The Ultimate Guide to visiting Dan and Josie in Norway
Where We Live
Our Address is:
Apartment 304
Eikelundveien 5
2007 Kjeller
FLYING
Rule 1: Fly to Gardamoen NOT Torp
Lillestrom is between the airport and Oslo city centre.
We can very easily come pick you up from the airport.
Airport pickup:
When you come out of the airport there will be a couple of big roads to cross. Regardless of what level you come out on, cross the roads to ‘Korttid’ Park&Go.
It should look like this:
We will be able to pick you up from here. We tend to wait in a lay-by just outside the airport that is a designated waiting area, so give us a ring/text when you are at the car park and it will take us about 5 mins to get to you.
Travel from the airport:
If, for whatever reason, we can’t pick you up:
You can easily get the train from the airport to Lillestrom and it only takes about 15-30 minutes depending on which train you can get. Use the Ruter app (info below) to book a ticket and it will tell you which train is the quickest and from which platform you should take it.
You can get the ‘flytoget’ train but it is more expensive, though it is marginally quicker.
It is better to get the normal train if you are going straight to Lillestrøm anyway.
From Lillestrom, it is a 20 minute bus ride, 45 minute walk or 15 minute cycle to our apartment. Be warned, its a horrible hill right at the end!
If you would prefer, you can also get a taxi. Head to the taxi rank outside arrivals in the airport, and there will be either a virtual kiosk where you can order a taxi, or the manned kiosk. A taxi usually only takes about 5 minutes to arrive and you will be able to chose a cheap option. However, it will be about £50. The more of you there are and the more luggage you have the more it feels worth it! It's about a 25 minute drive.
Before you come
Ruter App
The Ruter App is your best friend for travel around Oslo and the surrounding areas.
Pick where you want to go and it will tell you the different options for getting there. Once you’ve selected the option for travel, click ‘purchase a ticket for this journey’ and use Apple Pay or similar to pay.
You have to activate your tickets before the journey starts. To do this, go to the tickets tab and click ‘start journey’.
The more you buy single tickets on the app, the greater discount is applied.
Voi App
Just like the UK there are e-scooters all over Oslo and in Lillestrom, the Voi app is one that you can use in the uk too. If you download it and set it up before getting here, you can use it straight away.
Weather
There is no way to predict Norwegian weather. Don't even bother trying. Delete the weather app, it's useless here. Just bring a raincoat/winter coat and sunglasses everywhere.
Bruce App
We have discovered a very useful app that makes activities incredibly cheap/free. You can sign up for a 14 day free trial and then cancel before you leave!
It also means you will be able to sign on to activities that we do using the same system which can sometimes be easier.
It’s called Bruce, and it’s an app that gives you access to things like yoga, indoor skiing, climbing, saunas and classes all over Oslo and the surrounding areas. We pay a subscription to get as many classes as we want a month.
You can buy credits in it without a subscription and pay for individual classes/activities at the usual price too.
If you decide to sign up for Bruce you will have to tell them that you don’t have a Norwegian residency number in the support section, then you will have to give them a photo of your passport, your phone number and a photo of you.
Chargo App
There are portable chargers that you can unlock all over the city that can be very useful! Download the chargo app if you think it might be helpful!
Currency
We use the Norwegian Krone (NOK) which works out roughly at:
1 GBP : 13.62 NOK
7.34 GBP : 100 NOK
35 GBP : 500 NOK
Norway (especially Oslo) is pretty much completely cashless. If you have a travel card that will do the best conversion for you, that is the best way to go. Monzo is really good for that, or Revolut.
If you do take cash out in Norway, you will be asked if you want the ATM to do the currency transfer to GBP or if you want to take it out as NOK and let your bank do the transfer. If you have Monzo or similar, it is always best to take it out in NOK because Monzo does the best conversion of the day/it can find, whereas the ATM will likely do it at a higher rate.
In Norway there is a cash transferring app called VIPPS which you may see as a method of payment pretty much everywhere. You cannot have VIPPS without a Norwegian Identity number, bank account and phone number so we don't have it. If the only way to pay is VIPPS then sometimes the place will take cash instead. This tends to be for parking or for pop-up stalls and so on.
Travel
Travelling anywhere in and around Oslo is mostly done with public transport. The public transport is really great and very efficient so you shouldn't need to hire a car unless you plan on going a bit further. Use Ruter for public transport or if you need to, you can use Bolt for a taxi.
T-Baun
If you are using Google maps and it shows a T encompassed in a circle, it means the Metro or underground. Look for the same symbol above some steps to find where you need to get on. The metro is usually split into two platforms, Eastbound and Westbound. Each platform can host different trains like the London Underground, so make sure you’re getting on the right one.
Accommodation
We have a blow up bed at ours and we can give you our room! We also have two, thin, single mattress toppers, two ground mats and two hammocks, and the sofa 😉 So we can accommodate lots 😂
Make sure you bring eye-masks or something because we don't have blackout curtains and it can be really hard to sleep when it is light all the time.
If you have anything else that helps you sleep, like melatonin or something, make sure bring that.
If you fancy an airbnb/hotel, here are some that look good:
Very close to our flat:
Very cheap in Lillestrøm:
6 Guests and Hot tub:
Nice hotel, Breakfast included (might be worth it):
Food and Drink
Food, in general in Norway is expensive. Main meals can be up to £20 and you alcohol has a very hight tax on it.
For reference, anything under 150 NOK for a small meal is a bargain. 250 NOK is pretty average for a main dish in a restaurant.
If you want a cheap stay in Norway, get a hotel with food included or an Airbnb and cook basic meals (even the supermarket food is expensive).
Alcohol
You can only buy alcohol that is above 4.75% for personal consumption from a vinmonopolet and they are only open at certain times and definitely not on Sundays. Vinmonopolet are state owned and heavily regulated. You will also find that any alcohol in supermarkets will be covered up/barriered after certain times. It is also heavily taxed so is more expensive. It makes sense to get what you need from duty free.
Narvesen
Need a quick breakfast before heading into Oslo? Narvesen does a coffee and small sandwich for 39kr. You'll find Narvesen-kiosks everywhere!
Traditional Norwegian Dishes to Try
Black Coffee
Norway has the second-highest per capita coffee consumption, with over 80 percent of its population drinking coffee on a daily basis. They typically drink their coffee black, with no sugar! It can be an acquired taste, but it's always better than your average English filter coffee!
- In Norway, 9 out of 10 adults drink coffee
- 2 out of 3 of them drink coffee everyday
- 2 out 3 people also have a coffee machine in their home
Coffee and hiking
Coffee is as much a part of Norwegian hiking as hiking boots, Kvikk Lunsj or the humble sandwich. Turkaffe (hiking coffee) is a tradition that goes back a long way. To go hiking or camping in Norway without coffee would be like going skiing without skis – it simply wouldn’t happen.
Waffles and Brown Cheese (Braun Ost)
Waffles and brown cheese are a favourite dish in Norway. They also tend to come with jam.
Pølse - Hotdogs
You can find pølses in most service stations or Narvesens. They always have multiple different options but Kylling is chicken, and øst is cheese. They tend to be a really easy hot snack that is under 100 NOK and I've become a big fan.
Tacos
Tacos are the national dish of Norway and tend to be eaten on a Friday. There are Mexican restaurants everywhere and El Paso has a chokehold on Norwegian supermarkets with entire aisles dedicated to it.
Cultural things to know
Norwegians keep themselves to themselves
They may come across as unfriendly or blunt, but they tend to just mind their own business and don't like to invade others' personal space. This is characterised by things like, they will reach over you to get to condiments at the table rather than ask you because they are trying not to inconvenience you. To them it is polite!
Norway is a country of trust
There are lots of situations where you will be trusted to just do the right thing. For example, at service stations you can help yourself to coffee before going to the till to pay for it. Or you can go to the till, pay for a coffee and then make it after.
You will find that there are a lot of situations that in the uk would be massively regulated or signposted but where norwegians are just trusted not to be idiots.
Everybody speaks very good english
But, that doesn't mean they don't appreciate you speaking norwegian. It can be easier to begin a converstion with:
Unnskyld, du snakker engelsk? (Unshull, du snukk-er engelsk?) - Excuse me, do you speak English?
Lillestrøm
Things to do on a sunday!
Steam Train
Departure at 11.00, 12.15, 13.30 and 14.45.
Adult: NOK 325/Adult: NOK 200
Oslo
The famous stuff to do in Oslo:
Oslo Opera House
Holmenkollen
Take the Frognerseteren metro line to Lillevann, which offers picturesque views of rural Oslo, before hiking down to the iconic Frognersetern Restaurant. Dating back to 1891, it is the perfect place to sample traditional Norwegian dishes (try the meatballs and sour cream porridge) while overlooking the city below. Afterwards, continue down part of the 50km (31mi) trail past Midtstubakken, Holmenkollen Chapel and a toboggan run from the first Luge World Championship of 1955. The highlight of this hiking tour is without doubt the majestic Holmenkollen ski jump, one of the most famous sport arenas in the world.
Sauna and Cold dip in Oslofjord:
Panoramic Hike in Oslo
3 hours ish
Munch Museum
Food and Drink
Hotdog Stand
Haralds Waffles
Mathallen
Food hall in Grunerløkka with a huge selection of different cuisines.
There is a game meat stand called Helt Vilt that serves traditional Norwegian dishes using wild game. If you are a meat eater, the moose burgers are amazing.
There is a also a fantastic seafood bar there and an Asian food shop.
Oslo Street Food
Solsiden Restaurant
Lofostua
Ostara - Plant based Restaurant POSH!!
Award winning coffee tasting
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