Hikes and trips in Oslo

There are many great places to hike and visit in the outdoors around Oslo, here are some suggestions for where to start.

Oslo's forests, beaches and islands have endless activities for adventurers of all levels. From beginners to experienced exploreres alike. Whether you enjoy hiking, biking, skiing or just relaxing in the outdoors, you can find something to do in Oslo. In Oslo, the outdoors are for everyone.

If you've never been hiking in Oslo, or if you're new to hiking in general, you can:

Hikes in the forests of Oslomarka

Hike along the river to Øyungen lake

This hike takes you to Øyungen, a lake at the northernmost part of the Maridalen valley in Nordmarka. This is a fairly easy hike that usually takes around one and a half to two hours. The hike follows gravel trails, so it’s also possible to enjoy for hikers with reduced mobility or with young children. All-in-all the distance is around five kilometres, with a slight change in elevation.

If you bring a tent or a hammock with you, you can relax in the quiet of the forest or even spend the night.

To get there you can take a bus to Skar towards Maridalen. From the bus stop you follow a gravel road along the beautiful Skarselva river to Øyungen lake. You’ll be hiking through a forest landscape with many scenic waterfalls along the river.

From Øyungen you can either follow the gravel road around the lake and back to where you started, or you can continue your adventure further into Nordmarka for a longer and more challenging hike, as Øyungen is also a great starting point for further exploration. From here you can get to historic places such as Tømte and Liggeren, or surrounding hills such as Øyungskollen with panoramic views of Oslomarka.

Panoramic hike to the top of Grefsenkollen

This is also a fairly easy hike that will take you to one of the most stunning views you can get of the city, the fjord and surrounding forests with just over an hour of walking from the bus stop. To top it all off there’s also a restaurant at Grefsenkollen where you can enjoy dinner in the sunset looking over Oslo. To get to the trail head you can catch a bus to the stop Akebakken at Grefsenkollveien

When you hop off the bus you should follow the road marked “Akebakkeskogen” going up close to the bust stop, until you reach a clear gravel trail near the car park at the end. You can follow this trail along the western side of Grefsenåsen. As you venture up to the top, you’ll find great viewpoints and places to rest and take a breath along the way.

When you reach the top you’ll find the restaurant and café at Grefsenkollen. There’s outdoor seating during summer and a stunning view. From the top you can continue your hike further into Lillomarka or double back to where you started.

Hikes along the coast

Bike along the coast to Hvervenbukta

Starting from Bjørvika in the city centre near the Oslo Opera House and the Munch museum, you can follow a fairly flat path following Mosseveien that will take you along the Oslo fjord with scenic views of the sea and the historic Swiss chalet style villas that lie along the coast.

This combined foot and bike path will take you from the centre of Oslo to Fiskevollbukta and Hvervenbukta. Hvervenbukta is beautifully located in a small bay with a sandy beach and a café, bring refreshments with you and have a picnic on the grassy hills near the beach, a popular summertime destination close to the city centre.

You can also:

A historic hike to Ljanskollen

This is a short and fairly easy hike close to Hvervenbukta that will take you on an historic trip through an old forest, with trees dating back to the early 18th century and older.

Ljanskollen is a hill on the east bank of Bunnefjorden, just shy of 85 metres above sea level. The forests here are protected and you can find traces of history from the stately manor that was here before. There’s a footpath that will take you up to a vantage point where you can get a panoramic view of the fjord and the city.

To get here take a bus to Fiskevollen, or walk from Hvervenbukta.