My Weekend In Oslo

I'm back from Oslo over a week now, so I think it's high time I filled you's in on my amazing trip......

Getting there:

This year I flew with Norwegian and return flights were €74 per person to Oslo Airport, Gardermoen. Last year I had paid €40 return with Ryanair to Rygge Airport, but at the minute these flights don't seem to be available. 

Flying from Dublin to Oslo only takes two hours but once you're there you'll have to get a train to the city (Oslo S), from either airport. From Gardermoen the train only takes about 20 mins to the city.

We stayed in the Scandic Victoria hotel, which is just off one of the city's main streets. The hotel was €120 a night and it was perfect. The rooms were standard size, but were clean, warm and had a great shower. The hotel also has a nice bar and offers an amazing breakfast selection, which is included in the price. Everything we wanted to do was in walking distance from the hotel so I couldn't recommend it enough!

The Weather

When I was walking around Oslo I kept thinking to myself - remember to tell them how cold it is!! But what else would you expect from a Scandinavian country in December?! It was in and around 3 degrees during the day, then as low as -3 at night. One of the days I was well wrapped up but my coat didn't cover my thighs (I obviously had trousers on) but my legs got painfully cold and took hours for them to warm back up! The next day I wore tights under my jeans and I was fine, but just be aware and pack layers for every part of your body!

Eating and Drinking

Oslo is a bustling city, jam packed with bars and restaurants, so there's something for everyone. Our three dinners out were in Mission Taco (casual Mexican), Prima Fila (fancyish Italian) and Den Gode (casual pizza). These were all amazing restaurants and dinner for four including two bottles of wine/ two beers each was in and around €50 per person. It's mainly the price of drink that hikes the bill up, expect to pay €9 for a bottle of Corona!!!

And of course, we went to plenty of bars while we were over there! My favourite had to be Oslo Mekaniske Verksted. It was serious house goals for me! It had a gorgeous heated outdoor area which was decorated beautifully with hundreds of pumpkins, fairy lights, sheepskin rugs and blankets. The inside was extremely cosy as well, with large sofas and an open fire 💗

Other bars well worth a visit to are Himkok - a cocktail bar, Botaniske - another cocktail bar, 3 Brodre - great for live music and Crowbar - a brewery. These are all modern, lively bars in the heart of the city.

Things To Do

I suggest you bring walking shoes because I was crippled from all the sight seeing we did! I'm pretty sure we racked up 14km one of the days, but it really is a beautiful city to stroll around.

 On our first day we went to The Palace, which is just around the corner from our hotel. It's just a nice sight to take it and if you're easily amused, like myself, you'll be fascinated by watching the guards marching around the premises. Also there's a lovely cafe around the corner from it, called Pascal's - the macarons are amazing! 

As for Christmas markets - don't expect much. There was two small ones on while we were there and they were lovely, but they don't serve drink after 8pm, and the products on sale can be quite expensive! But we did stop into them during the day to warm our bellies with some mulled wine and to soak up the atmosphere.

We also took a walk on the Opera House, yep on it. As you can tell from the pictures the Opera House is an architectural masterpiece. The building offers a sloped roof which anyone can walk up, to take in views of the marina and the city. We were lucky enough to be walking past it as the sunset, so literally ran to the top to take in the breathtaking views.

The marina is also another lovely area. It has a long walkway which is lined with bars and restaurants. It's also a great spot to grab a bench and take in the views of the calm sea.

Like I mentioned, I've been to Oslo before and loved it just as much the second time round. Three days is plenty of time there as it's a small and expensive city. And if you are planning on going, I definitely recommend going around Christmas time as the city is so magical.

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