Hiking/Walking/Running in Oslo

It was an outdoor paradise

One of the things I especially loved about Oslo was its proximity and ease to nature. It’s the one place we’ve visited in the world (so far) that really felt like a nearly ideal integration of city and nature. Whereas some cities have lovely parks (e.g., London) but clearly feel like cities, Oslo felt like a a place where the two nearly melded together.

In part it’s because Oslo is located between the fjord below and the forested hills above. It’s also a low density city (aka spread out), with lots of green areas even in the center that contribute to a sense of spaciousness and calm. It has great public transit (clean, accessible, frequent, well connected) and little traffic, and its emphasis on sustainability is evident everywhere.

The house we stayed in was within walking distance of both a hiking/running trail (next to the river and amidst the trees, no less)…

…and a waterfront paved trail that was perfect for running and walking (and biking, if we had had access to bikes). I went exploring on both multiple times.

To explore farther afield, we only had to map the directions using Google and hop on the corresponding combo of train/tram/bus. They all run frequently enough that you’re never waiting long and, while it takes more time than driving, it’s truly easy. We simply needed an active transit pass, which we bought through the Ruter app on our phones.

One day I took N up to the hills above Oslo, where the ski trails are during the winter. The views from the tram were amazing. Though we took public transit, I wasn’t surprised to see a Tesla parked at the trailhead. (Oslo had somewhat of a Boulder, Colorado feel.) Norway leads the world in percentage of population with an electric vehicle. (Not just Teslas, but many makes of e-vehicles.)

There were tons of people out hiking, running and biking—of all ages. We even saw some leftover snow! And we happened upon a lovely mountain café at the edge of the lake about halfway through our hike, so we stopped for a small bite. It reminded me a little of Tahoe. At the end of our hike, we stopped at Frognerseteren to take in the view and have another bite. Because why not?

We returned a different day, this time with S. We took a different transit route there and explored more trails, including the area around Holmenkollen, which has been a hub for international skiing events since the 1890s. The views were incredible.

There were even hiking trails on the Bygdøy peninsula, which lies on the Inner Oslofjord and was a quick bus ride from where we stayed.

Basically, there was no shortage of places to go hiking, walking, and running in Oslo, and I would definitely go back for this reason alone. Have you been to Oslo and, if so, did you explore the many trails there?