Oslo Walking tours logoOslo Walking tours logo

Top 5 Free Travel Attractions in Oslo

Oslo, just like any other Norwegian city, is quite expensive. If you are traveling on a budget, you may want to look at some free to enter attractions to make the most of your trip. While these attractions are free, it doesn’t make them uninteresting or of a lesser quality- in fact, many of them are some of the most visited spots in the city!

We have compiled a list of the best free attractions for any tourist to visit in Oslo. It will cover these free tourist attractions in the Norwegian capital in detail.

Oslo Opera House by the waterfront

The striking Oslo Opera House rises from the waterfront in contemporary elegance. Its sloping roof invites visitors to walk and enjoy panoramic city views.

Oslo City Hall

Oslo City Hall is a monumental building in the vicinity of Aker Brygge, the construction of which finished in 1950 and signified Aker Brygge’s transformation from a poor working neighborhood to the affluent area we know today. Yet, the city hall’s construction was quite dramatic — the idea of building this structure was conceived back at the end of the 20th century, but two world wars and an economic crisis slowed down the process.

When you visit city hall, you will notice that the interior of this red-brick building is decorated with great Norwegian art, which depicts the history, culture, working life, and traditions of Norway. Entering the building is free of charge for everyone, so don’t hesitate to include a visit to the Oslo City Hall in your itinerary. In addition to this, free carillon concerts take place every Sunday in the summertime.

Vigeland Sculpture Park

Frogner Park (as it is known among the locals) is home to an impressive, one-of-a-kind installation that consists of 212 sculptures and culminates in a huge monolith. All of these sculptures were designed by Gustav Vigeland, a prominent Norwegian architect, and they depict all aspects of human life. The park is accessible for free 24/7.

Vigeland Park is one of the most famed attractions in Oslo, and it’s a site that would be unforgivable not to visit while staying in the Norwegian capital. This is the world’s largest sculpture park by one artist. There are, indeed, other big open-air sculpture parks in the world, but none of them has been created by a single artist.

Tjuvholmen Sculpture Park

This sculpture park is an installation in the affluent neighborhood of Tjuvholmen. It is located just next door to the Astrup Fearnley Museum, and was designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano. While it is no match to the world-renowned Vigeland Park, it remains a site with some exceptional examples of contemporary art.

Oslo Opera House

This exceptional building is a bright example of modern Nordic architecture, and symbolizes a glacier floating in the Oslofjord. You can climb on the roof of this structure without stepping a foot inside, and enjoy a beautiful view of the city.

You can also enter the lobby for free or, even better, you may purchase a ticket and enjoy a performance. At times, rock and metal bands hold their performances in Oslo Opera House, as the building’s acoustics make this place ideal for fantastic performances. Namely, the renowned Norwegian band Satyricon has held a concert here, together with the Norwegian National Opera Chorus (the recording of this performance is available on YouTube).

Stortinget

Generally, the Norwegian parliament is not accessible to the public. However, there are free guided tours that take place on Saturday. You can look up the dates and information on the website of the Stortinget. Bear in mind that you cannot pre-book this guided tour, just show up at the agreed time.

Celia Maddy

Related Posts

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Posted on Tripadvisor Tripadvisor
    Kristin H profile picture
    Kristin H
    Tripadvisor star 1Tripadvisor star 2Tripadvisor star 3Tripadvisor star 4Tripadvisor star 5Verified
    Awesome Experience Fantastic time and our guide was very knowledgeable. Whether it was trolls and Odin or WWII or robbers, great stories were told. Definitely recommend.
    Posted on Tripadvisor Tripadvisor
    yuqi S profile picture
    yuqi S
    Tripadvisor star 1Tripadvisor star 2Tripadvisor star 3Tripadvisor star 4Tripadvisor star 5Verified
    Wonderful city walks Ancient city tour + Nordic mythology + psychic stories, interspersed with royal gossip. The tour guide said Norwegians grew up frightened by stories of "mountains eating children" and "that's how you start loving dark stories". Each story begins with the phrase, “On a bad day, just like today ...” and is very engrossing, with some special tips for dealing with mountain demons. Norwegians are really proud of their monsters, Troll the Mountain Demon, the Forest Elves who confuse passersby, Kraken the Sea Monster.. Don't take a stroll in the rain anyway. Oslo's favorite trip, truly recommended.
    Posted on Tripadvisor Tripadvisor
    fu c profile picture
    fu c
    Tripadvisor star 1Tripadvisor star 2Tripadvisor star 3Tripadvisor star 4Tripadvisor star 5Verified
    Immerse yourself in the legends of Oslo. Our hostess was excellent. Very funny and enthusiastic, you can tell she enjoys her job and that makes it fun for everyone. She was extremely knowledgeable on the City and Countries history. The history becomes alive, and you feel that you are part of it. Would recommend to any visitors to Oslo.
    Posted on Tripadvisor Tripadvisor
    Linda D profile picture
    Linda D
    Tripadvisor star 1Tripadvisor star 2Tripadvisor star 3Tripadvisor star 4Tripadvisor star 5Verified
    Fun and entertaining What a fun and interesting tour. Anastasia was excellent!! She gave us information, then a story or two at every stop. We were all so engaged and entertained. We didn’t walk a ton, but you will be standing / walking for 2 hours so make sure you are up for it. We could have talked about City Hall the entire time!
    Posted on Tripadvisor Tripadvisor
    travelingfamily708 profile picture
    travelingfamily708
    Tripadvisor star 1Tripadvisor star 2Tripadvisor star 3Tripadvisor star 4Tripadvisor star 5Verified
    Nice tour Very informative tour and we learned something about Norwegian history!The tour guide liked talking about Norwegian history.The tour guide believed in legends, myths and trolls!We thoroughly enjoyed the tour and the sights we visited.
    Posted on Tripadvisor Tripadvisor
    Laura E profile picture
    Laura E
    Tripadvisor star 1Tripadvisor star 2Tripadvisor star 3Tripadvisor star 4Tripadvisor star 5Verified
    Great vibes and very informative Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and fun. Lots of interesting history and curious mythology. We loved it and would highly recommend to anyone wanting to learn about this beautiful city.
    Posted on Tripadvisor Tripadvisor
    MG H profile picture
    MG H
    Tripadvisor star 1Tripadvisor star 2Tripadvisor star 3Tripadvisor star 4Tripadvisor star 5Verified
    Best Tour Ever Alert We booked a private Myths and Legends tour with Marija and had THE BEST time. The rest of our stay in Oslo was made more colorful with the knowledge we had about the city’s rich history and cultural icons. For anyone interested in history or folklore, I can’t recommend this tour enough. 100/10!!
    Posted on Tripadvisor Tripadvisor
    Hannah L profile picture
    Hannah L
    Tripadvisor star 1Tripadvisor star 2Tripadvisor star 3Tripadvisor star 4Tripadvisor star 5Verified
    Great tour with Maria! Mary wonderfully guided us through the mystical history of Oslo! We had a lot of fun and got to know Oslo from a very special side ☺️
    Posted on Tripadvisor Tripadvisor
    Joshua B profile picture
    Joshua B
    Tripadvisor star 1Tripadvisor star 2Tripadvisor star 3Tripadvisor star 4Tripadvisor star 5Verified
    Night tour The tour guide was extremely informative and helpful and would answer all questions to the best of her ability and the tour was a pleasure.
    Posted on Tripadvisor Tripadvisor
    Anne W profile picture
    Anne W
    Tripadvisor star 1Tripadvisor star 2Tripadvisor star 3Tripadvisor star 4Tripadvisor star 5Verified
    Myths and legends plus fascinating history Our guide had an extensive knowledge of the history, myths and legends of Oslo. She had a very easy pleasant manner and interacted easily with our group. Highly recommend this tour. 👍🤗