Is Oslo Expensive?

Oslo has a reputation for being costly, and for a walking visitor that reputation attaches to almost nothing you will actually be doing. The classic tour route is roughly a kilometre of public street. Akershus Fortress grounds are free to walk through and open daily. Karl Johans gate, Christiania Torv, Fridtjof Nansens plass, the outside of the Opera House and the waterfront at Aker Brygge cost nothing to stand in. What costs money here is eating, drinking and going inside things — and a walking tour does none of the three.

The routePublic street, roughly a kilometre

Fortress groundsFree to walk, open daily

Castle interiorA separate ticket

What walking tours includeA guide, not entry

What they excludeFood and drink

Where cost actually landsEating and going indoors

I am not going to print figures on this site, in either direction, because the moment you put a number on a page it is wrong somewhere and out of date everywhere. What I can tell you is the mechanism: the walking part of an Oslo visit is the part that is already paid for by being a city. The fortress grounds are open daily and free, no walking tour goes inside the castle, and two of the six say plainly that food and drink are excluded. Everything else is your own decision. Eating on the route and what to see are the pages that follow from that.

Insider tip

If you are watching what you spend, the highest-value hours in this city are the ones on Akershus Fortress grounds and on the roof of the Opera House, and neither is included on a tour anyway. Do the guided walk to find out what you are looking at, then go back to both alone.

The walk, and what it does and does not cover

Two hours in English from the bronze tiger at Jernbanetorget. It includes a professional guide and lists tips under what is included; it does not include entry to anything, because nothing on the route needs it. The widget quotes the live figure itself.

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Frequently asked questions

Is Oslo cheap or expensive?

It has a costly reputation, but the walking-tour half of a visit involves public streets and the free, daily-open grounds of Akershus Fortress. Cost lands on eating, drinking and going indoors, none of which a walking tour includes. Eating on the route.

Are there free things to do in Oslo?

On the tour route, most of it. Akershus Fortress grounds are free and open daily, and Karl Johans gate, Christiania Torv, the outside of the Opera House and the Aker Brygge waterfront are all public space. Walking it yourself.

Do walking tours include entry tickets?

Generally no. The ninety-minute City Center walk excludes entry tickets outright and no walking tour goes inside Akershus Fortress castle. The exception is the Best of Oslo walk, which bundles attraction entry and transport alongside its live guide.