There is a comprehensive public transport system in Oslo, consisting of buses, trams, trains, metro (T-bane) and boats. All run on the same fare scheme, and the same tickets are valid for all modes of transport. A single ticket for one zone costs 28NOK when bought in advance from a kiosk or a ticket machine, and 44NOK when bought from a bus or tram driver. After being stamped or activated (validated), the single ticket is valid for one hour of free travel in the zone the ticket is valid for. You can also buy pay-as-you-go-credit, and then pay 27NOK for a Smart ticket for one zone. There is also period tickets available; 24-hour ticket (75NOK), 7-day ticket (220NOK), 30-day ticket (590NOK) and 365-day ticket (5 900NOK) (all prices are for one zone). Read more about the tickets and see prices for multiple zones here: . If you are a student, you may buy a student ticket: All tickets can be bought at Trafikanten near Oslo S, at Aker Brygge as well as at Oslo Airport (Gardermoen), at Ruter's Service Points at Jernbanetorget, Nationaltheatret and Majorstuen metro stations, at most 7-Eleven, Deli De Luca, Mix and Narvesen kiosks and stores in Oslo and Akershus in addition to other kiosks and grocery shops near stops and on ticket machines on all metro stations and a few of the tram stops (read more about this here: . All these tickets are also valid on the night lines, running every Friday and Saturday night after the regular service has shut down. All these tickets, except 365-day ticket, are half-priced for children (4-15 years) and elders (67 and up). 7-day and 30-day tickets are also half-price for youth up to and including 19. Children under the age of 4 ride for free. Children under 16 who travel with an adult travel for free at weekends. Read more about discounts here: Another option is to buy a Oslo Pass . As a side note, bringing a bike requires buying an additional child ticket.
Make sure that you have a ticket with you when traveling and that it is validated before entering the metro platform or boarding the rear door of the bus or tram. 24-hour tickets, 7-day tickets, 30-day tickets, 365-day tickets, Smart tickets, single tickets purchased in a kiosk as well as electronic single tickets are not valid until they are activated (validated) or stamped. On a bus or tram, the tickets are activated (validated) or stamped when you board; stamping either by the driver or in a stamping machine (for Kupongkort), activating by holding the card next to a card reader. On the metro and the large railway stations, you activate or stamp the ticket before entering the train. There are no checks getting on to T-banes, trams or buses, but if you choose to ride ticketless look out for inspectors as random spot checks are common and being caught without a valid ticket leads to an automatic fine of at least 750NOK. Read more about ticket control:
Almost all of the tickets are now available as electronic tickets, on an electronic travel card or on an Impuls card (for single tickets and 24-hour tickets), but a very few of the tickets are still available in paper format. The paper tickets will probably disappear during 2012.
Please note, these tickets are not valid on the Airport Express Train (Flytoget), the Airport Coach (Flybussen and Flybussekspressen) and Timekspressen .
Trafikanten is the information centre for public transport in Oslo. It is situated at Jernbanetorget, just outside Oslo Central Station, by the foot of the clock tower, as well as at Aker Brygge and at Oslo Airport (Gardermoen). They hand out free maps, give information and sell all kinds of tickets. Their website has timetables, maps and search engines for all city transport in Oslo, as well as all transport in the nearby counties of Akershus, Østfold, Oppland, Hedmark, Buskerud, Vestfold and Telemark. The Oslo Tourist Information Centre is in the same office at Jernbanetorget, at the rear counters. As well as the Trafikanten service centers, Ruter has three Service Points on the metro; at Jernbanetorget, Nationaltheatret and Majorstuen metro stations.
There are two main hubs for public transport inside the city centre: Oslo Central Station (Oslo S)/Jernbanetorget and Nationaltheateret (underground). All metro lines pass these stations, all trains pass Oslo S and most trains (including the Airport Express Train (Flytoget)) pass Nationaltheateret. Nationaltheateret is most convenient for key buildings such as the Royal Palace, the National Gallery, the Parliament, Oslo Concert Hall and Oslo City Hall.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Oslo
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Oslo - updated Apr 2024
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Oslo Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
