Streetwise 2011/2012 by Magnus Moholdt

Streetwise 2011/2012 Ok so you’ve decided to visit the land of Vikings and fjords. You probably imagined yourself dancing and ice-skating with polar bears in an endless sum of non-expensive joy and happiness. Now you are standing outside the central station, spending a huge amount of your salary on a bagel and a soda. Norway is expensive. We are famous for it. Our Norwegian salaries are raised to match the expenses, but even we prefer to sit at home in the weekends until midnight so we won’t spend most of our money on beer. Want a pack of cigarettes? They’re a 100 NOK. That’s 12 Euros a pack. A cheap beer

in Norway is around 50 NOK and a cheap lunch about 80 NOK. A Norwegian poet once said that it is not possible to even turn around in Oslo without using a “hundrings” (100 NOK). If you are not aware, your stay can get expensive. As always, when in trouble – heroes emerge. For 20 years Streetwise has guided the young travellers through the city highlighting the cheapest alternatives to make their stay in Oslo as budget friendly as visiting another country, without loosing out on any experiences. Sincerely, The Streetwise-team

editor

photography

Magnus Moholdt

Magnus Moholdt, www.sxc.hu, Erik Moholdt, www.colourbox.com

desk René Brunsvik

cover illustration Magnus Moholdt

art director Magnus Moholdt

print 07 Gruppen

writers & research Laila Erdal Aagesen, Nina Aziz Plau, Wanda Voldner, Martin Nilsen, Gabrielle Legrand Gjerdset.

thanks to www.openstreetmap.org for the free maps.

DISCLAMER: By the time Streetwise was printed, in May 2011, content was accurate and up to date. Streetwise will not be held responsible for any changes being made later or printing errors. Constructive feedback is always welcome

04 Introduction Welcome to Use-It Know the people Oslo areas Oslo by tram

05 06 08 12

14 Food Organic food Cheap food Norwegian cuisine Gourmet on a budget Fish & sushi Vegetarian food Cafés and diners

16 18 20 22 24 26 28

30 Nightlife Youngstorget Grünerløkka Grønland Downtown Oslo live scenes Under 20 Music festivals

32 36 40 42 45 46 48

50 Shopping Buying Norwegian Norwegian souvenirs Book stores Alternative shopping Records Second hand

66 Queer

Bars, clubs, etc

68 Activities

Museums Winter activities Summer activities Park life Islands & the sea

52 56 58 60 62 64

72 76 78 80 82

84 Sleep Camping Hotels & hostels

90 Practical information

Map of downtown Map of Grünerløkka Map of Grønland Map of Majorstuen

86 88

102 104 105 106

Welcome to Oslo Oslo has a diverse and complex atmosphere. The city has the pulse and energy of a big city, with a plethora of cafés, markets and people - yet it is rested next to the huge Oslo-fiord and surrounded by wild forest, giving it a rural feel and an air of mystique.

You can literally leave a concert in the city and wander in the quiet forest 20 minutes later. The city is large enough to have areas with a distinct “ feel” – from the urban Grünerløkka to the “uptight” Frogner – yet you can cross the central areas by foot within hours. It is big enough to attract huge concerts and happenings, yet it is almost abandoned like a ghost town during certain holidays. This complexity reflects in the Norwegians who live here as well. As a people we are both open, engaged, techno-sav v y and worldoriented – yet still rooted in traditional “narrow-minded” attitudes sometimes found in smaller places. Make no mistake – we citizens of Oslo love our city, and cherish its feel and persona. We hope you will too.

We have some typical “Tourist Attractions” like the Vigeland Park, the Opera-building, The Fortress of Akershus or the ships at Fram-museum. You’ll love them. We at Streetwise strongly recommend that you also put these attractions aside – at least for one day –to find the hidden pearls of Oslo, with our guide in hand. Strike a conversation with the marketers at Youngstorget. Stroll down to Aker Brygge with an icecream in hand and your feet dangling at the edge of harbour. This is what we do – and Streetwise is our way to share our love for the city, and the secrets within it – to you.

Be sure to drop by Use-It

Welcome to Use-It Welcome to Use-It Oslo. The information center for travelers between the ages of 13 to 26. For twenty years we have given information and advice on our beloved city - totally free of charge. If you want to get to know Oslo - start by getting to know us. Come say hello!

It is highly recommended that you drop by our offices before you start exploring Oslo. We don't want your money, we don't want to sell you anything and we don't bite. We just want you to make the most out of your stay in the city we love. We offer:

Free luggage storage Free internet Free Information Private accommodation Free maps use-it oslo MĂ¸llergata 3 24 14 98 20

www.use-it.no Use-It Oslo is run by Oslo Youth Information center (UngInfo) and is located in MĂ¸llergata 3.

Use-It produces information for young people traveling on a budget. Use-It guidebooks, maps and websites are made by locals, free, no nonsense and up to date. Do you like our guidebook? Wouldn't it be great if such a publication were to be published where you live? You can help us expand Use-It Europe network. Read more at www.use-it.info.

Know the people To blend in you need to know the people. Here is what you need to understand us better. The stereotype may be familiar to you – the Scandinavian Viking, freezing and shaking, squeezed in the middle of giant mountains. As a result of harsh climate – the stereotype claims – Norwegians are direct, rude, often shy and sometimes unfriendly. This is not true. Yes, we define our personal space as more “sacred” than say the Italians, and we will not strike a conversation with you just to kill time on the bus. But we are opening up as a people. Smile, be friendly and seem interested, and you will be surprised by the warmth and generosity you will receive in return. Be sure that the timid norwegians turn around during party hours though. We are known to be “uptight” when sober and “go wild” when drunk. Slightly exaggerated, though you will find 40 year old accountants with their tie wrapped around their forehead to fight their surpressed creativity. When bumping into a norwegian, have this quick check-list in mind, and know that he or she has at least one of the following characteristics, probably several.

typical norwegians We are cross-country skiers in the winter, and park-animals in the summer. Norwegians are mostly rich (due to the oil industry), and you'll see iPhones on every corner. There is nothing your average norwegian cares more about than beating the Swedes in whatever sport or event. The mentality is mutual. We love the outdoors and spend our holidays in the mountain, the weekend in the forest and everyday dreaming of the sea. One of our favourite past-times is a stroll – you can see Norwegians wandering around, sometimes for hours, with no other purpose than being out and about. 7 out of 10 Norwegians work out at least once a week (young people in Oslo even more), and there are over a 100 crowded gyms in the city. As a people we are fashion-oriented, technologically equipped, and with plenty of time to indulge in cultural activities.

Get started Right. So you’ve landed safe, you have your Streetwise in hand, and you know how to blend in perfectly with the pale Norwegians.

Time to get out there and enjoy, because Oslo has plenty to see, and plenty to discover. Just a heads up - we use “the internet” as well. Streetwise is loaded with useful addresses, map, phone-numbers and descriptions. Combine it with asking locals around, and you’ll get where you want in no time. But to find which concert is playing tonight, which museum has a special tour this very weekend, what is happening right now – online is where you want to be. We have a suggestion. Start your adventure in Oslo at our Use-It Office. We have plenty of computers wired up that you can use. We have maps, a phone free of charge, luggage storage and smiling employees who will give you honest advice on things worth checking out. Everything free of charge. Our only requirement is that you are under 27 years of age.

{ Us }

{ You }

{ Streetwise }

{ Oslo }

So make sure you start every day of your adventure in Oslo at . We got everything you need. See you here!

Oslo areas You could walk aimlessly around the city and gaze in marvel (that actually sounds nice). But let us give you this quick guide to Osloâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s areas nevertheless. Your disoriented gaze will transform into the stare of a hunter â&#x20AC;&#x201C; once you know what to look for. downtown oslo view from ekeberg | Photo: magnus moholdt

Downtown This is the core. The epicenter. This is where you arrive, where you depart, and probably where you will spend most of your days.

All the way from the Central Station, Jernbanetorget, up to the Royal Castle and down to the Harbor at Aker Brygge – this is where you find the shopping streets, the malls and the theatres. This is where the majestic Akershus Fortress is situated, where the church Domkirken rests peacefully, where our honorable National Gallery and the brand new Opera House is for you to visit. Few of the Norwegians actually live downtown – we live and breed in the areas that surround it. We go downtown to work, to go shopping in the weekends, to attend a theatre or concert, to hangout at a café or to party at a club. Downtown is always crowded, as you can imagine, with people doing their daily routine or just hanging out with friends. What this means for you as a tourist? It means that if you want to get as authentic a feel of how we live in the city, you should definitely visit the other areas as well. You will find everything that you need downtown, but that's just one of the many sides that Oslo has to offer.

WHAT TO DO DOWNTOWN Watch the Royal Soldiers leave duty in a parade-like show everyday at 13 30 outside the royal Castle. This is a popular – and free – tourist attraction. Visit the beautiful Akershus Fortress. Huge fields of grass surrounds it – how about buying some chicken wings and dangle your feet over the wall? Walk on the roof of the new Opera-building. Some call this the big tourist-thing to do. A little tip, wear sun glasses, unless you want to go snow blind. Take a load off at Aker brygge. You can either relax at one of the cafés, which is the more costly choice. Or buy something cheap from a grocery store and relax at the pier. Either way it's very relaxing. Visit museums at kvadraturen, check out the market at Youngstorget, drop by the royal palace and pose with the guards. There's alot to do downtown and hopefully after reading through this guide you're a little more streetwise about Oslo.

Oslo areas

Grünerløkka Grünerløkka, or simply “Løkka” among friends, is Oslo’s equivalent to New York's Greenwich Village.

100 years ago this was a working class area. Today the working class has been replaced by people who hardly know anything about manual labour: Artists, lawyers, students and stock brokers have moved in. The sweet spot of gentrification has passed, but Løkka has kept its charm. Løkka is a small town in itself and offers a wide range of services. You’ll find everything from post offices, grocery stores and libraries, to fashion boutiques, restaurants and theatres. Many of the stores and cafes in the area are members of “unik”(unique), a group who want to keep the multiplicity of stores and unique surroundings in the area. Check out www.unikoslo.no

How to get there? You can take the tram, number 11, 12 or 13 going towards Kjelsås/Disen/Grefsen stasjon, and get off at Olav Ryes plass. Walking, it will take you only 20 minutes. From downtown Oslo you can follow the street Torggata. After crossing a bridge you are on the bottom of Markveien. When walking through Markveien you will see what Løkka has to offer you: small shops, unique cafees and green parks.

WHAT TO DO AT GRÜNERLØKKA Discover small designer boutiques and second hand stores. Get a coffee at one of the cafés surrounding Parkteateret and enjoy the sun. Visit Sofienbergparken. One of Grünerløkka's most popular parks. Drink local beer at Grünerløkka brygghus or at Schouskjelleren micro brewery. Go back to America in the fifties with pancakes for breakfast at Nighthawk Diner. More of America in the fifties? Grab a milkshake at Ryes. Drink hot chocolate at Cocoa. The variety of chocolate drinks are countless. Don’t miss the Birkelunden marked. It’s there every Sunday. Play some basketball at Kubabanen not far from Parkteateret, just ask a local for the way.

Grønland / Tøyen Tired of pale Norwegians? Visit Grønland. This immigrant area is packed with small restaurants, jewellers, fabric shops and vegetable markets. A handful of beautiful mosques have been erected in Grønland during the last decade. Just as Grünerløkka, Grønland is undergoing changes, but seems more resistant to gentrification than Grünerløkka.

Gamlebyen Situated in the eastern part of the city centre, this is where you find the medieval Oslo. In the Medieval Park there are ruins of The Church of Mary and the King’s Royal Palace. The park has a nice pond and is perfect for picnics. Those residing in Gamlebyen are not allowed to dig deep in their backyards, due to the chance of discovering items of archeologically importance.

Kampen / Vålerenga Kampen and Vålerenga used to be typical working class areas, like Grünerløkka, only worse off. It is a charming area with wooden houses. Class differences have decreased but the working class spirit persists.

Bogstadveien. There is a large flea market every Saturday at Vestkanttorget.

Ekeberg The view is spectacular from Ekeberg, especially from the newly refurbished restaurant, Ekebergrestauranten. Edvard Munch found inspiration for his famous painting The Scream while walking about in the surrounding hills, Ekebergåsen. You might recognize the background in the painting as the view of Oslo seen from Ekeberg. The world’s biggest football tournament, Norway Cup, is arranged at Ekebergsletta, first week of August every year.

Aker Brygge This former shipyard was renovated in the 1980's. Here you find expensive apartments, shops, bars and restaurants. Aker Brygge is the perfect place to cool down on a warm day, with its large outdoor seating area with a view to the harbor, the City Hall and Akershus Fortress.

The islands There are more than 40 islands in the Oslo Fjord. Take the ferry from Vippetangen, it stops at the sixth biggest island.

Bislett / St. Hanshaugen

Bygdøy

This is where up-town meets down-town. It is a nice area with nice people, nice cafés and nice shops. It is neither expensive nor cheap, neither exiting nor boring, just really nice, kind of like a golden retriever. The park offers a scenic view of downtown – most impressive at dusk!

Here you can visit six museums in one day without too much travelling. When you are tired of the museums, you can take a swim in Paradisbukta or Huk, or just take a stroll around the area and observe the life of the bold and the beautiful.

Majorstua and Frogner

Nordmarka

Interested in Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Dior? This is the area for shopping in fashionable boutiques and eating overpriced, but often delicious, meals. The main shopping street is

Take a walk in one of the forests surrounding Oslo–the ideal place for observing Norwegians doing their thing: walking in the forest. The paths are well signposted.

Oslo by tram Berlin has bus number 100 – a regular bus that passes by major sights. If you jump on it you’ll get a guided tour for virtually no cost. “How smart”, you say. “But only in Berlin, right?” No. This is easily done in Oslo as well. public transportation in oslo is easy compared to other big cities | Photo: Magnus Moholdt

We suggest that you start at Kjelsås which is a nice area dominated by villas. From Kjelsås the tram continues to Storo (8 min), and Sandaker (10 min) which is a typical early 20 th century working class area. When the tram approaches Torshov (13 min) you will discover working class houses from the 1920’s mixed with houses dating back to the 1880’s. Torshov has a relaxed atmosphere and has not completely been overtaken by the young and cool crowd as Grünerløkka has been. At Grünerløkka you will pass by the beautiful Birkelunden (17 min) and its surrounding houses. From Birkelunden the tram continues down to Olaf Ryes plass (18 min), Schous plass (19 min) and is the embodiment of the new hip Grünerløkka. There are several trendy cafes in this area, which originally was an area characterised by its poor conditions. Around Nybrua (20 min) you can see how the old Grünerløkka used to look like. In Hausmansgate (21 min) you have Anker Hostel. Then the tram continues along Storgata and passes the Central Station and Jernbanetorget (26 min) before Kongens gate (27 min) and Kvadraturen, the remains of 17th century Oslo. After Kvadraturen you pass Rådhusplassen (30 min), the town hall and Aker Brygge (32 min). After this architectural high water mark of the yuppie eighties, you are situated in the Westside of Oslo. The tram passes the famous sculpture park Vigelandsparken (40 min), before you end up at Majorstuen (43 min).

more trams you say?

tram number 19. The tram passes Schultz gate (1 min) and Rosenborg (3 min). This is recognised as the expensive shopping street in the Westside. In Inkognitogata (8 min) you are surrounded by large bourgeoisie brick villas. This is also the area where the majority of embassies are located. The tram continues to Slottsparken (10 min), the park surrounding the Royal Castle at the top of Karl Johan. From here the tram runs parallel with Karl Johans Gate, passing the national theatre Nationaltheateret (12 min) and Stortinget, the parliament, before it enters Kvadraturen. The tram passes Jernbanetorget (20 min) before it turns right and heads for Gamlebyen. Bussterminalen and Grønland (21 min). At St. Halvards plass (24 min) you are down-town in medieval Oslo, and can explore what is left of the cathedrals. We suggest you end your trip at Sjømannsskolen (27 min). To your right you find the facilities where they used to educate seafarers, and on your left you find the beautiful functionalistic Ekeberg Restaurant. Have a drink there in the evening, and enjoy life!

remember to buy a ticket In Oslo, all of the collective transport in the city is run by the same company; Ruter. This means that if you buy a ticket for the subway, the same ticket will get you on the city buses and trams. Ruter has employees dedicated solely for ticket controls and will show up without uniforms where you least expect it. The price you pay, as of 2011, for sneaking is 750 NOK and there's a 150 NOK extra if you can't cough up the money right then and there. I guess what we're trying to say is; buy a ticket. Read more about the various tickets in the Practical Information section.

If you are not fed up with trams yet, get on

Food in Oslo The main character in Norwegian famous novel "Hunger" (by author Knut Hamsun) wanders around Oslo trading in his clothes and belongings for the next meal. He did not have Streetwise in his hand. Here is our guide to eat and dine in Oslo - budget style. homemade pizza is cheap and tasty | Photo: Magnus Moholdt

Do it yourself You'll find regular food store chains like Rema 1000, Rimi, Kiwi and Ica every where. Most of these are open from 0900-2200 on weekdays and from 0900-2000 on Saturdays. Smaller chains such as Joker and Bunnpris are open on Sundays as well.

Here is a couple of them down town Rema 1000

Torggata 2-6

Rimi

Tap water

Central Stationa

Kiwi

Byporten

Bunnpris

Oslo Central Station

price differences Be aware that there is a huge price difference between kiosk’s and regular stores! A quick refreshener like a diet coke will cost you 12 NOK in regular stores but 25 NOK at your typical 7-eleven . We Norwegians shop in kiosks for three reasons beside longer opening hours:: • When they offer something regular food shops don’t. • When we’re in a hurry. • If it’s a Sunday and we wont bother to walk an extra 100 meters to the nearest Sunday-open food chain.

Tap water in Norway is drinkable. Very much so. Buying bottled water is not necessary more than once, you can refill your bottle.

Disposable Barbeques Barbequing in parks is extremely popular in Oslo. It is a rather cheap alternative compared to eating out. Step one: Buy what you need in a regular food store; meat, fish, vegetables and a disposable barbeque. Step two: Find any park, or go to the islands—the rest is up to you. Just remember to bring matches, and make sure you clean up afterwards.

Public Barbeques In Sofienberg Park there is a public barbeque open for anyone. One for ordinary meat and one for halal meat. You pay with your card: 1 NOK equals 1 minute, which means that you can barbeque for at least 30 minutes and still pay less than for a disposable barbeque. Perfect for striking up a conversation with your fellow barbeque-guy.

Organic food Most of you that are reading this have travelled far and wide to get to Oslo. That is not the case for most organic food. Many restaurants and shops focus on food with origin close to your dining plate. In most cases food like that is organic. organic food is not hard to come by in oslo | Photo: www.sxc.hu

Do it yourself The regular food chains often carry organic food, and may suit your needs. Though some might want to go "specialized-style" with some of the smaller stores that focus only on organic food.

Coop Mega

{ Grønland } Grønlandsleiret 11 www.coop.no A regular supermarket chain that carries a good selection of organic and local food. They have several stores around Oslo.

Food Story

{ Grünerløkka } Thorvald Meyersgate 61 www.foodstory.no Food Story is a store and a café with great (and mostly) organic food.

Godt Brød

{ Grünerløkka } Thorvald Meyersgate 49 www.bakeverksted.no Godt Brød (Tasty Bread) is a nationwide chain of organic bakeries. They have several stores in Oslo, visit their website for a complete list.

Helios

{ Downtown } Storgata 53 A www.helios.no A chain of stores carrying loads of organic food. The store in Storgata also has a restaurant where you can buy warm and delicious organic dishes.

Mat & Mer

{ Bjølsen } Bergensgata 2 www.matogmer.no A restaurant and food shop in the nice area of Bjølsen.

Vegetables Vegetables are every where, of course. But look for the specialized, immigrant-run stores scattered around the city (lots at Torggata and Brugata). Huge assortment, exotic flavours and competitive prices makes even the posh and busy run across town.

Organic restaurants Even though a restaurant in itself does not come across as organic, it might carry a lot of local food. So check out Norwegian Cuisine, as well.

the 'ø' Ø is a vowel and a letter used in the Danish, Faroese and Norwegian languages. The Ø-logo is used for marketing of organic food, recognized by Debio, which certifies production of organic food in Norway. Why 'Ø'? It's the first letter in økologisk which is norwegian for ecological.

Cheap food You won't find these places in the Michelin Guide, but they are decent meals nonetheless. A price range of NOK 50 to NOK 150 is considered a cheap meal in Oslo. The places below are often cheaper than Burger King or McDonalds, and definitely more exciting. Enjoy your meal!

Bari Pizza

{ Downtown } Torggata 23 22 11 19 65 Torggata is the place for having a quick snack and Bari is the place for having a pizza in Torggata. The pizza is tasty and cheap, and Bari is an inviting place. Yummy!

Ma´Raja

{ Downtown } Torggata 8 Ma´Raja is a relatively new place, offering Indian food. Nothing special in that, except their exceptionally cheap lunch special. Ma´Raja has an all lunch buffet until 15 00 each day, starting at budget friendly 60 NOK.

May Hong

{ Downtown } Bernt Ankersgate 6B 22 20 44 41 Adds new meaning to the term multicultural;

in a former Greek restaurant you get delicious Vietnamese food. Redecorating was never a top priority, but who cares when the meals are this tasty and cheap.

Curry & Ketchup

{ Majorstuen } Kirkeveien 51 22 69 05 22 Charming Indian restaurant with a casual atmosphere, nearby the Vigelandspark. Tasty meals for about 120 NOK. The interior is remniscant of an Indian shop with ricebags, spice and tin cans. The quality of both food and prices reap rewards for Curry & Ketchup - the place is crowded, especially by students.

Rice bowl

{ Downtown } Youngsgate 4 www.ricebowl.no Really good thai-food in the city center, nearby Youngstorget. Only 54 seats so make sure to

be there early! Very budget friendly with main dishes from about 90 NOK .

café Stolen

{ Grünerløkka } Helgesensgate 32 22 35 05 05 Simple and nice, with a good atmosphere – suitable for dinner, as well as a beer with friends.

Gil Gamesj

is semi expensive, but if your low on your budget you can order potatoes with aioli and fried chicken clubs with salad for about 70 NOK. Why not combine it with a San Miguel ? They serve it in big frozen glasses. Come summertime you can enjoy the afternoon sun and your beer in their little backyard. Total price for our suggestion: 124,-.

Lett og mett

{ Grünerløkka } Trondheimsveien 10 www.gilgamesj.no This place is quite cheap, with main dishes priced at around 100 NOK. Nice atmosphere as well. Visit this place before a night out at Grüneløkka’s clubs.

{ Downtown } Storgata 12 22 42 70 06 A favourite kebab shop with one of the best kebabs in Oslo city centre. Good burgers as well. You can get a small kebab for about 35 NOK, which equals a small dinner or a big lunch. Just try to avoid using their toilet – it’s not nice.

IlLegal burger

restaurant dehli Tandoori

{ Downtown } Møllergata 23 This is said to be the best burgers in town. Try the Cheese Royale, with potatoes on the side, mmmm! You can get a burger in most kebab shops around, but Illegal specializes in burgers and they do it good! Often very crowded.

Pizza Pancetta

{ Majorstuen } Kirkeveien 69 www.pancetta.no For a pizza at this price this is THE best pizza! These guys started up with one store in the most posh of areas (Frogner), quickly won everone over, and are now expanding with branches all over town. Try this one!

Vann og brød

{ Tøyen } Tøyenbekken 5 www.vannogbrod.no Vann og brød (water and bread) is placed in an old prison building now restored to a place for cultural events. Great tapas menu. The place

{ Downtown } Maridalsveien 4 rdtandoori.com A small indian restaurant which is said to have the best indian food in town. They are located a 10 minute walk from downtown Oslo. Nice staff and reasonable prices.

A LITTLE PIECE OF THAILAND Really a piece of Thailand in the middle of Oslo. Surrounded by a jungle, walking on bambus floor past "tux" taxis" and small "stalls" to sit in - these guys imported tons of interior, and everything you see is authentic. The food is great as well. Nice staff, great prices - and a surprise thunder storm during your meal. Visit!

Yaya’s

{ Downtown } Øvre vollgate 13 www.yayas.no

Norwegian cuisine Most Norwegians do not recognize the exceptional culinary traditions in Scandinavia. Trendy food is often synonymous with bruschettas with rocket salad and mozzarella, as long as it is imported from the Mediterranean. A few restaurants have specialized in Norwegian food. Here is a brief list for the daring ones. Bon appĂŠtit! sheeps head also known as smalahove is one of norways traditional meals

Dovrehallen

{ Downtown } Storgata 22 www.dovrehallen.no Dovrehallen is not a gourmet restaurant, and not mentioned in other tourist guides. Nevertheless, Dovrehallen offers something very unique and authentic. Here you can catch a glimpse of real Norwegian working class culture, both in terms of food and regulars. Note: Dovrehallen is on the first floor, and differs from Dovrestua which is on the ground floor. Dovrestua is a shady pub.

Fyret

{ Youngstorget } Youngstorget 6 www.fyretmatogdrikke.no We love Fyret. The atmosphere is informal and relaxed and the Norwegian/Scandinavian menu is brilliant and affordable. In the summer you can sit outside in the arcades, looking over to Youngstorget. Fyret also has a large selection of Aqauvit. Can it get more Scandinavian?

Kaffistova

{ Downtown } Rosenkrantz gate 8 www.kaffistova.com Kaffistova is the restaurant at Bondeheimen Hotel, specialising in traditional Norwegian food at affordable prices. All bread and cakes are homemade, and some say they have the best breakfast in town. Kaffistova also offers Norwegian meat products directly from Voss.

Kampen Bistro { Kampen } Bøgata 21 www.kampenbistro.no Kampen Bistro is an informal restaurant in beautiful Kampen. In addition to an alter devoted to Elvis Presley and 50’s furniture, the food is really tasty. Unpretentious, low cost gourmet is a fitting description for Kampen Bistro.

Lofoten fiskerestaurant

{ Downtown } Stranden 75 www.lofoten-fiskerestaurant.no Lofoten is said to be the best fish restaurant in Norway. The food is, as you may guess, based on Norwegian fresh seafood. But be aware, this is an expensive restaurant, so if you can’t afford a three course meal, check out the fish soup for lunch.

Schrøder { St. Hanshaugen } Waldemar Thranes gate 8 www.restaurant-schroder.no Informal atmosphere in a restaurant with a long history. Schrøder serves traditional Norwegian food on white stained tablecloths. It is definitely worth a visit, as the food is cheap and tasty plus they are generous with the portions.

BUYING NORWEGIAN FOOD Here you can find food with deep roots in Norwegian culture.

Fenaknoken

Tordenskioldsgate 12 www.fenaknoken.no Meat prepared the Norwegian style: smoked, dried and salty! And flatbread, of course! When you have eaten cured meat from Fenaknoken, you know how cured meat should taste!

The farmers market www.bondensmarked.no The farmers market is a market place where you can buy food directly from the producer. Check out their website to see when and where the next marked is.

Gourmet on a budget Streetwise is a guide for low-cost experiences, but be too tight on your budget and you can miss out on some great experiences. Here are some affordable gourmet restaurants. dinner with a view at ekebergrestauranten | Photo: Magnus Moholdt

Arakataka

{ Downtown } Mariboes gate 7 www.arakataka.no At Arakataka they serve international cuisine with a slight breeze from the Middle East. Arakataka combines creative dishes with top quality service at reasonable prices.

Ekebergrestauranten { Ekeberg } Kongsveien 15 www.ekebergrestauranten.com The Ekeberg Restaurant is functionalistic high water mark in Norway. Today it offers great food, and if the weather is nice we highly recommend their terrace. When there, ask for a glimpse of the 1st floor as well. The design and decoration is beautiful. Make sure you check out the sculptures surrounding the building as well. Fancy a walk before dinner? Go through Grønland to the restauraunt.

Sult { Grünerløkka } Soria Moria www.sult.no Sult has served the masses low price, high class food for over ten years. Sharing the building with the Soria Moria theatre, Sult is a perfect combo to a cultural experience. Expect the atmosphere to get loose nearing the partyhours.

Oslo Spiseforretning { Grønland } Oslo gate 15 www.oslo-spiseforretning.no This is the gourmet restaurant we recommend which is nearest to the Opera. Oslo Spisefor-

retning is where normal people can have their anniversary or celebrations without getting too expensive. A three course meal is about 460 NOK. But the dinner is cheaper before 6 pm, if you want to save money.

nam fah

{ Downtown } Prinsens gate 18 www.nam-fah.com Nam Fah has one of the best thai dishes in Oslo. Strong curry & coconut noodle soup made with fresh ingredients. This is a very popular place and it's sometimes wise to book a table in advance. They have two restaurants in Oslo, one downtown and the other at Grünerløkka, which is take-out only. Go buy yourself a decent meal for about 100 NOK and bring it to a local park.

gourmet on a semi-budget südøst

{ Grünerløkka } Trondheimsveien 5 www.sydost.no Located in the lower end of Grünerløkka, this place is not necessarily cheap, but filled with great interior and atmosphere. The place used to be a factory of some sort and they kept alot of the old structure and interior. In the summer they open up their huge outside area where the view is great. There's a lounge in the basement where you van enjoy drinks after your meal. Expect to pay more than 400 NOK for a complete meal, but the experience in its whole is worth it.

Fish & sushi It is raw, healthy and trendy. Sushi is about to be Norwegianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new favorite. Norwegian beginners and Japanese experts agree on one thing: Red and pure Norwegian salmon is one of the best fish you can get with tasty rice and sushi vinegar. It tastes just awesome! sushi lunch at the use-it office from sumo sushi | Photo: Magnus Moholdt

sushi Living by the coast does wonders to the freshness of the fish. Oslo is a Sushi-capitol in Norway. So get going.

Mitsu

{ Downtown } Møllergata 42 22 11 03 30 This is the place for huge chunks of Sushi wthout going broke. Mitsu is ranked high among sushi-lovers in Oslo, and if you are in a different mood, try their chicken baguette. Mitsu is the neighbourhood hangout-place for fish-lovers.

Sumo Sushi

{ Youngstorget } Youngstorget 3 22 33 33 01 This is nearby the office, so if you spot someone extraordinarily handsome and wellbehaved at Sumo Suhi during lunch hours, it might be one of us. Great place.

Le Meo Sushi

{ Grønland } Mandalls Gate 10 22 36 15 55 The first sushi restaurant at Grønland, and a popular place among the people in the neighborhood. Worth a visit.

Dvdon Hai Minh Hoang

{ Grünerløkka } Grüners gate 9 22 38 18 89 Sushi and asian dishes! 99,- for “todays special”. Includes appetizer and a main course.

Bislett Sushi { Bislett } Waldemar Thranesgate 2 If you are in the area of St. Hanshaugen and in mood for Sushi, this is the place to go.

fish mongers When visiting a country with a coast-line, try out their fresh fish.

Fiskeriet

{ Youngstorget } Youngstorget 2 Fishmonger and take-away restaurant all in one. Trendy and young employees, definitely trying to "step up" the Fishmongers "game". Tip: Buy fish here, vegetables and fruits in the grocery store close by, a cheap wine at Grønland basar - and then take a 4 minute stroll to the Police Park where you can picnic all you want.

Fjelberg fisk & vilt { Frogner } Bygdøy allé 56 Fjelberg fisk&vilt have been selling food since 1917.

Flyvefisken

{ Grønland } Lilletorget 1 A fishmonger at Grønland with good and fresh fish. The tip above applies to this one cause this one is even closer to the police park and the middle age park.

Vegetarian food Are you a vegetarian? Or do you simply prefer veggie food? There are a few vegetarian restaurants in Oslo, and the ones that exist are quite nice. There is no real problem finding vegetarian food in most up-to-date cafes and restaurants either. a tasty salad is never a bad choice and is easy to put together | Photo: www.sxc.hu

Blitz

{ Downtown } Pilestredet 30 C www.blitz.no An independently run youth house with a punk and anarchist crowd - and some cheap vegetarian food. Hot dinner is served everyday.

Spisestedet

{ Majorstuen } Hjelmsgate 3 www.vegetar.com/spisestedet Spisestedet serves ecological vegetarian food. The major part of their menu is also vegan; free of milk, eggs and other animal products.

The Café at Hausmania

{ Downtown } Hausmannsgate 34 www.hausmania.org Hausmania is a well known building previously occupied by punks and anarchists. It has evolved into a haven for creative and free spirits and now offers a vegan café, a bar and a place for cultural happenings.

Krishnas cuisine

{ Majorstuen } Sørkedalsveien 10 B www.krishnas-cuisine.no Krishnas cuisine serves, go figure, food inspired by the Hare Krishna movement. Krishnas cuisine gives you an okay value for money in an otherwise expensive neighbourhood.

Vega fairfood

{ Downtown } Akersgata 74 www.vegafairfood.no Vega is a buffet restaurant, with its own café and own bakery. Their food is varied with vegetables, lactose vegetarian and gluten-free. If you are creative and shameless, you can gather a lot of food on the smallest plate – all you can eat for 99,-!

eating out late Norway is not Spain and Oslo is not Barcelona. Here we are used to eat early, at least compared to other places in Europe. But if you are hungry late in the evening you can always check out one of the many kebab-shops in Torggata. In the end of this street you will find Café Sara, where the kitchen actually is open until 02.45 in the morning!

takeout Maybe you need something to eat while packing your bags, or maybe you're just feel like being a little lazy, there's always take-out. Many of the places listed in the food section also has a takeout menu, this list is just some of the more usual ones that delivers straight to your door.

Pizza Baronen 05212 www.pizzabaronen.no From Pizza Baronen you can get all kinds of dishes, we recommend going for the pizza. They deliver food until 03 00.

Spice 22 33 33 33 www.spice.no They deliver everything from pizza to sushi – their kitchen is open until 00 00.

peppes pizza 22 22 55 55 www.peppes.no Peppes focuses heavily on pizza, you can order some pasta and salads, but why would you do that from a pizza place?

pizza og kina ekspressen 22 22 22 22 www.22222222.no Delivers all kinds of dishes from american to asian food.

CafĂŠs and diners Fancy a latte? There are plenty to choose from and we norwegians love socializing in a cozy cafĂŠ or diner. Most of these places are also places to go out at night. Check some of them in the Nightlife section. enjoying a milkshake at ryes | Photo: magnus Moholdt

cafés Kaffebrenneriet

diners 49

ryes

{ Downtown } Storgaten 2 www.kaffebrenneriet.no One of the popular coffee chains in Oslo, filled with stressed out people in suits being late for their meetings – just for that regular taste of morning coffee.

{ Downtown } Thorvald Meyers gate 59 Bacon & eggs, pancakes, various flavoured milkshakes, popcorn and more. Ryes is your stereotypical american inspired diner with elements from the fifties. The price is reasonable and the staff is nice. Also a popular club at night.

Evita

the Nighthawk diner (TND)

{ Grønland } Brugata 17 www.evitaespressobar.no Grønland’s equivalent to Kaffebrenneriet with three stores located near the area of Grønland.

Tim wendelboe

{ Grünerløkka } Grünersgate 1 www.timwendelboe.no Oslo’s best coffee. Presise, passionate, knowledged and charming. Tim Wendelboe and his employees focus on quality and this is well known. The price is above average but so is the coffee. They've won awards and has been featured in magasines.

Fuglen café

{ Downtown } Seilduksgata 15 www.nighthawkdiner.com Truly dedicated to the american thirties theme, walking into TND can feel like a time travel. Price over the average, but they have a better menu than their competitors and most of the food is organic. They also have a good selection of imported beer, cocktails and wine.

{ Downtown } Pløensgate 4 www.cafemono.no/stedet-q If you are planning a night out, Q is a popular place to start. Grab a burger and a beer in this 70's inspired diner.

{ Downtown } Universitetsgaten 2 www.fuglen.no Fuglen (the bird) is inspired by the 60’s and 70’s and can remind you of your grandparents interior – in other words it’s retro. In the evening Fuglen turn into a cocktail bar.

cocoa { Grünerløkka } Toftesgate 48 www.cocoa.no Definately the place to go if you have a sweet tooth. They serve a great selection of hot chocolate, coffee, smoothies, cookies and salads.

oslo mekaniske verksted

{ Grønland } Tøyenbekken 34 www.oslomekaniskeverksted.no Chill atmosphere, nice people and best of all – you can bring your own food. They have takeout menus instead of their own, so you can order whatever from the takeouts nearby. It's in the same building as the theatre “The house of drama”. People in the neighborhood usually hang here, especially in the summer when you can sit outside.

Nightlife Here's a guide to Oslo's most popular places. These places are decent ones and places we go ourselves â&#x20AC;&#x201C; if you are looking for something more... dodgy, this is not the guide for you. enjoy oslos nightlife. who knows, you might get to know one of us | Photo: magnus Moholdt

Do you live in a society with information-overload and dream of easy navigation? Lucky you. Browse "nightlife" using these symbols.

cover charge

Beer specialized

If you see this symbol it means that this place is known to have an entry fee at the door.

Almost every bar in Oslo sells beer, this symbol means it has a larger variety.

outdoor service

drinks specialized

This particular establishment has an outside area. Most likely this is closed during the winter, but you never know.

You can get a standard gin & tonic almost everywhere. This symbol means the place has more of a selection of drinks.

live stage

wine specialized

The place has a stage and concerts are often held here.

The place has more than a couple brands of wine.

cafĂŠ

food specialized

The place is a cafĂŠ during daytime and sells a variety of coffee.

You can get a decent meal from the place with this symbol..

sports

dancefloor

This place is focused on sports and it is highly likely there will be a game running on the TV.

You can dance your heart off anywhere you like, however this symbol means the place has a dedicated dancefloor.

Youngstorget Youngstorget is located in the very heart of Oslo. The word "torg" means square, and Youngstorget is a classical example of a square; full of life, happenings and history. playing shuffleboard at tilt is fun | Photo: magnus Moholdt

Café Sør

Torggata 11 www.cafesor.no Café Sør is an extremely chill café, which turn into a club in the evenings. The club serves coctails with emphasis on fruits and berries and in the daytime you can enjoy their tasty soup. This is one of our usual hangouts after work, as well as Saturday nights.

Mono

Pløens gate 4 www.cafemono.no Mono has been around for years and has grown very popular during that time. Mono is a rock’n roll bar with more focus on Indie and Americana than Heavy Metal. If the bar looks empty during a nice hot day, the regulars are probably to be found smoking in the backyard. Mono has expanded and now includes a 60s diner & bar called Q.

Justisen

Fisk og vilt

Pløens gate 1 Fisk og Vilt is a cool bar with a cool crowd. If you want to hang with Oslo hipsters, check out Fisk og vilt. A combined dance floor/smoking section in the back yard is always a winner. If you get bored with Mono, Fisk og Vilt is just across the street.

Internasjonalen

Youngstorget 2 www.internasjonalen.no This used to be a bar only but has expanded on the first floor with a dancefloor. There are a lot more hipsters upstairs than on the ground floor. Internasjonalen has a great selection of both brilliant booze and bartenders.

Møllergata 15 Justisen is a pub, restaurant type of thing in a 18 th century building. Their backyard is popular in the summer. In the wintertime you can wander around inside in the two floors and suddenly stumble over a cosy little sitting place where you can relax with your friends. Justisen is right next to Sosialen which is a bit more fancy place.

Stratos

elevator to the top of the building and sit on their terrace with a cold drink. If the terrace is closed you can go inside in the club, but this suddenly loose the feel of being on top.

Youngstorget 2A www.stratos.as Hotel Plaza has the Skybar on Oslo’s rooftop, Stratos is the rooftop of Youngstorget. Take the

POLITICAL NAMES The pubs around Youngstorget have names with political sound. This is because the buildings around belongs to the different political parties. The politician, The welfare, The international, the justice and the paragraph are some of the places. You don’t have to be political active to go here and the pubs and bars are not politically affiliated, but you might bump into a Norwegian politician.

the 'q' part of mono | Photo: magnus Moholdt

Sosialen

MĂ¸llergata 13 www.sosialen.com Sosialen attracts people in their thirties who are looking to mate. Recommended if you are interested in a serious commitment. The trick with Sosialen is to arrive before 12 when the line outside has yet to form.

hells kitchen

MĂ¸llergata 23 Hells kitchen is best known for its tasty pizza and is a popular start to a night out. Fridays is probably one of the most crowded days when people say goodbye to a stressful week and welcomes the weekend parties.

the villa

MĂ¸llergata 23 www.thevilla.no The Villa is a very popular club in Oslo. In the basement of Hells Kitchen people go wild on the big dancefloor to the beats of popular DJs.

tilt

beer prices No matter where you're from you will probably find norwegian beer heavily over priced. Even norwegians, with our salaries, think the prices are too high. What you pay for a 0,5l varies, as you can imagine, from place to place. All depending on the location, the quality of the place and other factors. We're not saying that you won't find a cheap beer at a very nice place. There are lots of nice and cheap places, but these factors often impact the prices.

>35 This is as cheap as it gets! 35-50 This is a good bargain. 50-65 This is the average price in Oslo. 65-75 This place should be awesome.

Torggata 16 www.tiltoslo.no This place kicks ass. Tons of tasty beer brands, arcade games, flipper games and shuffleboard. It's divided into two rooms, one looks like a bar but the tables have built in arcade games. The other room is mainly for gaming, pin ball games and two big shuffleboard tables. Definately worth checking out if you're looking for a great night out in Oslo.

75< Get the hell out of there! These prices are mainly for 0,5l glasses but keep in mind some places serve with the same prices with 0,4l glasses. Also depending on your brand of beer the price may vary. We norwegians are starting to get more interested in imported beer and variants, and the prices are usually higher.

Grünerløkka Grünerløkka is the place to go out in Oslo – alongside Youngstorget. Set your foot in Grünerløkka and your night will unfold naturally. You are probably going to dance rockabilly-style at Ryes, stumble across a Balkan Beat-party at Parkteatret, and end it all with some intense African rhythms at Fru Hagen. a night out at schouskjelleren | Photo: magnus Moholdt

Kaos

Thorvald Meyersgate 56 www.cafekaos.no Kaos is a spacious mainstream place where the young and wild og crazy in the weekends, dance the night away and practice their pick up-lines in the fancy bar. Kaos has proper facilities for smokers, with a heated tent in the backyard.

Fru Hagen

Thorvald Meyersgate 40 www.fruhagen.no Fru Hagen was one of the first hip cafés that popped up when Grünerløkka transformed from being a working class area to a supermegatrendy magnet for artists, “tourists” from the west side of Oslo and wannabees. Though Fru Hagen might have dropped a bit on the hotspot barometer, the place still attracts people. At daytime you can sink into the red velour couches and enjoy sandwiches and pastery while gazing to the stars in the ceiling. At night, it turns into a popular party place for the younger generation of Swedes and students. Fru Hagen is frequently visited by skilled DJs.

Blå

Brenneriveien 9c www.blaaoslo.no Blå is Oslos popular factory hall style club and a legendary jazz club – with a really wide definition of jazz. On Saturdays you go clubbing, on Sundays you go shopping at the market and on Mondays you rock out to metal. This is the way Blå is, and that is why we love the place. If you like Blå, you should probably check out what’s on at Fabrikken or Indigo, the teo Factory Style clubs right next to Blå.

Bar Boca

Thorvald Meyersgate 30 Bar Boca is the place for high quality drinks. This 50s-inspired shoebox sized cocktail bar is ideal for social non-claustrophobic people. With only 5 tables it is impossible not to speak to your fellow customers. Bar Boca is visited by people of all ages.

aku aku tiki bar

Thorvald Meyersgate 32 www.akuaku.no Aloha! If you have a specific idea of a night with high quality drinks in a Hawaiian inspired bar, go to Aku Aku. They carry a huge selection of various exciting drinks and is definately worth a visit. Cool surf music in a friendly enviroment.

schouskjelleren

Trondheimsveien 2 Situated in the basement of the old Schous brewery you will find the micro brewery of Schouskjelleren. This charming damp basement serves you high quality, self-brewed beer. It's not as budget friendly as many other places but the beer alone is definately a reason to visit. When in doubt of what beer to go for, ask for a taste and you will get a small glass with a mouth full of beer for 15 NOK.

party on a sunday www.fzq.no Each and every Sunday for 11 years, and still going strong, Frank Znort Quartet plays at Blå. The shows are free and hightly recommended for the friendly atmosphere.

bl책 by day | Photo: magnus Moholdt

Ryes

Thorvald Meyersgate 29 This groovy bar and restaurant is definitely influenced by the typical American diner. Interesting interior design and a rockabilly style characterizes the place. Here you can enjoy tasty burgers, pancakes and milkshakes, served by a friendly staff. It’s not too expensive either. Before 20 pm you can have three pints for NOK 100. If you are in the mood for some 50’s or 60’s music and dancing, this is the place to go.

Parkteateret

Toftesgate 69 www.soundofmu.no Sound of Mu is an art galleri, bar and concert venue. Sound of Mu is always crowded but considering the place is as big as a bed room, filling up the place is never a challenge. The live gigs are intimate and cozy. If you have trouble getting in and the band is very interesting, you can always stand outside and watch through their huge window like many others do.

Olaf Ryes plass 11 www.parkteatret.no Parkteateret is a former movie theatre, where the foyer has been transformed into a minimalist 50’s inspired bar. The place and its visitors are cool without being too much. There is also a concert stage in the back, with clubs and live music – this is where legendary concept “Balkan Beat Club” sporadically. Pop in for a night of moves, grooves and waffles.

Mir

sound of mu

Toftesgate 69 www.lufthavna.no Mir is by far Grünerløkka’s best kept secret. Hang out with rockers and the alternative nation. On the ground floor you drink your beer in old aeroplane seats, or whatever they decide to decorate with. In the basement you’ll feel you’re visiting someone’s living room. Play dart or fußball game, or check out the small library, where you can take a book with you - as long as you leave another book. If you come here and the staff is covering the windows with fabric, it is simply because there will be a concert later. It also means you should stay for it.

picking up a norwegian Norwegians are often referred to as more straight forward than Swedes and Danes. Any way, that doesn't mean we are easy to get to know, or that your Don Juan-skills don't need an adjustment. Here are some quick pointers: Norwegian girls aren't particulary easy to sweep off their feet. For instance; they may turn sceptical if you try to buy them a drink. Ask before buying. Norwegian boys are always happy when girls take initiative. Norway is a very egalitarian society and we like to split the bill. Very few girls expect to be paid for, and guys can get surprised if girls expect them to pay. If you're interested in getting to know Norwegians, be prepeared that the talkative and outgoing person you met in the bar, can turn out to be quite introvert and shy the day after.

GrĂ¸nland GrĂ¸nland has a rich culture, lots of immigrants and lots of life. It's close to downtown so when you're done hanging out in one of Oslo's exciting neighbourhoods it's just a 10 minute walk to the city centre. people gathering around the round bar at pigalle | Photo: Sara Rose

Olympen

Grønlandleiret 15 www.olympen.no Olympen is a cafe, pub and restaurant. The interior looks like an old courtroom with brown tall walls big chandeliers in the middle of the room. Olympen (or Lompa as we call it) has beer from several Norwegian producers you won’t find other places. They are also known for serving Norwegian food. We usually go here after working days, just to relax eat some food and drink some beer.

Pigalle

and drink some coffee or beer. The price is not so good, but if you buy a coffee you get free refill, and you will get to know the people living in the area.

Bob’s

Grønland 1 This pub is situated on a little corner with some seats outside. We have different ideas about it. Some say it's a really chill place to have some beers because of the cheap prices. And for others this can get a little shady because of the crowd. It really depends on your standards, but either way, cheap beer is always nice.

Dattera til Hagen Grønlandsleiret 15 www.olympen.no So now you are at Pigalle, and you suddenly notice that the bartenders are the same as Olympen. Relax you’re not drunk, the two places belong together. Here you can relax in the stalls and every stall has its own phone so you can call other stall-people. They have a good dancing floor and good music.

Cafekontoret

Grønlandsleiret 46 www.cafekontoret.no Cafekontoret is known for their quiz-nights and is a good afternoon-place. Cheap beer and nice people.

Venner

Smalgangen 31 www.vennerrestaurant.no Venner (Friends) is the cozy café where the people in the neighborhood hang out. Perfect for 2-4 people looking for a place to sit down

Grønland 10 www.dattera.no This is one of the most popular hangouts in Grønland. Dattera is always crowded, from morning until late in the evening. On Dattera you can have a drink, coffee or beer, eat good food and also go clubbing if you’d like- inside or outside in their backyard. You might as well stay here all day if you can afford it. Compared to the neighbouring pubs one can say you pay a little extra for the colourful setting, but it’s definitely worth it.

Queens pub

Brugata 14 Queens pub is a little place hidden in Grønland. The crowd is a mix of adults out looking for fun and regular drunks. But what makes this pub worth mentioned is their live piano performances and karaoke nights which is really fun. You can choose to participate or just hang out on their “balcony” and watch the show from above.

Downtown In the heart of the city you're bound to find at least one place to your taste. Downtown Oslo has alot to offer from a diverse collection of clubs, bars, pubs, discoteques and cafĂŠs. the charming back ally of bare jazz | Photo: magnus Moholdt

Nomaden

Bernt Ankers gate 17 nomadenclub.com Nomaden is one of our favourite clubs in Oslo. Picture a basement, filled with colourful interior and great music. The music varies from funk, reggae and afro-pop. Nomaden is the kind of club that still has a great underground feel. They do have a cover charge, but considerably less than Blå for instance. Recommended!

Revolver

Møllergata 32 www.revolveroslo.no Revolver has constantly been expanding and now completely taken over the little red house they are in. The focus is still on rock, and music in general. At Revolver you find a club with dancing and live shows, a small restaurant and a regular bar. Revolver has become a popular weekend destination for the young and trendy so expect a long line and a good time!

Stopp pressen

Akersgata 55 www.stopp-pressen.com ”Stop the press” is located nearby the offices of the norwegian newspapers. Stopp pressen is first and foremost a bar, but if the music is right and you are in a mood you can use the little dancefloor. The music is often blues and rock. A usual hangout for many journalists.

Bare Jazz

Grensen 8 www.barejazz.no Bare Jazz (or “Just Jazz” in English) is something

as rare as a jazz café in Oslo. Bare Jazz is run by internationally acclaimed saxophonist Bodil Niska, so the credibility is definitely maintained at this place. In the summer the place opens its charming back ally and you can enjoy a nice glass of wine while listening to some calming jazz. Bare Jazz is also a records store that has a large selection of – surprise, surprise – just jazz!

Living Room

Olav V’s gate 1 www.living-room.no Living Room is the club for urban hip hop and RnB music. After a hip hop concert, Living Room is the place where the afterparty is. The club is expensive and has a cover, but it is one of the few places where they play real rnb and hip hop, and sometimes reggae. Popular place and usually crowded. Worth a visit if you're into the hip hop scene.

Fugazi

Tordenskioldgate 3 www.fugazi.no Fugazi has two floors and an outside backyard, where everybody can dance the night away. A couple of times a month they have concerts in the backyard with some of Oslos best DJ’s. Fugazi was voted the best club of 2010, and is trying to keep it that way. Worth a visit!

Onkel Donald

Universitetsgata 26 www.onkeldonald.no Onkel Donald is a bar, restaurant and a club – all in one! The rooms are large and bright. This somewhat echoes the people coming here. Onkel Donald is your regular Saturday night pick up joint – but hey! What a party!

Bohemen

Arbeidergata 2 www.bohemen.no Bohemen is the place for meeting local football supporters. It is the official Vålerenga pub (local team) , but is also considered a traditional sports bar. Every night they screen matches, both local derbys and international football. Where do real men hug? On a football field, or at Bohemen.

Elm Street

Dronningensgate 32 www.elmstreet.no Elm Street is a legend among Oslo’s many brilliant rock bars. Apart from being a legend Elm Street is also a great place to have breakfast when hung over from last night. Check out Double Elvis, on the Menu. Elm Street is well known in Norway, and among metal fans all over Europe.

Fun House

St. Olavsgate 23 funhouseoslo.com A damp basement with black brick walls is the perfect setting for a rock´n roll bar. As a concert venue Fun House is so literary underground that the only place to stand, is straight in front of the stage. If punk rock is your cup of tea, go to Fun House.

Bar Robinet

Mariboes gate 7 Robinet is a really tiny retro-esque bar, populated by musicians, media-people and all sorts of liberal hedonists. Robinet gets easily crowded

so expect to hang around a while before you get a seat. Robinet has a southern feel that is rarely found in other bars in Oslo, all in all, highly recommended! Remember to bring cash, cause they don’t take card.

last train

Karl Johansgate 45 www.lasttrain.no Last Train is Oslo's oldest rock bar serving concerts, beer and no bull shit for 20 years. Just a stones throw away from Hard Rock Café you can experience true rock and roll in a friendly enviroment amongst the many regulars. Whatever you do, do not request a song.

rock in

Øvre Slottsgate 10 www.rockinoslo.com Tattoos, long black hair and makeup. This kinda describes both the female and male guests of Rock In, a 7 year old metal bar in the heart of Oslo. If you want heavy and black metal topped off with power ballads and sentimental drunken talks at the end of the day, this is the place to go.

closing time Oslo is a city with very strict opening hours. No bars or clubs are open longer than 03 30. Alcohol stops being served at 03 00. Bars outside the cituy centre usually close at 01 00 with a few exceptions, like the streets Thorvald Meyersgate and Hegdehausveien. Oslo is not a city for 24-hour party people.

Oslo live scenes Oslo is a great place to enjoy your favourite bands live. From the giant Oslo Spektrum to the three central and popular venues of Rockefeller downtown. Rockefeller

Torggata 16 www.rockefeller.no Oslos most popular live scene, though not the largest. The main stage area plus the two extra balconies houses about 1.300 guests.

john dee

Torggata 16 www.rockefeller.no Located in the same building as Rockefeller. John Dee houses about 400 guests.

sentrum scene

Arbeidersamfunnets plass 1 www.rockefeller.no Just a stones throw away from Rockefeller and John Dee you will find Sentrum Scene. It's slightly larger than the Rockefeller area, housing 1.750 guests.

oslo spektrum

Sonja Henies pl. 2 www.oslospektrum.no One of Oslos largest concert venues. It houses the biggest shows and has a capacity of around 10.000 guests. Spektrum located downtown.

betong

Slemdalsveien 15 www.studentersamfundet.no At Majorstua in the Chateau Neuf building you will find Betong. Housing 1.200 guests.

bl책

Brenneriveien 9 C www.blaaoslo.no Well know for having club nights with DJs as well as being a concert venue housing 300 guests.

parkteateret

Olaf Ryes plass 11 www.parkteatret.no One of the oldest cinemas in Europe (dating back to 1907), Parkteatret is now a popular 400-capacity music venue.

buying tickets www.billettservice.no The fastest and most efficient way in obtaining a ticket is to buy online at billettservice and pick up your ticket at a local kiosk such as Narvesen and 7-Eleven.

Under 20 It's not easy finding a suitable place if you're under 20 years. This is probably because most owners focus on the majority of people and usually play the standard pop charter music. However some places differs from this norm and you might come across a pretty cool place. local dj playing at one of oslos clubs | Photo: erik Moholdt

Choice

{ Grønland } Grønland 3 Choice is a skanky pub and as far away from high society as you possibly can get. Nevertheless Choice is always full.

Corner’n

rock/metal. This is one of the first places we try out when we turn 18.

Nexus

{ Downtown } C.J. Hambros plass 2A Nexus is a Brazilian style night club. The music is mostly Latino.

Studentersamfunnet { Grünerløkka } Trondheimsveien 6A Sports bar with a nice staff, the place is filled with flags and posters from Norwegian and English soccer teams.

Den Gode Café

{ Bislett } Pilestredet 52 This student-run pick up joint is not visible from street level since all the action takes place in the basement.

Studenten { Downtown } Fredensborgveien 13 Den Gode Café has been around forever, serving sloppy Tex Mex influenced food, in a newly renewed modern enviroment.

Fredens

Trompeten

{ Downtown } Fredensborgveien 17 A small place where you can really relax, the staff is nice and tolerant. The guests and staff are mostly Africans, and you’ll probably get to speak English on a higher level here than any other place in Oslo.

Møllers Café

{ Bislett } Parkveien 1 Cheap food, cheap beer, and tv-screens. This is very budget-friendly and very student friendly.

{ Downtown } Skippergata 29 Trompeten (the Trumpet) is a karaoke bar. They have no cover charge except on Saturdays.

Evergreen

{ Downtown } Mariboes gate 9 Møllers is known as the place every 18-year old goes to, even though they mostly play hard

{ Bislett } Pilestredet 39 This is a small pub, with nice prices in the bar and age limit 18. This results in a tight pick-up marked for thirsty and horny students who are out to have fun.

Oslo Festivals When summer starts sneaking in and our invert personalities takes a sudden turn to a super social, park loving and smiling individual, the music festivals starts preparing for yet another season. We love these festivals, and they love us, and in return the demand for more has risen and Oslo offers now more than ever music festivals for everyone. the crowd goes wild when norwegian band kvelertak plays at Ă¸ya festival | Photo: erik Moholdt

Oslo live

Summer Island Electronika Festival

23.-25. June www.oslolivefestival.no When the popular Quart festival in Kristiansand went bankrupt a couple of years ago, two smart guys in Oslo hurrily booked all their line-ups for merely no cost. A new festival was born, now a yearly 3-day festival at Akershus Fortress. Great artists, cheap entrance and available for everyone over 18 years.

8.-10. July www.sommeroya.no This festival is on the islands Langøyene just outside Oslo. Late summernights with good electronica and house beats. Camp on the island and use the ocean as your shower. Take the ferry if you want to go to town. The festival lasts for three days, enjoy! Read more about Langøyene in the activities section.

Øya

Inferno

9.-13. August www.oyafestivalen.com Øya Festival is the biggest festival in Oslo. Five days packed with superstars and underground artists alike, and nightclubs all over town filled with DJ-concepts. The festival is expensive so here is our budget tip: Find a little spot of grass near the festival area, bring drinks and food and listen for free.

20.-23. April www.infernofestival.net Norway is known for its black metal so it's only natural that we also have a festival in its genre. It's held annually around the easter holiday, which is kinda funny in a symbolic way. Get your black suit on and get ready for some serious headbanging. Fancy a tattoo and some black metal effects while you're at it? Inferno also has a huge expo with tattoo booths and music merch.

Norwegian wood 9.-13. June www.norwegianwood.no Norwegian Wood is a revered rockfestival in Oslo. Our biggest outdoor public bath is transformed to a festival area, with some of the greatest rock artists of our time. The festival’s name alludes to the familiar Beatles’song “Norwegian Wood". Right next door to the outdoor bath is the Vigeland Park. If you can’t afford the festival ticket you can just sit in the nearby park and enjoy the music from there.

Oslo Queer Festival 1.-3. September osloqueer.org This is a festival for everybody. Be that straight, homosexual, lesbian, transsexual and so forth. It's a festival to celebrate peoples freedom to choose, to celebrate the culture and the unity that is the queer community. There's parades, concerts and workshops. Go wild, no one's judging you!

musikkfest oslo

October fest

4. June www.musikkfest.no This is the best day of the year! If you are in town this day you have to go out and enjoy local artists play concerts free of charge. There's stages all around Oslo. Every park or area has its own music style so you can easily pick your favorite and listen to good music the whole day.

October Hilarious atmosphere, dozens of various beer brands, German ompa and polka music, large beer tents, low prices on all drinks. Long tables, shoulder to shoulder, German singalong drinking songs, Octoberfest hats and Octoberfest aprons. This great festival is arranged by students, for students and everybody over 20.

Shopping in Oslo The great thing about shopping in Oslo is the short distances between the various shopping areas. Like all major cities the town areas give you a specific style of stores. After reading this section you will be sure where to head out first. you certainly don't have to empty your wallet shopping in oslo, tempting as it is | Photo: coulorbox.com

where to shop

markets

Aker Brygge

Birkelunden

At Aker Brygge you will find expensive designer shops as well as more standard shops, cafés, restaurants, theatres, cinema and bars. Aker Brygge is all in all a fairly expensive area.

{ Grünerløkka } At the top of Grünerløkka so to say, you find the park Birkelunden. The market is Sundays from 1200 until 20 00. Among other things you find old furniture, kitchen-items, clothing, books, vinyl, DVDs, CDs, t-shirts and jewellery.

Bogstadveien and Majorstua Between the Royal Palace and Vigelandsparken (Frogner parken) is one of the largest shopping districts in Oslo. Here you’ll find a range of posh boutiques where you do not want to enter wearing smelly sandals and a backpack.

Grønland Grønland is known for its large population of non-western immigrants. If you are looking for fabrics, fancy jewellery, spices, or fruit and vegetable markets, Grønland is the place to be.

Karl Johans Gate Karl Johans gate is the most famous street in Oslo. Karl Johan reaches from the Royal Palace to Oslo Central Station. Here you will find hundreds of shops of all kinds and lots of street artists and vendors during the summer.

Grünerløkka Here you can discover small designer boutiques, small cafes, parks and everything else you might need during lazy urban days. And don’t miss the Sunday marked at Birkelunden.

opening hours Opening hours are usually weekdays 10 00 – 1700. Saturday they close earlier, but this depends on the shop. Many shopping centres are open from 10 00 – 21 00 Monday to Friday and 10 00 – 18 00 Saturdays. Most shops are closed on Sundays, though many souvenir shops remain open.

Blå { Downtown } Brenneriveien 3 Each Sunday, between 1200 and 1700, young local artists gather at Blå to sell postcards, ceramics, jewellery, jam, knitted shawls and stockings, bags, paintings etc. The market at Blå is really nice and worth a visit, even if you are not looking for anything in particular.

Grønland { Grønland } Every Saturday from 1200 to 18 00 there is a market under the highway bridge at Grønland. Here sellers from all corners of the world come to sell used or renewed items.

Vestkanttorget { Downtown } Saturdays at 10 00 until 1700. Go to the main entrance of The Frogner Park and ask for Amaldus Nilsens Plass or Vestkanttorget.

Youngstorget { Downtown } Youngstorget is a 150-year old marketplace. Among the street vendors you will find everything from organic food to second hand LPs and pan pipes. Not as exciting as many of the other markets.

Shopping centres You’ll find them easily if you ask anyone at the street. The largest is Oslo City, close to the Oslo Central Station.

Buying Norwegian It's not a bad idea to bring back a piece of foreign culture to get the memories flowing back home. How about some clothing? Mannequin at Moods of Norway | Photo: magnus Moholdt

norwegian fashion AntiSweden

{ Majorstuen } Kristian Augusts gate 13 www.antisweden.no Sweden has domintated the Scandinavian jeans scene for years, with brands like Acne, Cheap Monday and Nudie. Some Norwegians got sick and tired of Swedish dominance and established an Norwegian alternative – AntiSweden Jeans.

Moods of Norway

{ Majorstuen } Akersgata 18 www.moodsofnorway.com In 2003 two brave Norwegians entered the international fashion scene with hip clothing, influenced by Norwegian arts and crafts, history and mentality. Now they’ve finally located to Oslo. Moods of Norway never set out to make souvenirs or to be ironic or funny. It is simply very stylish clothing.

norwegian design Pur Norsk { St. Hanshaugen } Theresesgate 14 www.purnorsk.no This is a store specializing in Norwegian products. Pur Norsk seeks to heighten the general awareness regarding Norwegian quality design. You don’t find wool sweaters here, though. Instead you can get more or less everything else.

norwegian skating Shit!

{ Majorstuen } Torggata 25 www.shittm.com Shit! is a Norwegian skateboard. The shop was started in 1995 by Frode Goa, an autodidact

designer whom managed to get his clothes collection distributed to 20 skateshops throughout Norway by 2002. The company grew, and now there are two Shit stores, one of which is located in Torggata. The other one is in Stavanger. Shit! sells skateboards and clothing internationally.

norwegian t-shirts probat

{ Günerløkka } Thorvald Meyers gate 54 www.probat.no Probat is a t-shirt company with an allNorwegian approach. Probat makes t-shirts depicting brown cheese, moose and catch phrases from Norwegian pop culture. They’ve become quite popular and are expanding into the American market – promoting Norway to Norwegian Americans! They also sell childrens clothing with stylish motives.

beyond cheap If you're taking this budget travel business seriously, there are a few stores you might want to check out. These are the stores we norwegians go to buy cheap holiday effects, candy brands we've never heard of, office supplies etc. The list goes on.

nille

Stenersgata 1 Cookies, candy, tooth paste, envelopes. Nille has a variety of cheap stuff from brands you won't see in the more costly stores. They have stores all around Oslo.

clas ohlson

Torggata 2-6 Did your mp3 player break during one of your nights out, or maybe you need a cheap cell phone. Clas Ohlson carries a huge selection of electronics at a reasonable price.

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Norwegian souvenirs Looking for souvenirs to bring back home? You can always buy a traditional norwegian troll, and you'll find them everywhere in the souvenir shops of downtown. But if you're looking for something different and less costly, here are some alternatives. the regular souvenir; trolls | Photo: magnus Moholdt

The cheapest way to bring back a part of Nor way to friends and family, is to go to one of the regular grocery stores and buy typical Nor wegian food. The Nor wegian brown cheese, the Jarlsberg cheese and a couple of the milk chokolades from Freia. You should also bring some Nor wegian smoked salmon for your friends to taste. And of course some nor wegian aquavit. The Ostehøvel (Cheese slicer) that we nor wegians use to slice our cheese with, is often expensive if you buy it in the tourist shops. We’d recommend you to look for a cheese slicer in a grocery store or at a store with kitchen-stuff.

freia melkesjokolade { Norwegian chocolate } You can basicly get this product in every grocery store, kiosk and they even have their own special little store in Karl Johan where they only sell Freia chocolates. "Et lite stykke Norge", Freia's slogan, means A little piece of Norway.

Worried all your Oslo-memories are eaten up after a week? Pictures are relatively cheap souvenirs, so bring your camera. And of course, check out local recording artists (shopping records, page ..)

OSTEHØVEL & BRUNOST { Norwegian cheese } Brunost is made by boiling a mixture of milk, cream and whey for several hours. The heat turns the milk sugar into caramel which gives the cheese its characteristic taste and color. A very traditional lunch in Norway consists of several pieces of sliced bread with brown cheese on top. The cheese slicer is a norwegian creation invented by Thor Bjørklund in 1925.

Aquavit { Norwegian liquor } Aquavit is a scandinavian liquor made by potatoes. It's strong taste and character comes from a variation of spices. The name Aquavit, akevitt in norwegian, comes from the latin words Aqua Vitae, which means water of life. This product is only available in our liquor stores; Vinmonopolet.

norwegian traditions At Haugtussa you can buy Norwegian folk costumes or simply catch a peek at what Norwegians wear at the 17th of May.

Haugtussa { Majorstuen } Uranienborgveien 3

Book stores Buying books when you are travelling is like taking pictures or buying postcards. You will forever associate that particular book with that lovely vacation - for instance in Oslo. It also serves a more practical usage such as reading the thing on the way home or whilst in a park. the english section at ark bookstore | Photo: magnus Moholdt

second hand literature

ordinary book stores ark bokhandel

Bjørn Ringstrøm Antikvariat

{ Downtown } Øvre Slottsgate 23 www.ark.no Ark carries a selection of literature, art books etc. You will find their stores throughout Oslo.

{ St. Hanshaugen } Wessels gate 2 B We like Ringstrøms. The staff is friendly and they have a huge selection of lots of stuff. They also carry records.

norli

Lucky Eddie

{ Downtown } Universitetsgata 20 www.norli.no Also a large chain of bookstores with much the same selection as Ark.

{ Grünerløkka } Trondheimsveien 63 www.luckyeddie.no What to say, a few records, lots of comics, books and cds.

specialized book stores

Pretty Price Antikvariat

Bokcafeen Jaap van Huysmanns Minde 10 { Majorstuen } Hjelms gate 3 jaap.frihetlig.org This is your regular anti authoritarian bookstore, specializing in freedom fighting literature.

Nomaden

{ Downtown } Uranienborgsveien 4 www.nomaden.no Nomaden is specialized in travel literature.

Torpedo Art Book Store

Spøk og Spenning { Grünerløkka } Helgesensgate 10 At Spøk og Spenning you find old comics, books, cds and such – at affordable prices.

{ Grønland } Trelastgata 3 www.torpedobok.no Torpedo is an independent book store focusing on contemporary arts and visual arts.

Tronsmo

{ Downtown } Dronningens gate 23 At Pretty Price the owner has an ashtray at the counter. This should give you a certain idea of what shop you've just entered. Anyway, at Pretty Price you find used books, comics, records etc. They also have the best selection of second hand porn in Oslo.

{ Downtown } Kristian Augusts gate 19 www.tronsmo.no This is a really good alternative bookstore. They have absolutely every possible cultural phenomenon represented here.

house of literature Wergelandsveien 29 www.litteraturhuset.no/english

In the autumn of 2007, Norway’s first House of Literature opened its doors in Oslo’s former teacher college, located in central Oslo directly behind the royal palace. It is now doing service for the greater good of literature and public debate.

Alternative shopping There is nothing wrong with either H&M or Zara, but you find those stores everywhere. Here's a shopping guide to Oslo â&#x20AC;&#x201C; with sort of an alternative outlook. clothes and music at los lobos | Photo: magnus Moholdt

Angels Speed Equipment

{ Grünerløkka } Rathkesgt 7 www.angels-speed-equipment.com A pretty cool store. Rockabilly and 50’s style, Nudie Jeans, Rocha, Route 66, Vivian Hollywood, Collect if. While you are here, check out the 50s style hairdresser Billie Bangs, just across the street.

Friends Fair Trade

{ Downtown } Storgata 36 www.friendsfairtrade.no Fair trade clothes, interior and food/snacks.

Freudian Kicks

{ Downtown } Torggata 36 www.huntinglodge.no Contemporary street wear, shoes and decoration. Hunting Lodge makes men look good.

Los Lobos

Ruth 66 { Torshov } Torshovgata 3 www.ruth66.no You probably didn't travel to Norway to buy furniture, at least most of you haven't. But that still doesn't mean you don't have to check out this 50’s style interior and decoration store. Some second hand shoes and clothes.

Scorpius Import

{ Downtown } Prinsens gate 10 www.freudiankicks.com 180 square meters with selections from Acne, American Apparel, A.P.C, Best Behavior, Casio Databank, Henrik Vibskov, J-Brand jeans, Kokon To Zai, Sneaky Steve, Wood Wood and some second hand.

Hunting Lodge

bos sells rockabilly and 50’s style clothes, gadgets and LPs with music to accompany the looks.

{ Grünerløkka } Thorvald Meyers gate 30 www.loslobos.no In one of Grünerløkka's most busy shopping street you'll find a charming little store. Los Lo-

{ Grünerløkka } Schleppegrellsgate 16 www.scorpius.no On the far top of Grünerløkka in a colourful building that will make you stare in awe for quite some time, depending on your state of mind, you will find Scorpius. Scorpius is nirvana for hippies – colourful scarves, clothes and accessories.

Shangri-La

{ Downtown } Karl Johans gate 2 www.shangri-la.no Hippie style clothes and accessories – more or less the same as Scorpius.

Skaperverket

{ Grünerløkka } Markveien 60 www.skaperverket.no Some young designers are running this store together. You`ll find clothing, postcards, ceramics, photos, earrings, notebooks and much more. Charming store with charming products.

Shopping records Visiting the many charming, independent record stores can be a great way to spend time. You might end up with nothing after countless hours of browsing through weird collections, but sometimes you come across something so unique you feel that the hours were well spent. browsing the various lps at neseblod records | Photo: magnus Moholdt

used record stores Bjørn Ringstrøm Antikvariat { St. Hanshaugen } Wessels gate 2 B www.ringstrom-antikvariat.no We like Ringstrøms. Here you find great records at reasonable prices. Ringstrøms has a good jazz selection, and also includes a book store.

Music Bare Jazz

{ Downtown } Grensen 8 www.barejazz.no Bare Jazz is a good jazz store and café (see review in Nightlife section)

Big Dipper Records

{ Downtown } Torggata 36 www.bigdipper.no Big Dipper is a stereotypical independent music store. They carry a huge selection of music, especially on vinyl, with a focus on rock’n roll.

platekompaniet

{ Downtown } Oslo City shopping mall www.platekompaniet.no The most succesfull chain of record stores (with its largest store at the Oslo City mall), this is where most of the norwegians buy their music. Good selection and prices. They also carry DVDs and games, and are getting into books.

Shadowland

{ Downtown } Storgata 9 www.shadowland.no If you are equally fascinated by light as by darkness, you’ll probably find Shadowland’s selection of goth, synth, EBM and industrial attractive.

{ Sagene } Gjøvikgata 1 lpbutikken.wordpress.com You know those stores with an odour of camel cigarettes, sweat and shitloads of old records. Those stores where you spend hours, going through piles and piles of rubbish just to find the collector’s item you have been looking for? This is it!

Neseblod Records

{ Grünerløkka } Rathkesgate 7 www.neseblodrecords.com Well-hidden in Grünerløkka you find Neseblod. This is the place to look for old-school Norwegian punk and black metal, or used punk and metal records in general.

Oslo Rock-Antikvariat { St. Hanshaugen } Fredensborgveien 17 Oslo Rock-Antikvariat focuses on classic rock. All in all a nice and friendly store.

Råkk & Rålls

{ Downtown } Akersgata 39 Råkk & Rålls has a huge selection of second hand records, but you have to be really lucky to find something truly special. And they often charge more than necessary for irrelevant releases. They sell vintage furniture and other used stuff as well.

Second hand shopping Thankfully we are all different and what you might consider a treasure is someone elses junk. We recommend you visit one or two of these second hand shops. you can spend hours looking through second hand stuff | Photo: frĂ¸ken dianas salonger

Fretex

Tonica Vintage Corner

{ Grønland } Smalgangen 8 www.fretex.no Fretex is a chain of second hand stores, run by the Salvation Army. You can find anything from an excellent sofa you wished you could take back home, to a piece of old jewelery you simply adore. Fretex runs alot of stores in Oslo, to find the nearest check out

{ Majorstuen } Schøningsgate 14 www.tonicavintage.com Rumors has it the European fashion houses visit Tonica Vintage Corner to find old but golden clothes from Hermes, Chanel, Dior etc. That might be, we don’t know for sure, but we still find Tonica appealing.

Maritabutikken

{ Grünerløkka } Markveien 67 www.marita.no/maritabutikken Marita Stiftelsen, an anti-drug programme, has a lot of projects for rehabilitating drug addicts. The store is one of those projects where previous drug addicts get back to ordinary life selling second hand objects.

{ Downtown } Jernbanetorget 2 www.uffnorge.org UFF is not the most exciting of second hand stores in Oslo, but it's centrally located. And don’t be scared off by UFF not being too thrilling. As for all second hand stores, you have the possibility to stumble across some very good bargains. This goes for UFF as well.

House of second hand

Underground Fashion

{ Downtown } Pilestredet 47 A Three floors filled with second hand clothing.

{ Downtown } Storgata 1 undergroundfashion.org Underground Fashion specializes in 60s and 70s clothing. In this colorful environment you find lots of shirts and lots of track suits.

Nytt+brukt

{ Grünerløkka } Thorvald Meyers gate 89 It’s cheap, though you might look through alot of crap before you find your “treasure”.

Pentagon

{ Downtown } Storgata 37 www.pentagon.no Sells a mix of real 2nd hand military equipment, rave and party clothing and fantasy gear.

Trabant

{ Youngstorget } Youngstorget 4 www.trabantclothing.com Both second hand and new stuff; dresses, scarves, sunglasses and boots.

UFF

Frøken Dianas salonger

{ Grünerløkka } Markveien 33 www.frokendianassalonger.no Go for a treasure hunt through vintage clothes, jewelry and interior from the late 19th century via the 50`s and 60`s ending up in the 80`s.

herr og fru retro { Sagene } Dannevigsveien 18 A www.herrogfruretro.no Praising the forms, colors and shapes from years back, Herr og Fru Retro handpicks and fixes up old stuff like clothes, bags, shoes, lamps, frames, small furniture, books and so on.

Queer in Oslo Oslo is a capital of diversity and acceptance. Gays, heterosexuals and lesbians are all a part of the street scene. In Oslo you can move freely and hold hands with whomever you want. looking for a summer fling or just a friend, oslo welcomes you | Photo: www.sxc.hu

bar & cafés

magazines

There aren’t many bars and nightclubs for the queer crowd in Oslo. Almost every year a new bar opens, just to shut down after a few months. It can seem like the capital isn’t big enough for more than a couple of places. But there are some existing gay bars and nightclubs, and we’ve singled out the stayers.

BLIKK

BOBS PUB Grønland 1 Bobs is a traditional pub with a considerable older queer crowd.

SO Arbeidergata 2 www.so-oslo.no This little bar is for girls who like girls. SO is open Wednesday to Saturday from 18 00 -03 00.

ELSKER

Norways biggest gay magazine. www.blikk.no

GAYSIR Online magazine and social society www.gaysir.no

organizations LLH www.llh.no LLH is the oldest and biggest organisation for homosexuals in Norway.

SKEIV UNGDOM www.skeivungdom.no Skeiv Ungdom = Queer Youth

Kristian IVs gate 9 Elsker is both a bar and a café, with DJs at weekends and several dancefloors. Popular, also for heterosexuals.

HBRS

ETT GLASS

other

Karl Johans gate 33 www.ettglass.no Ett Glass is a café close to Karl Johans gate with a considerable gay crowd.

LONDON PUB&CLUB CJ Hambros plass 5 www.londonpub.no Oslo’s largest gay club, it’s been around for ever.

INDIESEKSUELL – club concept Indieseksuell is a club concept happening about once a month, normally at Revolver. The DJs play indie music, and the people hanging out are part of the Oslo sub-culture – both gay and heterosexuals. Check out “indieseksuell” on Facebook for more info.

www.HBRS.no HBRS is an organisation for transsexuals.

OSLO PRIDE/SKEIVE DAGER www.skeivedager.no Skeive dager (Queer Days) is a festival held each june. This is the biggest cultural event for LGBTs in Norway, and people from several countries attend the festival and its events.

CINEMATEKET/ QUEER SUNDAYS www.cinemateket.no The first Sunday in every month you can watch queer films at Cinemateket (see activities section).

SKEIVE FILMER www.oglff.org A festival of queer movies in the early fall.

All year activities We go skiing in the winter and in the summer we go camping and enjoy the park life barbeques. But what do we do in between these seasonal activities? Here's some more things to do while in Oslo. giselle being performed at the opera house | Photo: www.operaen.no

cinemas All screenings are in the original language with Norwegian subtitles, except movies for children. Tickets come with an assigned seat, and prices vary from NOK 80-120. You can buy tickets for all cinemas at the cinema of your choice, or from the internet: www.oslokino.no. To find the cinemas – just ask your way around from the following spots:

Nationaltheatret Metro Station You will find several theatres close to the metro station Nationaltheatret: Saga, Vika and Klingenberg. There is also one at Aker Brygge, Felix, which is close to Nationaltheatret.

Majorstua Metro Station Colosseum, a widely popular cinema venue. Is the worlds largest THX certified cinema. If you are in the mood for an epic movie experience, this is usually the cinema of our choice.

Youngstorget Eldorado, often considered the youth Cinema. It's centrally located and shows alot of movies for youth. Usually movies with Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston and the jackass crew. You get the picture right?

Grünerløkka Ringen Kino is the newest cinema in Oslo and was the first fully digital cinema in scandinavia.

Film club – Cinemateket

Some call it artsy, others just art. Cinemateket is anyway a great place to check out classic and alternative contemporary movies. If you are looking to spend some time in a friendly and calm enviroment with self acclaimed movie geeks and artists, Cinemateket is centrally located. Check out their website www.nfi.no/ cinemateket if there's anything exciting going on. Cinemateket is known to host conferances with well known movie directors as speakers.

theatre Here is a list of venues in Oslo with a cosmopolitan approach. It is not a complete overview, but merely an introduction. Check out www.visitoslo.com or visit the office for up-to-date information.

Black Box Marstrandgata 8 www.blackbox.no Black Box is one of Norways most important contemporary and innovative theatre stages. It houses different touring companies and often stage performances in English.

House of Dance Møllerveien 2 www.dansenshus.com The national scene for contemporary dance opened in 2008 and houses performances with different companies.

Nordic Black Theatre Nordic Black Theatre is a self-run theatre foundation established in 1992. The core activity is theatre production but they also have a wide range of other artistic expressions.

The Opera House Kirsten Flagstads plass 1 www.operaen.no So – you actually want to visit the Opera? Not only stumble across the roof? The Opera presents performances in the international language of opera and dance. Cheap tickets are available for most performances.

marka In Norway, nature is never far away. In Oslo, you simply take the metro into the forest. Marka is the name of the forest and hilly areas surrounding Oslo. Norwegians love their nature and at weekends there are a lot of people in Marka for recreational purposes. The forest is huge and stretches way beyond the municipality of Oslo. It is well signposted and is both easy and safe to explore, even for inexperienced hikers. When exploring Marka, Frognerseteren is a good point to start. From here it is about 5 kilometers to the café Ullevålseter. "Seter" translates to "summer pasture", and several of the cafes in Marka are former pastures. Freedom to roam, also called right of public access to the wilderness, is practised in Marka. In Norwegian it is called Allemannsretten, literally meaning every man’s right, and it gives you the right to walk and camp (for a short period) in uncultivated land. Allemannsretten gives you a lot of freedom, but there are restrictions. You may for instance not make a fire in the period 15th of April until 15th of September.

allemannsretten You have the right to roam wherever you like in nature on foot or ski You may cross fields in the wintertime You may use boats, canoes, kayaks etc You may camp in nature You may use bikes or ride a horse along roads in nature You may bathe in freshwater, sea, waterfalls You are free to use a boat and go ashore, if it is not private property You may pick berries, mushrooms and flowers You may light a fire in the wintertime if you are not in a forest You may gather wood for fires, but don't cut down trees of course

How to get there

You may fish in the sea

The easiest way to get to Marka is to take the Metro to either Frognerseteren or Sognsvann. From Frogneseteren you have a magnificent view of Oslo, and it is mainly downhill.

You may drive and park along a private road, unless it is strictly forbidden

You may fish for free in fresh water if you are under 16

trips and cabins

berries and mushrooms

The woods are fairly well signposted, but bring a map if you want to be adventurous and explore on your own. Maps are bought at Narvesen Kiosks, gas stations or bookstores.

First of all: never eat a mushroom which you have not identified 110%! We are serious, some of these cuties are poisonous! Although you can find mushrooms from early spring until late winter, the mushroom season is considered to be from august to October. During the season you may get your finds verified for free by experts at various locations in Marka. You can find out where and when here: neslekremla.no/soppkontroll.html

Den Norske Turistforening (DNT)

Storgaten 3 22 82 28 22 turistforeningen.no/english

Skiforeningen Kongeveien 5 22 92 32 00 www.skiforeningen.no/english Both DNT and Skiforeningen have information about where to go hiking and skiing in Marka. They also have a list of self-service huts, both in Marka, and all over Norway. Sleeping in these cabins is cheaper than paying for a hotel room downtown. Remember to book in advance.

canoe and kayak You can paddle in the Oslo Fjord, Akers river and most lakes surrounding Oslo. To rent a vessel, contact:

Bull Ski og Kajakk 23 20 44 20 www.bull-ski-kajakk.no

Oslo Kajakkutleie 9 06 20 723 www.oslo-kajakk.no

Kikutstua 22 42 01 73 In Marka you can rent canoes through Kikutstua.Why not combine it with an overnight stay?

As for berries; the blueberry generally ripens in July around Oslo, and the mountain cranberry ripens in august.

Oh yeah, one last thing, don’t eat mushrooms which hasn’t been properly identified!

swimming pools If you want a swim or are in need of a shower, here are a couple of easy accessible ones in the city centre. For information of other baths, visit the office in Møllergata 3.

Frognerbadet Middelthunsgt 28 23 27 54 50 Frognerbadet includes 3 open-air pools for all ages, divers pool and a water slide. It is located next to Frognerparken (Vigelandsparken) and usually opens up in May.

Tøyenbadet Helgesensgate 90 23 46 22 90 Tøyenbadet houses one 50 m indoor swimming pool, a diving tower and a water slide, a swimming pool for children and some outdoor pools during summer.

Museums of Oslo Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t leave Oslo without a stop at one of the museums! Some of the best ones also have free entrance. There are loads to experience, just be sure to check out their opening hours, they vary from place to place. Drop by the Use-It office for information or borrow a computer. installation at the national museum by nicholas hlobo | Photo: www.nasjonalmuseet.no

bygdøy Several of Oslo’s most interesting museums can be found at the Bygdøy peninsula. You can get there by taking boat 91 (May-Sep only) from the Rådhus pier no. 3 to Bygdøynes or by bus nr. 30 from Nationaltheatret. Bygdøy is also in a perfect biking distance from central Oslo.

Norsk Folkemuseum Museumsveien 10, Bygdøy 22 12 37 00 www.norskfolkemuseum.no Norway’s largest and oldest folk museum is an open-air collection with more than 150 houses transferred from other parts of the country. You can visit one of Norway’s few remaining medieval stave-churches, and talk to the nice guides dressed up like 18th century inhabitants. Especially worth a visit if you don’t have a chance to visit other parts of Norway. There are daily activities in the open air museum all summer.

Viking Ship Museum Huk Aveny 35. 22 13 52 80 www.khm.uio.no The world’s best-preserved Viking ships and other authentic 900-year old artefacts. A popular museum - but be prepared to fight your way through hoards of other tourists!

Kon-Tiki Museum Bygdøynesveien 36 23 08 67 67 www.kon-tiki.no The Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl built the papyrus raft Kon-Tiki to sail from America to Polynesia in 1947. Here are Easter Island statues, a full size 10 m. whale shark, and a film room with continuous showings of Thor Heyerdahls exhibitions.

The Polar Ship Fram Bygdøynes 23 28 29 50 www.fram.museum.no The polar ship Fram was used for expeditions by Fridtjof Nansen, Otto Sverdrup and Roald Amundsen, and went both to the North and the South Pole. Built in 1892, the ship is exhibited with original interior and inventory, and you can walk on both in and out side of the ship.

kvadraturen Modern museums are found in the old quarter of Oslo. Close to the main entrance of Akershus Fortress there are several smaller art-galleries and two museums of modern art.

Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art 03 Dronningensgate 4 22 93 60 60 www.afmuseet.no Temporary exhibitions of Norwegian and foreign artists from ‘4 5 until today. Among the permanent exhibitions you find artist as Damien Hirst and Jeff Coons.

National Museum of Contemporary Art 04 Bankplassen 4 22 86 22 10 www.nasjonalmuseet.no The museum is Norway’s national centre for modern art. There are permanent and temporary exhibitions of international and Norwegian artists. Perhaps the only museum in the world where visitors can leave behind bags and coats in a vault - the museum is located in the monumental 95-year-old former headquarters of the Norwegian National Bank.

The National Art Museum of Norway

Universitetsgaten 13 22 20 04 04 www.nasjonalmuseet.no The largest collection of Norwegian and international art up to 1945. Emphasis on the major works from the National Romantic period. The painting “Scream” by Edvard Munch is displayed here.

Museum of Applied Art

St. Olavsgate 1. 22 03 65 40. Historical collections of Norwegian and international applied art, fashion and design from the 7th century to the present. Collections of silver, glass, ceramics and furniture. East Asian collection. Take bus 37 or walk from the city centre.

Museum of Cultural Heritage

Fredriksgate 2 22 85 99 13 www.khm.uio.no Here you can walk through Norway’s ancient history, presented in a contemporary way. There is a large Viking-age department. If you get tired of Norwegian culture, go upstairs.

Museum of Natural History Sars' gate 1 22 85 17 00 www.nhm.uio.no Here you’ll find: Greenhouses, the Zoological Museum and the Geological Museum (with a full-sized T-rex) and the Botanical Gardens (see "Parklife" for info on the Gardens). Take the underground to Tøyen/Munch museet.

Munch Museum Tøyengata 53 23 49 35 00 www.munch.museum.no Paintings and graphic works, including various versions of The Scream, from the Norwegian

expressionist Edvard Munch. Interesting exhibit downstairs depicting Munch’s life. Transport: any metro going east to Tøyen.

The Ibsen Museum

Arbiensgate 1 22 55 20 09 Ibsen’s apartment. Henrik Ibsen lived in this apartment from 1895 until he died in 1906. The apartment in itself isn’t very interesting, but the guided tours are. The guides give you an insight into his life, work, personality and his funny habits.

Henie-Onstad Kunstsenter Høvikodden 67 80 48 80 www.hok.no Norway’s largest collection of international modern art. Varying exhibitions, sculpture park, extensive museum shop and an excellent restaurant. Guided tours in several languages. Take Bus 151 from the train station.

Emanuel Vigeland Museum Grimelundsveien 8. 22 14 57 88 www.emanuelvigeland.museum.no The Emanuel Vigeland Museum is actually a mausoleum. The strangely shaped building is decorated inside with an 800 square meter fresco: “Vita”. Vigeland spent 20 years painting it. Some tourists claim this is the best sight in Norway. Emanuel Vigeland is the brother of Gustav Vigeland, who made the Vigeland Park. Take the Subway line 1 to Slemdal.

Museum of Science and Technology Kjelsåsveien 143. 22 79 60 00 www.tekniskmuseum.no Cars, planes, computers and trains. And alot more. Excellent for children. Take bus 54 from Jernbanetorget or Aker Brygge, or the tram to Kjelsås Railway Station.

Nobel Peace Center

Brynjulf Bulls plass 2 4 8 30 10 00 www.nobelpeacecenter.org The Nobel Peace Center presents all the Nobel-price winners and their work.

The Holmenkollen Skimuseum Kongeveien 5, Holmenkollen 22 92 32 00 www.skiforeningen.no The entrance fee includes access to the ski museum, cafĂŠ, shops and a trip to the top of the skijump. Take metro no 1 to Holmenkollen for a great view of the city, and visit the worlds oldest ski museum.

The Stenersen Museum

Munkedamsveien 15 www.stenersen.museum.no The Stenersen Museum is a three stories gallery for contemporary art. It also houses three private art collections, all of which was donated to the city; Rolf E. Stenersen, Amaldus Nielsen, and Ludvig O. Ravensberg's collections.

Oslo City Museum Frognerveien 67 23 28 41 70 www.oslomuseum.no The Oslo City Museum was established in 1905. It houses a historical collection about the history and development of Oslo.

Norways Resistance Museum Akershus festning, building 21 23 09 32 80 Norway was occupied by Germany for five years during the second World War, from 1940 to 1945. The museum portray the Resistance movement's battle against the germans.

doga Hausmannsgate 16 23 29 28 70

www.doga.no The Norwegian Centre for Design and Architecture (DogA) offers design- and architecture exhibitions, conferances, restaurant and a bar. If you ever are in town for the Pecha Kucha nights which is held at DogA you should definately take the trip. Pecha Kucha is a presentation night which is held four times a year. Here designers, architects, musicians and artists share ideas and presents their work in a short time frame (6 minutes each presentation), mostly in english. There's also a DJ or a live gig each night. Check out pechakucha.no for more info.

oslo pass The Oslo Pass is the easiest and cheapest way to experience Oslo. The Oslo Pass gives you free entry to 33 museums and attractions, free public transport, free parking in municipal parking lots, a lot of activities and special offers in restaurants, shops, entertainment, leisure venues and much more. But remember that if you're not up for more than a few activities or attractions the card doesn't pay off, as many museums are free to enter anyway. Buy it at Oslo's information centres, hotels, hostels and camping sites.

Winter activities Most norwegians love the winter. When we're not busy paving the way through massive ammounts snow to work, we're enjoying the upsides of it. Such as ski trips, snowboarding, ice skating and snow mobiles. many people travel all the way to norway to enjoy the slopes | Photo: www.sxc.hu

ski and sleigh rental

ice skating

If you are visiting Oslo during the winter, you are obliged to try the national sport; cross country skiing. In Marka you will find prepared slopes. The webpage is unfortunately only in Norwegian, but visit us at the office and we will help you.

Did you know that the greatest female figure skater of all time, Sonja Henie, was Norwegian? She was a three-time Olympic Champion (1928, 1932, 1936), a ten-time World Champion (1927-1936) and a six-time European Champion (1931-1936). At the height of her acting career she was one of the highest paid movie stars in Holly wood. Be inspired and go figure skating yourself while in Oslo!

Skiservice AS Tomm Murstadbakken 2 22 13 95 00 www.skiservice.no To get to Skiservice take the metro line 1 to Voksenkollen station.

Outdoor skating Spikersuppa Next to the National Theatre, this is as central as you get. Music and lots of people.

Frogner Stadium

ski resorts Tryvann Vinterpark www.tryvann.no Located near the famous Holmenkollen area, a 20 minute subway ride from down town Oslo, you'll find Tryvann. Oslos most popular ski resort. You can rent equipment and take classes. To get there take the metro number 1 to Frognesetern and go off at Voksenkollen station.

Kols책s Skisenter www.kolsas-skisenter.no Located a 40 minute bus ride from downtown Oslo you will find Kols책s Skisenter. To get there take bus number 143 til Steinskogen.

Kirkerudbakken www.kirkerudbakken.no

frognerstadion.oslosk.no Why not combine your obligational trip to the Vigeland park with some Ice skating at the stadium next door?

Indoor skating Gr체nerhallen Seilduksgata 30 22 35 55 52 Gr체nerhallen is open between September 14th to March 21st every sunday 1200-1400. It may be possible to book time another day, but Sunday is you safe shot.

Valle Hovin Innspurten 1 22 72 28 18 www.vallehovin.no Valle Hovin is open between November 1st to March 9th. Take any metro to Helsfyr.

Summer activities After a long and dark winter we norwegians embrace the summer. Maybe more so than others. The second the sun returns and the snow slowly melts away, we take full advantage of the long awaited season. enjoy the weather and the city life in oslo | Photo: magnus moholdt

walk along akerselva

miniature golf

Take a walk along the river Akerselva on a sunny day, and you will experience some of Oslo’s variety. If you start at Grønland, the first part is honestly quit dirty and city-like. As you walk further, you will see more nature mixing in with the city; rushing waterfalls, green areas perfect for picnics, charmy wooden houses as well as a couple of cafes and dining places. It is a 8-9 kilometres walk from Grønland up to Maridalsvannet. You might prefer to take the subway to Nydalen or the tram to Kjelsås, and then walk downstream from there.

Why not poke around with sticks on a sunny day? Here is where to do it!

Grünerløkka Minigolf Park Christiania Minigolf Club 22 38 00 27

Ekeberg Minigolf Park Ekebergveien 109 22 68 26 69

Marienlyst Minigolf Club Kirkeveien 92 9 05 329 00

tennis skateboarding There are not too many skate spots in Oslo, but there are a few: tacky.no/skateboard/spotguide Here you can find information about every single spot there is in Oslo. If you have trouble understanding the page, we will help you at the office. You should also drop by the various skate shops around Oslo.

the oslo fjord Oslo is located around the Oslo Fjord. Actually, it looks more like a bay than a fjord but that is just the way it is. There is lots of stuff to do here, especially in the summertime. When the weather is nice locals flock to the beaches on the islands and around the fjord. The water in the inner Oslo Fjord is clean and usually keeps 15-20°C during summer. Swimming in the fjord is definitely a summer activity, but visiting the islands and other fjord areas are nevertheless recommended throughout the year.

There are only two tennis courts in the centre of Oslo, but they are easy to get to. You should probably book in advance. The page www.riksanlegget.no has information about both, but unfortunately only in Norwegian.

Frogner Stadion Tennis Frognerveien 67 22 43 40 60

Riksanlegget på Hasle Haslevangen 33 23 37 90 90

table tennis Dælenga Sports Arena Lilleborgbanen Kuba Park Lakkegata Elementary School Dælenga Sports Arena Lilleborgbanen Sagene samfunnshus Kristiansandsgt 2 Schous plass Sofienberg Park

Park life When you wake up to a hot sunny day in Oslo and you're wondering where all the norwegians are, try visiting a park. We barbeque, have picnics, enjoy some frisbee and pick each other up. Don't be surprised if the park turns into a party place at night. chilling out in sofienbergparken | Photo: magnus moholdt

Akershus Fortress

{ Downtown } The park surrounding Akershus fortress is perfect for picnics. From here you have a great view of the Town Hall, the fjord and Aker Brygge, the former shipyard that was renovated in the 1980s. Akershus fortress was first erected in 1299 but was heavily rebuilt a some hundred years later.

Birkelunden

{ Grünerløkka } Birkelunden is situated in the middle of Grünerløkka and as popular as a park can get. The young and trendy chill out all summer, you might feel this is some sort of a festival. If you’re asthmatic, beware of the continuous smog from the barbecues.

Botanical Gardens { Tøyen } Close to the Munch Museum are the Botanical Gardens, a colourful oasis in the east side of Oslo. Many of the plants and flowers originate from Norway’s mountain areas, including the national flower, Røsslyng. If the weather gets bad, seek refuge in the tropical world in the greenhouses. Beware that that it is not allowed to picnic all places, please follow the signs

The Frogner Park { Frogner } The Frogner Park also goes by the name Vigelandsparken since the artist Gustav Vigeland designed this sculpture park, inside the regular park. It is Norway’s most visited tourist attraction, and completely free. The Frogner park is not a museum, but a wonderful place to go for a stroll or have a picnic and at the same time enjoy Vigeland’s sculptures.

Kuba

{ Grünerløkka } Kuba is a popular park among younger people, located between Akerselva and Grünerløkka.

Concerts and other activities are often arranged here in the summertime. Kuba is a breather, away from the café lattes and the shopping at Grünerløkka.

The Medieval Park { Grønland } The Medieval Park is a real treat. It is quite large and soon you find yourself in a state of perfect Zen, surrounded by ruins from the dark ages. It is perfect for picnics and you learn a bit of Norwegian history in the process.

The Royal Park

{ Downtown } The Royal Park, surrounding the royal castle is the largest park in downtown Oslo. It is a nice place to relax after hours of sightseeing. This is the only park in Oslo where sunbathing is prohibited, but not everyone abides by this rule.

Sofienbergparken

{ Grünerløkka } This park is huge. Sofienbergparken was built in the late 19th century, and was supposed to be the green lungs of the heavily industrialized east side of Oslo. And it still is. It is very popular among locals, all day and all night. Late evening/night it is dominated by youth, more or less drunk. This park also has stationary barbeques, 1 NOK per minute.

St. Hanshaugen { St. Hanshaugen } This park is hilly with both a great view of Oslo and a bandstand with happenings each Wednesday throughout the summer. The park also has a quite popular outdoor café.

Stensparken Stensparken is a green cozy hill for park dwellers. Stensparken is rather small but has a great view of Oslo.

Islands & the sea There is nothing better than cooling off in the friendly summer sea when Oslo is at its hottest. Visiting the islands is one of the highlights of summer in Oslo. long summer days by the sea | Photo: www.sxc.hu

Huk & Paradisbukta, Bygdøy Take bus 30 Bygdøy from the National Theatre or Central Station. Ferry 91 to Bygdøynes from pier no. 3 by the City Hall. Summertime only. Two excellent bathing spots are located at the Bygdøy peninsula. Several museums, such as the Norwegian Folk Museum, the Viking Ship Museum and the Kon-Tiki Museum are also situated there. Bygdøy is populated with a fairly highbrow section of Oslo’s population, but luckily large sections of the peninsula are public areas. Bygdøy is situated a few kilometres west of Oslo city centre, and is easily reached by different means of transport. Huk and Paradisbukta are two beaches covering the South-Western part of Bygdøy. In between the two there is a nudist section. While at Bygdøy, ask for the restaurant café, Lille Herbern, which has the best view over the fjord. Paradisbukta is less crowded, and this area is popular among families with toddlers.

the islands Ferry from Vippetangen Ferries run less frequently off-season, but both Hovedøya and Gressholmen have good connections all year. The ferries in the fjord is a part of the public transportation system in Oslo, thus are regular tickets valid here as well. They are like buses on water.

Hovedøya Hovedøya is the largest island in the Oslo Fjord, but also the most crowded one. Hovedøya is green and lush with plenty of small paths covering the island. At Hovedøya there are ruins of a Cistercian abbey from the 11th Century, built by English monks. Hovedøya later formed an important part of the defense of Oslo, and you’ll find military buildings and installations, mostly from the 17th Century, at different stra-

tegic spots on the island. Hovedøya is perfect for picnics. The ferry runs more frequently to Hovedøya than to any other island. The beaches are small and often pebbled, but still lovely.

Langøyene It is possible to camp at Langøyene (see the accommodation section), and it it is the only island where overnight stay is permitted. If the weather is nice, you don’t need a tent, just a sleeping bag. Summer evenings in Oslo are bright and snug, and swimming in the sea past midnight is a pleasant experience you certainly will remember. The south side of the island is reserved for nudists.

Gressholmen Until recently this island was populated by thousands of rabbits. Unfortunately the rabbits ate too much of the vegetation, so the authorities reduced the livestock considerably. Not far from the pier is Gressholmen Kro, a small restaurant serving sandwiches, dinners and cold beers. Gressholmen doesn’t have large sandy beaches, but is still a lovely place to take a dip. Dive from the rocks and count the numerous birds. 160 different species have been observed until now.

Lakes Any lake will do, except for the two reservoirs for drinking water; Maridalsvannet and Skjersjøen. The most popular lake is Sognsvann, it gets crowded fast. Take metro 3 to Sognsvann. You can also take bus 54 to Kjelsås and get off at Stillatorvet. In upper part of Akerselva is a deep pool called Frysja, which is great for swimming. Here is also a waterfall where you can take a shower. Here you have the chance to have a closer look at the nineteenth century factories along the river.

Sleep in Oslo Accommodation in Oslo and the immediate surroundings tend to get full in august and september, so we strongly recommend you to book in advance if you plan to visit Oslo during this period. finding a suitable place to stay is almost essential for your trip | Photo: www.sxc.hu

Always book in advance student flats

private accommodation

If you are staying for a month or two during the summer, you can try renting a student flat. Some of these rooms are posted on websites such as:

We here at the office will help you find private accommodation. We have a list of people who rent out rooms from their private homes. Prices varies and start around 250 NOK a night for a bed in a shared room. We do not mean to be pessimistic but finding a bed in Oslo for less than 200 NOK is more or less impossible.

www.hybel.no www.finn.no www.bofellesskap.no www.nordnorsken.no www.sio.no

All of these web pages are in norwegian. You can try using google translate or drop by the office and we will help you translate them.

anker studentboliger Holtegata 25 22 60 03 59 www.ankerstudentbolig.no studentbolig@anker.oslo.no Anker is a student house and leases student flats for shorter periods of time, from April to August. Rent is from NOK 3.800 per month, with one month deposit. The flats have private bathrooms. Bring your own linen and kitchen utensils, or rent at Anker.

couch surfing "A world where everyone can explore and create meaningful connections with the people and places they encounter." We love it! We love the concept and we love meeting new, open minded and interesting people. Couch surfing is a non-profit organization that has over a million registered users from all over the world, offering a place to sleep through the website. You register yourself on www.couchsurfing.org and start looking for a host. The site has alot of nice guides, testimonials and FAQs and is generally a nice read. There are at the moment 1.877 members from Oslo alone.

Camping in Oslo Camping is great! Fresh air and beautiful nature. When camping in Oslo you have the advantage of camping anywhere you want for free as long as it's 150m from a private property. caravans is a charming and fun way to camp | Photo: www.sxc.hu

bogstad camping bogstadcamping.no

From 180 NOK

06 Ankerveien 117 22 51 08 00

8 kilometers from the city you find Bogstad camping, a 30 minute bus ride from central Oslo. The huge camping area is close to nature, a popular bathing area, a golf course and the forest Nordmarka – and it's open all year. Take bus 32 from Oslo Central Station, it stops right outside the reception. Prices per night Tent: 180 NOK Caravan: 270 NOK Motor home: 255 NOK Cabins: Varies, check out their web page.

ekeberg camping ekebergcamping.no

From 180 NOK

Opposed to the other islands in the Oslo fjord, you're welcome to set up your tent on Langøyene. Here you can bathe, fish and play volleyball. Remember to check the ferries time tables so you don't miss the last departure. There are several rules to take notice regarding camping on the islands, these are some: Keep the tent area clean Do not throw garbage or damage the nature Do not privatize your tent area by enclosing it Tent or tent groups can cover max 18m 2 No excessive noise from 2300 to 0700 Show respect to the other campers Open fire not allowed Keep at least a 3m distance from other tents

06 Ekebergveien 65 22 19 85 68

The view from Ekeberg is great! When you get bored of enjoying this spectacle you will find a miniature golf course, soccer fields, walking areas and horse riding nearby. This place is also used for Norway Cup, a big soccer tournament held in Norway. To get there you take bus 34 or 46 from Oslo Central Station. Prices per night Tent: 180 NOK Caravan: 260 NOK Motor home: 245 NOK

langøyene (the long islands)

cabins and trekking Den Norske Turistforening is Norways biggest outdoor activity organization. For 135 years they have promoted trekking. They can recommend trekking routes and cabins for rent, both in the forest of Oslo and in Norway in general.

den norske turistforening Storgata 3 22 82 28 00 www.turistforeningen.no

hotels and hostels anker hostel ankerhostel.no

From 200 NOK

ellingsenspensjonat.no

22 99 72 00

Anker offers single/double rooms and 4 - 8 bedded rooms. The cheapest option is a single bed in a 8 bedded room. Breakfast for 60 NOK per day. Linen for 50 NOK. All rooms have private showers. Sleeping bags are not allowed.

oslo budget hotel budgethotel.no

From 499 NOK

06 21 01 40 55

cochs Pensjonat

From 490 NOK

06 23 33 24 00

comfort xpress comforthotelxpress.no

Prices varies

06 Oslo 23 23 49 10

gardermoenbb.no

22 60 03 59

From 495 NOK

Hasselveien 1 63 93 00 50

Located near Gardermoen airport, a 45 minute bus ride to Oslo. Offers free internet and laundry. 50 NOK for breakfast.

gjestehuset lovisenberg lovisenberg.no

From 400 NOK

Lovisenberggt. 15 A 22 35 83 00

Located in 10 minutes away from downtown Oslo. A renovated building from 1868 with restored furniture from that period. Has a small peaceful garden. Offers single and double rooms with or without private bathrooms. Breakfast: 50 NOK. Reception closes at 2030.

oslo vandrehjem - holtekilen vandrehjem.no

Comfort xpress is a trendy designer hotel. It's located in central Oslo, just a short walk from the office. Offers free wireless internet, free coffee, breakfast in bed by ordering; 85 NOK and a gaming room(!).

From 400 NOK

gardermoen airport vandrehjem

Parkveien 25

Cochs Pensjonat is a 5 minute walk from downtown Oslo. They offer 88 rooms in three different price ranges.

06 Holtegata 25

Offers single and double rooms with or without private bathrooms. About 10 minutes walking distance to downtown Oslo.

Prinsensgate 6

Conveniently located in central Oslo. Offers free wireless internet to the guests. Open reception from 15 00 to 23 00.

cochspensjonat.no

Ellingsens pensjonat

Storgata 55

From 220 NOK

Micheletsv. 55 67 51 80 40

Holtekilen hostel is located in a quiet area 8km outside of Oslo. Offers 1-5 bed rooms with private bathrooms. Breakfast included. 15 minute train ride to Oslo.

hotels and hostels oslo vandrehjem - haraldsheim haraldsheim.no

From 245 NOK

p-hotels.no

22 22 29 65

Haraldsheim hostel is a 10 minute tram ride from downtown Oslo. Offers single beds in 4 bed rooms and private rooms. With and without private bathrooms. Breakfast included. Sleeping bags not allowed. Linen: 50 NOK.

From 420 NOK

perminalen hotel

21 02 36 00

23 31 80 00

Located in central Oslo. Has a low-price calendar worth checking out. Breakfast included., a sandwich of your choice and a juice box.

Myrerskogv. 54

Located 8km from downtown Oslo. Open in the summer season between May 23rd to August 19th. Sleeping bags not allowed. Alcohol prohibited.

06 Grensen 9

From 595 NOK

perminalen.no

oslo hostel rønningen ymca oslohostel.com

p-hotels

Haraldsheimv. 4

From 370 NOK

06 Øvre Slottsg. 2 23 09 30 81

Located in central Oslo. Offers single bed in 4-bedded room and 2 - 6 bedded rooms. Breakfast and linen included.

Sentrum pensjonat sentrumpensjonat.no

oslo apartments osloapartments.no

From 650 NOK

Oslo 22 51 02 50

Offers private apartments for rent. Minimum 3 days. Prices are from 650 per apartment, not per person. Visit their website to browse the vacant apartments.

From 290 NOK

overnattingoslo.no

sta. katarina hjemmet

From 225 NOK

Oslo 23 23 49 10

Offers private apartments for short and long term stay in Oslo. From 3 days to 12 months. Booking is only via their web site form.

22 33 55 80

Located in central Oslo. Offers single bed in shared rooms for 290 and private rooms. Has a cafe on the 1st floor. Every room has a fridge and the closest grocery store is 50m away.

katarinahjemmet.katolsk.no

overnattingoslo.no

06 Tollbugaten 8

From 400 NOK

06 Gjørstadg. 9 23 21 54 10

Sta. Katarina is both a guest house and a monastery located at Majorstuen in Oslo, a 5 minute subway ride from downtown Oslo. Does not offer rooms for less that two days. Breakfast: 50 NOK. Offers single and double rooms. Shared bathrooms.

Practical information When visiting a foreign country, there's always some practical information you wish you'd knew beforehand. Hopefully these tips and facts will make your days easier. it's always good to know where to go if an emergency strikes | Photo: www.sxc.hu

public transportation

Exchange / Money

Pre bought tickets can be purchased at 7-Eleven, Deli De Luca and Narvesen. If you buy single tickets from the driver its NOK 40 for adults and NOK 20 for children/senior. If you are caught travelling without a valid ticket you will be fined. The fine amounts to 900 NOK or 750 NOK if paid on the spot.

You can exchange major currencies in almost every bank and post office. You can also exchange money at Forex. Both the banks and Forex gives you approximately the same rates, but banks in general charge a one-time fee of about NOK 50 for making the change, which for most travelers will make Forex a better option, in particular if you’re changing small amounts. Forex have offices at Oslo Central station and around the city.

Single ticket adult: NOK 27 Pre bought ticket Free transfer/return within one hour. Single ticket child: NOK 13 Pre bought ticket Free transfer/return within one hour. Flexi card adult: NOK 200 (eight fares) Flexi card child/senior: NOK 100 (eight fares) 7 day pass adult: NOK 210 7 day pass child/youth/senior: NOK 105 24 hour pass adult: NOK 70 24 hour pass child/senior: NOK 35 Note that while for most tickets you have to be under 16 to pay a reduced fare, for a 7-day pass you pay the reduced fare as long as it’s stamped before your 20th birthday. This means that for travellers under 20, a 7-day pass is usually the most economic option as long as you’re staying more than one night.

Bank Axept cards are accepted in most shops. The vast majority of shops and restaurants accepts Visa and Mastercard as well. Diners Club and American Express are accepted in upscale establishments. There are ATMs every where, and at all 7-Elevens as well as most Narvesen and Deli De Luca. Norwegians pay with plastic to a degree that is unparalleled in the rest of the world.

Regular banking hours Mon-Wed, Fri 0815 - 15 30, Thu 0815 - 1700, Saturday closed. The following places have extended opening hours:

Oslo’s main Post Office Dronningensgate 15

Oslo Central Station Airport Express Terminal

Pharmacy There are many pharmacies in Oslo and they usually follow regular opening hours. There are two pharmacies that are open around the clock: Apotek1 next to the municipal casualty ward and Vitus at Jernbanetorget, opposite the Central Station is open 24 hours. They charge a small additional fee at night.

With 24h automatic currency withdrawal.

currency The Norwegian currency is the Norwegian Krone (abbreviated kr, nkr or NOK). One krone consists of 100 øre. Nevertheless, the smallest monetary unit is 50 øre.

internet

Telephones

we have eight terminals with inAt ternet for use by budget travellers. We also have free WiFi if you prefer to use your own laptop. See the Use-It section at page 5.

Public telephones accept major credit cards as well as 1, 5, 10 and 20 coins. You need a minimum of 5 NOK make a call. Norwegian telephone cards are called Telekort and can be purchased at kiosks. In Brugata and at Grønland you’ll find many small shops where you can buy international phone cards as well. If you intend to talk for a long time, these phone cards are worth buying.

Deichmanske Library Henrik Ibsensgate 1 Mon-Fri: 10 00 - 19 00 (10 00 - 16 00 Sat) Offers free wifi and free terminals. See Libraries for more info.

Arctic Internet café Oslo Central Station Week days: 08 00 - 24 00 You have to pay, but it's conveniently located in the centre of Oslo. There are also a lot of internet cafes in Storgata. Some of these also have fax machines and you can make cheap phone calls from here. These cafes come and go, so instead of making an insufficient list we’d rather advise to check it out yourself. You can sign up for free internet either at libraries or at the office.

If staying in Norway for more than a few days, it’s usually a good idea purchasing a pre-paid SIM card for your cell phone. This makes it cheaper for you to call, and also cheaper and easier for your Norwegian contacts to call you back. Pre-paid cards can be purchased at most 7-eleven and Narvesen as well as stores selling mobile phones and equipment such as Clas Ohlson, Elkjøp and Expert.

At you can make domestic phone calls for free. Calling to Norway? The country code is 0047. Collect calls: 115 (abroad), 117 (Norway) You can make collect calls from all public telephones.

Free wireless networks Lots of pubs and cafés offer free WiFi to their customers. Just ask around. Most of the hotels in town still ask you to buy a scratch card with a code to access their WiFi, but an increasing number of the hotels provide it for free.

Directory enquiries: 1881 / 1882 (international numbers). NB! Inquiry service is very expensive from a public pay phone!

Police Hammersborggate 12 02800 www.politi.no/oslo

Tourist information

Lost and found

is the number one choice for budget travellers in Oslo. The staff and contributors of the Streetwise guide offer free information, free internet, free phone calls and free luggage storage. Sounds to good to be true? As an organization funded by the municipality, we have no commercial interests and will not try to charge you commissions or push you in the direction of our uncle’s restaurant. We just want to make your stay in Oslo a pleasant one! Opening hours are 10-17 Mon-Fri (12-17 Sat)

Police Station

Oslo Tourist Information Centre Fridtjof Nansens Plass 5 Entrance from Roald Amundsens gate 24 14 77 00 Oct-Mar: 09 00 -16 00 Apr-May: 09 00 -1700 Jun-Aug: 09 00 -19 00 Sep: 09 00 -1700

Tourist Information Oslo Central Station Week days: 0700 -20 00 Sat/sun: 0700 -18 00 May-Sep: 0700 -20 00

Libraries Deichmanske bibliotek is Norway’s largest public library and Oslo municipal library.

Deichmanske bibliotek Henrik Ibsensgate 1 23 43 29 00 Mon-Fri: 10 00 - 19 00 (Sat: 09 00 - 16 00)

Grønlandsleiret 44 22 66 98 65 Mon-Fri: 0815 - 14 30

Lost and Found trains Oslo Central Station 23 15 40 47 Mon-Fri: 0700 - 1645

Lost and Found buses/subway/trams Ruter As Hittegodskontoret Nationaltheatret (Metro station) 22 08 53 61 Mon-Fri: 08 00 - 18 00

Laundry Billig Vask & Rens Ullevålsveien 15 Week days: 08 00 - 21 00 (Sat: -15 00)

Cafe Laundromat Underhaugsveien 2 Week days: 0700 -01 00 Arguably one of the few ways to pamper yourself while doing the laundry. Put the clothes in, order a lunch or a drink and sit back relax with your favourite magazine while the machine is doing your dirty work.

Snarvask Vu Thi Minh Nguyet Thorvald Meyers gate 18 Week days: 10 00 - 20 00 (Sat: -15 00)

Vask-Service Sannergata 25 Week days: 10 00 - 18 00 (Sat: -15 00)

Medical assistance Casualty clinic Legevakten (Municipal Casualty Ward) Storgata 40 22 93 22 93 Open 24 hours

Emergency Dental Treatment Tannlegevakten Tøyen Senter Kolstadgata 18 22 67 30 00 Week days: 11 00 - 14 00 and 19 00 - 10 00

In case of emergencies Fire: 110 Police: 112 Ambulance: 113 Free of charge from any public telephone. Keep in mind that these are emergency numbers only.

Tax free shopping If you are a resident outside out Scandinavia, you get 5% cash refund upon departure, depending on how much you’ve spent in one store. Your purchase has to exceed NOK 308. Ask for a Global Refund Cheque and the shop assistant will wrap and seal the goods. When leaving the country, you must show the sealed goods, your ID and the Global Refund Cheque. You will immediately receive your cash refund. Global Refund is found several places, at the airport, at the tourist information and at the train station. In addition each boat that goes abroad has an office onboard. For information pamphlet on Tax Refund, drop by the office.

Bike rental Skiservice AS Tomm Murstadbakken 2 22 13 95 00 (call a day in advance) www.skiservice.no

Oslo Bysykkel (Oslo city bike) 815 00 250 bysykkel@clearchannel.no Mon-Fri: 08 00 - 18 00 There are bike stands located at different places in Oslo where you can borrow a city bike. Residents of Oslo pay 90 NOK for an annual subscription permitting unlimited use of the bikes, but visitors have to rent a card from one of the tourist information offices located at Trafikanten, Oslo Central station or at Fritjof Nansens plass (next to the city hall). You will need to provide a photocopy of a credit card as a deposit. Follow the instructions provided at the end of each stand. The bikes may be returned to any stand in the city. You can keep the bike for up to three hours, although you can rent a new one immediately after returning it, meaning you can effectively keep the bike all day as long as you check-in and check-out at a bike stand every three hours. The bikes are available between 06 00 and 24 00. If you get a bike before 2400 you can keep it until your three hours are up, even if it means you’ll return it after midnight.

Lugguage lockers

Public restrooms

Besides offering free information and internet, we at also offer you a place to store your bags for free.

Deichmanske Bibliotek (Public Library)

The Bus terminal and the following train station has luggage lockers: Oslo S, Nationaltheatret and Lysaker. Many shops, among them all the state-run alcohol shops (Vinmonopolet) have small lockers for free. They are supposed to be used for you’re belongings while you’re shopping, but it’s possible to leave your stuff there all day as long as you pick it up before the shop closes for the day.

Henrik Ibsens gate 1 Restrooms on each side of information counter.

Glasmagasinet Stortorvet 1 Restrooms on 2nd floor, nice and clean.

Paleet Karl Johans gate 34-43 Restrooms on 2nd floor, nice and clean.

Radisson SAS Scandinavia Hotel (Skybar) Holbergs Plass Skybar has a magnificent view of Oslo in the men’s room, a must-see!

Car rental

Recommended websites

If you are staying in Oslo, we suggest that you stick to public transportation. If you are planning trips out of town, renting a car is no problem. Car companies have weekend offers so if you are part of a larger group, this might be the cheapest way of getting around.

The Bathroom Diaries

If you are lucky, you can get a car for free for driving it to another city. Some rental companies need to transport cars back and forth between cities. Visit www.transfercar4u.no for more information.

alfa bilsenter AS H.N.Hauges gate 52 22 89 03 11 www.alfabilsenter.no Considered the cheapest local car rental service in Oslo. If other popular and well established international car rentals are out of special offers, this is the cheapest place to go.

www.thebathroomdiaries.com Streetwise would like to use this opportunity to recommend the bathroomdiaries. Here you find reviews of free toilets, from all over the world. A must for travellers!

Sleeping in Airports www.sleepinginairports.net When on the subject of useful websites, sleeping in airports is a killer. The site has the same structure as The Bathroom Diaries, with reviews of airports both international and domestic. Why pay, when you can get it for free with such magnificent sites as these!?

Google Translator translate.google.com If you are having problems with web pages in Norwegian, remember Google Translator.

Leaving Oslo So it's time to get back home, you've seen what needs to be seen and hopefully you've got tons of memories and experiences to dwell on while you're getting there. the airport express train is a fast way getting to the airport | Photo: magnus moholdt

Leaving by air

Before take off

In terms of square meters, Norway is huge. Sometimes the most convenient way to travel in Norway is by plane. Check out these companies:

Oslo has three airports; Torp, Rygge and the main airport Gardermoen. Gardermoen is closest to the city; 18 minutes with the Airport Express Train. Torp is one hour east of Oslo (the bus takes about an hour and 45 minutes) and Rygge is about two hours west. Remember this when booking flights late in the evening.

NORWEGIAN www.norwegian.no Norway’s low fare airline has a large network of both domestic and international departures. Service level is one notch above the dirt-cheap carriers like Ryanair, and Norwegian usually serves major airports instead of the ones 200 miles away from the city centre. While usually the cheapest option it’s always worth checking alternatives.

SAS www.sas.no SAS is a very reliable airline, and although the average price is usually above Norwegian, it’s worth checking both airlines. Luggage and credit card fees are included in the ticket price, and they throw in a free breakfast on domestic flights departing before 9 AM. With SAS you can cancel a ticket bought online within 24 hours for a full refund.

WIDERøE www.wideroe.no Norway has a unique network of short runway airports (“Stolports”). These airports are usually served by Widerøe, but occasionally by other carriers. During the summer months Widerøe offers a 14-day fly-as-much-as-you-want ticket. If you fancy two weeks off the beaten track in the sparesly populated areas of rural Norway, this can be a real bargain, starting at 2775 NOK.

AGENTS For travel agents specializing in youth and student tickets, see www.kilroytravels.no or www.startravel.no

All major air line companies fly to Gardermoen. Low price companies like Wizz Air and Ryan Air fly to Torp.

GARDERMOEN AIRPORT Airport Express Train: www.flytoget.no (26-37 mins, students 85 kr, adults 170 kr) Regular train: www.nsb.no (26-37 mins, all passengers 110 kr) Airport buses: www.flybussen.no or www.flybussekspressen.no (convenient from eastern outskirts of Oslo)

TORP AIRPORT Airport bus: www.torpekspressen.no (1h 45 mins, one-way: adults 200 kr. Return: adults 340 kr, students 300 kr) Train: www.nsb.no (1h 45 mins, students 176, adults 234. Discounted adult tickets at 199 kr are usually available if bought the day before departure or earlier) A shuttlebus between Torp Train Station and Torp Airport is included in the train ticket.

RYGGE AIRPORT Airport bus: www.ryggeekspressen.no (1 hour, one-way: adults 140 kr. Return: adults 250 kr, students 210 kr) Train: www.nsb.no (50 mins, students 108 kr, adults 144 kr) A shuttlebus between Rygge Train Station and Rygge Airport is included in the train ticket

leaving by train Train tickets are cheaper if bought before boarding the train. You can buy train tickets at machines or ticket desks at the stations. For long-distance trains you can also purchase tickets over the internet, which is by far the easiest way. When you book online, and you've paid for your ticket, you are given a seat reference on the specific train you're taking. All you have to do is board the train, sit in your designated seat and you will recieve your ticket by showing your ID. On overnight trains sleeping compartments are available for 850 kr per compartment. One compartment can accommodate two people, but you can’t pay for a single bed, so if you travel alone you have to buy a compartment for yourself. Alternatively, opt for a night in the seat and NSB will provide you with a complimentary blanket, eye-mask and earplugs. Or visit the on-board restaurant which is open all night long - often a good place to meet fellow travellers or pick up stories from strangers over a beer. Discounted tickets called “minipris” starts at 199 NOK and are available on all lines. The 199 NOK tickets are scarce, but more discounted tickets are available at 299, 399 or 499 NOK. There are no refunds for these

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tickets and the minipris tickets can be used on the specified departure only. Minipris is not available on the day of departure. A student discount is available on regular tickets, but Minipris is usually the cheapest option. If travelling on local trains to the suburbs of Oslo, you will get a discount if you hold a valid ticket for transportation within Oslo municipality. For trains to Sweden NSB operates the line to Gothenburg, while the Swedish state railway SJ operates the trains to Karlstad and Stockholm. SJ has a ticket vending machine on Oslo Central Station and tickets can be purchased online at www.sj.se.

Oslo Central Station Jernbanetorget 1 www.oslo-s.no All trains depart from Oslo Central Station, but you can also catch most trains from Nationaltheateret Station.

NSB 815 00 888 www.nsb.no NSB is Norway’s national railway company.

Leaving by bus bussterminalen Schweigaardsgate 8-12 23 00 24 00 www.ruter.no All buses depart from Bussterminalen, located in central Oslo. Here you can catch everything from local buses that serves Oslo and its surrounding areas, to buses headed for central Europe.

Bus companies The National railway company does not cover the whole of Norway. Therefore Nor-Way Bussekspress is a great supplement.

NOR-WAY Bussekspress www.nor-way.no 815 44 444 These Swedish bus companies are affordable and they travel far and wide:

Swebus www.swebusexpress.se 8 00 58 444

GoByBus www.gobybus.se 815 66 010

bus4you www.bus4you.se

Leaving by boat There have been ferries bound for Denmark and Germany for a long time. At some point they stopped being sheer instruments of transportation and turned into party-boats. These are safe and efficient means of transportation, but be prepared for more or less everything (although your cabin will be a quiet retreat). Return tickets are sometimes cheaper than one-way tickets.

DFDS 21 62 13 40 www.dfds.no Oslo-(Helsingborg)-Copenhagen

Stena line 02 010 www.stenaline.no Oslo-Fredrikshavn

Eurolines

Color Line

www.eurolines.no Eurolines also has tri-weekly departures to Copenhagen.

810 00 811 www.colorline.no Oslo-Hirtshals/Oslo-Kiel/Larvik-Fredrikshavn.

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the national flag of norway | Photo: www.colourbox.com

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Norwegian trivia Here is everything you always wanted to know about Norway, but were afraid to ask.

population

hours of daylight (july)

Norway has over 4.9 million inhabitants spread over 385.186 km2 whereas 6% of that is water. 12 citizens per km2. Oslo's population is at around 600.000.

Oslo: 18 hours, 41 minutes. Trondheim: 20 hours, 21 minutes. Tromsø: 24 hours.

language Written Norwegian is divided into Bokmål and Nynorsk. The first being based on the Danish language and the latter based on dialects.

political system

religion The official religion in Norway is Protestantism. 88% of the population belongs to the Evangelical Lutheran State Church.

the royal family

Parlimentary democracy, monarchy. The Prime Minister is Jens Stoltenberg from a Red/Green coalition.

The King: Harald V The Queen: Sonja The Crown Prince: Haakon Magnus The Crown Princess: Mette-Marit

climate

norways 7 biggest cities

Because of the landscape, climate differs drastically depending on where you live in Norway. When it's still winter in the north of Norway, Oslo and other southern cities enjoy spring time. Statistically speaking, Oslo is Scandinavia's sunniest capital! The average monthly day temperature in the summer is +20°.

1. Oslo 2. Bergen 3. Trondheim 4. Stavanger 5. Kristiansand 6. Fredrikstad 7. Tromsø

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DOWNTOWN 44 35

15 13 07

09 37

31 10

02 09

29 22

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DOWNTOWN

46 06 11

48 36 22 26 30

08 10

27 50 36 40 39 29

09 08

41 24 03 07 11

29 28

01 56 02 02

06 41 42 14 37 04 05

54 20

03 44 02 04 16

35 21

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GRÜNERLØKKA 55

13 23 14 55 15

16 39

05 15 54

06 14

106

GRØNLAND

38 57

107

majorstuen

43 47

45 10

108