What to Wear on an Oslo Walking Tour

Yes, you can wear jeans in Norway, and nobody will look at you twice. The real question is not what people wear here, it is that a walking tour is two hours of standing still outdoors, which is a colder activity than walking. Layers with something windproof on the outside, and shoes with grip for the cobbles through Kvadraturen. That is the whole answer for every month of the year; only the number of layers changes.

JeansCompletely normal here

The real variableWind, not temperature

ActivityMostly standing, not walking

UnderfootFlat, with cobbles in Kvadraturen

Windiest stopFridtjof Nansens plass

Walks cancelled for rainNo

The mistake visitors make is dressing for a hike. A two-hour walking tour covers roughly a kilometre, which means most of the two hours is spent standing in one place listening, and you cool down fast doing that. The other mistake is thin soles. Kvadraturen is cobbled and in winter it is cobbled and icy, which is the one part of this flat route that asks anything of your footwear. Walking Oslo in winter has more on the season.

Insider tip

Bring a hat even in shoulder season. Fridtjof Nansens plass sits in the gap between Oslo City Hall and the fjord and the wind comes straight through it, and you will be standing there for several minutes because it is where the guide stops.

The standard two-hour walk

In English from the bronze tiger at Jernbanetorget, with tips listed under what is included. It runs in all weather on the same route — here is the shape of it.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I wear jeans in Norway?

Yes. Jeans are entirely ordinary in Oslo and nothing about a walking tour calls for anything smarter. In winter they are simply not very warm, so put something windproof over the top. Winter walking in Oslo.

What shoes should I wear for an Oslo walking tour?

Anything with grip. The route is flat, but Kvadraturen is cobbled and in winter it is icy, and the walk is two hours of standing rather than hiking. The route, stop by stop.

Do walking tours run in the rain?

Yes, and there is no shelter on the route, so bring a layer that handles it rather than an umbrella you will be holding for two hours. What a guided walk involves.