stilla<br />
North in town at Kjelsås, you’ll find beautiful<br />
Stilla (also called Frysja) a popular dam with<br />
still, clear water, excellent for a swim. This is<br />
the same area as Teknisk Museum (museum<br />
of technology), so there is a great combo to be<br />
made here. – go swimming, and then go to the<br />
museum. Or the other way around. Take either<br />
bus or tram to Kjelsås.<br />
Sognsvann<br />
Popular bathing area, this is in the very beginning<br />
of the Forest Marka. Good place to combine<br />
with a trip in the woods. Beware of “midd”<br />
in the water, which may bite and give some<br />
people allergic reactions.<br />
Swimming pools<br />
Frognerbadet<br />
Middelthunsgt 28<br />
Next to the Vigelands Park, Frognerbadet includes<br />
3 open-air pools for all ages, a pool for<br />
divers (up to 10m) and a water slide. It usually<br />
opens up in May and is a great place for a refreshener.<br />
Tøyenbadet<br />
Helgesensgate 90<br />
Just a couple of metro-stops from downtown,<br />
Tøyenbadet houses one 50 m indoor swimming<br />
pool, a diving tower and a water slide, a swimming<br />
pool for children and some outdoor pools<br />
during summer.<br />
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museums<br />
Here are some museums for rainy days - and some you should<br />
visit no matter what the weather is like.<br />
Go watch.<br />
General Opening Hours<br />
Opening hours vary not only between museums,<br />
but also between which season you are<br />
in. In general most museums are open at least<br />
at 10 ar 11 am, and almost all close before 18<br />
pm (sometimes as early as 16 or 17 pm). Just<br />
think of museums as a midday activity, and you<br />
should be fine.<br />
General Prices<br />
Prices vary – and you should check out the<br />
next pages to see which museums are free and<br />
what the others cost – but generally the price<br />
range is 50 – 100 NOK for a one-time fee as an<br />
adult. There are several discount opportunities<br />
though, and many museums have free entry on<br />
Sundays for example. Check out visitoslo.com<br />
to read more.<br />
The Oslo Pass<br />
If you plan on some serious museumaction,<br />
the Oslo Pass might be the<br />
best choice for you.<br />
It’s a ticket you buy with a one-time<br />
fee that gives you entry to over 30 museums<br />
and attractions – as well as free<br />
travel with bus, metro and tram (which<br />
is expensive in itself). You’ll also get<br />
free parking in municipal parking<br />
lots, and discount and special offers in<br />
selected restaurants, shops, entertainment,<br />
leisure venues and more.<br />
ADULT, 24 hours: 270 NOK<br />
ADULT, 48 hours: 395 NOK<br />
ADULT, 72 hours: 495 NOK<br />
Oslo Pass is a good deal if you are planning<br />
on doing some serious visiting<br />
– but if you are just looking to go to a<br />
museum or two, it might not pay off.<br />
Together with free transport, we usually<br />
recommend it though – but do the<br />
math just in case. Buy the Oslo Pass<br />
at Oslo’s information centres, hotels,<br />
hostels and camping sites.<br />
Bygdøy<br />
To visit some of the most interesting museums<br />
we have – go to the Bygdøy peninsula. It is easy<br />
to get there - take boat 91 (May-Sep only) from<br />
the Rådhus pier no. 3 to Bygdøynes or bus nr.<br />
30 from the Nationaltheatre.<br />
Norsk Folkemuseum<br />
Museumsveien 10<br />
www.norskfolkemuseum.no<br />
75-100,-<br />
Norway’s largest and oldest folk museum is an<br />
open-air collection with more than 150 houses<br />
transferred from different parts of the country.<br />
You can visit one of Norway’s few remaining<br />
medieval stave-churches, and talk to the nice<br />
guides dressed up like 18th century inhabitants.<br />
Especially worth a visit if you don’t have<br />
a chance to visit other parts of Norway. There<br />
are daily activities in the open air museum all<br />
summer.<br />
Viking Ship Museum<br />
Huk Aveny 35.<br />
www.khm.uio.no<br />
60,-<br />
The world’s best-preserved Viking ships and<br />
other authentic 900-year old artifacts. A popular<br />
museum – but be prepared to fight your way<br />
through hoards of other tourists!<br />
Kon-Tiki Museum<br />
Bygdøynesveien 36<br />
www.kon-tiki.no<br />
70,-<br />
The Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl built<br />
the papyrus raft Kon-Tiki to sail from America<br />
to Polynesia in 1947. Here are Easter Island<br />
statues, a full size 10 m. whale shark, and a film<br />
room with continuous showings of Thor Heyerdahls<br />
expeditions.<br />
The Polar Ship Fram<br />
Bygdøynesveien 36<br />
www.fram.museum.no<br />
80,-<br />
The polar ship Fram was used for expeditions<br />
by Fridtjof Nansen, Otto Sverdrup and Roald<br />
Amundsen, and went both to the North and the<br />
South Pole. Built in 1892, the ship is exhibited<br />
with original interior and inventory, and you<br />
can walk on both in and outside of the ship.<br />
Kvadraturen<br />
Modern museums are found in the old quarter<br />
of Oslo. Close to the main entrance of Akershus<br />
Fortress there are several smaller art-galleries<br />
and two museums of modern art.<br />
Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art<br />
Relocating to new address in September<br />
www.afmuseet.no<br />
Varies depending on exhibition<br />
Temporary exhibitions of Norwegian and<br />
foreign artists from 1945 until today. Among<br />
the permanent exhibitions you find artist as<br />
Damien Hirst and Jeff Coons.<br />
National Museum of Contemporary Art<br />
Bankplassen 4<br />
www.nasjonalmuseet.no<br />
50,-<br />
Free on Sundays<br />
Norway’s national center for modern art. There<br />
are permanent and temporary exhibitions of<br />
international and Norwegian artists. Perhaps<br />
the only museum in the world where visitors<br />
can leave behind bags and coats in a vault – the<br />
museum is located in the monumental 95-yearold<br />
former headquarters of the Norwegian National<br />
Bank.<br />
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57
FO<strong>TO</strong>: SHUTTERS<strong>TO</strong>CK<br />
Free entry to more than 30 museums, free public transport and many other special offers<br />
Buy your pass at the tourist information centres, www.visitoslo.com or other sales points<br />
Meet Meet the People the People<br />
of of Norway!<br />
www.norskfolkemuseum.no<br />
Downtown & surroundings<br />
The National gallery<br />
Universitetsgaten 13<br />
www.nasjonalmuseet.no<br />
50,-<br />
Free on Sundays<br />
The largest collection of Norwegian and international<br />
art up to 1945. Emphasis on the major<br />
works from the National Romantic period. The<br />
painting “Scream” by Edvard Munch is displayed<br />
here.<br />
Museum of decorative art & design<br />
St. Olavsgate 1<br />
www.nasjonalmuseet.no<br />
50,-<br />
Free on Sundays<br />
Historical collections of Norwegian and international<br />
applied art, fashion and design from<br />
the 7th century to the present. Collections of<br />
silver, glass, ceramics and furniture. Take bus<br />
37 or walk from the city center.<br />
Museum of Cultural Heritage<br />
Fredriksgate 2<br />
www.khm.uio.no<br />
50,-<br />
Here you can walk through Norway’s ancient<br />
history, presented in a contemporary way.<br />
There is a large Viking-age department. If you<br />
get tired of Norwegian culture, go upstairs.<br />
Museum of Natural History<br />
Sars’ gate 1<br />
www.nhm.uio.no<br />
50,-<br />
Here you’ll find: Greenhouses, the Zoological<br />
Museum and the Geological Museum (with a<br />
full-sized T-rex) and the Botanical Gardens (see<br />
“Parklife” for info on the Gardens). Take the<br />
metro to Tøyen/Munch museet.<br />
Munch Museum<br />
Tøyengata 53<br />
www.munch.museum.no<br />
95,-<br />
Paintings and graphic works, including various<br />
versions of The Scream, from the Norwegian<br />
expressionist Edvard Munch. Interesting exhibit<br />
downstairs depicting Munch’s life. Transport:<br />
any metro going east to Tøyen.<br />
The Ibsen Museum<br />
Arbins Gate 1<br />
www.norskfolkemuseum.no<br />
45,-<br />
Ibsen’s apartment. Henrik Ibsen lived in this<br />
apartment from 1895 until he died in 1906.<br />
The apartment in itself isn’t very interesting,<br />
but the guided tours are. The guides give you<br />
an insight into his life, work, personality and<br />
his quirky habits.<br />
Henie-Onstad Kunstsenter<br />
Sonja Henies vei 31<br />
www.hok.no<br />
80,-<br />
Norway’s largest collection of international<br />
modern art. Varying exhibitions, sculpture<br />
park, extensive museum shop and an excellent<br />
restaurant. Guided tours in several languages.<br />
Take Bus 151 from the train station.<br />
Emanuel Vigeland Museum<br />
Grimelundsveien 8<br />
www.emanuelvigeland.museum.no<br />
40,-<br />
Open only on Sundays<br />
The Emanuel Vigeland Museum is actually<br />
a mausoleum. The strangely shaped building<br />
is decorated inside with an 800 square meter<br />
fresco: “Vita”. Vigeland spent 20 years paint-<br />
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ing it. Some tourists claim this is the best sight<br />
in Norway. Emanuel Vigeland is the brother of<br />
Gustav Vigeland, who made the Vigeland Park.<br />
Take the metro no 1 to Slemdal.<br />
Museum of Science and Technology<br />
Kjelsåsveien 143<br />
www.tekniskmuseum.no<br />
100,-<br />
Cars, planes, computers and trains. And a lot<br />
more. This is a gem of a museum, and one<br />
where you can try out nearly everything you<br />
see. Excellent for children. And right next to<br />
the popular bathing area Frysja, if you want<br />
to combine the afternoon. Take bus 54 from<br />
Jernbanetorget or Aker Brygge, or the tram to<br />
Kjelsås Railway Station.<br />
Nobel Peace Center<br />
Brynjulf Bulls plass 2<br />
www.nobelpeacecenter.org<br />
80,-<br />
The Nobel Peace Center presents all the Nobelprice<br />
winners and their work.<br />
The Holmenkollen Skimuseum<br />
Kongeveien 5<br />
www.skiforeningen.no<br />
110,-<br />
The entrance fee includes access to the ski museum,<br />
café, shops and a trip to the top of the<br />
skijump. Take metro no 1 to Holmenkollen for<br />
a great view of the city, and visit the worlds oldest<br />
ski museum.<br />
The Stenersen Museum<br />
Munkedamsveien 15<br />
www.stenersen.museum.no<br />
60,-<br />
The Stenersen Museum is a three stories gallery<br />
for contemporary art. It also houses three<br />
private art collections, all of which was donated<br />
to the city; Rolf E. Stenersen, Amaldus Nielsen,<br />
and Ludvig O. Ravensberg’s collections.<br />
Oslo City Museum<br />
Frognerveien 67<br />
www.oslomuseum.no<br />
The Oslo City Museum was established in<br />
1905. It houses a historical collection about the<br />
history and development of Oslo.<br />
Norways Resistance Museum<br />
Akershus festning, building 21<br />
www.forsvarsbygg.no<br />
Norway was occupied by Germany for five<br />
years during the second World War, from 1940<br />
to 1945. The museum portray the Resistance<br />
movement’s battle against the Germans.<br />
DogA<br />
Hausmannsgate 16<br />
www.doga.no<br />
Depends on exhibition<br />
The Norwegian Centre for Design and Architecture<br />
(DogA) offers design- and architecture<br />
exhibitions, conferances, a restaurant<br />
and a bar. If you ever are in town for the Pecha<br />
Kucha nights which is held at DogA you<br />
should definitely take the trip. Pecha Kucha is<br />
a presentation night which is held four times a<br />
year. Here designers, architects, musicians and<br />
artists share ideas and presents their work in a<br />
short time frame (6 minutes each presentation),<br />
mostly in English. Check out pechakucha.no<br />
for more info.<br />
Oslo Reptilpark<br />
St. Olavsgate 2<br />
www.reptilpark.no<br />
100,-<br />
If reptiles and lizards are your thing, check out<br />
this museum.<br />
park life<br />
When you wake up to a hot sunny day in Oslo and you’re wondering<br />
where all the norwegians are, try visiting a park.<br />
There are green “lungs” all over town, and the<br />
citizens of Oslo love to use them. We barbeque,<br />
have picnics, enjoy some frisbee and pick each<br />
other up. Don’t be surprised if the park turns<br />
into a party place at night.<br />
How to do it<br />
Buy a disposable barbeque (around 20,- in<br />
every major grocery store).<br />
Buy some meat. Chicken, pork, fish, beef,<br />
veal. You are an adult. Decide for yourself.<br />
Fix the entertainment. Maybe a football.<br />
Maybe badminton. Maybe you want to<br />
practice juggling. We don’t know you as<br />
a person, so we can’t say.<br />
Eat, drink, laugh, enjoy yourself.<br />
Some great parks<br />
Vigelandsparken<br />
{ Frogner }<br />
Norways most visited tourist attraction, and<br />
completely free. Some great and famous sculptures<br />
by Gustav Vigeland, but also highly populated<br />
by happy Norwegians, drinking, laughing,<br />
rollerblading, playing frisbee.<br />
sofienbergparken<br />
{ Grünerløkka }<br />
Situated in the middle of Grünerløkka, and<br />
as popular as a park can get. The young and<br />
trendy chill out all summer, you might feel this<br />
is some sort of a festival. If you’re asthmatic,<br />
beware of the continuous smog from the barbeques.<br />
You can also use the public barbeque<br />
for 1 NOK per minute.<br />
Akershus Fortress<br />
{ Downtown }<br />
The park surrounding Akershus fortress is perfect<br />
for picnics. From here you have a great view<br />
of the Town Hall, the fjord and Aker Brygge,<br />
the former shipyard that was renovated in the<br />
1980s. Akershus fortress was first erected in<br />
1299 but was heavily rebuilt some hundred<br />
years later.<br />
There really are parks everywhere – just keep<br />
your eyes open or ask around!<br />
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winter activities<br />
If you are staying during the months of winter, be sure to check<br />
out these activities.<br />
cinema & theatre<br />
Here are some places to check out on a rainy day – or if you are<br />
just feeling sort of “cultural”.<br />
Cross country skiing<br />
This you HAVE to do. Cross country is what<br />
we Norwegians do, what we are famous for.<br />
And you will not find more beautiful forests<br />
to roam than ours. Take the metro line 3 to<br />
Sognsvann and you’ll se the slopes right away.<br />
Another popular strategy is to take the metro to<br />
Frognerseteren and ski downhill all the way to<br />
Sognsvann. Stop by our USE-IT office to plan<br />
your trip.<br />
Sledding at Korketrekkeren<br />
This is a giant downhill slope (2,6km) for sledding.<br />
Take your sleigh (rented or brought) and<br />
take the metro to Frognerseteren. Have the ride<br />
of your lifetime - then simply take the T-bane<br />
up again, and down you go once more. A sleigh<br />
for rental is about 100,-, and you’ll find them<br />
there. HIGHLY recommended.<br />
Tryvann Ski resort<br />
www.tryvann.no<br />
For all you snowboarders and alpinist out there,<br />
this is a ski resort up north in the forest, only<br />
20 min ride with the T-bane to Frognerseteren.<br />
Great if you’re looking for some ski action but<br />
don’t want to go out of town. Check out their<br />
webpage.<br />
Ice Skating<br />
The greatest female figure skater of all time,<br />
Sonja Henie, was Norwegian. Join the young<br />
Norwegians dancing and skating and flirting<br />
around on the ice on late Friday afternoons.<br />
Spikersuppa<br />
Next to the National theatre, this is as central as<br />
you get. Music and lots of people.<br />
Frogner Stadion<br />
Combine your obligational trip to the Vigeland<br />
Park with some Ice skating at the stadium next<br />
door<br />
There are lots of other places to skate as well, both<br />
indoor and outdoor. Contact us for some suggestions!<br />
Cinemas<br />
All screenings are in the original language with<br />
Norwegian subtitles, except movies for children.<br />
Prices vary from NOK 80-120. You can<br />
buy tickets for all cinemas at the cinema of your<br />
choice, or from the internet: www.oslokino.<br />
no. To find the cinemas – just ask your way<br />
around from the following spots:<br />
Nationaltheatret Metro Station<br />
You will find several theatres close to the metro<br />
station Nationaltheatret: Saga, Vika and Klingenberg.<br />
There is also one at Aker Brygge, Felix,<br />
which is close to Nationaltheatret.<br />
Majorstua Metro Station<br />
Colosseum, a widely popular cinema venue. If<br />
you are in the mood for an epic movie experience,<br />
this is usually the cinema of our choice.<br />
Youngstorget<br />
Eldorado, often considered the youth Cinema.<br />
It’s centrally located and shows a lot of movies<br />
with Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, etc.<br />
Grünerløkka<br />
Ringen Kino is the newest cinema in Oslo and<br />
was the first fully digital cinema in Scandinavia.<br />
This cinema has excellent and comfortable<br />
seats, and a beautiful screen.<br />
Film club – Cinemateket<br />
Some call it artsy, others just art. Cinemateket<br />
is the film club for self-acclaimed geeks and<br />
artists, and they show some real classic and<br />
alternative contemporary movies. Centrally<br />
located. Check out their website www.nfi.no/<br />
cinemateket to see what’s showing.<br />
Theatres<br />
Here is a list of venues in Oslo with a cosmopolitan<br />
approach. It is not a complete overview,<br />
but merely an introduction. Check out www.<br />
visitoslo.com or visit the office for up-to-date<br />
information.<br />
Black Box<br />
Marstrandgata 8<br />
www.blackbox.no<br />
One of Norways most important contemporary<br />
and innovative theatre stages. It houses different<br />
touring companies and often stage performances<br />
in English.<br />
House of Dance<br />
Møllerveien 2<br />
www.dansenshus.com<br />
The national scene for contemporary dance<br />
opened in 2008 and houses performances with<br />
different companies.<br />
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63
64<br />
sleep<br />
Sleepless in Seattle<br />
– safe and comfortable in Oslo<br />
Student flats<br />
If you are staying for a month or two during<br />
the summer, you can try renting a student flat.<br />
Some of these rooms are posted on websites<br />
such as:<br />
www.hybel.no<br />
www.finn.no<br />
www.bofellesskap.no<br />
www.nordnorsken.no<br />
www.sio.no<br />
All of these webpages are in Norwegian. Try<br />
using Google Translate or drop by the USE-IT<br />
office in Møllergata and we will help you.<br />
Anker Studentboliger<br />
Holtegata 25<br />
22 60 03 59<br />
www.ankerstudentbolig.no<br />
studentbolig@anker.oslo.no<br />
Anker is a student house and leases student<br />
flats for shorter periods of time, from April to<br />
August. Rent is from NOK 3.800 per month,<br />
with one month deposit. The flats have private<br />
bathrooms. Bring your own linen and kitchen<br />
utensils, or rent at Anker.<br />
Couch surfing<br />
“A world where everyone can explore<br />
and create meaningful connections<br />
with the people and places they<br />
encounter”<br />
We love it! We love the concept and<br />
we love meeting new, open-minded<br />
and interesting people. Couch surfing<br />
is a non-profit organization that has<br />
over a million registered users from all<br />
over the world, offering a place to sleep<br />
through the website. You register yourself<br />
on www.couchsurfing.org and start<br />
looking for a host. The site has a lot of<br />
nice guides, testimonials and FAQs and<br />
is generally a nice read.<br />
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65
hotels & hostels<br />
There are plenty of hotels in Oslo, here are some of<br />
the cheap ones.<br />
Anker Hostel<br />
Storgata 55<br />
ankerhostel.no<br />
Anker offers single/double rooms and 4 – 8 bedded<br />
rooms. The cheapest option is a single bed<br />
in a 8 bedded room. Breakfast for 60 NOK per<br />
day. Linen for 50 NOK. All rooms have private<br />
showers. Sleeping bags are not allowed.<br />
Comfort Xpress<br />
Møllergata 26<br />
comforthotelxpress.no<br />
Comfort Xpress is a trendy designer hotel. It’s<br />
located in central Oslo, just a short walk from<br />
our office. Free wireless internet, free coffee,<br />
breakfast in bed by ordering; 85 NOK and a<br />
gaming room(!).<br />
Cochs Pensjonat<br />
Parkveien 25<br />
cochspensjonat.no<br />
Cochs Pensjonat is a 5 minute walk from downtown<br />
Oslo. They offer 88 rooms in three different<br />
price ranges.<br />
Ellingsens Pensjonat<br />
Holtegata 25<br />
ellingsenspensjonat.no<br />
Offers single and double rooms with or without<br />
private bathrooms. About 10 minutes walking<br />
distance to downtown Oslo.<br />
Gardermoen Airport Vandrehjem<br />
Hasselveien 1<br />
gardermoenbb.no<br />
Located near Gardermoen airport, a 45 minute<br />
bus ride to Oslo. Free internet and laundry. 50<br />
NOK for breakfast.<br />
Gjestehuset Lovisenberg<br />
Lovisenberggt. 15 A<br />
lovisenberg.no<br />
Located 10 minutes away from downtown Oslo.<br />
A renovated building from 1868 with restored<br />
furniture from that period. Has a small peaceful<br />
garden. Offers single and double rooms<br />
with or without private bathrooms. Breakfast:<br />
50 NOK. Reception closes at 20:30.<br />
Oslo Vandrehjem – Holtekilen<br />
Micheletsv. 55<br />
vandrehjem.no<br />
Holtekilen hostel is located in a quiet area 8km<br />
outside of Oslo. Offers 1-5 bed rooms with private<br />
bathrooms. Breakfast included. 15 minute<br />
train ride to Oslo.<br />
Oslo Vandrehjem – Haraldsheim<br />
Haraldsheimv. 4<br />
haraldsheim.no<br />
Haraldsheim hostel is a 10 minute tram ride<br />
from downtown Oslo. Offers single beds in 4<br />
bed rooms and private rooms. With and without<br />
private bathrooms. Breakfast included.<br />
Sleeping bags not allowed. Linen: 50 NOK.<br />
Oslo Hostel Rønningen YMCA<br />
Myrerskogv. 54<br />
oslohostel.com<br />
Located 8km from downtown Oslo. Open in<br />
the summer season between May 23rd to August<br />
19th. Sleeping bags not allowed. Alcohol<br />
prohibited. Linen: 50 NOK.<br />
Oslo Apartments<br />
osloapartments.no<br />
Offers private apartments for rent. Minimum 3<br />
days. Prices are from 650 per apartment, not per<br />
person. Visit their website to browse the vacant<br />
apartments.<br />
Overnatting Oslo<br />
overnattingoslo.no<br />
Offers private apartments for short and long<br />
term stay in Oslo. From 3 days to 12 months.<br />
Booking is only via their web site form.<br />
P-Hotels<br />
Grensen 9<br />
p-hotels.no<br />
Located in central Oslo. Has a low-price calendar<br />
worth checking out. Breakfast included - a<br />
sandwich of your choice and a juice box.<br />
Perminalen Hotel<br />
Øvre Slottsg. 2<br />
perminalen.no<br />
Located in central Oslo. Offers single bed in<br />
4-bedded room and 2 – 6 bedded rooms. Breakfast<br />
and linen included.<br />
Sentrum Pensjonat<br />
Tollbugaten 8<br />
sentrumpensjonat.no<br />
Located in central Oslo. Offers single bed in<br />
shared rooms for 290 and private rooms. Has<br />
a cafe on the 1st floor. Every room has a fridge<br />
and the closest grocery store is 50m away.<br />
Sta. Katarina hjemmet<br />
Gjørstadg. 9<br />
katarinahjemmet.katolsk.no<br />
Sta. Katarina is both a guest house and a monastery<br />
located at Majorstuen in Oslo, a 5 minute<br />
subway ride from downtown Oslo. Does not offer<br />
rooms for less than two days. Breakfast: 50<br />
NOK. Offers single and double rooms. Shared<br />
baths.<br />
Private Accommodation<br />
We have a list of people who rent<br />
out rooms from their private homes.<br />
Check out www.use-it.no for pictures,<br />
info and booking. Prices vary<br />
and start around 250 NOK a night<br />
for a bed in a shared room. We do not<br />
mean to be pessimistic but finding a<br />
bed in Oslo for less than 200 NOK is<br />
more or less impossible.<br />
We strongly recommend you book in<br />
advance.<br />
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67
camping<br />
Camping is great! Fresh air and beautiful nature. When camping<br />
in Oslo you have the advantage of camping anywhere you<br />
want for free as long as it’s 150m from a private property.<br />
Bogstad Camping<br />
Ankerveien 117<br />
bogstadcamping.no<br />
8 kilometers from the city you find Bogstad<br />
camping, a 30 minute bus ride from central<br />
Oslo. The huge camping area is close to nature,<br />
a popular bathing area, a golf course and the<br />
forest Nordmarka – and it’s open all year. Take<br />
bus 32 from Oslo Central Station, it stops right<br />
outside the reception.<br />
Tent: 180 NOK<br />
Caravan: 270 NOK<br />
Motor home: 255 NOK<br />
Cabins: Varies, check out their web page.<br />
Ekeberg Camping<br />
Ekebergveien 65<br />
ekebergcamping.no<br />
The view from Ekeberg is great! When you get<br />
bored of enjoying this spectacle you will find<br />
a miniature golf course, soccer fields, walking<br />
areas and horse riding nearby. This place is also<br />
used for Norway Cup, a big soccer tournament<br />
held in Norway. To get there you take bus 34 or<br />
46 from Oslo Central Station.<br />
Tent: 180 NOK<br />
Caravan: 260 NOK<br />
Motor home: 245 NOK<br />
Langøyene (The Long Islands)<br />
Langøyene<br />
www.langoyene.no<br />
Opposed to the other islands in the Oslo fjord,<br />
you’re welcome to set up your tent on Langøyene.<br />
Here you can bathe, fish and play volleyball.<br />
Remember to check the ferries time tables<br />
so you don’t miss the last departure. There are<br />
several rules to take notice regarding camping<br />
on the islands, these are some:<br />
• Keep the tent area clean<br />
• Do not throw garbage or damage the nature<br />
• Do not privatize your tent area by enclosing it<br />
• Tent or tent groups can cover max 18m2<br />
• No excessive noise from 2300 to 0700<br />
• Show respect to the other campers<br />
• Open fire not allowed<br />
• Keep at least a 3m distance from other tents<br />
Cabins & trekking<br />
Den Norske Turistforening<br />
Storgata 3<br />
www.turistforeningen.no<br />
Den Norske Turistforening is Norways biggest<br />
outdoor activity organization. For 135 years<br />
they have promoted trekking. They can recommend<br />
trekking routes and cabins for rent, both<br />
in the forest of Oslo and in Norway in general.<br />
Are you<br />
enjoying<br />
our guide<br />
so far?<br />
Want to help making it even better?<br />
We are looking for volunteers to help out with our 2013 edition.<br />
Contact us at post@ung.info<br />
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70<br />
practical<br />
Public transportation<br />
Ruter is the company that runs the public transportation,<br />
and with a ticket you can go by either<br />
bus, subway or tram. Pre bought tickets can be<br />
purchased at 7-Eleven, Deli De Luca and Narvesen.<br />
If you buy single tickets from the driver<br />
its NOK 50 for adults and NOK 25 for children/senior.<br />
If caught without a valid ticket you<br />
will be fined 900 NOK (or 750 NOK if paid<br />
on the spot).<br />
Single ticket adult: NOK 30*<br />
Single ticket child: NOK 15*<br />
7 day pass adult: NOK 220<br />
7 day pass child/youth/senior: NOK 110<br />
24 hour pass adult: NOK 75<br />
24 hour pass child/senior: NOK 38<br />
*Pre bought ticket Free transfer within one hour.<br />
Note that while for most tickets you have to be<br />
under 16 to pay a reduced fare, for a 7-day pass<br />
you pay the reduced fare as long as it’s stamped<br />
before your 20th birthday. This means that for<br />
travelers under 20, a 7-day pass is usually the<br />
most economic option as long as you’re staying<br />
more than one night.<br />
Pharmacy<br />
There are many pharmacies in Oslo and they<br />
usually follow regular opening hours. There are<br />
two pharmacies that are open around the clock:<br />
Exchange / money<br />
You can exchange major currencies in almost<br />
every bank and post office. You can also exchange<br />
money at Forex. Both the banks and<br />
Forex gives you approximately the same rates,<br />
but banks charge a one-time fee of about NOK<br />
50 for making the change, which makes Forex<br />
a better option, in particular if you’re changing<br />
small amounts. Forex have offices at Oslo Central<br />
station and around the city.<br />
Bank Axept cards are accepted in most shops.<br />
The vast majority of shops and restaurants accepts<br />
Visa and Mastercard as well. Diners Club<br />
and American Express are accepted in upscale<br />
establishments.<br />
There are ATMs everywhere, and at all 7-Elevens<br />
as well as most Narvesen and Deli De Luca.<br />
Regular banking hours:<br />
Mon-Wed, Fri 0815 – 1530, Thu 0815 – 1700,<br />
Saturday closed.<br />
These places have extended opening hours:<br />
Oslo’s main Post Office<br />
Dronningensgate 15<br />
Oslo Central Station<br />
Oslo S<br />
Airport Express Terminal<br />
With 24h automatic currency withdrawal.<br />
The airport express train<br />
Photo: Magnus Moholdt<br />
Apotek1 next to the municipal casualty ward.<br />
Vitus at Jernbanetorget, opposite the Central<br />
Station is open 24 hours.<br />
They charge a small additional fee at night.<br />
Currency<br />
The Norwegian currency is the Norwegian<br />
Krone (abbreviated kr, nkr or<br />
NOK. As of May 2012), 1 kr is the<br />
smallest monetary amount. One euro<br />
is about 7,5 kr<br />
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71
Internet<br />
At the Use-It Office we have eight computers<br />
with internet for use by budget travellers under<br />
27. We also have free WiFi if you prefer to use<br />
your own laptop.<br />
Use-It Office<br />
Møllergata 3<br />
Offers free wireless internet as well as stationary<br />
PCs with the ability to print. Everything’s free.<br />
Deichmanske Library<br />
Arne Garborgs plass 4<br />
Offers free wifi and free terminals.<br />
Arctic Internet café<br />
Oslo Central Station<br />
You have to pay, but it’s conveniently located in<br />
the centre of Oslo.<br />
There are also a lot of internet cafes in Storgata.<br />
Some of these also have fax machines and you<br />
can make cheap phone calls from here. These<br />
cafes come and go, so instead of making an insufficient<br />
list we’d rather advise to check it out<br />
yourself. You can sign up for free internet either<br />
at libraries or at the Use-It office.<br />
Free Wireless Networks<br />
Lots of pubs and cafés offer free WiFi<br />
to their customers. Just ask around.<br />
Most of the hotels in town still ask<br />
you to buy a scratch card with a code<br />
to access their WiFi, but an increasing<br />
number of the hotels provide it<br />
for free.<br />
Telephones<br />
Public telephones accept major credit cards as<br />
well as 1, 5, 10 and 20 coins. You need a minimum<br />
of 5 NOK make a call. Norwegian telephone<br />
cards are called Telekort and can be purchased<br />
at kiosks. In Brugata and at Grønland<br />
you’ll find many small shops where you can buy<br />
international phone cards as well. If you intend<br />
to talk for a long time, these phone cards are<br />
worth buying.<br />
If staying in Norway for more than a few days,<br />
it’s usually a good idea purchasing a pre-paid<br />
SIM card for your cell phone. This makes it<br />
cheaper for you to call, and also cheaper and<br />
easier for your Norwegian contacts to call you<br />
back. Pre-paid cards can be purchased at most<br />
7-eleven and Narvesen as well as stores selling<br />
mobile phones and equipment such as Clas<br />
Ohlson, Elkjøp and Expert.<br />
At the Use-It Office you can make domestic<br />
phone calls for free.<br />
Calling to Norway? The country code is 0047.<br />
Collect calls: 115 (abroad), 117 (Norway) You<br />
can make collect calls from all public telephones.<br />
Directory enquiries: 1881 / 1882 (international<br />
numbers). NB! Inquiry service is very expensive<br />
from a public pay phone!<br />
Tourist information<br />
Use-It is the number one choice for budget travellers<br />
in Oslo. The staff and contributors of the<br />
Streetwise guide offer free information, free internet,<br />
free phone calls and free luggage storage.<br />
Sounds to good to be true? As an organization<br />
funded by the municipality, we have no commercial<br />
interests and will not try to charge you<br />
commissions or push you in the direction of our<br />
uncle’s restaurant. We just want to make your<br />
stay in Oslo a pleasant one!<br />
Use-It Office<br />
Møllergata 3<br />
It’s us! The youth information center that creates<br />
Streetwise and acts as a tourist information<br />
for young travelers. We offer eight computers<br />
on which you can write, read and print with.<br />
You can store your luggage here up to 12 days(!).<br />
We give information and tips about the city that<br />
you probably won’t get elsewhere. We have hiking<br />
maps, maps of the city and guides to other<br />
cities within the Use-It Europe network. The<br />
best thing about this is that it’s all for free! We<br />
do have an age limit though, so if you’re under<br />
27 you’re welcome. If you are over 27 feel free to<br />
drop by and pick up our free Streetwise guide,<br />
but if it’s a busy day we cannot guarantee we<br />
have time to answer questions.<br />
Oslo Tourist Information Centre<br />
Fridtjof Nansens Plass 5<br />
Situated by the City Hall of Oslo you will find<br />
one of the two tourist information centers.<br />
They have lots of guides with information from<br />
all of Norway. A great way to get more information<br />
if you are considering leaving Oslo to<br />
explore more of the country.<br />
Tourist Information<br />
Oslo Central Station<br />
Situated inside the big clock tower right outside<br />
Oslo Central Station you’ll find the smaller<br />
Tourist Information. They give information<br />
primarely about Oslo, but they also carry some<br />
guides about the rest of Norway as well.<br />
Lost and found<br />
Police Station<br />
Grønlandsleiret 44<br />
22 66 98 65<br />
Mon-fri: 08:15 - 14:30<br />
Lost and Found trains<br />
Oslo Central Station<br />
23 15 40 47<br />
Mon-fri 07:00 - 16:45<br />
Lost and Found buses/subway/trams<br />
Ruter As Hittegodskontoret<br />
Nationaltheatret (Metro station)<br />
Laundry<br />
Billig Vask & Rens<br />
Ullevålsveien 15<br />
Cafe Laundromat<br />
Underhaugsveien 2<br />
Arguably one of the few ways to pamper yourself<br />
while doing the laundry. Put the clothes in,<br />
order a lunch or a drink and sit back relax with<br />
your favourite magazine while the machine is<br />
doing your dirty work.<br />
Snarvask Vu Thi Minh Nguyet<br />
Thorvald Meyers gate 18<br />
Vask-Service<br />
Sannergata 25<br />
72<br />
73
Medical assistance<br />
Casualty clinic<br />
Legevakten (Municipal Casualty Ward)<br />
Storgata 40<br />
22 93 22 93<br />
Open 24 hours<br />
Emergency Dental Treatment<br />
Tannlegevakten Tøyen Senter<br />
Kolstadgata 18<br />
22 67 30 00<br />
Weekdays 11:00 - 14.00 and 19:00 - 10:00<br />
In case of emergencies<br />
Free of charge from any public telephone. Keep<br />
in mind that these are emergency numbers only.<br />
Fire: 110<br />
Police: 112<br />
Ambulance: 113<br />
Bike rental<br />
Skiservice AS<br />
Tomm Murstadbakken 2<br />
22 13 95 00<br />
www.skiservice.no<br />
Oslo Bysykkel (Oslo city bike)<br />
815 00 250<br />
Bysykkelservice@clearchannel.no<br />
Mon - fri 08:00 – 18:00<br />
There are bike stands located at different places<br />
in Oslo where you can borrow a city bike. Residents<br />
of Oslo pay 90 NOK for an annual subscription<br />
permitting unlimited use of the bikes,<br />
but visitors have to rent a card from one of the<br />
tourist information offices located at Trafikanten,<br />
Oslo Central station or at Fritjof Nansens<br />
plass (next to the city hall).<br />
Follow the instructions provided at the end of<br />
each stand. The bikes may be returned to any<br />
stand in the city. You can keep the bike for up<br />
to three hours, although you can rent a new one<br />
immediately after returning it, meaning you<br />
can effectively keep the bike all day as long as<br />
you check-in and check-out at a bike stand every<br />
three hours. The bikes are available between<br />
0600 and 2400. If you get a bike before 2400<br />
you can keep it until your three hours are up,<br />
even if it means you’ll return it after midnight.<br />
Google translate<br />
Many of the norwegian websites today<br />
are not translated. Fortunately, with<br />
google translate it’s never been easier.<br />
You can even translate whole websites<br />
using google translate. Just follow<br />
these steps:<br />
1. Go to translate.google.com<br />
2. Choose the language your translating<br />
from, in this case Norwegian.<br />
And choose your prefered translated<br />
language.<br />
3. In the empty textbox, just write in<br />
the URL of the site you wish to translate,<br />
like www.kultoslo.no (remember<br />
to use “www.” in front so it knows it’s<br />
a website). A new link will now appear<br />
in the right textbox, click it and view<br />
the entire site translated.<br />
Leaving by air<br />
In terms of square meters, Norway is huge.<br />
Sometimes the most convenient way to travel<br />
in Norway is by plane. Check out these companies:<br />
Norwegian<br />
www.norwegian.no<br />
Norway’s low fare airline has a large network<br />
of both domestic and international departures.<br />
Service level is one notch above the dirt-cheap<br />
carriers like Ryanair, and Norwegian usually<br />
serves major airports instead of the ones 200<br />
miles away from the city center. While usually<br />
the cheapest option it’s always worth checking<br />
alternatives.<br />
Sas<br />
www.sas.no<br />
SAS is a very reliable airline, and although the<br />
average price is usually above Norwegian, it’s<br />
worth checking both airlines. Luggage and<br />
credit card fees are included in the ticket price,<br />
and they throw in a free breakfast on domestic<br />
flights departing before 9 AM. With SAS you<br />
can cancel a ticket bought online within 24<br />
hours for a full refund.<br />
leaving oslo<br />
So it’s time to get back home, you’ve seen what needs to be seen<br />
and hopefully you’ve got tons of memories and experiences to<br />
dwell on while you’re getting there.<br />
Widerøe<br />
www.wideroe.no<br />
Norway has a unique network of short runway<br />
airports (“Stolports”). These airports are usually<br />
served by Widerøe, but occasionally by other<br />
carriers. During the summer months Widerøe<br />
offers a 14-day fly-as-much-as-you-want ticket.<br />
If you fancy two weeks off the beaten track in<br />
the scarcely populated areas of rural Norway,<br />
this can be a real bargain, starting at 2775<br />
NOK.<br />
Agents<br />
For travel agents specializing in youth and<br />
student tickets, see www.kilroytravels.no or<br />
www.startravel.no<br />
Before take off<br />
Oslo has three airports; Torp, Rygge and the<br />
main airport Gardermoen. Gardermoen is closest<br />
to the city; 18 minutes with the Airport Express<br />
Train. Torp is one hour east of Oslo (the<br />
bus takes about an hour and 45 minutes) and<br />
Rygge is about two hours west. Remember this<br />
when booking flights late in the evening.<br />
All major airline companies fly to Gardermoen.<br />
Low price companies like Wizz Air and Ryan<br />
Air fly to Torp.<br />
74<br />
75
Gardermoen Airport<br />
Airport Express Train<br />
www.flytoget.no<br />
(19-22 mins, students 85 kr, adults 170 kr)<br />
Regular train<br />
www.nsb.no<br />
(26-37 mins, all passengers 110 kr)<br />
Airport buses<br />
www.flybussen.no<br />
www.flybussekspressen.no<br />
(convenient from eastern outskirts of Oslo)<br />
Torp Airport<br />
Airport bus<br />
www.torpekspressen.no<br />
(1h 45 mins, one-way: adults 200 kr. Return:<br />
adults 340 kr, students 300 kr)<br />
Train<br />
www.nsb.no<br />
(1h 45 mins, students 176, adults 234. Discounted<br />
adult tickets at 199 kr are usually available<br />
if bought the day before departure or earlier)<br />
A shuttlebus between Torp Train Station<br />
and Torp Airport is included in the train ticket.<br />
Rygge Airport<br />
Airport bus<br />
www.ryggeekspressen.no<br />
(1 hour, one-way: adults 140 kr. Return: adults<br />
250 kr, students 210 kr)<br />
Train<br />
www.nsb.no<br />
(50 mins, students 108 kr, adults 144 kr)<br />
A shuttlebus between Rygge Train Station and<br />
Rygge Airport is included in the train ticket.<br />
Leaving by train<br />
Train tickets are cheaper if bought before<br />
boarding the train. You can buy train tickets<br />
at machines or ticket desks at the stations. For<br />
long-distance trains you can also purchase tickets<br />
over the internet, which is by far the easiest<br />
way. When you book online, and you’ve paid<br />
for your ticket, you are given a seat reference<br />
on the specific train you’re taking. All you have<br />
to do is board the train, sit in your designated<br />
seat and you will recieve your ticket by showing<br />
your ID.<br />
On overnight trains sleeping compartments<br />
are available for 850 kr per compartment. One<br />
compartment can accommodate two people,<br />
but you can’t pay for a single bed, so if you travel<br />
alone you have to buy a compartment for yourself.<br />
Alternatively, opt for a night in the seat and<br />
NSB will provide you with a complimentary<br />
blanket, eye-mask and earplugs. Or visit the onboard<br />
restaurant which is open all night long<br />
– often a good place to meet fellow travellers or<br />
pick up stories from strangers over a beer.<br />
Discounted tickets called “minipris” starts at<br />
199 NOK and are available on all lines. The 199<br />
NOK tickets are scarce, but more discounted<br />
tickets are available at 299, 399 or 499 NOK.<br />
There are no refunds for these tickets and the<br />
minipris tickets can be used on the specified<br />
departure only. Minipris is not available on the<br />
day of departure.<br />
A student discount is available on regular tickets,<br />
but Minipris is usually the cheapest option.<br />
If travelling on local trains to the suburbs of<br />
Oslo, you will get a discount if you hold a valid<br />
ticket for transportation within Oslo municipality.<br />
For trains to Sweden NSB operates the line to<br />
Gothenburg, while the Swedish state railway SJ<br />
operates the trains to Karlstad and Stockholm.<br />
SJ has a ticket vending machine on Oslo Central<br />
Station and tickets can be purchased online<br />
at www.sj.se.<br />
Oslo Central Station<br />
Oslo S<br />
www.oslo-s.no<br />
All trains depart from Oslo Central Station, but<br />
you can also catch most trains from Nationaltheateret<br />
Station.<br />
NSB<br />
www.nsb.no<br />
NSB is Norway’s national railway company.<br />
Leaving by bus<br />
Bussterminalen<br />
Oslo S<br />
23 00 24 00<br />
www.rutebok.no<br />
All buses depart from Bussterminalen, located<br />
in central Oslo. Here you can catch everything<br />
from local buses that serves Oslo and its surrounding<br />
areas, to buses headed for central<br />
Europe.<br />
Bus companies<br />
The National railway company does not cover<br />
the whole of Norway. Therefore Nor-Way<br />
Bussekspress is a great supplement.<br />
NOR-WAY Bussekspress<br />
www.nor-way.no<br />
815 44 444<br />
These Swedish bus companies are affordable<br />
and they travel far and wide:<br />
Swebus<br />
www.swebusexpress.se<br />
800 58 444<br />
GoByBus<br />
www.gobybus.se<br />
815 66 010<br />
bus4you<br />
www.bus4you.se<br />
Eurolines<br />
www.eurolines.no<br />
Eurolines also has tri-weekly departures to Copenhagen.<br />
Leaving by boat<br />
There have been ferries bound for Denmark and<br />
Germany for a long time. At some point they<br />
stopped being sheer instruments of transportation<br />
and turned into party-boats. These are safe<br />
and efficient means of transportation, but be<br />
prepared for more or less everything (although<br />
your cabin will be a quiet retreat). Return tickets<br />
are sometimes cheaper than one-way tickets.<br />
DFDS<br />
www.dfds.no<br />
21 62 13 40<br />
Oslo – Copenhagen<br />
Stena line<br />
www.stenaline.no<br />
02 010<br />
Oslo – Fredrikshavn<br />
Color Line<br />
www.colorline.no<br />
810 00 811<br />
Oslo – Hirtshals/Oslo – Kiel/Larvik – Fredrikshavn.<br />
76<br />
77
DOWN<strong>TO</strong>WN<br />
78<br />
79
grünerløkka<br />
grønland<br />
80<br />
81
oslo<br />
82<br />
83
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