Low-Cost Travel to Norway: Oslo on the Cheap

Oslo is an expensive city, but a visit to the capital of Norway can still be relatively cheap if you travel low-cost and take precautions.

Cheap Oslo visit

As I already explained in the introduction of this trip report, I had to make my way to Oslo in order to catch a flight to Svalbard, the ultimate destination of my trip.

Although a lot of aspects about life in Norway are certainly expensive, this isn’t necessarily the case for flights.

Especially outside of the peak summer and holiday periods, flights to Norway can be highly affordable whether you are flying there from another European country or for example from North America.

Low-cost flight to Oslo

This was certainly true as well when I needed to travel to the Norwegian capital of Oslo.

Although I only booked three weeks out, I still managed to buy an amazingly cheap one-way flight from Bucharest to Oslo with Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air.

For my flight I only paid €12.50, although I shelled out an additional 18 euro for priority boarding (as it allows you to carry a large carry-on bag) and for seat reservation.

Besides Wizz Air, it is well-worth checking flights with low-cost airlines like Ryanair and Norwegian, although you should not rule out full-service airlines like SAS Scandinavian Airlines as sometimes you will find cheaper fares with them.

Wizz Air to Oslo

It was not the first time that I flew from Bucharest to Oslo with Wizz Air.

On a previous trip to Siberia, in the midst of winter, I also started off my adventure with a positioning flight to Norway in order to commence my main travels.

Needless to say, the low-cost flight to Oslo brought back fond memories of that epic trip.

Check my Wizz Air review of that Bucharest to Oslo flight if you want to learn more about the experience flying to Norway with this low-cost airline.

Sandefjord Torp Airport

There is one major disadvantage when flying with some low-cost airlines: They sometimes use airports that are located far out of the city they officially serve.

Oslo Sandefjord Torp Airport is an excellent example of this.

Wizz Air names the airport Oslo Sandefjord Torp while Ryanair simply names it Oslo Torp.

Sandefjord and Torp are both apt names for the airport, as it is actually located in the small village of Torp while the larger city of Sandefjord is just 9 kilometres to the south.

However, the city centre of Oslo is a whopping 120 kilometres away from Sandefjord Torp Airport – the addition of “Oslo” to the airport name is just a classic low-cost airline trick to lure passengers.

You should definitely take this in mind when taking a low-cost flight to Oslo, as you will spend more money and time travelling to the city centre than you would have when using the city’s main Gardermoen Airport.

Train to Oslo

There are direct buses from Sandefjord Torp Airport to Oslo, but given that the train is the same price and takes the same time, I opted for that option as it’s a much more comfortable travel experience.

The train station is a mile or so away from Sandefjord Torp Airport.

A free shuttle bus runs to the airport train station some five to ten minutes before each scheduled train departure, although it is of course possible to walk as well.

However, don’t expect there to be any facilities at Sandefjord Torp station as it’s basically an outdoor platform only – it’s best buy your train tickets online or at the airport.

If you travel in winter, it’s just best to stay in the warm airport terminal if you have to wait for the next train departure.

I paid 249 NOK (24 euro) for my train ticket to Oslo and although this isn’t particularly cheap, it isn’t that expensive either when you consider that you are travelling for 120 kilometres through the expensive country that is Norway.

Cheap Oslo hotel

Oslo is an expensive city when it comes to accommodation, but there are some cheap options in the capital of Norway if you search well enough.

I had a room booked for the night at the modern and centrally-located Smarthotel Oslo, paying just 55 euro.

Although the room was basic and small, it was clean and featured a private bathroom.

Given the at times extremely high costs in Norway it was the perfect low-cost option for me as I basically only needed a bed to crash in and a shower to freshen me up the next day before going to Oslo Gardermoen Airport to catch my flight to Svalbard.

A walk around Oslo 

As I had visited Oslo a year before, I didn’t do any real sightseeing this time around.

This time, I only had a short walk around the City Centre and Royal Palace to get some fresh air before retreating to my room to get some work done.

If you are however curious about the sights of the Norwegian capital, check out my Oslo trip report.

Oslo has some great museums and many of them are relatively inexpensive.

If you plan to visit more museums and sights during your trip, check out whether buying an Oslo Pass might be worth the money.

Alternatively, if you want to visit just two or three museums you should check whether there are combination tickets available (there is one for example for the Fram Museum, Kon-Tiki Museum and Norwegian Maritime Museum).

Don’t forget that some sights in Oslo are free to visit.

It won’t cost you any money to visit the famous Vigeland Sculpture Park – and exploring the Royal Palace grounds and walking around the waterfront are all free activities as well.

Cheap food

Around dinner time, I went out again for a quick burger and to buy a few beers in a supermarket.

Although eating out is expensive in Norway, you’ll find that big cities like Oslo do have a couple of cheap fast-food and burger restaurants available.

Asian and African restaurants are often relatively cheap as well and generally much more affordable than restaurants serving European cuisine, so do look whether there is a Thai, Chinese or Ethiopian restaurant nearby.

Another low-cost option for Norway is just buying food in the supermarket, as most of the bigger chains stock a variety of cheap meal salads, pastries and other hearty snacks.

Conclusion

Although a visit to Oslo can be expensive, there are some ways to control your expenditures and to make a low-cost trip possible.

Norway is generally an expensive country with high prices for food and accommodation, but if you search well there are always a few cheap options available.

Especially if you travel out of the main tourist season and avoid drinking alcohol in Norway’s expensive pubs and restaurants, it is easily possible to survive.

Trip report index

This article is part of the ‘Snow Seeking in Svalbard: A Winter Trip Into the Arctic‘ trip report, which consists of the following chapters:

1. Low-Cost Travel to Norway: Oslo on the Cheap (current chapter)
2. Review: SAS Business and Gold Lounge Oslo Airport
3. Review: Mary-Ann’s Polarrigg Hotel, Longyearbyen
4. Longyearbyen: A Visit to the World’s Northernmost Town
5. A Svalbard Snowmobile Ride to Barentsburg
6. Barentsburg: A Visit to a Unique Russian Coal Mining Town
7. Pastel Winter: The Famous Blue Sunset Skies of Svalbard
8. The Long Way Home: Three Flights From Longyearbyen