Oslo Essentials

Normal opening hours of shops and services in Oslo are from 10am - 5pm on weekdays and until 3pm on Saturdays. Most are closed on Sundays except for souvenir and tourist orientated businesses when they are generally open until 3pm. Banks operate from 9am until 3pm and until 5pm on Thursdays.

 

The culture of tipping is somewhat more relaxed in Oslo than many other parts of Europe and restaurant and hotel staff are less inclined to expect any gratuity. Where restaurants do not add a service charge it is sufficient to leave an extra 10%. For taxi rides round up the fare by an extra 5 or 10 Kroner.

 

Modern Norwegian cuisine is likely to include as much pasta and rice as more traditional fayre such as cod and meatballs, yet authentic Oslo cooking is still in abundance at numerous city restaurants. Fish is unsurprisingly popular and the famous Norwegian smoked salmon comes in many varieties along with the more obscure Rakfish - a type of fermented trout. Mussels, sardines and herring are also widely used in many casseroles and soups. Oslo haute cuisine includes many premium meat cuts such as reindeer, moose and duck. These are served in rich juniper berry sauces or sour cream. Waffles and pastries are a popular daytime snack and many varieties are available containing fruit, honey, caramel and cinnamon.  

 

• Calling the UK from Oslo – 0044 + area code minus zero + number

• Police – 112

• Ambulance – 113

• Fire – 112

 

Oslo offers seamless travel and sightseeing for disabled visitors and is among the most wheelchair friendly cities in Northern Europe. There are audio signals and tactile kerbs at traffic junctions and many theatres and cinemas provide listening devices. All city centre walkways and lifts can accommodate wheelchairs and a large number of public buildings and museums have facilities for the disabled. 

 

• British Embassy Thomas Heftyesgate 8, Oslo Norway Telephone: 23 13 27 00

• Norway Embassy 25 Belgrave Square London SW1X 8QD Telephone: 020 7591 5500