Oslo Public Transport: Ruter App, Oslo Pass and B1/B2 Island Ferries

Oslo's public transport authority, Ruter, operates a seamless network of blue city trams, red city buses, the five-line underground and suburban T-bane (Metro), local trains and electric passenger ferries across the inner Oslofjord. Best of all for visitors, the entire Municipality of Oslo, including the Bygdøy museum bus, the mountain metro climb to Holmenkollen and Frognerseteren, and the island-hopping boats on the fjord, sits inside a single fare zone: Zone 1 (Sone 1). (Only Gardermoen Airport requires a 4-zone ticket).

How to Buy Tickets: The Ruter App and the Oslo Pass

• The Ruter App (simplest for everyone): drivers on trams and buses do not sell tickets on board, and there are no turnstiles at stations. Download the official Ruter app, link Apple Pay, Google Pay or a bank card, and buy either a Zone 1 Single Ticket (valid for 60 minutes of unlimited transfers across all modes; if you board your last connection before the 60th minute expires, you can finish the ride) or a 24-hour / 7-day Zone 1 Ticket (a 24-hour pass breaks even after just three single rides).
• Is the Oslo Pass worth it? Available for 24, 48 or 72 hours in the official Oslo Pass app, it includes unlimited Ruter travel in Zones 1 and 2 plus admission to over 30 museums (including MUNCH, the National Museum, Fram, Kon-Tiki, Norsk Folkemuseum, Akershus Castle and the Holmenkollen Ski Jump). If you visit two major museums a day and use public transport, the 24-hour or 48-hour Oslo Pass saves money; if you are mostly walking Vigeland Park, the Opera roof and the islands, stick to a Ruter ticket.

Island Hopping on Electric Ferries B1 and B2 (Included in Zone 1)

Departing from Rådhusbrygge 4 (City Hall Pier 4) right between City Hall and Aker Brygge, silent white electric Ruter ferries (Line B1 year-round, plus Line B2 in summer) sail out to five car-free islands in just 7 to 18 minutes:

1. Hovedøya (first stop, 7 minutes): the most popular island, combining the stone ruins of an 1147 Cistercian Monastery built by English monks in a grassy meadow with forest trails and two sheltered beaches.
2. Lindøya: famous for 300 tiny wooden summer cottages painted in strictly regulated shades of ochre yellow, barn red and forest green along narrow footpaths.
3. Gressholmen, Heggholmen and Langøyene: connected nature reserves on Gressholmen with a historic 1876 white wooden lighthouse and summer waterside kro tavern, or sandy camping beaches on Langøyene.