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OSLO

Five things Oslo residents can sometimes take for granted 

Oslo is a great place to call home, and sometimes it can be easy to take the things that make it so appealing for granted. 

Published: 19 October 2022 16:22 CEST
Updated: 25 February 2023 09:30 CET
Pictured is Viegeland park in Norway.
Here are some great things about Oslo that can sometimes be overlooked. Pictured is Viegeland park in Norway. Photo by Nick Night on Unsplash

If you live in the Norwegian capital of Oslo, you may have heard people complain about how expensive the city is or how small and quiet it feels compared to other places.

However, you don’t need to look far or long to find things that make Oslo a fantastic place to live- the kind of things that residents (and visitors) should not overlook. 

Here are some things about Oslo that residents may (but should not) take for granted. 

Amazing nature 

One of the biggest draws to the city is one of the things that can be easiest to overlook- especially when the weather is far from optimal- the fantastic nature surrounding the city. 

A lot of the best spots are easily accessible via public transport. For example, you can take a ferry to islands in the Oslofjord from as little as 39 kroner. These ferries are taken from the bustling Aker Brygge district, transporting you to quiet forest trails and natural swimming spots in around 20 minutes. 

Other examples of nature spots easy to access without a car include trips along the Akerselva, taking the T-bane to Songsvann, or the bus to great swimming and camping at Trollvann. The same applies to the various forests dotted around the edge of the capital. 

Even for the hardcore that are out on hammock trips when there is still snow on the ground, there will be new places to discover. 

Public transport 

This one is more of a double-edged sword as complaining about ticket prices would be fair as public transport in Oslo is amongst the priciest in the world. 

Even still, Norway has a well-connected transport system that, for many, will eliminate the need for a car- which is handy because the city isn’t considered exceptionally car friendly. 

As mentioned earlier, the tram, ferry, bus, and T-bane links make getting to the great outdoors seamless, in addition to making getting around the city hassle-free. 

Oslo’s small size means commutes aren’t too arduous for the majority and that you can be in central and trendy districts in a relatively short time . 

Family-friendly

The many parks and green spaces around Oslo make the city a fantastic place to raise kids. But the green spaces aren’t just confined to parks. 

Many areas in the city, such as Torshov, are best known for the large communal gardens that most apartment blocks have, meaning that green space and other children to play with are easily accessible for those living in apartments, not just those in houses and the suburbs. 

This is in addition to the vast array of recreational areas, activities and parks dotted around the capital. 

In a survey of The Local’s readers respondents praised the city for being so family friendly.

READ MORE: Is Oslo a good city for international residents?

It’s an international city

Oslo may not have that same melting pot feel that bigger cities have, but it certainly is an international city. 

Around a third of the city’s residents are either immigrants or come from a foreign background (meaning their parents come from abroad). 

Roughly 177,000 of the city’s 634,000’s residents have immigrated to Norway from other countries. This can make it easier for foreigners to settle and “feel at home” compared to small rural communities where many locals are Norwegians. 

It also means that many aren’t far from their compatriots in the event they feel homesick. 

Add this to the large number of international firms with English as the primary working language, Oslo offers plenty for international residents to settle inside and outside work. 

Residents feel safe

No city is crime-free. However, one overlooked aspect of Oslo is the low crime rate compared to other European cities. 

Some 93 percent of residents in Norway said that they felt safe, and Oslo was one of the parts of the country to record the highest trust levels in the police, according to the latest annual survey carried out by the Police Directorate. 

In Oslo, over two-thirds said that they felt very safe in the city, 26 percent said they felt quite safe, and two percent said they didn’t feel safe.

Serious crime rates are quite low, with petty theft (such as bike thefts) representing some of the most common crimes committed in Oslo, according to an investigation carried out by the local paper Vårt Oslo. 

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OSLO

Everything you need to know about Oslo’s public transport network

Buses, trams, ferries and a metro system all make up Oslo's public transport system. Here's what you need to know to get about the Norwegian capital.

Published: 13 June 2024 12:22 CEST
Everything you need to know about Oslo's public transport network

Being the Norwegian capital, it’s no surprise that Oslo has a robust public transport network. You can use a public transport ticket for everything from ferries and buses to trams and trains.

One company, Ruter, handles public transport for the city and the surrounding Akershus area.

Thankfully, you’ll only need a single app or travel card to get around the city. This applies to the different forms of public transport, too. You can go from a bus to a tram to a ferry without having to use a different app or purchase a different kind of ticket.

The Ruter app is the only place to buy tickets digitally, and it is available in English. This app also has integrated map features so you can find the best way to get where you need to be and what zones your ticket will cover.

When it comes to the zones themselves, there are five. The cost of a ticket increases as you travel across zones. However, the main thing to know is that zone one covers the entirety of Oslo itself, and the other zones extend into the surrounding areas of Oslo.

Furthermore, some sections of the public transport network, such as the metro, only operate in zone one, so you don’t need to worry when buying tickets.

Tickets

Ruter offers tickets for single journeys, 24 hours, a week, 30 days, or a year. For those commuting inside and out of Oslo, you can add additional zones to the ticket.

The single ticket currently costs 42 kroner for an adult travelling in one zone . There is a flexible scheme currently in place which makes single tickets cheaper the more frequently you buy them.

This discount resets every 30 days. There are also discounts for children, pensioners, and those in the Norwegian Armed Forces.

A single ticket is valid for 60 minutes and allows unlimited transfers. The ticket duration is extended for every extra zone one travels through. For example, this is handy if you are taking a regional train from the airport to the city centre.

Meanwhile, a 24-hour ticket costs 127 kroner, a monthly ticket is 897 kroner (but will soon be reduced), and an annual ticket is 8,996 kroner. The longer the duration of the ticket, the more money you will save.

Those caught travelling without a ticket will typically be fined 1,470 kroner, or 1,200 kroner if the fine is paid on the spot.

The different transport options

There are two kinds of buses in Oslo: the red ones that operate solely in the city and the green ones that shuttle people in and out of the greater Oslo region.

You can get on the red buses at any of the doors, and some of the green ones need you to show your ticket at the front door.

Buses don’t operate 24/7. However, some of the most important routes will have a nighttime schedule.

There are also six tram lines in Oslo, with around 99 stops and 130,000 daily passengers. The trams are suitable for those with mobility issues as the doors open at pavement level. Most lines remain within Oslo, but line 13 ends in Bekkestua in Bærum, one of the municipalities that borders Oslo.

Oslo’s metro, or T-bane, is popular with both commuters and leisure travellers. There are five metro lines, and all lines converge in the city centre via a shared tunnel. The metro line is particularly good at connecting the city to its forested areas, with plenty of hikes and trails branching off from metro stops.

Passenger ferries connect the city to the islands in the Oslofjord. These ferries are a stone’s throw from Oslo town hall at Aker Brygge. There are also commuter ferries connecting Oslo and towns like Nessoden and Drøbak.

Several commuter train lines exist in Norway. In recent years, these have been plagued by punctuality issues.

Regional trains in Norway carry the R designation (the R11, for example), and you can use Ruter tickets for this. An example is using a Ruter ticket to take the cheaper regional trains from the airport to Oslo rather than the express service.

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