Oslo

I have stayed at several Thon Hotels in Oslo - my favorite (taking into account cost, location and value) is the Thon Munch, located about one km from Oslo's central station. A delightful walk - Oslo is very beautiful. Unfortunately, the Thon Munch is currently under renovation with a projected November 1st, 2020 reopening. There are a number of other Thon locations in Oslo - several closer to central station than Thon Munch. The Thon Hotels in Norway are frequently mentioned with praise on this forum.

I second the Thon Hotels. Our RS tour group stayed at a Thon during our stay in Oslo, and it was very nice.

I second the Thon Hotels. Our RS tour group stayed at a Thon during our stay in Oslo, and it was very nice.

Are you traveling to Oslo soon? Is that allowed as an American?

Another vote for the Thon hotels. That is where we stayed while in Oslo as well as Bergen. We were a family of 3 (college age son) and had no problem with getting triple rooms. One of the hotels we were at had 2 bunk beds that folded up against the wall and were big enough for adults as well as having a regular bed for my husband and I.

Another Thon hotel preference. Thon has a range of properties from "budget" (for Norway) to upscale. I usually use the "budget" Thon Astoria because is a short walk from the Oslo S train station.
https://www.thonhotels.com/our-hotels/norway/oslo/

Norwegian hotels have fabulous free breakfast smorgasbords, but if you can find a Clarion Collection it has fabulous free dinner smorgasbords also.

The Thon buffet breakfast offering has been very good. That said, I'm wondering how breakfast is offered during the COVID-19 pandemic. Norway took a very cautious direction requiring 14 day quarantines during the early days.

Scandic is also a good hotel chain to consider in the Nordic countries.

We are a family of 4- we stayed at the Thon Hotel Panorama in Oslo, a short 10 min walk from the train station. Breakfast was great!

Norway took a very cautious direction requiring 14 day quarantines during the early days.

Norway is STILL taking a very cautious direction and either not allowing entry or requiring 14-day quarantine from most other locales.

Check the map here — you will see that even most of Europe is red (requires 14-day quarantine) — map updated Friday:

https://www.fhi.no/en/op/novel-coronavirus-facts-advice/facts-and-general-advice/travel-advice-COVID19/

https://www.visitnorway.com/plan-your-trip/coronavirus-and-travelling-to-norway/

As for the breakfast smorgasbord, I found this article but I imagine each hotel chain probably has info about their Covid adjustments:

https://norwaytoday.info/finance/the-buffet-ban-will-be-lifted-from-the-15th-of-july/amp/

Catherine — as for reasonable price, please note that prices are high in Oslo, and especially during the week for business travelers. You will find rooms cheaper in Oslo on weekends or in the summer.

Check out the Thon Opera. It is literally steps from the train station. We stayed there for three nights in 2019. Very nice, walking distance to the Opera House, waterfront, Nobel museum, fortress, and other sites. Sign up for Thon’s free “frequent visitor” program to save some money. Great breakfast.

My wife and I rented an apartment in the Barcode district just a five minute walk to the main train station. While you wouldn't get breakfast every morning, you get a living room and a small kitchen - something to consider. I'm not sure if you could be accommodated for the length of your stay (we were in Oslo a week) but it might be worth looking into. PS go to Vigland and Ekeberg sculpture parks - along with the city's museums and waterfront these two parks were impressive (views from Ekeberg were spectacular).