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Oslo, and Norway in general, is known for being a budget-buster.
And, yeah, you are going to have to spend good money on accommodations and food.
But there are also SO many fun things to see and do in Oslo that won’t cost you a thing. Yes, FREE! And you’ll definitely get your steps.
Oslo has tons of beautiful walks that will take you through urban nature parks, historic centers of power, modern architecture, and vibrant urban streetscapes. You can even take a dip in the fjord!
And since summer days are long, I mean really long, you’ll have lots of time to explore. Read on to learn about these cool free things to do in Oslo.
- Botanisk Hage – University of Oslo Botanical Garden
- Akerselva River Walk
- Damstredet and Telthusbakken
- Vår Frelsers Gravlund
- Slottsparken / Royal Palace Gardens
- Vigeland Park
- Oslo City Hall
- Akershus Fortress
- Stortinget – Norway’s Parliament
- Karl Johans Gate
- Deichman Bjørvika Library
- Oslo Opera House
- Oslo Fjord / Harbor
- Ekebergparken Sculpture Park
How to Plan your Budget Visit to Oslo
These attractions are listed above in a somewhat logical flow for a walking tour. You could go in either direction—or even start at any point because attractions are listed in kind of a wonky loop.
You could even walk much of this route in one day if you started early.
But truthfully, it would be unrealistic to do all of this without collapsing from exhaustion! And you wouldn’t have time to take anything in.
But if you skip the Botanical Gardens, Vigeland Park, and Ekebergparken Sculpture Park, which are all a little further from downtown, you could easily do everything else in one day.
I recommend reviewing the list of attraction and prioritizing the things you want to see. Figure out how much time you have and how much time you want to spend at the various attractions (you could spend a good two hours in Vigeland Park…or you could just zip through and check it off your list).
You could use public transportation and/or scooters and bikes to speed up the trip between these points, but it won’t be free. If you are considering it, check out the section on public transportation options at the end of the article.
Pro tip: use Google Maps for directions and the Ruter app for trams, buses, and the metro. If you don’t have cellular data, make sure to download offline Google Maps, and mark these key waypoints before heading out.
So pack a water bottle and snacks, don your comfiest walking shoes and a few layers, and get ready to explore Oslo without emptying your wallet (digital wallet, obviously, cash is rarely used in Norway)!
Botanisk hage – University of Oslo Botanical Garden
A little north of downtown, the University of Oslo maintains a substantial botanical garden, including two greenhouses (the Victoria House and the Palm House).
The botanical garden (7am to 5pm) and greenhouses (10am to 5pm) are open daily and free to visit.
On Sundays at 1pm in summer (early July to late September), they offer one-hour guided tours of the botanical garden in both English and Norwegian. The tours are free—just show up, no reservations required.
There is also a natural history museum on site, but it costs 180 NOK for adults.
Akerselva River Walk
The Akerselva (Aker River) winds its way down from Maridalsvannet (Lake Maridal), Oslo’s primary water supply, all the way to the Oslo fjord, popping out right between MUNCH and the Opera House.
There is a trail running along the Akerselva for 8 of its 10 kms, starting in Grønland, just north of the Oslo Sentralstasjon train station. If you stay at the Forenom Aparthotel, like I did, the trail starts just out your front door!
Walk as far as you want through this green corridor with bridges, little waterfalls, and grungy street art.
I’d recommend starting downtown and winding your way up the Akerselva to Tim Wendelboe for a beautiful cup of coffee (if it’s in the budget, of course).
Wander a bit around the hipster Grünerløkka neighborhood, then cross the river to grab a bite at Mathallen, a cool food hall with something for everyone. You’ll spend about 200 NOK for an average dish here.
Damstredet and Telthusbakken
Once you leave Mathallen, you’ll have to decide to go either left or right to visit one of Oslo’s two adorable streets. Head right (north) to see Telthusbakken, or left (south) to see Damstredet.
If you want to visit both, head to Telthusbakken first, then wind down the pedestrian path to Damstredet.
Both streets offer slopy cobblestone lanes with colorful wooden buildings from the 1800s. It’s so charming, you’ll be snapping pics left and right!
Just remember that these are houses that real people live in, so be on your best behavior.
Vår Frelsers Gravlund
I love a good graveyard, and this one has some famous Norwegian characters!
Coming out of Damstredet, you’ll pass through Vår Frelsers Gravlund (Our Savior’s Cemetery). It’s a lovely setting and beautifully maintained cemetery.
You’ll find the graves of Edvard Munch and Henrik Ibsen her—the map on the sign near the church will tell you where they are located.
I meandered through this graveyard without knowing it had famous denizens, so my pics of random gravestones will have to suffice.
Slottsparken / The Royal Palace and Gardens
You will emerge from bustling city streets into the wide open Slottsparken, home of the 1849 neo-classical Royal Palace, home of His Majesty King Harald V and Her Majesty Queen Sonja.
It’s free to explore the beautiful gardens, including the Queen’s Garden at the back. The garden makes a great place to take a break on the shady lawn, maybe eat that sandwich that you packed.
If you time it right, you might catch the changing of the guard. From April to September, the King’s Guard and Royal Norwegian Marines Band start their procession at Akershus Fortress at 1:10 pm and end up in front of the Palace by 1:30 pm.
Vigeland Park
Vigeland Park is a doozy. Located inside Frogner Park, it’s reportedly the world’s largest sculpture park by a single artist, Norway’s one and only Gustav Vigeland. (Fun fact: he also designed the Nobel Peace Prize medal.)
Vigeland Park displays over 200 of Vigeland’s sculptures. You’ll walk over a bridge lined with naked bronze men, women, and children in wacky poses. Then you’ll arrive at a large fountain with a “phases of life” theme. The crowning achievement is up the hill: it’s the monolith, an obelisk wrapped with more naked people, this time carved in stone. The amount of work that went into all this is just mind-boggling.
The park is open all year, 24 hours a day, and free to visit. The park is large, so give yourself time to wander and absorb this artist’s work.
Vigeland Park is a bit of a walk from the Royal Palace, winding through some pretty swanky neighborhoods. You might consider your scooter or transit options for this part of the journey. You can take a tram or metro to Majorstuen, or tram to Vigelandsparken.
Rådhus / Oslo City Hall
If you decide to skip Vigeland Park (but don’t do that!) it is a short walk from the Royal Palace to Rådhus—Oslo’s City Hall.
This 1960’s brick landmark is where the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony is held each December. Giant wooden murals in the outside courtyard on the north side (the front?) tell Norway’s story, and there are all sorts of cool sculptures popping out of the façade.
City Hall is free and open to visitors 9am to 4pm most days. They offer free 45-minute guided tours in in Norwegian, English, and German Monday to Sunday from late June to the end of August at 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 2:00 PM. No reservations required, just show up!
The harbor side of City Hall looks out onto the Nobel Peace Center and National Museum. Check them out from the outside!
Akershus Fortress
From City Hall, follow the waterfront east to Akershus fortress.
It started as a royal residence, then did time as a prison—and it’s actually still an active military site.
The grounds are free to wander and are open until 9pm. You’ll have great city and fjord views from the old fortress walls.
Stortinget / Norway’s Parliament
After meandering through the Akershus fortress grounds, make your way back up to Stortinget, Norway’s Parliament building.
It’s free to view from the outside, and quite an unusual building. They offer free tours in summer (July-August). If you really want to do a tour, check the website ahead of time—my guess is that you would have to get there earlier in the day.
You can also attend parliamentary sessions from the public gallery when the Storting (Parliament) is in session.
Karl Johans Gate
Karl Johans Gate is a major pedestrian street that leads from Oslo Sentralstasjon (Central Station) to the Royal Palace. In summer it’s bustling with locals, tourists, vendors, and buskers. It’s lined with shops and restaurants and might be a great place to splurge on a snack (waffle with brown cheese, anyone?).
Pop in to the Freia Butikken for some classic Norwegian chocolates.
Deichman Bjørvika Library
If you are a fan of libraries or architecture, make sure to stop at this amazing new library right next to the Oslo Opera House. What an amazing resource for the people of Oslo!
It’s free to enter and wander around admiring the smart design, quiet nooks, and fjord views from the top floors. It’s also a great place to take advantage of free toilets and water refill stations. You might even want to recharge your devices before heading back out.
Oslo Opera House
The Oslo Opera House is iconic; it’s really a must on any trip to Oslo.
And yes, it’s free to walk up that beautiful sloping white marble roof and take in the views of the Oslofjord.
The surface can be steep and smooth. When it’s sunny out, that white marble is also super bright, so don’t leave your sunglasses at home.
Swim in the Oslofjord
If you are in Oslo during a record-breaking heat wave, like I was, you’ll yearn for a quick dip in the fjord at the end of a long day schlepping across town. Oslo has some great options for swimming areas in the heart of downtown!
Sørenga Sjøbadand is near MUNCH. This swim area has the most amenities. It has an enclosed pool area (but still sea water), little sand beach, a grassy area and a seating area. It has bathroom facilities, outdoor showers and a diving tower. In summer they also have lifeguards.
Operastranda is near the Opera House. It has a little sand beach, a grassy area and a floating pier with a small diving board. In summer they also have lifeguards.
Tjuvholmen Badeplass is near the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art. It is a smaller, rockier beach, but has a floating pier with a small diving board and shower.
So pack your swimsuit, towel and sandals (keep your valuables in sight) and get ready for a cold plunge in the Oslofjord! Even in July the water can feel a wee bit chilly.
Ekebergparken Sculpture Park
Ekebergparken is another cool Oslo park with modern art and forest paths. It’s also (supposedly) the viewpoint that inspired Munch’s The Scream (look for Munchpunktet on Google maps).
At Ekebergparken you’ll get great views of the city and its surroundings. And you’ll also have the chance to discover 47 sculptures by 43 different modern and 19th century artists sprinkled throughout the park. Use this handy map to find them all.
The park is open all year, 24 hours a day, and free to visit.
This is another spot where you might consider availing yourself of transit options—it’s about an hour’s walk from downtown, and it’s hilly. You can take tram 13 or a bus to Ekeberg—check the Ruter app for the latest information.
Free Entry to Museums and Public Buildings
Traveling on a budget in Oslo doesn’t mean you won’t get to go inside any buildings. If you hit your timing right, a few local attractions offer free admission on specific days and times.
MUNCH: Free admission for everyone Wednesday evenings from 6-9pm (EXCEPT in July and August).
Oslo Museum – Museum of Oslo Free admission for everyone on the first Thursday of the month. Always free for people under 26 years old.
Oslo Museum – Intercultural Museum: Free admission for everyone on the first Thursday of the month. Always free for people under 26 years old.
Oslo Public Transportation (not free!)
If you are committed to not spending any money, then you are going to have to walk everywhere. Lucky for you, Oslo is a very walkable city. But it can be pretty spread out if you want to see everything, so wear comfortable shoes!
But if your legs say no to more walking, there are lots of public transportation options. It won’t be free, but if you are strategic about it, you can work it into your budget.
Just note that you’ll have to have cellular data while you are out and about in order to use these options.
Ruter
If you want to use public transportation, you’ll have to download the Ruter app first.
Paper tickets are also available, but inconvenient and hard to find. You can buy them at Narvesen, 7-Eleven, Mix kiosks, and metro stations. You’ll have to first spend 50 NOK for a reloadable travel card and then know how much to put on the card.
To ride tram, bus, or subway (T-bane), you’ll have to pay the steep 46 NOK per 60 minutes in one zone. If you think you’ll need more transit, a better option might be the 137 NOK 24-hour ticket for one zone. It pays for itself after three rides.
If you weren’t on a budget, you’d have free rides with the Oslo Pass, but here we are.
Electric Scooter
Everyone in Oslo zips around on electric scooters. Like everywhere, they are a bit of a menace…unless you are the one riding it, then it’s great!
There are a few scooter companies operating in Oslo: Voi, Ryde, and Bolt. They are all similar, but know that Ryde was founded in Oslo!
Pick one, pick them all… just make sure to download the app(s) and sign up for an account before you head out, and make sure you have cellular data. You might need to receive an SMS message to activate your account, so factor that into your planning.
Prices are in the app, but they all basically have a comparable unlock fee, then a per-minute fee. Some have a daily pass option as well.
Bicycle
For 119 NOK (a little over US$10) you can get 72 hours access to Oslo City Bikes with the Discover Oslo pass (2026 price). That’s a deal!
Oslo City Bikes also have an e-bike option that costs just a little more.
If you don’t think you’ll use the bikes that much, you can opt to pay by the minute instead. But if you’ll be using the bikes for more than two hours total the 72-hour Discover Oslo pass makes a lot of sense.
There are lots of bike/scooter lanes all over Oslo, so both these options are pretty safe.
Key Takeaways on Exploring Oslo for Free
So you see there’s no shortage of amazing free things to do in Oslo. It could keep you busy for days!
You’ll get a mix of scenic river walks, city sights, sculpture parks and even a dip in the fjord. And because Oslo is so walkable, you can get around to all these places on foot. If you want to do more in less time, you can also access Oslo’s great public transportation (but not for free) to get around faster.
Note that if you are willing to splurge a little, you can also save money and get a lot of value out of the Oslo Pass, even just for one day.
So pack your snacks and water bottle, put on your walking shoes, save your maps offline and get out and explore Oslo for free!
Got a favorite free spot in Oslo? Share it in the comments so that other travelers on a budget can enjoy it too.
Visit Oslo lists a few more free and quirky attractions you can visit if you haven’t found enough to see here.
i was just in Norway in Winter and gosh, Oslo looks so different in the summer, it feels like an entirely different place altogether! gahhhh i’m wanderlusting so much for it right now! 😍
And I’m super curious to see how it is in winter!
Since there is so much to see in Norway, many people overlook Oslo. So many fun things there too. I love visiting Norway, we mostly go at summer time when we are in Finland. It’s a great road trip.
I’m a city gal, and I really enjoyed Oslo. There is SO much to do there, people should really give it a few days!