One Day In Oslo: How To Spend 24 Hours In Norway’s Capital

Last Updated: April 23 2024

Oslo, the capital of Norway, is a fascinating city famous for its impressive architecture, breathtaking fjords, lively street food markets, and rich history. With so much to offer, you’ll ideally want to spend two or three days in the city.

Therefore, if you only have one day in Oslo, you’ll want to maximise your time to ensure you see the best bits. That’s where we come in!

To help you plan your visit, we’ve put together a 1 day in Oslo itinerary that includes all the top attractions, such as the Fjord, The Royal Palace, and The Fram Museum. We’ll also cover everything you need to know for your trip, including the best things to do, the best way to get around, and where to stay.

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The Cheapest Way To Visit Oslo’s Most Popular Attractions

Oslo is an expensive destination and there’s a lot to do in the city. To ensure you’re making the most of your money, check out the Oslo Pass. It includes free entry to 30 different museums and attractions, as well as unlimited free public transport (including buses, ferries, the tram, and the subway).

There are three different pass options (24 hours, 48 hours, and 72 hours). Of course, if you’re only spending the day in Oslo, then you’ll opt for the 24-hour pass. This costs 520 NOK (£38) for adults, with prices being cheaper for children and senior citizens.

Below are some of the activities/attractions the Oslo Pass covers:

• The Fram Museum
• The MUNCH Museum
• Akershus Castle
• The Holmenkollen Ski Museum & Tower
• The Nobel Peace Center

A Quick Overview Of Your One Day In Oslo, Norway

• The Royal Palace

• Oslo Fjord Tour

• The Fram Museum

• The MUNCH Museum

• Oslo Opera House

• Oslo Street Food

• Visit one of the City’s Pubs

Your One Day in Oslo – Morning

The Royal Palace

The first stop on your one-day in Oslo itinerary is The Royal Palace. The Royal Palace was constructed in the 19th century and is the official residence of King Harald V and Queen Sonja.

The palace features a neo-classical design and is surrounded by a vast park called Palace Park. We highly recommend walking around the palace before exploring the lush gardens that surround it.

Head to Palace Square if you want to snap the best shots of the palace. This square sits at the front of the Royal Palace and offers the best views. However, it can get quite busy, so arrive early in the morning for a quieter experience.

You’ll find the Royal Palace near Karl Johans Gate in Oslo City Centre. If you want to go inside, join one of the guided tours, which typically run from late June until the middle of August.

Oslo Fjord Tour (10:30 am)

No visit to Oslo is complete without a trip to the Olso Fjord. The Oslo Fjord is in southeast Norway and is home to countless islands, stunning flora and fauna, and vibrant small villages.

Easily our favourite part of the city, the best way to explore the fjord is on your own via Oslo Ferries. However, because you only have one day in Oslo, it makes more sense to jump on a tour.

We picked this Oslo Fjord Sightseeing Cruise and it was awesome. You travel on an authentic sailing ship with audio commentary and get to visit the fjord’s most popular attractions.

Highlights include Nakholmen, Heggholmen, and Akershus Fortress. Our favourite part of this tour was admiring all the beautiful small villages and their colourful houses.

If you want to see more Oslo Fjord tours, check out our guide to the best fjord tours from Oslo!

Your One Day In Oslo – Afternoon

Have Lunch in Oslo

Most fjord tours last two hours, so it’ll be time for lunch when you return. You could grab something to eat on your tour, but we highly recommend waiting because there are so many amazing food options in the city centre.

In Olso, you’ll find the iconic 7-Eleven, street food markets, countless restaurants, bakeries, and small cafes. Restaurants and cafes in the city can be quite pricey, so we usually grab lunch from a supermarket or bakery.

You can never go wrong with the hot and cold lunch options in 7-Eleven, and the bakeries sell a wide selection of tasty sweet and savoury treats.

You could also grab lunch from a street food market, but we prefer to save those for the evening. If you want lunch at a market, we recommend Oslo Street Food, Vippa Food Market, or Barcode. These markets serve everything from local dishes to international cuisine.

The Fram Museum

After lunch, it’s time to visit some of the city’s best museums, starting with the Fram Museum. This popular museum is dedicated to Norway’s polar exploration, which by the way, is fascinating.

Inside the Fram Museum, you’ll find a wide range of exhibits detailing some of the most interesting and famous polar expeditions in world history. The main attraction in the museum is the strongest wooden ship in the world – ‘the Fram’.

First launched in 1892, this ship was used in Antarctic and Arctic expeditions for almost two decades by famous explorers such as Fridtjof Nansen, Roald Amundsen, and Otto Sverdrup. Museum visitors can climb aboard the ship, walk through the engine room, and explore the sleeping quarters.

The Fram Museum is open 365 days a year from 9:30 am to 6 pm. Tickets usually cost 140 NOK (£10.40) for adults and 50 NOK (£3.70) for children.

The MUNCH Museum

Another one of the best museums in Oslo is the Munch Museum. The Munch Museum is located in the Bjørvika district, which you can reach by tram from the city centre.

Opened in 2021, the Munch Museum is one of the newest museums in the city. It’s home to the life’s work of world-famous artist Edvard Munch, who passed away in 1944.

Before he passed away, Munch gave his possessions to the city. Now, museum visitors can admire Munch’s vast collection of art, and learn about his life. There are also a variety of other interesting art exhibitions to explore during your visit.

For those who don’t know, Edvard Munch is the artist behind the Scream, which is in the National Museum.

Tickets cost approximately 160 NOK (£12) for adults and 100 NOK (£7.50) for children, and the Munch Museum is open until at least 6 pm every day.

Your One Day In Oslo – Evening

Watch the Sunset from the Oslo Opera House

Oslo Opera House offers arguably the best views in Oslo, so it’s the perfect place to watch the sunset. Of course, you can also watch a show or performance at the Opera House, but you don’t want to miss seeing the sun go down.

Home to Norway’s National Opera and Ballet, you’ll find the Oslo Opera House in the Bjørvika neighbourhood. Thanks to its impressive Italian marble and white granite design, and unique angled exterior, you can’t miss it.

The Opera House is spectacular, but the views from its rooftop are the star attraction. Accessed via a staircase that runs up both sides of the Opera House, you can see most of the city and its architecture from the top.

To catch one of Oslo’s dreamy sunsets, you need to time your visit perfectly. The sun can set from as early as 3:30 pm to 10:40 pm in Oslo (depending on the season), so check the sunset times in advance.

Eat at Oslo Street Food

If you only have one day in Oslo, you seriously need to visit the best food places. Luckily for you, we’ve experienced most of Oslo’s top food markets, so we know exactly where you need to go.

In our opinion, the best street food market in the city is Oslo Street Food. Only a 10-minute walk away from Oslo Cathedral, this market serves up traditional Norwegian dishes, international favourites, a lively atmosphere, and good vibes.

Compared to Oslo’s restaurants, Oslo Street Food is more affordable, despite offering a much more enjoyable experience (for us, anyway). The food stalls at this market serve Norwegian, Japanese, Thai, Korean, Indian, American, and Indonesian dishes amongst other cuisines.

One of our favourite dishes at Oslo Street Food is the Norwegian bread bowls with a hot pot filling. As a side note, alcohol in Oslo is pricey, so avoid it to save some money!

Visit one of the City’s Pubs

If you do want to drink alcohol during your visit to Oslo, you could spend a few hours in one of the city’s pubs. Oslo’s pubs are a great place to settle down for an evening after a busy day of exploring.

Admittedly, the city isn’t best known for its pubs, but there are plenty of cosy places to grab a drink, listen to music, and look back at the photos you’ve taken throughout the day.

Here are some of the best pubs in Oslo:

• The Scotsman – Easily one of the most popular pubs/nightclubs in the city, The Scotsman is a great place to visit if you’re looking for good food, live music, refreshing drinks, and a good pub quiz.
• The Dubliner Folk Pub – The Dubliner Folk Pub is famed for its traditional Irish music, lively atmosphere, and delicious food. Make sure you enjoy a Guinness during your visit.
• Dr. Jekyll’s Pub – This quirky bar has one of the largest selections of whisky in the city, more than 600 to be precise. Dr Jekyll’s Pub also has a wide range of beers and cocktails to choose from!

Have More Than 1 Day In Oslo?

While one day in Oslo is enough to see some of the most popular attractions and enjoy some of the local cuisine, it’s not long enough to see everything the city offers. Therefore, if you can, we recommend spending two or three days in Oslo!

If you have some extra time, there are loads of fantastic attractions to see and experiences to have. Below, we listed some of the more popular attractions and activities. The Oslo Fjord is our top recommendation, and there are more museums to visit, too!

Take a day trip around the Oslo Fjord

No Oslo itinerary is complete without a day trip to the Oslo Fjord. This breathtaking archipelago of vibrant islands offers picturesque views, epic swimming spots, natural trails, and historic sites.

While you can visit the fjord on a tour, we strongly believe the best way to see it is on a day trip. Visiting the Oslofjorden independently gives you the freedom to explore the islands at your own pace.

You can easily explore the fjords by taking the local ferry from Aker Brygge. Ferries leave regularly and travel between all the major islands. We recommend visiting Greeholmen, Nakholmen, Heggholmen, and Hovedøya.

Akershus Fortress

Akershus Fortress is one of Oslo’s most iconic landmarks. The castle and fortress were built in the 13th and 14th centuries under King Håkon V’s rule.

Sitting at the end of Oslo’s headland, it dominates the skyline, welcoming thousands of tourists every year. We recommend visiting the fort in summer because guided tours run every day.

On a guided tour, you’ll explore the fort with an expert guide who will tell you more about its history. If you visit at the right time of year, you might even get to watch one of the shows or celebrations that take place annually.

Akershus Fort is open daily from 6 am to 9 pm.

Enjoy a sauna experience

If you decide to spend more than 1 day in Oslo, you’ll have more time to relax, and there’s no better way to do so than by visiting one of the city’s saunas.

You’ll find traditional Nordic floating saunas all over central Oslo. These saunas offer you the perfect place to relax and unwind. Most saunas can be booked privately for couples, solo travellers, and groups of friends. Alternatively, you can meet new people in a public sauna.

Here’s a fantastic self-service floating sauna you can book in the centre of Oslo. This peaceful sauna sits waterside in the Tjuvholmen neighbourhood and offers tourists the chance to plunge into the icy water too.

Visit some of Oslo’s other museums

History buffs who want to learn more about Norway and Oslo will be pleased to hear there are lots of museums to visit in the capital. In fact, you could quite easily spend an entire day exploring the city’s museums.

Two of the best museums in Oslo, after the Fram and Munch Museums, are The Kon-Tiki Museum and The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History. The Kon-Tiki Museum is only a one-minute walk from the Fram Museum. It’s home to maps and vessels from the Kon-Tiki expedition, including the old wooden Kon-Tiki Raft.

Meanwhile, the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History, which is a 20-minute walk away from the Fram Museum houses exhibitions that centre around Norway’s history.

Go on a Street Food Tour

A great way to experience Oslo’s epic food scene is on a street food tour. This Oslo Alternative Culture and Street Food Tour offers up a delicious sampling of the city’s best street food bites.

You’ll meet your guide in the afternoon at Oslo’s Vulkan neighbourhood before walking to some of the city’s vibrant street food markets. You can expect to tuck into everything from Norwegian waffles and hot dogs to cured meats and hot chocolate, all while learning from an expert guide.

The highlight of this tour is visiting the oldest sausage stall in Olso, which has been serving tasty sausages for more than 40 years.

Helpful Information For Your One Day In Oslo, Norway

How to get to Oslo

The easiest way to get to Oslo is by plane. Currently, there are two airports near the city (TORP Sandefjord Airport and Oslo Airport), both of which offer convenient transport options. This includes trains, buses, and taxis.

The most affordable way to reach the city from one of the airports is by bus. We flew into TORP Sandefjord which is approximately 109 km (68 miles) from Oslo city centre.

From the airport, we took the Express Bus. It cost us £20 (260 NOK) per person and the journey took roughly 1.5 hours. We appreciate how this bus service corresponds with international flights, and you can use your debit card or cash to buy tickets for the bus when you board.

The closest airport to Oslo City is Oslo Airport, which is approximately 52 km (32 miles) away. Transport options are similar, but you’ll reach the city quicker.

How to get around Oslo

We found Oslo to be an easy city to get around and often walked from one place to the next. However, if you don’t want to walk everywhere, there are public transport services available. Arguably the quickest way to get around is via the metro, which covers most of the city and the surrounding area.

Public bus services also operate across Oslo. We didn’t use the buses, but they’re an affordable option. Alternatively, you see a lot of the city in a short space of time by purchasing a 24 or 48-hour Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Bus Ticket.

This ticket allows you to visit Oslo’s most popular attractions at your own pace. Simply jump on and off the bus at the designated bus stops!

To be honest, though, the only time we used public transport in Oslo was by taking the public ferries to the Oslofjord. The ferries leave from Aker Brygge regularly.

The best time to visit Oslo

In our opinion, there isn’t a specific time of year that’s best for spending one day in Oslo. This is because there are positives for visiting the city in every season!

For example, in summer (June to August), the weather is warmer, sunnier, and less wet. Therefore, the city is much easier to explore, fewer tours are cancelled due to icy conditions, and you can even swim in the sea. However, summer is also the busiest time of the year in Oslo.

Meanwhile, winter is less crowded! During the winter season (December to March), the city also has a more magical feel because of the colder weather, snow, and Christmas markets.

In our experience, hotels are more affordable at this time of year. If you want to avoid the crowds, we recommend visiting in January, February, March, and April.

Exploring Oslo by tour

If you’ve only got 1 day in Oslo then you can always opt for a guided tour. Although we prefer to explore on our own, tours are a great option for those who are short of time. Luckily, there are some excellent tour options on offer in Oslo, where you’ll learn so much about the city.

Here are some popular options:

• Oslo Highlights 3-Hour Bike Tour – On this tour, you’ll visit some of Oslo’s best spots, including Akershus Fortress, Frogner Park, and Oslo City Hall. You’ll also have an experienced guide with you.

• Oslo Combo Tour: Grand City Tour and Oslo Fjord Cruise – This combination tour offers a fantastic way to explore Oslo, including a fjord cruise, a guided walking tour, and entrance fees.

• Oslo: Panoramic Sightseeing Tour – This tour will see you explore Oslo by bus, and you’ll enjoy a guided walk of the city. You’ll also get to visit the Holmenkollen Ski Jump!

Where to stay in Oslo, Norway

If you only have one day in Oslo, you must stay somewhere central to access the main attractions easily. Luckily, there are plenty of hotels and hostels to choose from. We stayed in the Airbnb linked below. Unfortunately, accommodation can be pricey in the city, but there are still some great deals out there.

Here are our top recommendations:

Budget: Citybox Oslo

This budget-friendly hotel is only 300 metres away (984 feet) from Oslo Central Station. The rooms are fantastic, offering all the amenities you need to enjoy a comfortable stay.

All the rooms here have private bathrooms with showers, armchairs, and free WiFi. Citybox Oslo also has vending machines and microwaves on-site, too. You can use these to save money on food and drink.

Mid-Range: Hotell Bondeheimen

Hotell Bondeheimen is a good option if you’re looking for something in the mid-range. This hotel features spacious rooms with double beds, tables and chairs, and TVs. There’s also a restaurant on-site serving Norwegian food.

Hotell Bondeheimen’s location is perfect. It’s under 100 metres away (328 feet) from Karl Johans Gate and the National Gallery, and only 1.3 km (0.8 miles) away from Oslo Opera House.

Luxury: Hotel Continental

If you’re looking for a luxury hotel in Oslo, check out Hotel Continental! Just 150 metres away (491 feet) from Oslo’s main street, this 5-star hotel offers luxurious rooms featuring modern decor, luxury furnishings, and beautiful bathrooms with walk-in showers.

The hotel also has a fine dining restaurant (Restaurant Eik Annen Etage) and a 24-hour gym. The historic Theatercaféen can be found at Hotel Continental too. This cafe has been open for over 100 years!

Airbnb: Urban Apartments Grünerløkka Loft

We stayed in Urban Apartments during our time in Oslo. This Grünerløkka apartment has two bedrooms, a lounge and dining area, a kitchen, and a bathroom with a walk-in shower.

The apartment’s a top-floor loft with plenty of natural light coming in. It’s in a central location, with lots of popular attractions nearby, as well as cafes, restaurants, and shops. Considering Oslo’s prices, it’s also an affordable option!

Frequently Asked Questions About Spending One Day In Oslo

What is a good budget for Oslo?

A good budget for Oslo is £80 to £100 per person per day. You could get by on less than this, but we think you’d be pushing it as accommodation in the city can be expensive.

You can budget by travelling in a group to split the costs and by staying in a hostel. However, if you’re travelling on your own, even hostels can be quite pricey, too!

Can you see Oslo in 1 day?

In our opinion, you can’t see all of Oslo in 1 day. There is simply far too much to see and do! However, with the right planning, you can prioritize the main attractions and activities, and see most of the city in one day.

If you want to see everything Oslo has to offer, we recommend staying for at least 3 days. 3 days will give you enough time to visit the most popular attractions, take a tour, try more local food, and take your time.

Is Oslo cheap or expensive?

There’s no denying that Oslo is an expensive city to visit. In fact, it’s one of the most expensive cities in Europe! However, that doesn’t mean you can’t stick to a budget.

While Oslo might be expensive, you can reduce your spending by choosing more affordable accommodation, picking cheaper places to eat, and cutting down transport costs. We stuck to our budget by eating at the food markets every night instead of in restaurants, which are generally very expensive.

Is Oslo a walkable city?

Yes, Oslo is most definitely a walkable city, so you don’t need to worry about spending lots of money on public transport. There are tram and metro services, but we found that you don’t need to use them much.

Most of the popular attractions in the city are relatively close together, so you can easily walk between them. The only transport we paid for in the city was a bus ride to and from the airport and the ferries around the Oslofjord.

Final Thoughts on Your 1 Day In Oslo

For those who only have 24 hours in Oslo, you’ll want to make the most of your time. To ensure you have the best trip, we recommend planning your itinerary in advance so you don’t miss out on the best spots.

Whether you’re looking to visit museums, explore the Oslofjord, or see the Royal Palace, there’s something for everyone in Norway’s capital. As such, we’d recommend spending longer in the city if possible!

If you have other questions about spending a day in Oslo don’t hesitate to get in touch with us via our Instagram, Facebook, or in the comments below!

Here are some other Europe guides you may find helpful:

• How To Spend One Day In Stockholm
• Free Things To Do In Stockholm
• Spending 3 Days In Stockholm – The Ultimate Itinerary

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