Norway is an incredibly beautiful and incredibly expensive country to visit! I recently visited Norway’s capital Oslo, and made it my mission to make the most out of my trip while spending as little as possible. Here’s exactly what I did, with times, prices, and transportation included so you can see it’s possible to see Oslo without breaking the bank! Here’s my Oslo itinerary on a budget!

The Flight

I took a 7 hour overnight flight from NYC to Oslo on Norse for a grand total of $415 USD roundtrip! I absolutely love Norse. It is a no frills budget airline similar to Spirit but it gets me to Europe for the same price as some flights in the states! This was my second time flying with them and I was perfectly comfortable and slept most of the way there. They are stopping about half of the flights they offer soon. So if you’re interested in grabbing a crazy deal like that, definitely book your flight soon! 

Cost: $415 USD 

Day 1

2:30pm – Land & bus 

After landing in Oslo I took the VY train from the airport to central station for using the VY app

Cost: 124.49 KR (12.67 USD) 

3:30 – Hostel

I then walked to my hostel Bunks at Rhode, where I shared a room with 29 other girls.  I really loved this hostel. The beds were very comfortable and had curtains that went all the way around the bed for privacy. There were lots of common spaces to hangout in, that were decorated really trendy and fun. The bathrooms were huge, pretty, and super clean. Click here to read my full review on Bunks at Rhode and view more photos. I then freshened up and set out for my adventure! 

Cost: 1275.94 KR (129.86 USD) total for two nights 

4:30pm – Backstube Bakery

Then I grabbed a croissant and a cheese bread snack at Backstube bakery. I researched cheap eats in Norway before my trip and Backstube kept coming up and they did not disappoint! I ended up going there for a meal every day in Norway!

Cost: 62.59 KR (6.37 USD) 

5pm – Hønse-Lovisas House & Waterfall 

 I then took my snacks and walked to Hønse-Lovisas House, a small cafe next to a  waterfall in the middle of the city. The waterfall isn’t really the impressive part, it’s more so the serene environment surrounding it and the beautiful park and its walking trail that start at the waterfall.. I had a little picnic near the waterfall, enjoyed my snack and the fresh Norway air. I then walked along the Akerslav river for quite a while, there were a bunch of trails and I just kept straight along the river. 

Cost: Free 

6pm – Mathallen Food Hall

I made it to Mathallen Food Hall, I didn’t plan on eating there since I just ate some snacks and was on a strict budget and I didn’t find the prices there to be that great. But it was nice to explore, see where the locals go to eat, and see some local cuisine. I grabbed some apples from a local grocery instead. 

Cost: Free to visit, I bought some apples for ( 55.81 KR / 5.68 USD ) 

7pm – Vigeland Sculpture Park 

I then bought my bus tickets on the ruter app and  took a bus to Vigeland Sculpture Park. This park was huge and had lots of beautiful gardens, sculptures, swans, and a little cafe. It was so big I struggled to find the main/most iconic part of the sculpture park “The Monolith” but once I eventually got there I loved checking out the sculptures and colorful flower beds there. For a free iconic park, I was shocked it wasn’t crowded at all, and I was able to wander around and take my time checking everything out and taking tons of photos. The park is also open 24 hours a day. So if you’re on a short trip and looking to fill every moment I’d suggest saving your visit here for a night activity since most of the museums close around 5pm. 

Cost: Bus ticket was 42.35 KR (4.31 USD) Park was free! 

7:45 – Back to Hostel

I took the bus back to my hostel, and grabbed some dinner from a grocery store next door. 

Cost: Bus: Bus ticket was 42.35 KR (4.31 USD) 

Grocery: 90.10 KR  (9.17 USD) 

Day 2 

9am – Backstube bakery and Kaffebrenneriet

 I started my day as expected, with a pastry from Backstube Bakery and got a croissant to eat later. Then I had to escape the cold for a bit with a hot chocolate from Kaffebrenneriet, a coffee shop chain in Norway. 

Cost: Backstube: 66.72 KR (6.78 USD) 

Kaffebrenneriet: 57.09 KR (5.81 USD) 

Weather / Fashion Advice:  Even in August I found it to be pretty cold  in the mornings and evenings (10 C / 50 F) and definitely had not packed for that. But once the sun came out, it was beautiful outside mid-day! So I made it a habit to wear a light coat over my dress and tights underneath it, and then once the sun came out I’d shed those and store them in a tote bag, and put them back on when it got dark in the evenings. Everyone else wore their winter clothes all day, which I guess meant less work for them to not have to change and carry their coats all day like me, and I must have looked so silly  being the only one in a sundress. But everyone else looked silly to me, with a scarf on in the middle of the day when it was warm out! So keep that in mind if you care about your clothes fitting in there. 

10 am – National Museum 

I purchased my ticket for the National Museum on my phone while waiting to go inside. I would definitely recommend going in the morning right when they open to avoid the crowds. Most of the rooms I had all to myself and could take my time to explore the museum, and read all the information without having to move out of the way for other people. My highlights were Queen Maud’s dress collection and seeing one of the versions of the famous scream painting. 

They also have a rooftop terrace that offers beautiful views of the city. Also note that if you have anything bigger than a small purse you will have to head downstairs to store it in a locker before exploring the museum. The lockers were free and easy to use but there was a bit of a crowd down there when I was leaving so maybe if you’re on a time crunch, leave the bags at home. 

Cost: 193.66 KR (19.71 USD) 

12:30 pm –  Walked  around the Aker Brygge area

There were tons of restaurants along the pier and benches to sit and relax. I loved walking around this area, watching the boats, and had to take  photos too of course. 

Cost: free 

12:30  –  Ferry to Bygdøy

After the National Museum I jumped on a ferry to take me to Bygdøy where several museums are. The ferry was my highlight of my trip up to this point, the views were so beautiful and there were only maybe 15 other people on the boat so it felt more like a leisurely activity than a typical public transportation. There is also a bus you can take to the island but I’d highly recommend the ferry instead! I paid for my tickets on the ferry but you should be able to get them online as well. 

Cost: 75 NOK (7.63 USD) 

1PM – Norwegian Museum of Cultural History 

After getting off the ferry I had a 10 minute walk through a peaceful neighborhood to get to the museum. The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History had lots of replicas of historical buildings you could enter and check out, there were even a workers dressed up and working on things like tending to animals, sewing, cooking to really take you back in time. My favorite were two dancers that showed us a few incredible traditional Norwegian dances and had us all come up, teach us a dance, and had us dance alongside them. I had a really relaxing picnic, and ate the croissant I bought that morning, an apple from the store the night before, and some snacks I brought from home. 

If you have kids the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History should be your top priority to visit. There were so many kids there, running around, climbing trees, there were at least two playgrounds and tons of picnic tables. 

Cost: 195 NOK (19.85 USD) 

3:30 – Back on the Ferry 

It was time to head back to the city to continue my day, so I walked back through the neighborhood, and to the ferry. I loved the views on the ferry again, I’d recommend going to the front of the ship to get the best views! 

Cost: 75 NOK (7.63 USD) 

4pm  – Opera House Rooftop 

The Opera House Rooftop has to be the most iconic landmark in Oslo. Even after seeing it so many times online I was still surprised by how massive it was. It has a large ramp on either side of the building so everyone is welcome to walk up it, free of charge, for views of the city. So I did just that and hung out with some friendly birds up there too. 

Cost: Free! 

5pm – SALT Restaurant & Sauna 

Directly next to the Opera House was my last stop of the day. Since I had a short visit in Oslo, I kept getting told I had to experience a Norwegian sauna. The most traditional ones are right on the water and pretty small, usually fitting about six people. When booking, you can choose either a private sauna for your group or a public one where you share with up to five strangers. Sitting in a tiny sauna with strangers in swimsuits didn’t sound fun to me, so I went looking for another option and found SALT.

SALT is a restaurant, bar, and sauna all in one, and the sauna rooms are huge, the largest fits up to 30 people. It has a younger crowd, a DJ, and more of a party vibe, which sounded way more my speed. I grabbed a pizza from one of the food stands when I arrived. It was fine, but if you’re used to greasy, cheesy American pizza, you might want to try one of their other food options instead.

I came prepared with a swimsuit, towel, flip flops, and a padlock for the lockers, so I saved on not having to rent any of those. I booked online ahead of time and paid (253 NOK 25.73 USD)  for up to two hours in the saunas. Phones have to stay in your locker, and photos aren’t allowed, which makes total sense, even if it’s a little sad not having pictures.

I visited all 3 saunas they had the large “party one” which was just people whispering in their friend groups, a small relaxing sauna, which was just couples cuddling, and one only open for 10 minutes or so every hour for their relaxing “ritual”. So I just peeked into the first two, then waited for the ritual one to start so I could at least do something there. It was relaxing, they had music playing, essential oils, and lots of steam. Until I peeked my eyes open and saw the instructor was throwing his towel around in the air like those people you would see on side of the road throwing a sign around promoting a vape store. Personally I found that hilarious and it was hard to take anything serious after that.

I left shortly after and spent a grand total of 27 minutes in the sauna area. I’m glad I tried it since it’s such a part of Norwegian culture, but it’s definitely not my thing.

Cost: Pizza: 235.12 NOK  (23.93 USD) 

Sauna: 253 NOK (25.73 USD) 

Day 3 – Cruise back from Copenhagen 

After Day 2, I traveled to Stockholm for two days,  then to Copenhagen for three days, then took an overnight cruise back to Oslo, to spend one more day in Oslo before flying to New York that night.

You can read about those adventures here: 

Stockholm Itinerary 

Copenhagen itinerary 

DFDS Copenhagen to oslo ferry experience 

9:30am – Bounce Luggage Storage 

I had breakfast on the ferry that was included in the cost so I won’t count that. Then I walked off the ferry and dropped off my luggage at Bounce luggage storage I paid for through their website in advance. 

Cost: Bounce Luggage Storage 161.63 NOK ( 16.45 USD)

10am – Akershus fortress

I then walked to the Akershus Fortress and went in as soon as it opened, it was so interesting walking around the fortress and inside the castle and seeing the elaborate banquet halls. You can visit the grounds for free, you only have to pay if you’d like to go inside.

Cost: 160 NOK (16.43 USD)

11:30 City hall 

I made a quick but interesting stop at Oslo city hall to see the massive beautiful  mural inside. I also hung out for a while in the beautiful garden right outside. 

Cost: Free! 

12:30 – Haralds Vaffel & Last stop at Backstube 

Haralds Vaffel is a very trendy popular dessert store that specializes in waffles, it was really close to my hostel but I somehow never made it over there so I was determined to visit it before I left. I also really wanted to try Norway’s brown cheese and knew the best way to try that would be on a tasty waffle and I was so right! I ordered the traditional waffle, that came with cream cheese, jam, and brown cheese on a fresh waffle. It was seriously delicious and you have to stop there if you’re ever in Oslo! I passed by a Backstube on my way to the bus station to collect my luggage ( they’re seriously everywhere) so of course I had to get some food to eat later. 

Cost: The traditional waffle at Haralds Vaffel: 69 NOK (7.02 USD) 

Backstube: 79 NOK (7.53 USD)

1:30 – Bus back to the airport and bye Oslo! 

Cost: 124.49 KR (12.67 USD) 

Other expenses:

Water and Snacks: 351.16 NOK (35.74 USD) 

Total cost for 3 days, 2 nights in Oslo, not including my flight: 4142.54 NOK (425.47 USD)

 One thing you can look into to save money is the Oslo pass, it includes admission to 30 museums/attractions and public transportation. It didn’t make sense for my trip since I wasn’t actually there for 3 days straight but it’s definitely something to look into! Also camping is very popular in Norway, and it’s free to camp in any national parks and there’s lots of camping sites that require payment but it seems to always be a pretty small amount. 

Let me know if you have any questions about my Oslo Itinerary on a Budget and if you’ve ever been there yourself!