 The oldest school in Oslo - Oslo Katedralskole by Raimix | Tips and photos for Oslo vacations and tourism, posted by real travelers and Oslo locals. Oslo Map |
 | Oslo General Tips | Tips 41 - 50 of 312 |  |
Damstedet is a tiny little street tucked away between Akersveien and Fredensborgveien and if you go to Var Frelsers Memoria Cemetery you will find it quite easily. This is the cemetery where Munch and Ibsen are buried and after toiling up from the centre in the pouring rain, I was more than a little disappointed to find the signposting totally inadequate and the more famous graves, virtually impossible to find. Maybe not impossible if you have loads of time and nice weather but when you've circumnavigated it once on a wet day, you tend to give up more easily.
Leaving despondently and then stumbling across Damstredet made the whole expedition worthwhile. This street of pretty wooden houses looks like it's been plucked from a rural village far removed from the city and it was here that I finally gave in and took out my camera. The photos, taken with one hand from underneath an umbrella, aren't great but they give a general impression of the colourful cottages and the sudden feeling of being in Norway as opposed to Oslo.
After this I was constantly on the look out for older and more traditional building and if you look carefully, you will find them on many of Oslo's streets, tucked in between the bland and the functional as rewards for diligent walkers.
|
 | |  |
Visiting Oslo?
Read reviews about Oslo Hotels
Real Reviews from Real VirtualTourist Members.
I'd read so much about Grunerlokka being the 'happening' part of Oslo, that I almost expected to dislike it, as I frequently dislike areas that have been too hyped up by guide books.Happily, that didn't happen and it was here that I spent most time and that I loved most, along with the trips to the hills and the lake.
This is a formerly working class area to the east of the city centre that has been reborn as a sort of Left bank or Hampstead, with an influx of the young, enterprising and arty farty. Once you cross over the Akerselva river and start the long trek up Thorvald Meyers gate, the village atmosphere is immediately obvious. I'm sure there are office blocks and commercial premises here but what you notice are the cafes and bars, the funky shops with vintage clothes, the buildings with murals painted on the sides, small grocery and vegetable shops and the almost tangible feeling of relaxation you get from places that are pleasant to live in.
There are two parks along TM gate: first, the small and pretty Olav Ryes plass complete with fountain and further up, the large Sofienberg-parken with its elaborate pavillion. Parallel with TM gate is Markveien, another really great street for browsing and the best for second-hand shops and behind Markveien, is the riverbank walk dotted with tall redbrick chimneys and mills, remnants of the industrial past.
Because our hotel was just at the entrance to Grunerlokka we ate there most evenings and had long leisurely walks afterwards. There is an other side to life in Grunerlokka apparently, the seamier side I'd read about in the novels of Jo Nesbo, but this is certainly not obvious to the casual browser. We always felt comfortable walking there after dark and If I was working or living in Oslo, this is certainly where I'd go apartment hunting.
|
| | |
 View of Oslofjord from
Akershus Fortress by marielexoteria
- If you don't mind sleeping in a dorm-like room with strangers, this will decrease your accommodation costs. Another idea would be to bring your own tent and sleeping bag and use one of the many camping sites. Check out Visit Oslo for more information about camping sites.
- Supermarkets like ICA have stations where you make your own salad and pay by the weight, which makes for a cheap and filling lunch that you can eat at any of the parks or by Akershus Fortress. If you have access to a fridge, buying breakfast foods will also cut down the costs, as you can store your bread, ham, cheese and milk in it.
- Try and group several sights that are located close to each other and allow enough time to visit all of them for the price of one tram/subway/bus ticket there and back.
- See if the sights you're planning to visit are included in the Oslo Pass or if this pass will give you any discount. The pass usually pays itself if you visit 3 of the museums that charge an admission fee, and it will include public transportation up to zone 4 (see my separate tip about it).
- One card that we found to give value for the money is the Flexikort, if you're not visiting many sights covered by the Oslo Pass. Several people can use it, and you can take unlimited trips in all bus, ferries (not sightseeing ferries), trams and subways within 1 hour from the time stamp.
- It's cheaper to buy transport tickets before you get on the vehicle of your choice rather than buying it from the driver.
- Check out Visit Oslo for information on free museums and activities.
|
| | |
 by Tomtom-Paris
There is an other tourist information in the railway station, very useful if you want a cheap accomodation. Leave a Comment
|
 by FrodeKLeave a Comment
|
Visiting Oslo?
Read reviews about Oslo Hotels
Real Reviews from Real VirtualTourist Members.
Most popular are The Vigeland Park (Frognerparken), Holmenkollen and The Vikingships. The Vigeland Park is amazing, and the highlight of many peoples trip to Norway.
Hiking around during sommer evenings - downtown along Karl Johans gate and Aker Brygge - even during daytime.
|
 by LysDor
T
his park is so famous, no need to give more explaination
than that of the statue of the child reminding me of my little sister.
She looked just like that when she used to be angry :-)
Leave a Comment
|
Outside Stortinget (the Parliament building - please see my "things to do"-tip) you'll notice two large lion sculptures, guarding the main entrance. (This area outside Stortinget's main entrance is nicknamed Løvebakken - the Lion Hill)
There's a quite interesting story behind these lions: sculptor Christopher Borch had created the models the lions were supposed to be carved after, and now a skilled stone carver was needed. The new parliament building was supposed to officially open in 1866, and the two lions ought to be finished by then - but where to find someone who could manage such an important job?
In prison. Rumour had it that a man imprisoned at Akershus fortress was an excellent stone carver, and so this guy was asked to do the job. The man, Gudbrand Eriksen Mørstad, was convicted of a horribly gruesome murder and had been sentenced to death. In exchange for the job, Gudbrand's death sentence would be changed to life in prison - and, perhaps not too surprisingly, he accepted. 3 months later the lion sculptures were finished - and since the stone carver had done such a great job, he was released from prison and could return home as a free man. Leave a Comment
|
| | |
A lot of VTers are confused about the 3 airports around Oslo, and how you can get to and from them, or between them.
And for the record, so nobody gets angry with me, Torp and Rygge is not in Oslo, Torp is actually in Sandefjord and Rygge is in Moss, but they are not that far from Oslo.
The 3 airports are:
Oslo International Airport Gardermoen (OSL) located about 20 minuttes north of Oslo. This one is the major one, so if you are looking connecting to domestic flight this is the airport you want to go to, unless you have several hours before your connecting flight.
Airport website: http://www.osl.no/index.asp?languagecode=9
You can get to and from Oslo using bus or train, there are 2 bus companies that operates this route, Flybussekpressen and Flybussen. Busses are generally a bit cheaper than train, but from Gardermoen I would reccomend the Airport express train, it is a lot faster, and a lot more comfortable, specially if you are going into Oslo City Centre. Airport express train website
Flybussen website
Flybussekspressen website
Gardermoen also have huge selections of trains and busses to other places in Norway, post a question on the Norway forum if you have any problems figuring it out :)
Sandefjord Airport Torp (TRF) located in Sandefjord about 2 hours southwest of Oslo. This airport also have international flights, specially RyanAir and Wizz Air have a lot of flights here.
Airport website: http://www.torp.no/Default.aspx?Language=EN&pkMenu=131
You can get to and from Oslo using bus or train, there are 1 bus company that operates this route, the Torp Ekspressen. There are also a number of companies that stops close to Torp (Fokserod), but that means you have to find a connecting buss to Fokserod (which is doable, but unneccesary if you are going to Oslo. If you are going down the south coast of Norway, i.e Kristiansand, however this is a good option)
Website of Torp Ekspressen
There is not a trainstation within walkingdistance from Torp, but there is a free shuttle bus between Torp Airport and Torp Trainstation. If you are going from Trop to Oslo Airport Gardermoen (OSL) the train is a good idea, because it goes past Oslo to Lillehammer, Gardermoen is one of its stops after Oslo. Website: http://www.nsb.no/?lang=en_US<br />
Moss Airport Rygge (RYG) located in Moss about 1 hour southeast of Oslo. This new airport is mainly operated by Norwegian at the moment.
Airport website: http://www.en.ryg.no/
You can get to and from Oslo using bus or train, there are 2 bus companies that operates this route, Rygge Ekspressen and TIMEkspressen, the last one also takes you to Sarpsborg, Halden and even Stromstad in Sweden, so be carefull about which direction you embark on the airport.
Website of Rygge Ekspressen
TIMEksressen timetable (PDF)
There is not a trainstation within walkingdistance from Rygge, but there is a free shuttle bus between Rygge Airport and Rygge Trainstation. Website: http://www.nsb.no/?lang=en_US<br />
For more information about Oslo, please visit my Oslo page
|
| | |
 Map of the central parts of
Oslo by xantylaol
Map of the central parts of Oslo Leave a Comment
|
|
- Scandic Hovik
Drammensveien 507, Oslo - Quality Hotel Olavsgaard
Hvamstubben 11 Skjetten, Oslo - Thon Hotel Stefan
Rosenkrantzgate 1, Oslo - Thon Hotel Europa Oslo
St Olavs Gate 31, Oslo - Rica Hotel Oslo
Europaradets Plass 1, Oslo - First Hotel Millennium
Tollbugaten 25, Oslo - Quality Hotel Ringerike
Kongensgate 3, Oslo - Oslo Youth Hostel Haraldssheim
Haraldsheimveien 4, Oslo - Thon Hotel Terminus Oslo
Stenersgaten 10 (formerly Tulip Inn Rainvow Terminus), Oslo - Comfort Hotel Boersparken
Tollbugaten 4, Oslo - Engo Gard
Gml Engo Vei 25, Oslo - Radisson Sas Plaza Hotel Oslo
Sonja Henies Plass 3, Oslo - Thon Hotel Oslo Airport
Balder Alle 2, Oslo - Thon Hotel Lillestrom
Storgaten 25 (formerly Tulip Inn Rainbow Hotel), Oslo - Toten Hotel
Sillongen 1 Bøverbru, Oslo
|
