Oslo?

nervous_twitch

Hello..!! Going to Oslo for four days at the end of the month; I've heard its not meant to be the most exciting city in Europe (and expensively so), but I just wanted your opinions. How is the nightlife? Recommendations for things to do/see/smell?

Also, anyone know the story with Norway and Duty Free, what with them not being part of the EU etc? thanks muchly!

nads

Good craic to be had here, €8 a pint(and they don't fill to the top! you'll see, although it's still to pint level). €5 a can in a supermarket.

Best craic pub was this little dive of a karaoke place off the main Straisse, kinda painted red.

watch out of nigerian h*okers after dark which will be fairly dark at this time of the year maybe(???)

is a small city yeah but great for 4 days really.

do the boat trip around the bay, see Munch(we didn't, still can't believe it).

baring in mind i went in mid July which good weather which the locals said we luckily got the only two weeks where it's not whispy showery weather.

get ready to hear from locals after to you tell them you're foreign on holiday: "What are you doing here?"

and yep, duty free stylee so fill your boots be ready with boarding card for the chick at the duty free.

oslo airport is class like the new cork one, train from the airport is even classier but of course you pay for it, leaves you right in the square of oslo which is handy.

nightlife is fairly good, clubs are in the same layout as UK-IRE really.

there's a pocket of british ex-pats(like everywhere, but especially here) who haven't embraced norweigan(???) culture and language so when out make sure they don't think you're a tan or they'll blank you and give you the stink eyes! although during the day they're a great people.
in pubs there'll be h*okers so watch that, great like haha - joking!

no smoking in bars, get talking to them outside, good craic they are. the clubs are apparently 23+ or 26+ or something like that but there's not enough people willing to pay the crushing prices so basically you'll get in especially apparently because we have red passports!

nervous_twitch

excellent, thanks for all the info..

and yup, Munch is top of the list

beezkneez

Yep - i was there too and missed that munch craic - disappointed afterwards. not the most exciting city in the world but still has alot to offer - people are very friendly, place is very safe and clean. definitly recommend oslo as a nice chill out spot. very expensive if you are going on the lash but wouldnt let that stop ya - beer is nice. weather prob wouldnt be great this time of year but actually got burnt there in july. Very easy city to get around as it is not very big. women are top class as in all scandanavian countries. Also from what i seen of the police they are very strict so dont be messing on the street (saw them on a horse run at a guy for very minor messing outside a pub).

have a good time - also make sure to go out on a boat and see some of the fjord - great views from out on the boats.

Sabre Man

There's also the Kon Tiki museum and a Viking museum nearby.

comer_97

Oslo is a great city, shame I didn't see this sooner. There was ski jumping and biathlon on at Holmenkollen. Karljohan Gate (pronounced gatta) is the main street. It's kinda like grafton streets.

There is the Munch Museum, and the Nobel Prize Museum. And it has an amazing park full of sculptures called vigeland park which is near Majorstua.

you can find cheap beer in the dingier pubs which is a cool experience and the metal scene over there is huge.

The summers are amazing, so hot and sunny and there are beaches everywhere and of course you can go to the lakes in the mountains.

The Norwegians like to party, forspiel and norspiel is the way to go. one is the pre going out party and the other is the after party.

Oslo is one of my favourite cities!

nervous_twitch

Heh, its funny, we did everything you recommend! Even got to see me some ski-jumping

I had an excellent time, it truly was a cool city; and the weather was lovely. But unfortunately, just as expensive as I had anticipated.

comer_97

eating out of very pricey alright. It is great in summer because you can have bbqs in the park which everyone does!

Dizzyblabla

it's a pity I didn't see this sooner, I just moved over last week, my weekend was spent looking for furniture in IKEA in Sandvika!
Once I get settled I think I'm going to try some of the suggestions! If anyone has any more, they'd be appreciated, the pubs I know don't go beyond Andy's, The Belfry (an English Bar) and the Dubliner... there's always an Irish Bar somewhere! and as everyone has said, the drink is very expensive, so (cheap) alternatives are welcome...

Dizzyblabla

Hey guys,
I've been here a few months now and getting into the swing of things. There's a good website called visitoslo.com, which not only gives information on all the museums etc, it gives info on concerts and other events that are on too.
The visit Oslo 24 hour pass is a good idea to get. You can get on all transport for free, including the ferry, train, t-ban, trams and busses. You can also get into the majority of museums for free. It works out quite good if you plan on seeing a few of the musuems in one day. You can get it in the Tourist Information Office for 240NOK (about €50).

Must see things are:
The Palace!
The Vigeland Sculpture Park - lots and lots of statues of naked people!
Holmenkollen - a big ski jump, it has a great view of Oslo too.
Akerbrygge - the harbour in Oslo
The museums - there's the Viking, the Fram, the Folk Museum, the Kon-Tiki... ahh, loads of them (and they're all free with the Oslo Pass!)

Eating out is expensive, but you can get a main course for less than €20 in most places, ok, it's not the steak, but you won't starve either!
Drinking out is crazy expensive, most Norwegians will have a 'vorspeil' first, go out drinking and then head out afterwards, so you won't see many people in the pubs before 11 or 12...
The cheapest place to go drinking is in Grunnerlokka, where you can get a .4liter beer for anything as cheap as 54NOK (less than €7).

I'm sure there's loads I've forgotten, as for the train being expensive, if you fly into Gardemon, you don't HAVE to get the flytoget, you can get a local train which would be cheaper. If you fly into Torp (with ryanair) then you just get a bus outside the airport which will also bring you straight to the center of Oslo.

hope that helps anyone who is planning on visiting
any questions, just ask!

Rhonda9000

I went at Christmas 06' / New Year 07' and we were very stretched trying to fill out our days. I'm sure it was just a case of xmas shut down and the summer will be a much better bet. The ski jump has a beautiful view of the city and surrounding forrests, hills etc. Also nice to take the train the next few stops up to the end of the line - nature trails etc. await right at the top. The sculpture park is great also. Wasn't too impressed with the Munch museum - quite small. Art is lost on me however! Definitely worth the visit in any case as it is free to go in and see. Hilarious book of scream portrait parodies in the gift shop but it costs 30 euro!

Beautifully kept and presented place, but would definitely agree not a very exciting spot... I hope you had a nice trip!

darraghjm

heading to olso this week, and just seen this post, and updates on things to do, the last date this was updated was back in 2007

biko

I'm sure it hasn't changed all that much over 2 years. Still lovely, still expensive.
Do you have a particular question or want general tips on what to do see?
How long will you be there?

darraghjm

yeah just really general tips, arriving there tomorrow, and coming home sunday, have been looking up stuff to do on travel websites, just wanted to see if anyone had any ideas.
thanks

biko

Not sure if they have snow yet but:
Ice skate on Narvisen Rink
Go see Holmenkollen Ski Jump
Do Tobogganing in Korketrekkeren
Hit on Norwegian girls

darraghjm

cheers for the first three, not sure about the last one, I'm going with my other half to celebrate our anniversary!

Deathwish4

Nice place is Oslo. New Opera House is well worth a visit.


Couple of drawbacks tho..........Everything and anything is desperately expensive. Food/drink & public transport especially. And they seem to have been hit with a large influx of north africans.

newgrad2012

Hi guys,

I know this is an old post but was hoping some of you might be able to help me out. I'm moving to Oslo in September to start a graduate job but don't know all the much about it. Where are the main areas to live? I'm hoping to be in the city and plan on sharing with other people but want to keep the costs down as much as possible. Is this a realistic option?

I would also appreciate any recommendations on how to meet people when I first arrive over. I'm going on my own and while I already have a job lined up which means I will get to meet people straight away I would also like to socialise with people away from the office.

Any general advice/recommendations would be much appreciated!

Thanks

Irishrossoblu

newgrad2012 wrote: »

Hi guys,

I know this is an old post but was hoping some of you might be able to help me out. I'm moving to Oslo in September to start a graduate job but don't know all the much about it. Where are the main areas to live? I'm hoping to be in the city and plan on sharing with other people but want to keep the costs down as much as possible. Is this a realistic option?

I would also appreciate any recommendations on how to meet people when I first arrive over. I'm going on my own and while I already have a job lined up which means I will get to meet people straight away I would also like to socialise with people away from the office.

Any general advice/recommendations would be much appreciated!

Thanks

Where will you be working? Good idea to start house search in relation to transport links to job. Nice areas to live near the centre are Grunnerløkka, Sofienberg, St Hanshaugen, Kampen and Majorstuen. Grønland and Gamle byen are ok. Torshov, Sagene and Sinsen are nice but a little further out. Room in shared accom seems to go from 4500kr to 8000kr per month. Look on Finn.no for places to stay.

Meeting people in Oslo is not easy. Your best bet would be to go to The Dubliner and try to get in with the Oslo GAA crowd who will do anything to get another body on their panel.

Hope that helps.

newgrad2012

I'm going to be working in Majorstuen but have been told that Grunnerløkka might be the best area to live with regards socialising etc. I guess I just need to decide if my priority is to be near work or not. Of course I will have to take cost into consideration so whichever works out cheapest is probably the one I will go for. Ideally I would be either within walking distance or only a short tram ride away from Majorstuen so I will look into the other areas you have mentioned as I haven't heard of them yet. I am only at the beginning of my search!

I'm more than willing to join the GAA club once they are willing to accept someone with little to no experience! I might try and get some practice in before the big move though!

Thanks for your advice. Hopefully I will find somewhere nice to live and will enjoy my time there. I am very excited to get going now and i'm sure I will love it!

Irishrossoblu

newgrad2012 wrote: »

I'm going to be working in Majorstuen but have been told that Grunnerløkka might be the best area to live with regards socialising etc. I guess I just need to decide if my priority is to be near work or not. Of course I will have to take cost into consideration so whichever works out cheapest is probably the one I will go for. Ideally I would be either within walking distance or only a short tram ride away from Majorstuen so I will look into the other areas you have mentioned as I haven't heard of them yet. I am only at the beginning of my search!

Grunnerløkka is cheaper than Majorstuen, but is by no means the cheapest place. Carl Berners Plass is good and can be cheap. Walking distance to Majorstuen is going to be the most expensive areas in Oslo, Frogner and Majorstuen. The T-Bane is the best way to get to Majorstuen and so long as you get a place near a station, then you should be ok.

Grunnerløkka is good for socialising but can be very noisy to live, like Temple Bar. I wouldnt choose to live there purely because its a good place to hang out. How good a place it is to meet people also depends on your level of Norwegian.

AnnieUncanny

If you want to meet people you should make sure that you either live central (probably expensive) or near a metro station which doesn't take you more than 10-12 minutes to get you to the center.

Grunerløkka has many cafe's, bars, and restaurants + there is a quiz environment there so it's a natural place for people to meet.
If you live near a night club you should make sure your apartment is on a higher floor and that your bedroom window is not facing the street!

Grønland is a good area to live in if you want to live central, but I recommend you to only look at apartments near 'Grønlandstorget', or 'Teaterplassen', but Grunerløkka is a nicer area.

Majorstua is more than often too expensive, so you'll be paying for more than you get.

Carraig95

I was there recently and it was way over priced compared to other possible options. It's amazing, once one gets the train over the border from Sweden the difference between the two contries is much more stark than I would have ever believed.

Oslo is a lot grottier, especially around the train station, lots of drug addicts and I'll agree with the previous poster...there are many large Nigerian prostitiues, although they seem to only have a mutual interest for the elderly respectable Norweigan suit wearing upper middle class business men...funny that!

Nightlife isn't bad, but the expense is the worst thing and definitely turned us off going back there! Enjoy!

MrLaurel

Oslo is certainly more expensive than Sweden but a great time was had there. Fantastic country. enjoy yourself there