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Family vacation

On holiday with children in Oslo

Oslo is the perfect city for a family holiday, with everything from ice cream and swimming to fun museums. Here are some tips on where to find child-friendly hotels, eateries and activities in the capital.

A girl holding her parents by the hand and pulling them after her as she runs down a pedestrian street.

Find Hotels in Oslo

We are Oslo's largest hotel chain with several different hotels to choose from in the capital. All our hotels offer free WiFi, are centrally located in Oslo, and include our award-winning breakfast in the price. Find available rooms at our various Oslo hotels below, ranked with the best offers at the top.

Oslo has lots of exciting spots to explore and activities to enjoy, especially during the summer.

The entire family can visit the Viking Museum, paddle down the Akerselva river, ride along a zipline and eat at some of the country’s best pizza restaurants.

When planning a family holiday and overnight stay in Oslo, it’s a good idea to consider the right location. Although Oslo has a compact city centre, many of its activities are found outside the city centre.

With a hotel room close to the Royal Palace and National Theatre, it’s easy to get around by public transport, whether you want to swim at Bygdøy, play frisbee golf in Holmenkollen or enjoy waffles in Grünerløkka.

Stay in the heart of the city centre with metro, tram, bus lines and city bikes nearby to take you where you want to go quickly and easily. With a hotel room near the National Theatre, you're never far from a child-friendly restaurant or spacious green park.

Child-friendly hotels near the Royal Palace and National Theatre

Thon Hotel Slottsparken is located in a quiet neighourhood close to the Royal Palace. Here you can stay within walking distance of everything the Oslo city centre has to offer, from museums and toy stores to child-friendly restaurants and swimming areas. If you book a two or three-room apartment here, you'll have plenty of space and won't have to divide the group among different rooms.

Thon Hotel Europa is also centrally located near the Royal Palace and National Theatre, but in a quiet area of the Oslo city centre. The hotel has an exclusive but welcoming atmosphere, with a youthful vibe and lots of colourful rooms. The restaurant Café Europa is located on the first floor and also has a children’s menu.

Thon Hotel Cecil is located near Stortinget, Karl Johans gate, Aker Brygge and City Hall. The hotel is an atrium hotel in the heart of Oslo city centre – with restaurants, shops and attractions just outside the door. Here you can also enjoy views of Oslo's main street.

Thon Hotel Vika Atrium is located near Aker Brygge and Tjuvholmen. Aker Brygge is home to the Nobel Peace Center, National Museum and Astrup Fearnley Museum. Boats depart from here to the islands in the Oslo Fjord.

Thon Hotel Gyldenløve is a charming, modern hotel located in the heart of the shopping street Bogstadveien. The hotel is perfect for families with children. Up to four people can stay in a room and enjoy Mexican burritos for dinner at the El Camino restaurant on the ground floor.  

Room with bed and views of Stortinget from Thon Hotel Cecil.
The business rooms at Thon Hotel Europa can accommodate up to four people.

Summer activities for children in Oslo

Oslo Sommerpark

Tryvann is home to Oslo Sommerpark, a climbing park in the woods with fun challenges for climbers of all ages. It is one of the largest and most popular climbing parks in the Nordic region and can best be described as an amusement park in the woods with zip-lines, suspension bridges, tunnels and ladders.

Paddling in Akerselva

Paddling is a relaxing way for the entire family to explore Oslo. Mad Goats offers kayaking and packrafting tours along the Akerselva river. Float along the peaceful banks of Grünerløkka all the way down to the Oslo Opera House. The kayaks are easy to manoeuvre and suitable for anyone over the age of ten.

Holmenkollen DiscGolfPark

Holmenkollen DiscGolfPark is located right next to Holmenkollen National Arena. Here you can throw frisbees on the 18-hole frisbee golf course while enjoying views of Oslo. There is no fee to play, but you need to bring your own frisbees.

Sørenga Bathing Pier

Swimming at Sørenga is popular with both young and old – and for good reason. Here you will find a swimming pool with seawater, jetty with diving tower, lifeguards and toilet facilities. Sørenga also has numerous restaurants.

Pole hunting

With this activity, you 'hunt' for poles using a map (on paper or in an app). The poles are located at various locations throughout Oslo and paper maps are available at different Deichman library branches.

Oslo Reptile Park

The Oslo Reptile Park is home to snakes, lizards, turtles, crocodiles, spiders and marmosets. Visitors can watch the animals be fed and even pet the snakes. 

Deichman Bjørvika

The new library, Deichman Bjørvika, has something for children and adults alike. Here you will find not only thousands of books, but also cafés, workshops, a cinema and a large area to relax with a good book.

Tusenfryd

Norway’s largest amusement park is only half an hour by bus from Oslo or ten minutes by car from Thon Hotel Ski.   It has everything from a log ride and bumper cars to roller coasters and a water park.

Three children in the Frog ride. Two of the children have their hands in the air.
Mum and daughter climbing stairs outside in summer.

Child-friendly places to eat

Mamma Pizza Osteria Italiana

Mamma Pizza, an informal Italian restaurant, is located near Karl Johans gate. The restaurant is run by brothers Luca and Davide Zannini from Bologna and their pizza and pasta dishes are made from family recipes.

Oslo Street Food

Located right next to Youngstorget, Oslo Street Food has something for everyone. Here you'll find food stalls from all corners of the globe, offering everything from tacos and burgers to Indian and Thai cuisine. Food is ordered via a QR code, which is found on all tables. You are then sent a text message when the food is ready. There are lots of long tables where you can pull up a chair.

Haralds Vaffel

Right next to Birkelunden Park in Grünerløkkathere is Haralds Vaffel, an eldorado for all those who love waffles and fun desserts. Here you'll find everything from traditional waffles with jam to hot dogs wrapped in waffles, as well as ice cream and donuts.

Syverkiosken

Syverkiosken is Oslo’s most famous hot dog stand. This small stand on Aleksander Kielland Square has served the city’s best Vienna sausages for years, perfect for a snack while walking to your next activity.

Villa Paradiso Tivoli

Villa Paradiso Tivoli is located in a quiet, green area in the district of Lilleborg in northern Oslo. Here you can enjoy traditional Italian pizza in a large and colourful pizzeria, with the Akerselva river running right outside the window. Villa Paradiso also has pizzerias in Grünerløkka, Majorstuen and Frogner.

Syverkiosken hot dog stand in Oslo.

Fun museums and guided tours

Viking Planet

Right next to Oslo City Hall is Viking Planet, a 1,600 square-metre digital museum. Using virtual reality technology, you can travel a thousand years back in time and board Viking ships and land in realistic Viking villages.

Oslo Reptile Park

Oslo Reptile Park is home to colourful and exciting animals from all corners of the world. See live snakes, lizards, turtles, fish, spiders, monkeys and various other animals in the heart of the Oslo city centre.

Popsenteret

Popsenteret is an exciting interactive museum and experience centre for Norwegian popular music in the middle of Grünerløkka where you can explore, learn, play and sing freely – while learning about music in all shapes and forms.

Natural History Museum

The University Botanical Garden in Tøyen is also home to a natural history museum, where you can see exhibitions on zoology, geology and the climate. You can also see dinosaur skeletons and taxidermied animals from the Arctic to Africa.

Technology Museum

At the Technology Museum, children can learn, experiment, play and discover. There are large exhibitions of planes, cars, trams, trains, bicycles and computers. Children and adults alike can learn about technology, industry, science and medicine. The Technology Museum is located in the Kjelsås district of Oslo and is easy to get to by public transport.

Astrup Fearnley Museum

The Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art is located at Tjuvholmen. The permanent collection includes Damien Hirst’s Mother and Child (Divided) in which a cow and a calf are split in half and placed in formalin containers so that you can walk inside the animals and see their intestines. The museum is a work of art in itself and offers fantastic views of the Oslo Fjord.

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