practical info

When visiting a foreign country, there’s always some practical information you wish you’d knew beforehand. Hopefully these tips and facts will make your days easier.

public transportation

Pre bought tickets can be purchased at 7-Eleven, Deli De Luca and Narvesen. If you buy single tickets from the driver its NOK 40 for adults and NOK 20 for children/senior. If you are caught travelling without a valid ticket you will be fined. The fine amounts to 900 NOK or 750 NOK if paid on the spot.

  • Single ticket adult: NOK 27 Pre bought ticket Free transfer/return within one hour.
  • Single ticket child: NOK 13 Pre bought ticket Free transfer/return within one hour.
  • Flexi card adult: NOK 200 (eight fares)
  • Flexi card child/senior: NOK 100 (eight fares)
  • 7 day pass adult: NOK 210
  • 7 day pass child/youth/senior: NOK 105
  • 24 hour pass adult: NOK 70
  • 24 hour pass child/senior: NOK 35

Note that while for most tickets you have to be under 16 to pay a reduced fare, for a 7-day pass you pay the reduced fare as long as it’s stamped before your 20th birthday. This means that for travellers under 20, a 7-day pass is usually the most economic option as long as you’re staying more than one night.

pharmacy

There are many pharmacies in Oslo and they usually follow regular opening hours. There are two pharmacies that are open around the clock: Apotek1 next to the municipal casualty ward and Vitus at Jernbanetorget, opposite the Central Station is open 24 hours. They charge a small additional fee at night.

exchange / money

You can exchange major currencies in almost every bank and post office. You can also exchange money at Forex. Both the banks and Forex gives you approximately the same rates, but banks in general charge a one-time fee of about NOK 50 for making the change, which for most travelers will make Forex a better option, in particular if you’re changing small amounts. Forex have offices at Oslo Central station and around the city.

Bank Axept cards are accepted in most shops. The vast majority of shops and restaurants accepts Visa and Mastercard as well. Diners Club and American Express are accepted in upscale establishments.

There are ATMs everywhere, and at all 7-Elevens as well as most Narvesen and Deli De Luca. Norwegians pay with plastic to a degree that is unparalleled in the rest of the world.

Regular banking hours
Mon-Wed, Fri 0815 – 1530, Thu 0815 – 1700, Saturday closed.

The following places have extended opening hours:

Oslo’s main Post Office
Dronningensgate 15

Oslo Central Station
Oslo S

Airport Express Terminal
With 24h automatic currency withdrawal.

The Norwegian currency is the Norwegian Krone (abbreviated kr, nkr or NOK). One krone consists of 100 øre. Nevertheless, the smallest monetary unit is 50 øre.

internet

At the Use-It Office we have eight terminals with internet for use by budget travellers. We also have free WiFi if you prefer to use your own laptop.

Use-It Office
Møllergata 3
Offers free wireless internet as well as stationary PCs with the ability to print. Everything’s free.

Deichmanske Library
Arne Garborgs plass 4
Offers free wifi and free terminals.

Arctic Internet café
Oslo Central Station
You have to pay, but it’s conveniently located in the centre of Oslo.

There are also a lot of internet cafes in Storgata. Some of these also have fax machines and you can make cheap phone calls from here. These cafes come and go, so instead of making an insufficient list we’d rather advise to check it out yourself. You can sign up for free internet either at libraries or at the Use-It office.

Free Wireless Networks
Lots of pubs and cafés offer free WiFi to their customers. Just ask around. Most of the hotels in town still ask you to buy a scratch card with a code to access their WiFi, but an increasing number of the hotels provide it for free.

telephones

Public telephones accept major credit cards as well as 1, 5, 10 and 20 coins. You need a minimum of 5 NOK make a call. Norwegian telephone cards are called Telekort and can be purchased at kiosks. In Brugata and at Grønland you’ll find many small shops where you can buy international phone cards as well. If you intend to talk for a long time, these phone cards are worth buying.

If staying in Norway for more than a few days, it’s usually a good idea purchasing a pre-paid SIM card for your cell phone. This makes it cheaper for you to call, and also cheaper and easier for your Norwegian contacts to call you back. Pre-paid cards can be purchased at most 7-eleven and Narvesen as well as stores selling
mobile phones and equipment such as Clas Ohlson, Elkjøp and Expert.

  • At the Use-It Office you can make domestic phone calls for free.
  • Calling to Norway? The country code is 0047.
  • Collect calls: 115 (abroad), 117 (Norway) You can make collect calls from all public telephones.
  • Directory enquiries: 1881 / 1882 (international numbers). NB! Inquiry service is very expensive from a public pay phone!

tourist information

Use-It is the number one choice for budget travellers in Oslo. The staff and contributors of the Streetwise guide offer free information, free internet, free phone calls and free luggage storage. Sounds to good to be true? As an organization funded by the munici-pality, we have no commercial interests and will not try to charge you commissions or push you in the direction of our uncle’s restaurant. We just want to make your stay in Oslo a pleasant one!

Use-It Office
Møllergata 3
It’s us! The youth information center that creates Streetwise and acts as a tourist information for young travelers. We offer eight computers on which you can write, read and print with. You can store your luggage here up to 12 days(!). We give information and tips about the city that you probably won’t get elsewhere. We have hiking maps, maps of the city and guides to other cities within the Use-It Europe network. The best thing about this is that it’s all for free! We do have an age limit though, so if you’re under 27 you’re welcome. If you are over 27 feel free to drop by and pick up our free Streetwise guide, but if it’s a busy day we can not guarantee we have time to answer questions.

Oslo Tourist Information Centre
Fridtjof Nansens Plass 5
Situated by the City Hall of Oslo you will find one of the two tourist information centers. They have lots of guides with information from all of Norway. A great way to get more information if you are considering leaving Oslo to explore more of the country.

Tourist Information
Oslo Central Station
Situated inside the big clock tower right outside Oslo Central Station you’ll find the smaller Tourist Information. They give information primarely about Oslo, but they also carry some guides about the rest of Norway as well.

lost and found

Police Station
Grønlandsleiret 44

Lost and Found trains
Oslo Central Station

Lost and Found buses/subway/trams
Ruter As Hittegodskontoret
Nationaltheatret (Metro station)

laundry

Billig Vask & Rens
Ullevålsveien 15

Cafe Laundromat
Underhaugsveien 2
Arguably one of the few ways to pamper yourself while doing the laundry. Put the clothes in, order a lunch or a drink and sit back relax with your favourite magazine while the machine is doing your dirty work.

Snarvask Vu Thi Minh Nguyet
Thorvald Meyers gate 18

Vask-Service
Sannergata 25

medical assistance

Casualty clinic
Legevakten (Municipal Casualty Ward)
Storgata 40

Emergency Dental Treatment
Tannlegevakten Tøyen Senter
Kolstadgata 18

in case of emergencies

Free of charge from any public telephone. Keep in mind that these are emergency numbers only.

  • Fire: 110
  • Police: 112
  • Ambulance: 113

tax free shopping

If you are a resident outside out Scandinavia, you get 5% cash refund upon departure, depending on how much you’ve spent in one store. Your purchase has to exceed NOK 308. Ask for a Global Refund Cheque and the shop assistant will wrap and seal the goods. When leaving the country, you must show the sealed goods, your ID and the Global Refund Cheque. You will immediately receive your cash refund. Global Refund is found several places, at the airport, at the tourist information and at the train station. In addition each boat that goes abroad has an office onboard. For information pamphlet on Tax Refund, drop by the Use-It Office.

bike rental

Skiservice AS
Tomm Murstadbakken 2
www.skiservice.no

Oslo Bysykkel (Oslo city bike)
E-mail
There are bike stands located at different places in Oslo where you can borrow a city bike. Residents of Oslo pay 90 NOK for an annual subscription permitting unlimited use of the bikes, but visitors have to rent a card from one of the tourist information offices located at Trafikanten, Oslo Central station or at Fritjof Nansens plass (next to the city hall). You will need to provide a photocopy of a credit card as a deposit.

Follow the instructions provided at the end of each stand. The bikes may be returned to any stand in the city. You can keep the bike for up to three hours, although you can rent a new one immediately after returning it, meaning you can effectively keep the bike all day as long as you check-in and check-out at a bike stand every three hours. The bikes are available between 0600 and 2400. If you get a bike before 2400 you can keep it until your three hours are up, even if it means you’ll return it after midnight.

luggage lockers

Besides offering free information and internet, we at Use-It Oslo also offer you a place to store your bags for free.

Use-It Office
Møllergata 3
Here you can store your luggage for free.

The Bus terminal and the following train station has luggage lockers: Oslo S, Nationaltheatret and Lysaker.

Many shops, among them all the state-run alcohol shops (Vinmonopolet) have small lockers for free. They are supposed to be used for you’re belongings while you’re shopping, but it’s possible to leave your stuff there all day as long as you pick it up before the shop closes for the day.

car rental

If you are staying in Oslo, we suggest that you stick to public transportation. If you are planning trips out of town, renting a car is no problem. Car companies have weekend offers so if you are part of a larger group, this might be the cheapest way of getting around.

If you are lucky, you can get a car for free for driving it to another city. Some rental companies need to transport cars back and forth between cities. Visit www.transfercar4u.no for more information.

Alfa Bilsenter AS
H.N.Hauges gate 52
www.alfabilsenter.no
Considered the cheapest local car rental service in Oslo. If other popular and well established international car rentals are out of special offers, this is the cheapest place to go.

recommended websites

The Bathroom Diaries
www.thebathroomdiaries.com
Streetwise would like to use this opportunity to recommend the bathroomdiaries. Here you find reviews of free toilets, from all over the world. A must for travellers!

Sleeping in Airports
www.sleepinginairports.net
When on the subject of useful websites, sleeping in airports is a killer. The site has the same structure as The Bathroom Diaries, with reviews of airports both international and domestic. Why pay, when you can get it for free with such magnificent sites as these!?

Google Translator
translate.google.com
If you are having problems with web pages in Norwegian, remember Google Translator.

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