*POST UPDATED OCTOBER 2026
Hello friends! Happy Sunday! I hope this post finds you well rested, curled up in your most favourite comfy afternoon reading spot, and in the mood for some armchair travelling. I am here today to share my latest travel guide: A Long Weekend in Oslo, Norway! Please forgive my general tardiness in bringing you said guide - it has, after all, been 3-months since our visit - but I’m hopeful it’ll have been worth the wait. Shall we?
Firstly, I must confess, I was totally blown away by Oslo! I had a mild pre-trip panic when I realised that everyone online kind of dumps on the city in favour of the beautiful countryside and fjords etc. I had to dig deep to find any worthwhile guides saying nice things about the city, and I started to imagine we were off to some cold and miserable concrete jungle. However! I was genuinely overwhelmed by how beautiful the city was; it’s gorgeous! Beautiful buildings, streets, parks, greenery, the waterfront - all of it!
Coincidentally, our trip to Oslo happened to coincide with Norway’s National Day - May 17th, Constitution Day - and this made our visit all the more joyful! We got to enjoy the parades, see everyone dressed up in their traditional garb, and generally soak up the happiness that overwhelmed the city - it was so lovely!
before you visit
Just some useful pieces of information to know if you’re heading to Oslo!
Norway do not use the euro! The currency is the Norwegian kroner, written as NOK. At the time of our visit, €5 was about NOK55, give or take.
the country is extremely safe and every single person we encountered was ridiculously friendly! Everyone was so intrigued as to what brought two Irish people to the Norway Day celebrations, but they all made us feel so welcome and included 😊
alcohol is expensive in Norway! The average bottle of house wine in a restaurant was coming in around €53 - which is just insane. Pro tip: do like the locals and buy your alcohol in the supermarket! On our way to our hotel, we stopped at a Vinmonopolet - the equivalent of our off-licenses! - and bought some wine to have in our hotel room. There was a huge selection and prices were comparable to what we’d be used to here in Ireland. #smartsavings!
also, food in restaurants/take out shops is super expensive! For example, a soft-serve ice cream - the Norwegian equivalent of an Irish 99, which costs €3 - was €8 in Oslo. Was it worth it and totally awesomesauce? Yes, but… if we were heading back, we’d probably opt to stay in an apartment and cook our own meals.
fun facts
I know you love a fun fact just as much as I do!
Norway is one of the happiest countries in the world! Coming in at number 7 this year, the country has been in the top 10 since the creation of the World Happiness Report more than 12-years ago! And honestly, it’s not surprising; everyone there was so friendly, welcoming, and, you guessed it, happy!
in northern Norway, the sun literally does not set during the summer! Isn’t that just mind boggling? I experienced something similar when I visited Iceland in June a couple years back and it’s such a fun experience!
Norwegians are the second biggest consumers of coffee in the world! Surpassed only by Finland, the average Norwegian drinks about three cups of the good stuff a day. Sounds like Husband and I would be welcomed with open arms!
not technically a fun fact, but Norway have their own version of KitKat - Kvikk Lunsj - and they are so! good! Literally translating to ‘quick lunch’, we actually think they might be ever-so-slightly better than the humble KitKat: thicker chocolate layer, moreish wafer, and generally cuter packaging! If you’re looking to investigate the matter further, I rather enjoyed this KitKat v Kvikk Lunsj piece on The Guardian.
related: Freia, the brand that makes Kvikk Lunsj, was the inspiration behind Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! Although Dahl was born in the UK, his parents were both Norwegian! Mad.
Norway has a royal family and the current reigning monarch, King Harald V, has been in power since 1991! However, although King Harald V is officially the head of state, his duties are mainly representative and ceremonial, much like the royals in the UK.
getting there
I’m pleased to report that getting into Oslo city centre was actually very easy! Here’s how we made our way into town:
we flew direct from Dublin Airport to Oslo Gardermoen Airport with Scandinavian Airlines. It was our first time flying with SAS, and we were pretty impressed - they offer free tea and coffee to all passengers! Not as nice as Lufthansa’s water and chocolate, perhaps, but just as appreciated! The flight took just under 2-hours.
from Oslo Airport, we took a local R12 train headed in the direction of Kongsberg to Nationaltheatret station. The train station is located in the airport terminal, and making our way there was super easy due to excellent sign-posting. We purchased two one-way tickets with a friendly employee at the station, costing NOK280 in total. The journey took ~30-minutes.
from Nationaltheatret station, we walked an easy 13-minutes to our hotel, below.
on our return to the airport four days later, we took the R12 train back from Nationaltheatret station, this time heading in the direction Eidsvoll. The tickets, which we purchased at a machine, cost the same price as before: NOK280 in total.
pro tip: avoid the touristy Flytoget train! It takes the same length of time as the regular train, but the prices are much higher! For instance, on the Flytoget, two one-way tickets would’ve cost us NOK480 in total. So not worth it!