Can You Get By in English in Oslo?

Yes, very easily, and the language problem on Oslo walking tours runs the other way. English is widely spoken here and no visitor needs a phrasebook to take a guided walk. The trap is that one of the six booked walks is guided in German only — the City Highlights walk — and its listing title is written in English and looks almost identical to the English walks beside it. People book it by accident. Two others run in either language and meet in different places depending on which one you chose.

English in OsloVery widely spoken

Guided in German onlyThe City Highlights walk

Its listing titleIn English, confusingly

Available in bothTwo of the six

Meeting point changes with languageOn two walks

Default guiding languageEnglish

The City Highlights walk, guided in German, is a good tour with a 4.8 from 307 reviews, and one German reviewer recommends taking it in German precisely because that is the best way to follow the city’s history. None of that helps if you do not speak German and did not notice. Check the language field on the booking rather than the title. The German-language walks page lists all three options and their meeting points.

Insider tip

The dangerous booking is not the German-only walk, which at least announces itself in the language field. It is the Best of Oslo walk, which runs in both languages and meets at the University Aula in English and at the Nobel Peace Center in German. Same tour, same day, two addresses. Read the confirmation.

The walk guided in German

Two hours guided in German, meeting at the Nobel Peace Center entrance, 4.8 from 307 reviews. Book this one only if you want it in German — if you want English, the comparison page shows which of the six to take instead.

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Frequently asked questions

Do people speak English in Oslo?

Very widely, and you will not struggle on a walking tour or anywhere on the central route. The language risk here is booking a walk guided in a language you do not speak. Which walks run in German.

Which Oslo walking tour is in German?

The City Highlights walk is guided in German only, meeting at the Nobel Peace Center. The Best of Oslo walk and the independent guide’s walk both run in German or English, and the first of those changes meeting point with the language. All five meeting points.

Can I book an English walking tour by mistake in German?

It happens the other way round: the German-only walk carries an English listing title that looks like the English walks beside it. Check the language field, not the title. That walk reviewed.