The Oslo Metro, known locally as the T-bane, is well-organised and easy to use. However, we used it less in the city centre than we had originally expected. It is often quicker to walk between the Opera House, Akershus Fortress and Aker Brygge.

The metro came in most handy when travelling to Holmenkollen, Lake Sognsvann and our accommodation outside the city centre.

The entire metro network lies within Zone 1. A single-journey ticket costs 46 nok and a 24-hour ticket 137 nok. The easiest way to buy a ticket is via the Ruter mobile app.

Find a hotel near the metro in Oslo

You can find details about trams, buses, ferries and regional trains in the separate section on Transport in Oslo.

Map and metro lines in Oslo

Oslo has five metro lines, all of which converge in the city centre and run together along the section from Majorstuen to Nationaltheatret to Stortinget to Jernabanetorget (the station) to Grønland to Tøyen.

This creates a very busy main route in the city centre, with metro services running approximately every 2–3 minutes.

The individual lines run at intervals of 8 to 15 minutes.

• Line 1– a popular route with tourists, marked in light blue, runs steeply uphill from the city centre through picturesque neighbourhoods to the Holmenkollenski resort
  • Between Steinerud and Frognerseteren stations, the platforms are short, so the doors on the rear carriage do not open
• Line 2– the orange line runs east-west between Østerås and Ellingsrudåsen stations
• Line 3– the purple route is the longest and connects the distant suburb of Kolsås in the west with the Mortensrud neighbourhood in the south-east
• Line 4– the dark blue line serves the southern part of the city, Bergkrystallen, and runs through the entire city centre, past Ullevaal Stadium, north-east to Vestli
• Line 5– the green line runs from Vestli to the city centre, makes a wide loop around Oslo (known as ‘Ringen’), returns to the city centre and continues along the western section of the loop past Ullevaal Stadium to Lake Sognsvann
  • Always pay attention to your destination. Trains marked ‘Ringen’ make a loop around the city, whilst trains marked ‘Sognsvann’ branch off from the loop behind Ullevaal Stadium and head north

For a typical visit to Oslo, lines 1 and 5 are the most important. You’ll mainly use the others when travelling to a hotel outside the city centre.

The most important stations in the city centre

You’ll find an overview of all the places to visit in the ‘What to see in Oslo’ section. To get around by metro, you just need to remember these few stations.

Stations	What’s nearby
Jernbanetorget	Oslo S Central Station, the Opera House and the Munch Museum
Stortinget	Karl Johans gate, the cathedral and the Parliament building
National Theatre	The Royal Palace, City Hall, Aker Brygge and the National Museum
Majorstuen	Interchange for all lines and tram number 12 to Vigelandsparken
Tøyen	The Botanical Gardens and cheaper hotels outside the city centre

Metro to Holmenkollen and Frognerseteren

Line 1 runs from the city centre towards Frognerseteren to the Holmenkollen ski resort.

The journey from Jernbanetorget station takes just under 30 minutes. Get off at Holmenkollen station, from where you’ll walk about 300 metres steeply uphill to the ski jump.

If you just want to take the scenic route or go for a walk in the woods, carry on to the terminus at Frognerseteren.

There are short platforms on the section beyond Majorstuen. You’re therefore advised to board the first two carriages. The doors in the last carriage do not open at some stations.

The metro to Lake Sognsvann

Line 5 runs from the city centre to Sognsvann, with Sognsvann as its terminus.

The journey from Jernbanetorget station takes about 20 minutes, and it’s a 3-minute walk from the terminus to the lake.

On Line 5, check the destination, not just the line number. Trains marked ‘Ringen’ will first travel round the northern part of the city. To get to the lake, only board trains marked ‘Sognsvann’.

Metro tickets

The Oslo Metro is part of the Ruter network, which also includes Vy regional trains, trams, buses and ferries.

Tickets are valid on all modes of transport, and you can transfer freely between the metro, trams, buses, trains and ferries.

Children under 6 travel free of charge. Senior citizens aged 67 and over simply need to show proof of identity, and the discount applies to senior citizens regardless of nationality.

Single-journey fare

Valid for 60 minutes with an unlimited number of changes.

Adults	Children aged 6–17	Senior citizens aged 67 and over
46 nok	19 nok	19 nok

Full-day and multi-day tickets

A ticket’s validity always begins when it is validated or when the button is tapped in the mobile app, and remains valid for the following 24 or 168 hours, respectively.

	Adults	Children aged 6–17	Senior citizens aged 67 and over
24 hours	137 nok	69 nok	69 nok
7 days	379 nok	190 nok	190 nok

Zones

You don’t need to worry about zones at all when travelling by underground.

The entire Oslo metro network is in Zone 1.

Which ticket is best to buy?

How much will you be travelling?	Recommended ticket
1–2 journeys during the day	Single-journey tickets
3 journeys within 24 hours	They cost almost the same, but the 24-hour ticket is more convenient
4 or more journeys within 24 hours	24-hour ticket
Frequent travel for at least 3 days	7-day pass
Public transport combined with admission to several museums	Compare this with the Oslo Pass

The Oslo Pass, or a standard ticket?

If you’re planning to visit several museums over the course of one or two days, don’t automatically buy a separate Ruter ticket.

The Oslo Pass covers the metro and other public transport, admission to many museums, and the train journey from Gardermoen Airport. It is not valid on the Flytoget express train.

If you’re visiting two of the more expensive museums, the Oslo Pass may work out cheaper than buying a combination of individual admission tickets and a 24-hour travel pass.

Reis discount on single tickets

If you buy single tickets for yourself via the Ruter app, you’ll automatically receive the Reis discount.

The first discount applies to your fifth single ticket within the last 30 days. It then increases with every fifth journey thereafter.

For a short weekend break, there’s no need to go to the trouble of calculating the discount. If you travel at least four times within 24 hours, a 24-hour ticket works out cheaper.

Children travel free at the weekend

Children under 6 travel free of charge every day.

On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, up to 4 children aged 6–17 can travel free of charge with one passenger holding an adult, senior or student ticket.

Where to buy a ticket

The easiest way for visitors is to use the Ruter mobile app. In the app, you can search for a journey, buy a ticket and choose when to activate it.

You can download the official app via Google Play / App Store.

No registration is required, and you can pay for your ticket using a standard payment card. Once activated, you do not need to tap your phone anywhere. Simply show your ticket during a ticket inspection.

Physical chip card

If you do not have a smartphone, you can buy a physical Ruter card at the following outlets:

• 7-Eleven
• Narvesen
• Mix
• the Ruter customer service centre at Jernbanetorget station

The card itself costs 50 nok and you then load your chosen ticket onto it. Activate it at the ticket validator before your journey.

You cannot buy a ticket from the driver on the metro or tram. Nor can you pay the fare with your own contactless bank card simply by tapping it on the validator.

Timetables and frequencies

Trains on all lines run on weekdays from Monday to Friday approximately every 8 to 10 minutes during the day.

At weekends, services run every 10 to 20 minutes.

The Underground runs on weekdays from around 5.30 am to 12.45 am. On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, Underground services do not start until around 6.30 am.

You can find full timetables for all routes on theruter.no website.

Metro stations

The metro stations in Oslo are not particularly interesting from an architectural point of view (unlike, for example, those in the neighbouring capital, Stockholm). On the contrary, they are built in a purely utilitarian style.

The signage is very clear and there are electronic display boards showing departure times on every platform.

From the outside, metro stations are always marked with the letter T. This is because the metro is known as the ‘T-Bane’ in Norwegian.

In sections where several lines run together, all lines travelling in the same direction always use the same track from the same platform. You should therefore always pay close attention to your destination.

There are no ticket machines or toilets in the station concourses.

Where to stay near the underground

As all lines run through the city centre, you don’t necessarily have to stay near the main station. If you choose a hotel outside the city centre, just make sure it’s no more than a 5–10-minute walk from a station.

You’ll find a detailed comparison of the different areas in the section ‘Where to stay in Oslo’.

We would, for example, choose the following hotels:

• Citybox Oslo *** – a simple hotel in the city centre, near Jernbanetorget station and the airport trains
• Super Stay Hotel *** – a budget hotel just a few steps from Tøyen station and a 5-minute drive from the city centre
• Thon Hotel Ullevaal Stadion **** – a high-quality hotel next to a metro station and a large shopping centre

Compare hotel prices near the metro