Places you can reach in the morning and leave in the evening. Public transport first; the car only where it really helps.
Fredrikstad (Gamlebyen)
A 17th-century star-shaped fortress town on the east bank of the Glomma, still lived in, with cobbled streets, ramparts and a moat. An easy train trip for anyone interested in history, small galleries and cafés.
How to get there
- Train · Vy (line RE20 Oslo S-Halden-Göteborg) · 1 hFrom Oslo S
Departures: hourly (e.g. 07:14, 08:14, 09:14 on weekdays; returns xx:46, last 22:46 on 14 Oct 2026)
Fare: not verified 2026
Vy train drivers' strike since 18 Sep 2026 is still on (Vy, updated 12 Oct 2026): 3-4 RE20 departures a day cancelled (about 5-7%). Check the Vy app before you go; cancelled trains are not shown in the journey planner. Byferga from the centre or bus 8, 113 or 123 to Kongsten for Gamlebyen.
What to see
- The ramparts and moat (vollene). Walk the star-shaped earthworks around the old town; locals call it 'å jangle på vollane'. 45-60 min.
- Gamlebyen streets. Cobbled streets inside the walls with 18th-century buildings, galleries, small shops and cafés. 60-90 min.
- Fredrikstad Museum. Museum in Gamlebyen with interactive exhibits such as 'Tidsmaskinen'; seasonal hours (weekends, school holidays, high season). 45-60 min.
- Kongsten fort. One of the outer forts added to the fortress; short walk from the old town. 20-30 min.
- Byferga (town ferry). Free year-round river ferry linking the town centre, Cicignon and Gressvik with Gamlebyen. 5-10 min crossing.
Best time to go
all year
By car
Public transport is the better way to go here. Not needed: the train is hourly. If you do drive: limited parking inside Gamlebyen; free parking up to 3 hours at Kongsten and Brakkesletta just outside. Returning to Oslo you pay the Fjellinjen toll (City Border inbound): NOK 38 off-peak / NOK 47 rush hour for a petrol car (2026). Other toll stations on the E6 not verified.
Good to know
- Byferga is free and runs all year; it is the easiest way from the town centre to Gamlebyen.
- Gamlebyen is open around the clock; most shops and galleries open Tuesday to Sunday, daily in high season, and shops are open on Sundays all year.
- Museums in Gamlebyen keep seasonal hours (weekends, school holidays, high season): check before a weekday off-season visit.
- During the Vy strike, look up your return train in the Vy app the same day.
Drøbak and Oscarsborg Fortress
A small Oslofjord town of white-painted 18th-century wooden houses, and the island fortress that sank the German cruiser Blücher on 9 April 1940. A relaxed half or full day by bus, or by Ruter boat on summer weekends.
How to get there
- Bus · Ruter (line 500 Drøbak-Oslo, run by Connect Bus) · 45 minFrom Bjørvika (by Oslo S) / Oslo bussterminal
Departures: every 30 min daytime, also on Sundays (xx:02 and xx:32 from Bjørvika); last regular bus back 22:37, then night bus 500N
Fare: Ruter ticket for zone 1 plus Drøbak's zone; exact fare not verified 2026 (zone 1 single is NOK 46, checked 2026-10)
Not affected by the Vy train strike. Get off at Drøbak torg for the centre; for the Oscarsborg ferry walk to Sundbrygga (Grande bus stop is closest).
- Ferry · Ruter (line B22 Aker brygge-Drøbak via Vollen, run by Norled) · 1 h 25 minFrom Aker brygge
Departures: summer only, Saturdays and Sundays 30 May-30 Aug 2026: from Aker brygge 09:00, 12:40, 16:05; from Drøbak 10:30, 14:10, 17:50
Fare: Ordinary Ruter ticket valid; Ruter says Drøbak is in zone 4 for the boat; fare not verified 2026
Stops at Oscarsborg, but on the way into Drøbak the boat does not take passengers from Oscarsborg to Drøbak; use the Oscarsborg ferry.
- Ferry · Oscarsborgfergen (Forsvarsbygg) · 5 minFrom Sundbrygga, Drøbak nord (Husvikveien 12)
Departures: all year; winter timetable (12 Oct 2026-21 Mar 2027) roughly hourly 08:30-15:50 from Drøbak; some evening departures must be pre-booked on +47 900 99 414
Fare: not verified 2026 (ticket page snapshot from Dec 2025 showed NOK 120 adult return)
Buy the ticket online before boarding and show the QR code; Ruter and Vy tickets are not valid. Departures marked * take only 22 passengers.
What to see
- Oscarsborg Fortress. Island fortress (main fort completed 1853) that sank the Blücher in 1940; fortress museum, walls and gun positions. 5-min ferry, then 2-3 h.
- Drøbak old centre. Protected centre of white wooden houses from the 1700s, the harbour and the mermaid sculpture in the marina. 60 min.
- Drøbak Church. Church opened in 1776, a gift from timber merchant Niels Carlsen. 15 min.
- Drøbak Akvarium. Small aquarium with local fish and shellfish from the fjord. 30-45 min.
Closed days
The Oscarsborg ferry runs every day of the year; fortress museum opening hours not verified 2026.
Best time to go
all year (Ruter boat from Oslo only on summer weekends, 30 May-30 Aug 2026)
By car
Public transport is the better way to go here. Not needed: bus 500 runs every 30 minutes. Parking in the town centre and a paid car park at Husvik, about 400 m from the Oscarsborg ferry pier. Returning to Oslo you pay the Fjellinjen toll (City Border inbound): NOK 38 off-peak / NOK 47 rush hour for a petrol car (2026).
Good to know
- Buy the Oscarsborg ferry ticket online before you board; it is valid as a return for 7 days.
- Fires and barbecues are banned all year on Oscarsborg, and some fortress walls are unsecured: watch children.
- On summer weekends you can go out by bus and back by the 17:50 boat from Drøbak to Aker brygge (arrives 19:12).
- Drøbak's main jetty for the fortress ferry is Sundbrygga, not the harbour square (Sjøtorget).
Kistefos and Hadeland Glassverk (Jevnaker)
Two industrial heritage sites 3 km apart at Jevnaker: Kistefos, a 19th-century pulp mill turned sculpture park with BIG's gallery-bridge The Twist, and Hadeland Glassverk, Norway's glassworks since 1762. Best by car: by bus it takes two changes.
How to get there
- Bus · Vy Buss (line 200 Oslo-Hønefoss) + Connect Bus Hadeland (line 113 Hønefoss-Jevnaker) · 1 h 45 minFrom Oslo bussterminal (or train to Sandvika, then bus)
Departures: about hourly; change at Hønefoss sentrum (e.g. 08:40 from Oslo bussterminal, at Hadeland Glassverk 10:25); last return from Hadeland Glassverk 18:33 on 14 Oct 2026
Fare: not verified 2026
For Kistefos the planner adds two more local buses and a 16-min walk (about 2 h 20 min in total). Bus lines are not part of the Vy train drivers' strike, but the Oslo S-Sandvika train option is (L1/R13 departures cancelled).
- Shuttle bus · Vy Buss (express VY66 Oslo-Kistefos) · 1 h 30 minFrom Oslo bussterminal
Departures: season only, selected days (published pattern: Thu-Sun in summer, weekends in late Sep/early Oct); 10:15 from Oslo bussterminal, back 16:50 from Jevnaker; 2027 dates not verified
Fare: NOK 250 one way, pre-book at vybuss.no (Kistefos page, checked 2026-10; the dates on the page look like 2025's and are not verified for 2026/2027)
Runs only if tickets are pre-booked. A shuttle bus from Hadeland Glassverk to Kistefos (14:15) is included in the ticket.
What to see
- The Twist (Kistefos). Gallery building by Bjarke Ingels Group (2019) that twists across the Randselva river; contemporary art exhibitions. 45-60 min.
- Kistefos sculpture park. Site-specific works by Anish Kapoor, Tony Cragg, Marc Quinn, Lynda Benglis and Jeppe Hein's water maze 'Path of Silence'. 60-90 min.
- Kistefos pulp mill. Intact wood pulp mill founded in 1889, now an industrial museum. 30-45 min.
- Glasshytta, Hadeland Glassverk. Watch glassblowers at work (free); weekdays 10:00-15:00 in the autumn timetable. 30 min.
- Hadeland Glassverk site. Historic glassworks founded 1762, with the factory outlet, bakery and a small museum (open on request). 60 min.
Closed days
Kistefos museum and The Twist are open only in season (2027: 2 May-17 Oct); 2027 daily hours not yet published. Hadeland Glassverk is open daily (shops Mon-Fri 10-16, Sat-Sun 11-17 from 7 Sep 2026).
Best time to go
Kistefos season May-mid Oct (2027: 2 May-17 Oct); Hadeland Glassverk all year
By car
A car makes this trip easier. About 1 h by car. Kistefos says it is one hour north-west of Oslo. Use Entrance South (Kistefossveien 112) from Oslo, via Klækken and Fylkesvei 241: 225 spaces, 20 EV chargers; Entrance North (Samsmoveien 41) has 100 spaces. Parking fee NOK 85; do not park along Samsmoveien or Bergerfossveien. Tolls: leaving Oslo on the E16 you pass the new Vegfinans stations E16 Skaret and E16 Avtjerna, NOK 51 each for a small car (NOK 40.80 with an AutoPASS agreement); which direction is charged is not verified. Coming back into Oslo you pay Fjellinjen's City Border (inbound only): NOK 38 off-peak / NOK 47 rush hour (06:30-09:00, 15:00-17:00 weekdays) for a petrol car, NOK 21/26 for an electric car; one charge per hour per ring. Toll cameras read the number plate, so a rental car is charged automatically.
Good to know
- Kistefos closed for the season on 11 Oct 2026 and reopens 2 May 2027; outside the season the sculpture park area ticket is NOK 100 from the machine at the entrances.
- In season, Kistefos adults pay NOK 210; under-20s are free.
- Go on a weekday if you want to see the glassblowers: Glasshytta is open Monday-Friday 10:00-15:00 in the autumn timetable.
- Bring a change of clothes for children: Kistefos itself warns that the water maze 'Path of Silence' is a favourite.
Lillehammer and Maihaugen
The 1994 Winter Olympics town at the north end of Lake Mjøsa, with Maihaugen, one of Northern Europe's largest open-air museums (close to 200 buildings, including Garmo stave church), and the Norwegian Olympic Museum. A long but direct train day.
How to get there
- Train · SJ Nord (F6 Dovrebanen) · 1 h 57 minFrom Oslo S
Departures: a few trains a day (e.g. 08:02 from Oslo S; back 14:42 and 17:51 from Lillehammer on 14 Oct 2026)
Fare: not verified 2026
SJ Nord is not part of the Vy strike, so these are the safest trains while it lasts. Seat reservation rules not verified.
- Train · Vy (RE10 Drammen-Oslo S-Lillehammer) · 2 h 7 minFrom Oslo S
Departures: normally hourly; during the strike about two-thirds of RE10 departures are cancelled (28-29 a day, 65-67%, Vy 12 Oct 2026)
Fare: not verified 2026
RE10 is the Vy line hit hardest by the train drivers' strike that began 18 Sep 2026. Vy runs no replacement buses for strike-cancelled trains. Check the Vy app the same day; cancelled trains are not shown.
What to see
- Maihaugen open-air museum. Close to 200 historic buildings from Gudbrandsdalen collected by Anders Sandvig; founded 1904. 2-3 h.
- Garmo stave church. Medieval stave church re-erected at Maihaugen in 1920-21. 20 min.
- Norwegian Olympic Museum. Inside Maihaugen's indoor museum; the same ticket covers both. 45-60 min.
- Lysgårdsbakkene ski jumps. The Olympic ski jump complex from 1994. 30-45 min.
- Storgata. Main shopping street in the late-19th-century wooden town centre above Lake Mjøsa. 30-45 min.
Closed days
Maihaugen: closed Mondays outside 29 May-31 Aug, and on 1 Jan, 1 May, 17 May, 24-25 and 31 Dec.
Best time to go
all year (Maihaugen open all year; Christmas market 28-29 Nov 2026)
By car
Public transport is the better way to go here.
Good to know
- Maihaugen is closed on Mondays except 29 May-31 Aug; from 13 Oct to 27 Nov 2026 it is open Tue-Fri 11:00-15:00 and Sat-Sun 11:00-16:00.
- Maihaugen is also closed on 1 Jan, 1 May, 17 May, 24-25 Dec and 31 Dec.
- One Maihaugen ticket also covers the Norwegian Olympic Museum.
- While the Vy strike lasts, plan around the SJ trains and keep the 17:51 SJ departure as your return.