Weekend Breaks in Oslo

Norwegians treasure their weekends and rarely work on Saturday and Sunday unless they work in retail or in emergency health services. 30 percent of Norwegians have holiday homes in the mountains, on the coast, or both. Many also have boats.

Weekends are a great time to enjoy those luxuries with family or friends, or even alone. You may not have a hytte (cabin) yourself, but you may be invited to a colleague’s hytte. That’s an honour and a privilege that should not be missed.

There are so many choices of what to do and where to go on weekend breaks. If however, you leave the city on a Friday anytime after 3pm, expect to encounter traffic. There are only a few major roads leaving the city. Trains and busses are another possibility and go most places you would want to go.

Nordmarka

Spend the weekend hiking through this wild, forested park and stop to camp along the way, in tents or at any of the numerous cabins located throughout the park. Trails are marked. You will likely find solitude, but those you do encounter along the way will generally be friendly and may engage you in conversation.

Sweden

Denmark

Germany

Drøbak

Tønsberg and Verdens Ende

An hour west of Oslo on the coast lays Tønsberg, a city popular for its great weather, laid-back lifestyle and Nøtterøy golf course. Verdens Ende, literally “The end of the world”, lies at the southern tip of the island Tjøme, 26 km south of Tønsberg. This outcropping is well known for its beautiful scenery, small islands, fishing, swimming and dramatic views.

Risør in Sørlandet

A picturesque, whitewashed city within the limits of Sørlandet, the Southern region of Norway, which stretches down to the southern tip of the country. This traditional fishing village is now a regional capital of arts and crafts. It is inhabited by fishermen and artists and has several galleries, theatres and small inns. It features a wooden boat festival when is staged the first week of August every year.

Bergen and Flåm

A very popular 48-hour trip is the one titled “Norway in a Nutshell”, which begins in Oslo and crosses to Bergen by train, with a side trip on an old locomotive to Flåm, a dramatic area characterised by waterfalls and picturesque landscapes.

Continental Europe

With Ryanair and Norwegian Airlines flying to most European cities at affordable rates, it is feasible to escape for a weekend to any European capital.