We are pleased to present a new Solo Travel Destination Post from Anupa, a member of the Solo Travel Society on Facebook. Anupa lives in the United States, and submitted the following report about Oslo. Do you have a solo travel destination that you would like to recommend? Submit your description here, along with a few photos, and share it with fellow travelers!
Solo travel rating: 1 (1 is easiest, 3 is most difficult. Please see chart below)
Languages spoken: Norwegian, English
Frogner Park and the Vigeland Sculpture Garden
Reasons to go to Oslo
I loved visiting Oslo. It’s a fairly small city considering it’s the capital, but there is plenty to do and experience in this wonderful city. It is a very beautiful city which has excellent public transportation and the people are exceptionally friendly.
I stayed in a hostel in central Oslo (Mollergata) which allowed me to walk or use public transportation to get around to most of the places in the city. There is a metro from the airport to downtown Oslo that is easy and cheap to use.
Here are my recommendations for places to visit:
- Oslo Opera House- quite an intriguing design
- Munch Museum – this art gallery has some lovely art including ‘The Scream” by Edvard Munch
- National Museum of Art – lovely Scandinavian and international art, with free admission on Sundays
- Norwegian Royal Palace and grounds – you can watch the changing of the guards around 11 am every morning and wander the extensive grounds afterwards
- Parliament Building – lovely building with amazing architecture in the center of Oslo
- Akershus Fortress and grounds – wandering the grounds is free. Entrance inside the actual fortress. From here you have a fantastic view into the Norwegian fjords.
- Oslo City Hall – The Nobel Peace Prize ceremony is hosted here. Worth visiting for the Norse mythological carvings lining the entrance.
- Frogner Park and the Vigeland Sculpture Garden –No visit to Oslo is complete without spending time walking through Frogner Park and the Vigeland Sculpture Garden. It takes a 20 minute train ride to get there but it is well worth the trip. The sculptures are huge and quite intriguing. The statues are incredible and life-like, depicting various stages of life. Some are thought-provoking while others are amusing.
- Norwegian Folk Museum – mostly Norwegian folk art and traditions
- Viking Ship Museum – slightly far from central Oslo and requires a train ride and then bus ride to reach. Well worth the trip to see the huge Viking ships along with other Viking antiquities. On the way to this museum you get to see the Norwegian Royal dairy farm and the Jewish museum is not far from here.
There is much more to see, such as the Ankerbrua (Fairy tale Bridge), the botanical gardens, and the Natural History Museum. This brings me to a very important point: Oslo is a very expensive city. For example, a tall latte in Oslo cost 54 Norwegian Krone which is approximately $9 US. Ouch! An average breakfast of egg, toast, and coffee is about 120 NKR which is $20 US. I was traveling on a VERY tight budget so the best way I found to get around this was to eat and buy produce from the local farmers market. Fruit is fresh, organic, and cheap. I can always subsist on fruit when needed. Another option I found was that Oslo has a lot of little grab-and-go delis that have sandwiches and coffee machines that were very good.
Oslo is a dream for solo travelers.
Farmer's markets are everywhere. Fresh, organic, and cheap.
Parliament Building, downtown Oslo.
Solo Travel Destination Rating System
Safety – 1 (1 very safe, 2 safe in most areas, 3 be cautious at all times.)
Language – 2 (1 English is first language, 2 English speakers easy to find, 3 English speakers rare)
Navigation – 1 (1 easy to navigate by transit or car, 2 poor transit, car necessary, 3 not easy to get around)
Culture – 1 (1 Similar to North America or Western Europe, 2 Different from above but relaxed and easy, 3 Challenging)
Average Rating – 1 (1 is easiest, 3 is most difficult)
