How to save money in the Norwegian capital
How to save money in Oslo? Easier said than done.
Because there are many things that a city like Oslo can do to a traveler. Leaving you with an empty wallet, or with a credit card limit reached, is one of these things. If it’s the city of my dream, certainly the Norwegian capital is not known for its cheap tourist offer. Dreams are costly.
How to save money in Oslo. Costly dreams and expensive life
From the Big Mac index (which measures the cost of living by comparing the cost of a Big Mac of the big M, here) to the Numbeo numbers portal and this entry on Wikipedia’s per capita GDP, all reaffirm a single concept. Norway is among 4-5 wealthier, and therefore more expensive, States in the world.
Not great news for a backpacker traveler.
Bad news and good news
So far the bad news. But like the good old movies taught us “I have bad news and good news”.
The Norway / Oslo good news is that with some caution and a few healthy choices (walk my dear, walk as long as you can), you could actually save something. How much? difficult to say with certainty, it always depends on the type of holiday you want to do. And then, let’s face it, a holiday in Norway certainly can not become a week in Phuket.
That’s the part where I really start with a few tips on to save money in the Norwegian capital, yes Oslo, I got you!
Let’s start with some ideas to save money in Oslo because traveling alone has a cost.
Of course, first of all, there is the obvious hostel choice, but for the old ones like myself, it becomes a bit strange to share a room with 7 eighteen-year-olds. In Oslo the hostel prices are about 30/35 euros/night while a hotel room is between 90 and 150 euros.
Airbnb
The second advice is to use Airbnb (Airbnb is actually very useful for saving money in all Western countries). I used it also in Belgium and Canada, where for obvious reasons (i.e. a bit of unfair competition) Airbnb rooms are always much cheaper than good hotels.
With this choice, the price of a room with a shared bathroom could drop to 50 euros and, if you’re lucky, with the same amount you could also have an entire apartment, as long as you’re of the solitary kind like myself.
My advice is to keep checking on the app, because interesting accommodations maybe available even last minute. If you are traveling in two, a room with a price of 50/60 euros/night could be considered cheap for Norway’s standards.
What about a supermarket?
The third idea to save money is trivial but in my career as a traveler I rarely put it into practice so… Simply go to the supermarket, where prices are similar to the one you can find in southern Europe. The assortment, especially in the field of fruit and vegetables, is not comparable to an Italian market or shop but generally there is always what you need to eat decently.
But I don’t want to cook!
If you really want to go out, I can recommend The Kasbah restaurant, excellent Middle Eastern cuisine in the heart of Oslo. Other options are the small bars and markets in the Grunerlokka district. It’s worth a visit because, as I wrote in the previous post on Oslo, there are excellent cafes, art galleries and street art, but even if Grunerlokka is a young (and hipster) neighborhood, do not forget to take a look at the prices.
It’s tourist trap time in the Norwegian capital! or not?
Paradoxically, the most touristic district of Oslo, the Aker Brygge, which should normally be the last place where a traveler who wants to pay attention to money goes to eat, is instead a place to be taken into consideration.
This is because the tourist vocation means that the prices charged by the restaurants can not be excessively high. Although Eataly has a 33cl Peroni on tap at 9.50 euros, in some chains like TGI Friday’s, you could have dinner/lunch with 30 euro.
That said, things get a lot worse if you want some wine, which in Norway has really exorbitant prices (always from Eataly (but believe me, I choose them only as an example, I don’t have anything against them) the cheapest bottle of red wine goes for about 45 EUR).
Row row row your boat gently down the fjord
A fourth idea is the possibility of going on a trip to the bay of Oslo. The tourist tours that you will see in the harbor area usually cost 30-35 euros, while a ticket for the public ferry costs between 4 and 10 euros, for 60/75 minutes.
If you opt for public transport you can go and come back with a single ticket, maybe even having time for a 20-minute stroll once the ferry has arrived at the destination. The destinations are many in the summer, when the ferries arrive almost at the mouth of the bay, in Drobak, less from October to April, when you can only get as far as Nesoddtangen.
Bigdoy peninsula, museums and old stuff
The natural history museum shares the ticket with the Bygdøy Viking Ship Museum, so if you are interested in one of the two, then you can enter for free in the other.
In addition, in the Bygdøy peninsula there are several other museums (Framm, Kon-Tiki, Maritime Museum and folk museum). From the port of Oslo there is a boat that reaches the peninsula in 10 minutes, but you should know that the walk along the bay (1h15min) or a walk in Bygdøy Allé (1h), may be a good alternative.
First because you will see an interesting part of the city and second because once arrived in the peninsula, you can take the paths that cross it instead of the main road. Bygdøy is in fact almost a place apart from Oslo, and you can see it especially by walking in the little path far from the roads. It seems very strange that a few hundred meters there is a European capital with all its offices and industries.
Finally, one last advice: bus and long walks
Last suggestion. Apart from walking there’s also the option of public transportation. Tram or bus. If you have a smartphone, download the RuterBillet app and with this you can buy tickets that are valid for the entire metropolitan area of Oslo. Simple and also provided with an anxious countdown that tells you how many minutes of validity still has your ticket.
The post on how to save money in Oslo is finished. I don’t know if you saved some money, but anyway, if you want to keep reading I suggest you these:
A trip to Panama for the carnival
Or the infinitely more cheap, and maybe more dangerous, Nicaragua
