Oslo - Long Layover

Olso and Stockholm both have extremely fast and efficient rail connections between their airports and downtowns. You can easily go back and forth.

You'll probably be kind of jet-lagged when you arrive, so in my opinion, the best activity for Oslo (if the weather cooperates) would be to grab some sandwiches, have a picnic lunch in Frogner Park and just enjoy the ambiance. I don't know if the city has hop-on, hop-off buses, but it seems kind of small for that... well, actually, Oslo's pretty big, but most of the "sites" are concentrated in a fairly small area. The majority of the city seems to be housing subdivisions.

My only experience in Stockholm was also on a long lay-over. I used the time to walk around historic core (not sure what the name is, but it's mostly on one island).

welcome Eric,

As Tom says.

Stockhom.

They have the Arlanda Express and its a nice 20 minute train ride if all goes well. On Gamla Stan, theres a really cool 14th century sailing ship that was recovered and its in really good shape for such an old artifact. Theres also a musuem more or less across the road too and the park all of this is on. There also the palace and museums nearby.

Oslo.

Dont remember the train from the airport to town - guess it didnt impress me as much as the Arlanda Express. But there are a couple museums and the Frogner Park as mentioned. the statues are really cool and whimsical. There is also the Oslo city museum in the park, but its a really small one, but the walk to it was nice. There also Bygdoy with some cultural stuff on it and some museums. Trams run all over Oslo and they go to/by Frogner park. There is also a subway/train stop near there, but i didnt take it since the trams were more convenient.

with regards to hop-on-hop-off buses in both places, i really dont remember seeing any around.

happy trails.

Thanks, Tom and Ray! The Oslo layover will be the more interesting one for us because it will be during the time when things are open. I like the idea of a picnic and walking around. That's what we're looking for. We know we won't get the true Norway experience, but if the choices are a) See the city for a few hours or b) Sit in an airport, I'll take Choice A 100 out of 100 times.

I'll look into ways to get to/from the airport to these areas!

Eric,

if you google "how to get from Gardermoen to Oslo" you should come up with "flytoget". Thats what i used. I think there are other methods, but i like fast and direct if possible - times a wastin.

by the way, its surprising what answers will come up if you google them - try it.

also, what i do is to go to the airports website and they will usually have "getting here" or "getting there" info with regards to train, car, bus...ect.

you can also ask too.

happy trails.

Yes, the train is called "Flytoget" and it works very similar to the Arlanda Express. The ride might be a little longer, though.

The Express train is quite expensive. You may want to check schedules on the Internet and the latest price info. There was little time difference for what they called ''Express''...This is from memory...but I feel like the Flytoget took 19 minutes and the NSB trains took about 25 minutes. You be the judge if it makes a big difference to you when looking at exact time on their websites.

I found it very easy to see a lot in Oslo in little time...very walkable city. I loved Frogner park a lot and if it is a nice day you can have lunch there.
If you want to squeeze in a museum...I really enjoyed the Fram Museum and the Nobel Peace Center is somewhat small, but they had a very nice exposition when I was there. And it is well located (near city hall) if you do not want to go to the other side where Fram museum, Viking museum are.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g190479-d656587-Reviews-Fram_Polar_Ship_Museum-Oslo_Eastern_Norway.html
You can walk around Akershus fortress....they have some nice muséums there too.

Go walk on the roof of the Opera house or maybe have a drink in a pub...Norwegian are very nice and there is always a patio open...It was about -12 when I was there and I met wonderful people and had beer...and sat outside...yes outside :)

Enjoy! It is a wonderful city!

Me and travel partner extraordinaire (Dinky Baboo) passed through Oslo recently with a 5 hour layover. The train to downtown is fast (NSB - 1 stop, or Flytoget - no stops express) with pleasant countryside views. Although higher frequency, the extra cost on "Flytoget" is probably not worth it unless you are in an extreme hurry as the time difference is less than 5 min. Be mindful from which company you buy the ticket so you don't board the wrong train and incur another charge on exit from the station!

For the budget conscious - after luggage storage, train ticket, meal, as well as any compulsive orgyastic impulse purchases - you're wallet will lighten by at least $60-75pp (>50 Euros) for the little jaunt.

The upside though, is that during the ride in you and your travel partner can lock arms like wittle otters.