Oslo: 48 Hours as a Tourist in My Own City

Oslo: 48 Hours as a Tourist in My Own City

Let me start by saying this is not your typical “48 Hours in Oslo” post because, well, I live in Oslo… and I was born here. While I have lived abroad for a majority of the twenty-two years in between, Oslo is the only place I have always been able to call home. This past weekend, I decided to embrace my inner tourist and set out on a tourist-inspired Oslo adventure. Visit Oslo kindly provided me with an Oslo Pass to explore the city and the adventures of being a tourist in my own city began.

Day One

I woke up early Saturday morning, eager to get the weekend started. Since museums don’t open until 10:00, I decided to beat the tourist crowds and take the subway to the Vigeland Sculpture Park first thing in the morning. In the heart of the Frogner Park, there are over 200 sculptures in bronze, granite, and cast iron made by Gustav Vigeland, all of which are in the nude. The park is Oslo’s most popular tourist attraction and in the true spirit of a tourist, I snapped a photo with the most iconic sculpture, Sinnataggen. If you want to see more of Vigeland’s work, the Vigeland Museum is located in the south end of the park.


Next up was Bygdøy, a peninsula that holds the key to much of Norway’s history and is known to many as the museum peninsula. I started with the Fram Museum, also called the Polar Ship Fram, which lets you set foot on the wooden ship used for polar exploration in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Right next door, the Kon-Tiki Museum is home to the original balsawood raft Kon-Tiki, which Thor Heyerdahl used to sail across the Pacific Ocean in the mid-1900s. A bit further inland on the peninsula, the Viking Ship Museum takes you further back in time to the Viking Age, telling the Viking history through well-preserved Viking ships and archaeological discoveries. Around the corner, the Norwegian Folk Museum shows traditional Norwegian houses and crafts from cities around the country, giving you a feel for how Norwegians lived in the olden days.




After a walk through history, it was time to return to the land of the living and find something to eat. I caught the bus to the city center and then another bus to Vippa, a relatively new food hall located at Vippetangen. Inside what used to be a sugar warehouse, a number of eateries stand side-by-side serving street food from different cultures. Vippa is introducing a new concept to Oslo, bringing food, culture, and learning together under one roof. I tried the Vegan Wok from Tunco and was happy to learn they give a meal to a child in Kenya for every meal purchased, a cause that means a lot to me since I lived in Kenya from the age of five to eight.

Suggested Reading: A Local’s Guide to Eating Vegan in Oslo, Norway


From Vippa, I took the bus to Jernbanetorget and walked down Karl Johans gate, the main street in Oslo open only to pedestrians. Stores and restaurants line the sidewalks of the street, which takes you past the Norwegian Parliament building to the Royal Palace. If you want to see the changing of the guards, it starts at 13:30 every day and lasts about a half hour. Just down from the palace is the National Gallery, well known for its Edvard Munch collection that includes ‘The Scream’ and ‘Madonna’. You can see more of Munch’s work at the Munch Museum in Tøyen. Next, I grabbed a cup of coffee from Fuglen, a coffee shop by day and cocktail bar by night with a retro vibe that is outfitted with vintage furniture for sale.


I sipped my coffee on the way to Aker Brygge and Tjuvholmen, sticking my head into the City Hall and passing by the Nobel Peace Center. Aker Brygge is a lively pier lined with shops and restaurants and just beyond it is Tjuvholmen, a manmade island that sits in the Oslofjord. I walked onto the dock and watched the colorful sunset before stepping into the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, a contemporary art gallery with a unique design. That was enough adventure for one day and finally, I headed home to get some much needed rest before Day Two of exploring.


Day Two

I awoke on Sunday to a fresh dusting of snow and excitedly hopped on the subway to the Holmenkollen Ski Museum & Tower. This is the world’s oldest ski museum and is further from the city center than other sights (roughly 20 minutes by subway), but it is definitely worth the trip. While seeing 4,000 years of skiing history is fascinating, I find the most impressive feature of the museum to be the observation deck at the top of the jump tower, offering views of the entire city of Oslo and the surrounding nature. I even saw the snow-covered mountains of Norefjell where we have our cabin!


From Holmenkollen, I rode the subway back to the city center and made my way towards the neighborhood of Grünerløkka. I walked down Torggata, a street for pedestrians and bicyclists with many popular restaurants and bars, which led me to Akerselva, a river that runs through Oslo. I followed the river’s edge until I came to the Sunday Market at Blå, a one-of-a-kind market in Grünerløkka with handmade crafts and second-hand treasures. Grünerløkka is known as the ‘hip’ neighborhood, filled with street art, vintage shops, and a vibrant night scene. Stores are closed on Sundays so the streets were quieter than usual but it was still a nice place to walk around.




Just around the corner from Blå is Mathallen Oslo, a large food hall with a mix of international cuisines. As an up-and-coming foodie destination, Oslo is in the process of revolutionizing its food scene. Mathallen is a more upscale version of Vippa and houses a range of speciality shops with high-quality goods. In addition, there are a number of cafes and eateries to eat from, making it impossible not to find something you like. I tried the Tofu Sesame Bun from Noodles and enjoyed the trendy atmosphere before venturing to Markveien, the main street in Grünerløkka, where I caught the tram back to the city center.


The final stop of my Oslo weekend adventure was a trip to the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet, an architectural gem on Oslo’s waterfront. The Opera House is one of Oslo’s newest attractions with a modern design and unique construction, allowing visitors to walk on the diagonal roof of the building. Similar to the Holmenkollen Tower, the rooftop offers views of the city, the mountains, and the fjords, but from a different vantage point – you can even spot the ski jump in the distance. I took in one last view of Oslo, a city that will always hold a special place in my heart, and began my journey home.


Being a tourist in my own city taught me that there is always more exploring to be done and more adventures to be had. I visited some sights I had seen before and others that were completely new to me. And when I went around, something interesting happened… the city grew. Even though I saw more of Oslo than I ever had before, I was constantly discovering places that I didn’t know existed and that I now want to explore. I encourage you all to be a tourist in your own city, you may find that you’ve been missing out on much of what your city has to offer. And if you are planning a trip to Oslo, please let me know – I would be more than happy to help!

A special thank you to Visit Oslo for hosting me in my own city. As always, all opinions are my own.

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74 Comments

  1. November 22, 2019 / 00:13

    I see you have been to the Vigeland Park, Julia, but with only 48 hours at your disposal, I recognize your problem! 🙂
    However, I think you did a spendid job of it?
    As for the Vigeland Park: If you visit the front page of my blog, please insert ‘Vigeland’ into the little search window underneath my top frame and hit the ‘Enter’-button. Most likely you will find an extensive photo report from that particular park:
    Use the same window from othere events (Like May 17th celebrations from Oslo)

    • November 22, 2019 / 07:35

      Oh why thank you, I did try to make the most of my 48-hour window 🤗 Lots to see and do in so little time.
      I shall do that, thank you for the advice and resources! I enjoy seeing all of your lovely photos from Norway.

  2. September 20, 2019 / 12:10

    Oh my gosh! I already love Oslo and now you’ve shown me all the things I missed! I’m going to have to go back. And share with with my friend Nikki who was an exchange student there during high school. She loves the city and country, too.

    • September 20, 2019 / 14:15

      Oh how fun! I’m happy to hear both you and Nikki love Oslo as well as the rest of Norway. No stress, there’s always next time 😉

  3. August 4, 2019 / 21:18

    Your post on Oslo is enjoyable and it is so clean, artsy and charming. thank you.

    • August 4, 2019 / 21:45

      Thanks so much Arlene, I’m glad you enjoyed it!

  4. May 25, 2019 / 15:28

    Lovely Thoughts. Thanks for sharing with us.

  5. March 24, 2019 / 21:37

    He, I’m going to Oslo tomorrow for two days. Thank you so much for the post and the tips.

    • March 25, 2019 / 10:18

      Thanks for reading Patrick and enjoy your time in Oslo!

  6. Alyce
    November 21, 2018 / 15:09

    Hello! What a wonderful post. I’m visiting Norway & Oslo for the first time in September 2019. My brother and his family have moved to Oslo for the next two years – lucky them!! Can you tell me about your coat? It looks super warm for cold Norway weather!!

    • November 21, 2018 / 20:16

      Hi Alyce! Oh how exciting for your brother and his family, and for you as well that you are planning your first visit! I believe my coat is from Marc Jacobs. Where will you be traveling from? September isn’t the coldest month of the year by any means so hopefully you will be able to enjoy the outdoors ☺️

    • June 10, 2018 / 18:11

      Thank you very much, I’m glad you liked my post! Oslo is a beautiful city and I wish you an incredible visit.

  7. Cindy
    December 26, 2017 / 17:07

    Loved reading about your 48 hour adventure. We are American expats and spent one year in Oslo recently. We live in Stavanger now. Thinking I need to visit Oslo again though, because, I missed the Sunday Market in Grünnerløkka and the two food halls w foods from varying cultures. Certainly was an enjoyable read. I will share w my sister who is visiting Norway, including Oslo, in August.

    • December 27, 2017 / 19:06

      Thanks so much for reading Cindy, and for sharing! Oh yes the food scene in Oslo has definitely changed over the years and I have a feeling there’s lots more foodie hotspots to come. Luckily Stavanger isn’t too far away 😅 I hope your sister will enjoy her time in Norway, and especially the days in Oslo – August is a wonderful time of year to explore the city!

  8. seraphsephirot
    December 23, 2017 / 12:47

    Nice post! I really want to visit Oslo.

    I hope to go there this year and i will treasure your experience.

    Best regards from Italy

    Lorenzo

    • December 23, 2017 / 14:31

      Thank you Lorenzo! I too hope you’ll find the time to visit Oslo ☺️

  9. Akudo McGee
    December 22, 2017 / 21:27

    This made me excited for my trip! I will be going to Oslo in about a week. Everyone kept telling me not to travel alone and that I would be cold and bored and spend too much money but I’m determined to have a good time for a good price and explore. I love just walking around in the cold, fresh air and will def. check a few of these places out! The first step is getting to my AirBnb from the airport though ha ha

    • December 23, 2017 / 10:00

      Safe travels and have a wonderful time in Oslo! I personally love traveling alone and Oslo is definitely not boring 😅 Public transport is so easy here so you’ll have no trouble finding your AirBnb – check out the Ruter app (https://ruter.no/), it will be your best friend for getting around.

  10. Lisa
    December 19, 2017 / 04:40

    We (a family of 4 from the state of Indiana in the USA) visited Oslo for 2 days this past summer with our Norwegian friends from Trondheim. We went to many of the same places you just listed and had a wonderful visit! The T-bane was easy to use. We can’t wait to see more of Norway in the future!

    • December 19, 2017 / 09:24

      I’m so glad to hear that Lisa, thanks for reading! Oh yes the public transport in Oslo (and the rest of Norway) is very easy and efficient. I just returned from a trip to Trondheim so you can expect a blog post from there later this week ☺️ I hope you will visit again soon!

  11. Ryan Lewis
    December 16, 2017 / 22:22

    Thank you for your fantastic review of your home city. I really hope to visit one day. What attractions or things to do would you recommend for kids or families?

    • December 18, 2017 / 11:08

      Thanks for reading Ryan, I hope you will visit too! Oslo is a great city for families and children and everything I mentioned in my post is suitable for all ages. The Vigeland Sculpture Park has a nice playground and in the summer, Frognerbadet Open-Air Public Bath is a fun place to swim. During the winter, you can rent sleds at Korketrekkeren, Oslo’s most popular toboggan run, or rent skates at both Spikersuppa Skating Rink and Frogner Ice Skating Rink. All year round, The International Museum of Children´s Art is an amazing place to visit, my parents took me several times as a kid! For more ideas, have a look here: https://www.visitoslo.com/en/your-oslo/children/activities/

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