Where to Stay in Oslo: Choose a neighborhood and hotel or short-term rental

Now that I have stayed in Oslo four times, I’ve fallen in love with Norway‘s capital — and I know just what parts of Oslo I want to stay in next time I visit!

Oslo is one of the best capital cities in Europe. It has musems, a beautiful waterfront, delicious food — and unlike Rome or Barcelona, Oslo is often comfortably cool in summer. It’s also a manageable size compared to Paris or other cities that can be overwhelming.

You can easily see the highlights of Oslo in one day, or spend a week or more there getting to know urban Norwegian culture.

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Best places to stay in Oslo, Norway

The first decision you’ll want to make when looking for vacation lodging in Oslo: hotel or short-term rental? Both have their pluses and minuses.

Why stay in an Oslo hotel

• Central location. There are more hotels than private apartments in the most central areas of Oslo, where the top sights are.
  
• Support from staff. The staff at our hotel in Oslo were great about answering questions. They also leant us a wheelchair!
  
• Hotel breakfast. Most Scandinavian hotels offer a delicious breakfast buffet that will fill you up for most of the day.
  
• Ice. Most hotels have a bar with ice cubes. If you’re American and you need ice, this is big.

My favorite Oslo hotel (most convenient for public transit): Scandic Byporten

We first stayed in the Scandic Byporten on the last night of our 2023 trip, when we had early morning flights out of Oslo’s Gardermoen airport. We liked it so much, we stayed there again in 2025!

The best thing about Scandic Byporten is that it is literally connected to the main Oslo S train station! This station is where you get a train to the airport as well as many other destinations around Norway.

The train station/hotel complex also has a large shopping mall with a grocery store, liquor store, clothing stores, espresso coffee stand and more. That was really convenient both when coming and going, and also while staying there.

Besides the convenient location, I love the Scandic Byporten because the staff is super-nice and helpful, and the breakfast buffet is delicious and generous.

Check out my full Scandic Byporten review, where I describe the convenient location, the rooms, the breakfast and the helpful staff!

Why stay in an Oslo short-term rental?

While we have enjoyed the convenience of staying in Oslo hotels, I loved staying in an apartment even more. Staying in a short-term rental in Oslo gives you the feel of neighborhood life. You also get to see what Norwegian homes are like inside, the types of dishes and appliances people have, etc.

Other things we liked about our Oslo Airbnb compared to our hotel rooms:

• More space. Oslo hotel rooms tend to be quite small. The hotels we stayed in had nearly no space for luggage or hanging up clothes.
  
• Use of a kitchen. Restaurants in Norway are pretty expensive. For a longer stay, I’d prefer to cook some meals at home. Even if you don’t want to cook, having a refrigerator to bring home restaurant leftovers or store a few ready-made breakfast items is clutch. Not to mention making your own coffee in the morning.
  
• Possibly better airflow. Like the hotel we stayed in, our Oslo rental apartment didn’t have air conditioning. However, it had windows on opposite ends, so at least we could get a breeze going through. The homeowner also provided us with a fan.

Some things to keep in mind if you rent an Oslo VRBO or Airbnb apartment:

• Not many buildings have elevators. Because we were traveling with family who had limited mobility, we needed an elevator. We were able to an Airbnb rental with an elevator, but there weren’t many!
  
• Don’t look for ice in the freezer. If you are American like we are, you may like ice cubes in your beverages. Norwegians don’t seem to have ice makers in their refrigerators or ice cube trays in their freezers. We made do by freezing water in small bowls or plastic storage containers. But if ice is a must for you, you might want to slip an ice cube tray into your suitcase!

The Oslo short-term rental where we stayed: “Entire Condo in Sentrum, Norway.” This one-bedroom private apartment was super central. The building had an elevator, which is kind of rare. It had a nice table for eating and a lovely galley kitchen. The living room sofa-bed was comfortable. And it was walking distance to most Oslo attractions.

I would stay at Julian’s place again

What Oslo neighborhood to stay in

Once you’ve decided what type of housing to rent for your Oslo trip, choose a neighborhood.

• Sentrum. Both the Scandic Byporten and the apartment we rented were in the Sentrum (City Center) neighborhood. We stayed in Sentrum because we didn’t have much time and wanted to be close to the sights.
  
  Specifically, the apartment is in the Kvadraturen district, a historic area comprising the Renaissance-era town that precded Oslo. From there, my mom and I easily walked to the sauna boat on Oslofjord, in the Langkaia waterfront area.
  You could also comfortably walk from our aparment to Bjørvika for the Munch museum and waterfront dining, to the fortress, the royal palace and the main S train station. There are tons of transit connections to get to the other museums and Frogner Park.
  
  The Scandic Byporten is in the heart of Sentrum, right on Jernbanetorget square and steps from the main shopping street, Karl Johans gate.
  
  Besides the Scandic Byporten, there are tons of other hotels to choose from in the Sentrum neighborhood:
  
  People rave about the historic boutique hotel Amerikalinjen. If you’re on a tighter budget, Citybox Oslo is considered a clean, reliable no-frills budget option.
  
  You could also stay at Thon Hotel Opera, right outside Oslo’s iconic opera house. One Redditor added this amusing reason to stay at the Thon Opera: “it’s Oslo’s ugliest building and when you’re inside, you’re not able to see the exterior.”
  
  Besides Julian’s place, another highly rated Sentrum short-term rental is Numa Oslo Hallen, which offers three different units for about $211 to $257 per night.
  
• Aker Brygge/Tjuvholmen. Some people consider this area part of Sentrum. But if you want a more fun atmosphere with more live music and waterfront views, choose a hotel in the sub-neighborhoods of Aker Brygge or Tjuvholmen. We met up with Norwegian relatives for an outdoor dinner in Aker Brygge and loved the lively vibe.
  
  For a five-star experience, stay at Tjuvholmen’s art-filled The Thief hotel. Guests receive free entry to the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art.
  
  Short term rental: If you have a bigger group, you might choose this well-equipped three-bedroom apartment, also on the peninsula. Just be aware that there is a steep staircase within the unit.
  
• Grünerløkka. This is the area to stay if you want to be close to nightlife and vintage shopping. The hip, culture-filled neighborhood is about a 20-minute walk north from the Central Station.
  
  A lot of people recommend the Anker Hotel in Grünerløkka for its excellent breakfast and comfortable beds — but note that the rooms are tiny. For a short-term rental, try this two-bedroom VRBO, which rents for only $117 a night. Guests describe it as clean and praise the host, Lars, for easy communications.
  
• Frogner. For a longer stay, you could try a more residential neighborhood like Frogner and get a real feel for quotidian Oslo life. Frogner is much quieter than Sentrum, but still has great public transit connections. Plus, you’ll be close to Oslo’s most eye-popping attraction: Vigeland sculpture park.
  
  Home Hotel Gabelshus, part of the Clarion Collection, offers both complementary breakfast and dinner included, and people rave about the food.
  
  For a Frogner short-term rental, try Frogner House – Bygdøy Allé, a building with 59 units all available through VRBO. It’s a bit like a combo of a hotel and a short-term rental, since you stay in apartments, but they’re not private homes.

Whether you choose to stay right at Oslo Central Station or a little farther out, enjoy staying as many nights as you can in Oslo! You won’t regret spending time with this beautiful, culture-filled waterfront city.