We got home from our first trip of 2014 to Oslo, Norway in the middle of last week. Our trip was extended by a day when we got stuck in Oslo thanks to an approaching winter storm back home.
Our flight to Oslo went well and was comfortable, especially for being in coach. This was Lucas’ first time flying in his own seat, not as a lap baby. He did great during take off and we highly recommend the CARES Safety Harness for anyone flying with a baby/ toddler that fits the weight requirement of 22 pounds. (A review of the CARES Harness will be coming soon.)
Getting from the airport to our hotel in the city center was easy as can be. There are two options for airport trains, an express train (Flytoget) or the NSB regional trains. The express train only gets in about 5-6 minutes faster and costs close to double the price so if you’re visiting Oslo don’t throw your money away!
It was cold and snowy when we arrived but we came prepared with the right clothes and gear. We did quite a bit of walking the first day so this was extremely important.
During Day 1, we wandered around a bit and also visited the tourist office to pick up the Oslo Pass & plan our next couple of days. We’ve never bought a city tourism pass before but the Oslo Pass was well worth the price. We picked up a 48 hour pass which covered museums and transportation. (I’ll most likely write a post dedicated just to the Oslo Pass in the future.)
So Day 1 was pretty much used as a day to get settled and take it easy.
After stopping by the tourism office we visited Oslo City Hall. The building is beautifully decorated inside and also has some interesting works outside, leading up to the entrance. Oslo City Hall is also the location where the Nobel Peace Prize is presented. We stayed inside for a bit to warm up and check out the art before moving on.
If you have a few days in Oslo, it’s definitely worth stopping by. It is free to enter so if you need a place to thaw out, use the bathroom etc. stop in.
I had read that the Oslo Opera House was a unique building and a must visit. I didn’t want to spoil it by seeing what it looked like prior to stopping by.
The building is located on the water and unique in its design. It has an interesting exterior and reminded me of a ship. There are lots of angles and slopes to the structure. I expected to be amazed the way we were when visiting the Sydney Opera House but it didn’t really impress me nearly as much.
I think the problem was that we didn’t take part in the best feature- heading on up to the roof. The path up was covered in quite a bit of snow and it would’ve also been a real pain with a stroller, not to mention all of the steps.
The inside has lots of open space and Lucas enjoyed running around for a while. The design was very interesting. Within the open space is a circular, wooden structure which I am guessing houses the auditorium. I would’ve liked to have done a tour to see inside the rest of the Opera House but the hours were pretty limited which was disappointing.
That wraps up the first day of our trip to Oslo. Check back for more about our trip in upcoming posts!
