Oslo: What to Know Before You Go

Short answer: pay for everything with a contactless bank card in Norwegian kroner, take the regular Vy train rather than the pricey express from Gardermoen Airport, download the Ruter app for trams and island ferries, and plan outdoor walks or museums for Sundays when almost all shops close.

How Oslo is laid out: from the Fjord to the Forest

Oslo sits like an amphitheatre facing south toward the Oslofjord. Along the water runs the nine-kilometre Harbour Promenade (Havnepromenaden), connecting Bjørvika (the Opera House, MUNCH and Oslo S Central Station) on the east past medieval Akershus Fortress and City Hall to Aker Brygge and Tjuvholmen on the west. Running north-west from Oslo S straight up to the Royal Palace is the main boulevard, Karl Johans gate. West of the palace lie leafy Frogner and Vigeland Park plus the museum peninsula of Bygdøy; north-east along the Akerselva river sits creative Grünerløkka.

Important museum note: the Viking Ship Museum rebuild

If you have read older guidebooks mentioning the Viking Ship Museum on Bygdøy, note that the building is currently closed for a complete rebuild into the new Museum of the Viking Age (Vikingtidsmuseet), scheduled to open in 2027. While the three burial ships are under wraps during construction, you can see rich Viking helmets, swords and gold artefacts inside the Historical Museum (Historisk museum) near the Royal Palace and board the full-scale Polar exploration ship at the Fram Museum on Bygdøy.

Norwegian kroner (NOK), Sunday closures and alcohol rules

Norway is part of the Schengen Area (and uses EEA mobile roaming rules for EU SIM cards) but is not in the EU and uses the Norwegian krone (NOK). Contactless Visa, Mastercard and phone wallets are accepted everywhere. Keep two strict local laws in mind: supermarkets can only sell beer (up to 4.7% ABV) until late in the evening on weekdays and in the early evening on Saturdays (never on Sundays), while wine and spirits are sold only at state-run Vinmonopolet outlets (closing in the early evening weekdays, in the afternoon Saturdays). On Sundays, almost all retail shops and supermarkets close, except tiny "Brustad-bua" corner grocery stores.