Oslo Central Station neighborhood advice?

This has come up a couple of times before. I've never noticed anything seedy about the are around central station...not even a little bit:) I stayed at the Radisson connected to the station so I was passing through the area quite a bit. In fact there are a number of upscale shopping malls in the area, so my experience was that it was the opposite of seedy:) Having said that, at the hotel there was a large sign in the lobby warning of pickpockets, and the personnel behind the desk also gave a verbal warning...so make sure you wear that money belt.

Here you can read what the US State Department has to say about crime in Norway: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_990.html#crime

We Stayed at the Scandic Byporten 2 months ago. It's entrance was in the mall that includes the train station. I did not notice anything seedy in the area. In almost any big city there are going to be some panhandlers, but it sure didn't look any different than any other city. The location was great with the train and metro in the same building. As far as affordable, there is not much affordable in Oslo. Have a great trip

Thanks for everyone's input. So far the only available affordable hotel in area with private bath is Thon Hotel Astoria so I've grabbed a flexible reservation there for the moment. Will keep an eye on Scandic Byporten--right now they are asking about $282 a night--in case they have special offer later. Other hotels are also running that much and more.

We also stayed at the Scandic Byporten in July. It was good. $250 a night for a hotel in Oslo is like $99 a night in Seattle, don't think you'll get much less than that for a decent hotel. We also saw and heard the pickpocket lecture, although were fine. Also FYI the train from the airport to downtown Oslo is closed for the summer, you take buses instead. I think the construction will be finished by end of August, check their website to make sure. It was just an inconvenience, not a problem.

His trip is not until February so train situation won't be a factor.

It's not "cheap" by American standards but the Grand Hotel across from Parliament on Karl Johanns Gate was wonderful and the price was comparable to what you have been quoted. We were there three days before recent trouble and loved its location right in the middle of everything. Would stay there again.

Our experience with the Oslo train station was that in front of the station where several trams and buses stop was the gathering place for large groups of loitering folks similar in appearance to those hanging out in places around downtown Seattle, blocking the sidewalk, smoking, skateboarding in front of pedestrians, etc
This was in summer, so it might be too cold for loitering and pickpocketing on the street in February.

Just like Seattle too, I expect.

My husband and I stayed at the Thon Astoria this past summer. We found the hotel to be quiet, safe and comfortable and would stay again. There were heavy doors on each floor indicating they should remain closed and locked for guest's protection, but we never encountered any difficulty or safety issues when staying in the area. We were frequently out later at night. We never felt uncomfortable. Rather, we were smart about where we kept our wallets/purse and how we walked through the city - same as we do in any other city we visit.

Thanks for the first hand report. That's good to know

Tamara We stayed at Thon Astoria in the summer of 2010. The hotel was great. I was a bit concerned as well but as we took our 1year old on this trip. The hotel was in a good location so you do not have to walk far with luggage from the station. The station it self is like any other big city. There was some shaddy people around and we saw a few ladys of the night but overall no one bugged us. As soon as you are a block away from the station it seems to be better. That being said we did not go around the train station at night so that could be a different story. Again the hotel was great, clean, and was in our price range for this trip. I would say you should be fine there.