A walk through Oslo past all the sights

We started our 10-day Norway tour with a short stay in Oslo. After all, you can’t just leave the country’s capital unnoticed on your first visit and jet straight into the fjord landscape, right? In order to have a full day for Oslo, we decided to book the evening flight from Zurich to Oslo, book the first night at the airport hotel (Park Inn), take the train to the city center early in the morning the next day and spend another night in a city hotel. No sooner said than done. However, we never imagined the unexpected turn that the hotel stay in Oslo would take. A drama in four acts, so to speak:

1. Act

I booked both accommodations for Oslo with booking.com for price reasons. Since I have received the status of “Genius Booker” due to a trip to the USA, where I booked most of the accommodations in this way, I benefit from price reductions for individual offers. When looking for hotels in Oslo, I was faced with the challenge that most centrally located hotels are relatively expensive. The superior double room at the Saga Hotel Oslo, which was reduced to NOK 1,300 thanks to Genius books and the Smart Deal combination, seemed to me to be a real bargain in the price comparison that I couldn’t resist.

2. Act

After the first night at the airport, we pack up our things and make our way straight to the Saga Hotel. They explain to me that the room is not ready yet, but that I can leave my luggage in the luggage room. For us absolutely fine, because I had not expected that my room would be ready in the morning at 08:30 o’clock anyway.

3. Nude

At 5:00 p.m. we return to the hotel with flat feet to check in and bring the luggage to our room. To our great surprise, the lady at the reception (in the morning it was still a gentleman) said)

“We’re sorry, but unfortunately we don’t have a room for you anymore.
We are fully booked!
We had to distribute the rooms to those who arrived first.
But we can offer you a room in a hotel about 500 meters from here”

I was simply speechless for a short moment. I was already at this hotel at half past nine in the morning, reported to the reception with my name, deposited my luggage in the luggage room and the lady told me that we were late!! Is it still possible?! (apart from the fact that I had a valid reservation…)

After a fierce period of argumentation, I get her to give us the remaining single room for 795 NOK. Because a change of hotel (where I would have had to pay the same price of 1’300 NOK) would have been really too stupid for me.

4. Act

Less than fifteen minutes after the disaster, we are back on the streets of Oslo when my cell phone rings. “weird area code”, I think and press “accept”. At the other end is the lady from the Saga Hotel and asks:

“We wanted to ask if you are still coming today?”

I take a deep breath and explain to her that I am the one who has just been told that my room is no longer available and that we have already arrived. Twice, so to speak.

Without an apology and with the justification

“ah mix-up, you have almost the same name as the other person on the list”

she ends the conversation.

(yes, of course, what a coincidence)

Apart from this hair-raising incident with the Saga Hotel, Oslo was delightfully unspectacular. Oslo also knows that visible highlights in the city centre are rare. That’s why the city is trying to raise buildings around the new opera house (definitely a masterpiece of modern architecture) in piecework. Personally, however, I found this simplicity, the many green corners, the pretty villa quarters and the restraint particularly remarkable and will take you on a leisurely walk through the city center below.

Start your walk at Kafe Oslo with a café latte for NOK 39

With a short stop at the National Gallery (to marvel at “The Scream” by Edvard Munch) to the neat Royal Palace

Watching the hustle and bustle on the Spikersuppa (note the design of the toilets)

On the Radhusplassen briefly into the distance

Climb Akershus Fortress

Detour to Oslo’s new skyline

Lunch stop in the former industrial district Vulkan, which is totally in at the moment (with a delicious burger chat at Dognvill – both burgers 159 NOK)