Wondering how to spend 2 days in Oslo? Well, you can definitely spend 48 hours in Oslo City exploring the different neighbourhoods, museums and restaurants. Or, you can do what we did and get out of Oslo city into nature!
I was honestly amazed at how much we saw just 1.5 hours – 2 hours from Oslo city and this is what I’m going to stare in this 2 day Oslo itinerary.
I am keen on seeing more of Oslo city one day but my husband and I love driving in Norway and the abundance of nature Norway offers so with our weekend in Oslo we decided to have a spontaneous trip visiting some scenic nature spots, staying in a traditional Norweigan Hotel in the countryside as well as popping into Oslo city.
2 Days in Oslo
So in this Oslo travel blog, I’ll share our road trip from Oslo route, even though we only went 2 hours maximum from the city, we were able to see a lot! I’ll also share some top things to do in Oslo and more geat places to visit near Oslo to help you add a day trip from Oslo into your itinerary if you like the idea of spending one day in the city and one day on a day trip away from the city.
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Is Oslo Worth Visiting?
Norway offers so much nature and so many incredible places away from the city, you may wonder if Oslo is worth visiting at all?
Although you won’t get huge mountains and impressive fjords here there are many attractions in Oslo City to keep you busy on a city break to Oslo and if you want some nature there are many hikes close to Oslo city meaning you get soak in some of the fresh Norweigan air on your city break!
So overall, I think Oslo is worth visiting for a city break but it’s equally good to use as a base to see more of Southern Norway which is what we did in just 2 days!
Hiring a Car from Oslo Airport
To follow this Oslo itinerary and do a day trip from Oslo, you will need to hire a car.
Firstly, bear in mind there are 2 main airports in Oslo, Oslo Airport (OSL) at Gardermoen and Torp Sandefjord Airport (TRF) so make sure you hire a car from the right airport as these airports are not close to eachother.
We decided to hire a Tesla which was a great choice as there are Tesla’s all over Norway and although the battery didn’t need charging much, we found lots of Tesla points and when you charge at a Tesla point you don’t need to pay!
Search car hire from Oslo here on Rental Cars who search all the top car rental companies!
Oslo Itinerary
We flew into Oslo late Friday night and flew out Sunday evening which was the perfect weekend in Norway trip!
Because we landed at 11:00pm and no car hire places were open, we stayed at the RED Radisson Hotel at Oslo Airport which was a 5 minute walk from the terminal.
I was actually really impressed by the cost of the hotels in Oslo Airport, this hotel cost us just over £100.00 and we booked it that day (I told you this was a spontaneous trip), so don’t overlook a night at an airport hotel!
Search for Oslo Airport Hotels here on Booking.com and Oslo Sandefjord Airport Hotels here!
Things To Do in Oslo City
We didn’t want to spend long in the city during our 2 day Oslo trip but I wanted to see some of it. We started Saturday morning down by the water near the iconic MUNCH Museum where we got some breakfast. There are lots of really nice cafes in this area.
We then walked over to the Opera House which has a rooftop you can walk up to and along offering great views of the city.
Although there are many more things to do in Oslo and many museums in Oslo to visit but, these 2 hours were enough for us to get a taste of the city on the water, see some cool areas of the city and architecture.
If you want to spend longer here, here are some more things to do in Oslo city:
- Oslo Fjord
- SALT
- Astrup Fearnley Museet
- Ekebergparken sculpture park
- MUNCH Museum
- Norwegian Museum of Cultural History
- Kon-Tiki Museum
- Fram Museum
Hiking near Oslo
After searching for nature spots near Oslo, one major one stood out to us because of the cool photo we saw of an edge!
This was within Mørkgonga naturreservat so we drove the 1.5 hours there. As soon as we were out of the city our drive was full of scenic views of lakes and we were so glad we chose to leave Oslo city on this trip!
We parked at Mørkgonga parkering (google maps link here) which is an official car park and you pay using an app so make sure you have data on your phone.
If you’re not within Europe and don’t have EU roaming, you can get an eSIM for Norway easily using Airalo!
From here you start the hike and there are signs to follow. To be honest, we seemed to go the long way without realising which was beautiful but we ended the hike much later than planned.
Here’s a post on how to do the Morkgonga hike and get there by public transport from Oslo if you aren’t hiring a car. If you don’t drive yourself and rely on the bus, I would give yourself a full day to do this day trip from Oslo.
I really recommend visiting though, the lake views are stunning and the edge is really cool! It’s not quite as scary as Pulpit Rock that we did the year before from Stavanger but it was still a great experience!
After the hike we drove 30 minutes to a hotel I’d booked in nearby Gran, a small town and our hotel Granavolden Gjæstgiveri Hotel was in a village nearby.
I booked this hotel on a whim but I 100% recommend it and recommend planning your Oslo itinerary around it as it’s such a gem.
The rooms are comfy and nice but it’s the overall small countryside boutique hotel vibe that got me, as well as the bright yellow building which is so typical in Norweigan architecture.
They have a highly rated restaurant and you can walk around the small village from the hotel. It was a really great local experience.
Check out Granavolden Gjæstgiveri Hote on booking.com. I highly recommend it!
Canoeing Near Oslo
From our base in Gran, on Google Maps I spotted Vestland Kanoutleie which said it was a popular canoe spot. Last year we went kayaking in the Fjords near Stavanger and whilst this wasn’t as impressive, it was still a really good experience as it was just 2 hours from Oslo!
We drove right to the Vestland Kanoutleie point on Google Maps which has a car park and a canoe and boat rental next to it. It was closed when we arrived but we called the number and the owner came. You can also book canoe and boat hire online on this website.
The owner was really chilled and although we barely saw anyone else in September, I bet it gets busier in summer. This was a lovely way to spend our Sunday morning in Norway on this 2 day Oslo trip!
On the way back to the airport, we didn’t stop much as it was a 2 hour drive but we did go to Kistefos Museum which is a super popular museum outside of Oslo.
Kistefos Museum is a modern art museum with most of the sculptures outside. On a sunny autumn sunday it was packed with Norweigans and their families.
If you’re looking for things to do with kids near Oslo, I’d recommend Kisefos Museum.
And that was that for our 2 days in Oslo. We saw a good amount of places and although we drove a few hours too, the roads and views in Norway and around Oslo are so incredible that driving in Norway is one of the main things to do and ways to enjoy the country!
I’d recommend following this 2 day Oslo itinerary to the tee or you can pick and choose bits to suit your trip and preferenes.
Day Trip From Oslo Ideas
If you’re not looking to do a road trip type trip as we did during our 48 hours in Oslo, you could spend 1 day in Oslo city and another doing a day trip from Oslo.
As well as the above places we visited, I pinned these places as great places to visit near Oslo city on my map that I hope to visit another time and wanted to share with you along with the Google Maps location:
I hope this 2 days in Oslo post helped you plan your trip or weekend in Oslo!
- For more of my Norway posts see:
- 3- 5 Day Norway Road Trip Itinerary! Bergen to Alesund & Atlantic Ocean Road.
- FULL Pulpit Rock Hike Guide! By Cruise, Car & Bus, Plus Tips!
- 20 BEST Things To Do in Stavanger & Near Stavanger! Hikes, Cruises, Museums!
- How To Hike to Stegastein Viewpoint in 3-4 Hours! Most Scenic Platform in Norway!
- Is the Atlantic Ocean Road in Norway Worth the Visit?