How to save money in Oslo

Scandivania in general is seen as quite expensive, and Oslo usually comes up near the top of these lists. So before I went to the Norweigan capital the thing I worried about most was how much money I’d end up spending.

Yes, we did spend a bit more on evening dinners than we may usually, but there are ways to save money in and around the city. 

Get an Oslo Pass

Most cities offer some sort of city pass to cover attractions etc, and the Oslo one is 100% worth it. Prices for the Oslo Pass sit at around £55 for a 48 hour pass, but you can also get them for 24 and 72 hours. Check the latest prices and find locations where you can pick up a card here.

The pass covers entry into almost all of the paid attractions in the city including the Nobel Peace Centre, the Viking Ship Museum and the Contemporary Art Museum. And it also covers some walking tours alongside giving you money off other things such as the Fjords sightseeing boat tour. The pass also covers all your travel on trams and buses in the city, and when I went we used these a lot to get around.

When I went, I bought my pass from the Visitor Centre in the main station, but you can also buy them online and just collect your card. Getting this card saved us so much money as we didn’t really pay for any attractions outside of those available with it.

Check out the free attractions in the city

There are actually a fair few free attractions in the city, so make sure you take advantage of them. When we went we used our Oslo passes for the first 48 hours and then did the free bits on our final day.

There are a few sculpture parks that are free to explore including Frogner and Ekebergparken. And the botanical gardens are also free to explore. Then at 1.30pm much like in London you can see the changing of the guard which is a pretty big spectacle in the city.

Use your city pass for restaurant discounts

If you do get the city pass, check out the additional discounts you can get when using your card. We didn’t realise this was a thing until after we’d had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe (now closed, sadly) and realised we could have saved some money.

Check out the discounts in the booklet or via leaflets in the visitor centre.

Look at prices before you go into a restaurant

There’s a big difference in costs for food, especially along the main tourist roads. So make sure you check out the menu and prices before you enter a restaurant so you can prepare yourself for how much you’re going to spend.

If you can, opt for smaller places, or restaurants off the main roads as they’re likely to be cheaper. 

Make the most of the hotel breakfast

Here’s another foodie-based recommendation, because let’s face it food is one of the biggest expenses on any trip. If your hotel or accommodation offers breakfast then firstly take advantage and make it a larger meal. But if you can, make lunch or take some snacks to eat during the day.

When I went we made up some rolls and grabbed some fruit to take with us and this meant that we didn’t need to buy lunch when we were out and about and definitely saved us a lot of money.

Limit alcohol

Alcohol is probably one of the most expensive things in Oslo. Thankfully, I don’t tend to drink very much in general, but if you do it might be worth cutting back in Oslo to save a bit of money!

When we were on our boat trip we looked at the menu and it was around £40-50 for a bottle of wine. 

Use public transport as opposed to taxis

The tram and bus network in Oslo is great and connects you all around the city very easily. If you get an Oslo pass the travel network is included so take advantage of it. The transport works for the most part all night, although not too regularly in the early hours. But this can save you loads compared to the prices of taxis.

On my trip the only train we paid for was between the airport and the main Oslo station, which was £10 each way. And it worked out much cheaper than paying for a taxi.