I've dealt with quite a few tourist in Oslo and Norway. They love the place, expept from one thing - the prices. Norway is a quite expensive country to visit and in 2010 Oslo was ranked the most expensive city in the world. Still there are possibilities for getting bargains, and here are some money saving tips for all travellers who dont want to blow their budget in Norway:
•Find cheap accommodation. Getting a hotel in Oslo or Norway can potentially be difficult and expensive. In peak periods, when big fairs or conferences visit Oslo, tourists have been sent as far as Lillehammer (170 kms, 2h 15 min by train) to find accommodation. It would be smart to reserve a room in advance. There are also relatively few youth hostels, etc., for backpackers and people travelling on a budget. However, some cheaper alternatives exist, and here are some links:
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•Bring alcohol into the country. Alcohol is EXTREMELY expensive in Norway (3 eur for the cheapest beer in a supermarket and 7-10 eur for a beer in pubs / resturants). So, if you plan to enjoy alcohol during your trip you should bring some or buy it from the Tax Free at the airport. However, make sure you dont bring more than you are allowed to (normally 1 litre of spirits, 2 litres of wine and 4 beers).
•Split up your stay. If you are staying for more nights and if you are willing to move around a bit, you might save some money on staying in different places. If you search for one and one night instead of a longer period, you increase the chance of finding the cheapest room available. And if you are lucky, you might find two available cheap rooms in the same area.
•Shop in the low price grocery stores. Many tourists find food in Norway quite expensive. But like most other places, some store grocery stores are more expensive than others, and you can save some money on going to the cheaper ones. The low price grocery stores are called Rema 1000, KIWI and RIMI and you can find them spread out all over the city. In addition you can buy cheap fruits and vegetables from the markets, many of them located in the Grønland area
•Visit the free tourist attractions. Many of the tourist attractions are actually free, and a walk in the nature normally doesn't cost you anything.
•Go by walk ! The city centres, also in the bigger cities in Norway, are relatively small and if you stay in the central parts you can reach many of the attractions by walk.
•Buy the Oslo card. If you plan to visit many attractions that cost money you should consider to buy the Oslo card. The Oslo Pass gives you free entry to more than 30 museums and attractions and free travel on all public transport in addiotion to discount on many resturants and activities. However, be aware of the time it takes to travel between the attracions and plan your trip to make sure you gett he most out of the card (e.g visit all the things that saves you money with the card one day and visit he free attractions another day).
•Drink water from the tap. The water in Norway is drinkable and of good quality. Therefore you can safely drink water from the tap instead of buing expensive water from the stores.
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