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Oslo Opera House lit at blue hour, reflected in the Bjørvika harbour
Norway

Oslo: things to do

Sights, food and festivals, and the traps to skip
Checked 13 November 2026
Where to parkCar towed?
Photos: Pierre Blaché / Unsplash
3 min read

Driving in? Where to park

Best parking bet

Onepark's Tjuvholmen P-hus: NOK 56 per started 30 minutes, NOK 525 for 24 hours, 2.1 m. Cheapest I found: Grefsen station, NOK 20 an hour, NOK 60 a day.

Watch out

Studded tyres: NOK 35 a day in Oslo from 1 November 2026 to 4 April 2027, NOK 750 if you skip it. Foreign cars must register fuel and Euro class for tolls, or pay the top rate.

Parking in Oslo: the full guide →

01 · Sights

Oslo's harbour, a sculpture park and a free toboggan run

Most of central Oslo sits along a harbour promenade that Visit Norway puts at nine kilometres. I'd park once by the water and walk it.

1. Walk Vigeland Park at any hour

Vigeland Park holds more than 200 sculptures by Gustav Vigeland, is free and is open 24 hours a day, all year. Go early, before the coaches.

2. Swim at the Opera House beach

The Oslo Opera House opened in 2008. Visit Norway lists a free city beach in front of it.

3. See MUNCH on a Wednesday evening

MUNCH is free on Wednesday evenings, according to Visit Norway. That's the evening I'd pick.

4. Walk the walls of Akershus

Akershus Fortress was begun under Haakon V, who reigned 1299–1319. The garage there, on the city's charging page, has 85 charging spaces.

5. Join a free City Hall tour

Oslo City Hall is open to everyone, with free guided tours in summer.

6. Visit the 22 July Centre

The 22 July Centre is always free. Give it an hour.

7. Sled down Korketrekkeren

Korketrekkeren is free if you bring your own sled; you can rent one at the top. It's the best winter hour in Oslo.

Open in Google Maps ↗

02 · Food

Oslo eats meatballs, fårikål and fish soup

1. Order kjøttkaker at Kaffistova

Visit Oslo names Kaffistova as a reasonably priced place for everyday dishes. Kjøttkaker are big Norwegian meatballs; I'd start there.

2. Eat in a 150-year-old room

Engebret Café and Gamle Raadhus in Kvadraturen each have over 150 years of restaurant history, says Visit Oslo, which also lists fish soup and steamed salmon as dishes to look for.

3. Try fårikål once

Fårikål is lamb and cabbage stew, lapskaus a brown stew. Lutefisk, cod cured in lye, is for the brave.

4. Graze at Mathallen

Mathallen has more than 30 shops, cafés and restaurants under one roof. Hours vary by stall.

5. Lunch at Frognerseteren

Finstua at Frognerseteren serves Norwegian food in the hills by Holmenkollen, with a view. Pair it with the sled run.

03 · Festivals

Oslo's Christmas market, Nobel Day and Holmenkollen

1. Skate inside Jul i Vinterland

Oslo's largest Christmas market, Jul i Vinterland, runs 7 November to 3 January, with the Spikersuppa rink in the middle. I'd park outside Ring 1.

2. Expect closures on 10 December

The Nobel Peace Prize ceremony is held in Oslo every 10 December. Road closures aren't published.

3. Book early for Holmenkollen

The Holmenkollen Ski Festival is 12–14 March 2027. No parking advice is published, so I'd use public transport.

4. Leave the car on 17 May

Constitution Day is a public holiday, so the kerb is free, but the centre fills up. Øya 2027 dates aren't out; 2026 was 12–15 August.

What's on

WhenWhat
7 November 2026 – 3 January 2027Jul i Vinterland, Oslo's largest Christmas market, with the Spikersuppa rink (Visit Oslo's 2026 Christmas page; the sentence prints no year)
Thursday 10 December 2026Nobel Peace Prize ceremony; road closures not published
12–14 March 2027Holmenkollen Ski Festival; no parking advice published
Monday 17 May 2027Constitution Day, a public holiday: municipal kerb parking free unless signed
August 2027, dates not yet publishedØyafestivalen (2026 edition was 12–15 August)
04 · History

From Christiania back to Oslo

1. Date it to 1048, roughly

Wikipedia's infobox gives Oslo as established in 1048; the text says founded in 1040, and the sagas say around 1049.

2. Thank a fire for the grid

After a 1624 fire, Christian IV rebuilt the city further west and named it Christiania. The spelling became Kristiania in 1877.

3. Call it Oslo since 1925

A law of 11 July 1924 restored the name Oslo from 1 January 1925. Oslo hosted the Winter Olympics in 1952.

P

Prices, phone numbers and rules change. We check every page and date it, but always read the sign in front of you — the sign wins, not us.

Sources (30)

  1. Tariffs and toll stations — Fjellinjen: tariffs from 1 January 2026, petrol/PHEV NOK 38/47, diesel 42/50, electric 21/26, rush hours, one-hour rule, 20% AutoPASS discount
  2. How to pay toll charges — Fjellinjen: AutoPASS, EPASS24 (foreign cars under 3,500 kg), post-trip invoice not recommended
  3. Norwegian road tolls — EPC: automated stations, invoices to foreign vehicles, NOK 300 late fee
  4. Bomringen — Visit Oslo: foreign drivers must register Euro class and fuel with AutoPASS/EPC or pay the highest rate (rates on this page are from 2019, superseded by Fjellinjen)
  5. Priser og betaling for parkering — Oslo kommune: 2026 zone prices, hours, holidays, apps, EV rates
  6. Parkeringsbot, inntauing og klage — Oslo kommune: fines NOK 900/330/660/990, tow NOK 7,900, storage NOK 400 a day, pound at Verkseier Furulunds vei 41, ID rules
  7. Parkering — Oslo kommune: check for new signs at least once a day
  8. Midlertidig parkeringsforbud i vinter — Oslo kommune: 5 January–31 March 2026, streets listed
  9. Studded tyre fee — City of Oslo: 1 November 2026–4 April 2027, NOK 35/450/1,400, fine NOK 750, Bil i Oslo, piggav.no, dispensers
  10. Ny prismodell for lading i Oslo — Oslo kommune: spot price + NOK 0.81/kWh in 2026, zones 3060/3061/3062, Bil i Oslo only, Akershus festning 85 charging spaces
  11. Bilfritt byliv 2016–2023 — Oslo kommune: about 760 street spaces removed inside Ring 1
  12. Tyre requirements — Statens vegvesen: 3 mm winter tread, studded tyre dates
  13. Studded tyres, important dates — Statens vegvesen: 1 November to the first Sunday after Easter Monday
  14. Tjuvholmen P-hus — Onepark: NOK 56/30 min, NOK 525 per 24 h (Holmen), 2.1 m, 30 charging spaces
  15. Sentrum P-hus — Onepark: C. J. Hambros plass 1, NOK 63/30 min, NOK 640 per 24 h, 2.10 m, 18 Tesla Superchargers
  16. Via P-hus — Onepark: Munkedamsveien 29, NOK 64 then 75 per 30 min, NOK 650 per 24 h
  17. Oslo Konserthus P-hus — Onepark: Munkedamsveien 14, NOK 70 then 66 per 30 min, NOK 710 per 24 h
  18. Vika P-hus — APCOA: Munkedamsveien 21, 283 spaces, 20 charging spaces, 24/7
  19. Grefsen stasjon — Onepark: NOK 20 per hour, NOK 60 max per 24 h
  20. Day parking and fee parking — Bane NOR: NOK 40–98 per day, single train ticket
  21. Commuter parking — Bane NOR: period ticket required, NOK 35 for 7 days, NOK 100 for 30 days
  22. Vigeland Sculpture Park — Visit Oslo: more than 200 sculptures, free, open 24 hours all year
  23. Free things to do in Oslo — Visit Norway: 9 km harbour promenade, Opera House city beach, MUNCH free Wednesday evenings, 22 July Centre, City Hall tours, Akershus, Korketrekkeren
  24. Norwegian restaurants — Visit Oslo: Kaffistova, Engebret Café, Gamle Raadhus, Frognerseteren; kjøttkaker, fårikål, lapskaus, lutefisk
  25. Mathallen food hall — Visit Oslo: more than 30 shops, cafés and restaurants
  26. Christmas week in Oslo 2026 — Visit Oslo: Jul i Vinterland 7 November–3 January
  27. Yearly highlights — Visit Oslo: Nobel ceremony 10 December, Øya 12–15 August 2026
  28. Holmenkollen Ski Festival — Visit Oslo: 12–14 March 2027
  29. Oslo — Wikipedia: established 1048 (founded 1040 in the text), Haakon V and Akershus, Opera 2008, 1952 Olympics, population 724,290 (1 January 2025)
  30. History of Oslo's name — Wikipedia: 1624 fire, Christiania, Kristiania 1877, Oslo from 1 January 1925