Oslo Day Trips: 2 Days on a Budget
Two days covers exactly two real day trips on a budget: the cheap Oslofjord ferry on your arrival evening, then Fredrikstad’s walled fortress town for about an hour’s train fare the next day. No cruise, no rental car, and nothing that needs booking more than a day ahead. Longer trip? The 3-day plan adds the free Nordmarka forest on top of this. See all six versions in the Oslo day trips guide .
Book these before you go
- Hotel: compare current Sentrum and Grünerløkka rates on Booking.com before summer prices climb
- A guided Fredrikstad walk: compare options on GetYourGuide if you’d rather skip researching Gamlebyen yourself
| Day | Focus | Travel time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Land, set up Ruter, evening ferry to Hovedøya | 10-15 min ferry | NOK 46 |
| Day 2 | Fredrikstad’s Gamlebyen fortress town | About 1 hour by train | NOK 200-390 |
Day 1: Land and take one cheap bite of the fjord
Land at Oslo Gardermoen (OSL) and take Flytoget (19-20 minutes, roughly NOK 268) or the cheaper Vy regional train (23-30 minutes, around NOK 124) into Oslo S. Drop your bags in Sentrum or Grünerløkka and load a Zone 1 ticket into the RuterBillett app, NOK 46 for a single fare, it covers the T-bane, trams, buses, and the Oslofjord passenger ferries you’ll use on this trip. In the afternoon, walk to the Opera House and climb its free roof for the first proper look at the fjord you’ll be exploring. In the evening, take the standard Zone 1 ferry out to Hovedøya, the closest island, for a short walk among its ruins and beaches before the light fades. Back in Sentrum for a self-catered or casual dinner; save the paid museums and the fjord cruise for a longer trip.
Day 2: Fredrikstad’s Gamlebyen, the best value day trip from Oslo
Trains from Oslo S run roughly hourly and take about an hour, with one-way fares clustering around NOK 200-390 depending on how far ahead you book. Don’t stop at the modern Fredrikstad train station and assume you’ve seen the sight; the actual draw, Gamlebyen, sits across the river. Walk to the ferry terminal and take the 2-minute crossing into the walled old town, built in 1567 and still home to roughly 350 residents behind its own ramparts, alongside the cafes, galleries and craft shops lining its streets. Details on the fortress and current hours are on Visit Fredrikstad & Hvaler . Train back to Oslo S for dinner in Sentrum, then confirm tomorrow’s Flytoget or Vy time back to Gardermoen if you’re flying out.
Is Two Days Enough for Any Oslo Day Trip Besides Fredrikstad?
Not really, and that’s fine. Fredrikstad is the single best-value day trip here, about an hour each way for a genuinely different sight, so it’s worth the one regional fare this short trip has room for. Drammen, Nordmarka, the Oslofjord cruise and Lillehammer all need a third day or longer; the 3-day plan is the next step up.
How Much Does This 2-Day Version Cost in Total?
Figure roughly NOK 900-1,500 for the two day trips themselves, per person: a NOK 46 ferry fare on day one plus a NOK 200-390 Fredrikstad round trip on day two, on top of whatever your Sentrum or Grünerløkka hotel and meals already run. Neither day needs the Oslo Pass, since a standard Ruter ticket already covers day one and Fredrikstad’s train fare isn’t covered by any pass anyway.
Book the Fredrikstad train the evening before rather than at the platform kiosk; fares climb the closer you get to departure.