Oslo Gardermoen (OSL) is about 47 kilometres north of the city, with a railway station directly under the terminal. Getting in is easy, and there is one decision worth getting right.
The two trains
Flytoget, the airport express, and Vy, the ordinary regional railway, run on the same tracks to the same platforms at Oslo Central Station.
Flytoget takes about 19 minutes, runs every ten to twenty minutes, and is the one advertised everywhere in the terminal with its own turnstiles and its own signage.
The Vy regional train takes about 23 minutes, runs several times an hour, and costs roughly half as much.
Four minutes. That is the difference.
The Vy trains also continue further — to Drammen, Lillehammer and elsewhere — so if you are going beyond Oslo they may be the only sensible option anyway.
Both stop at Lillestrøm; some Vy services also call at Oslo S, Nationaltheatret and Skøyen, which Flytoget does too.
Buy Vy tickets from the machines or the app in the arrivals hall, not at the Flytoget desks, which sell only their own product. The signage in the terminal makes Flytoget considerably easier to find, and that is not accidental.
None of this makes Flytoget a rip-off — it is comfortable, frequent and reliable. It is simply not worth double for four minutes, and a great many visitors never learn there was a choice.
The bus
Vy Ekspress and Flybussen coaches run from outside arrivals to the bus terminal and to various city stops, taking 40 to 60 minutes depending on traffic.
Cheaper than Flytoget, slower than either train, and useful only if your destination is on the route or the trains are disrupted.
Taxis and apps
There is a rank outside arrivals. A taxi from Gardermoen to central Oslo is very expensive — it is a 47 km journey in one of the most expensive countries in Europe — and it is slower than the train.
Fares are not regulated in the same way as in many countries and can differ substantially between companies. Norwegian taxis display a price comparison sticker; look at it, or book through an app.
There is essentially no scenario in which this is the right choice for one or two people with normal luggage.
The other airports
Torp (TRF), marketed as “Oslo Torp”, is at Sandefjord, about 110 km south. Rygge has been through closure and partial reopening.
If you are flying with a low-cost carrier, check which airport you are actually landing at. Torp is served by a train to Sandefjord plus a shuttle bus, or by a coach, and getting to central Oslo takes around two hours.
A cheap fare into Torp is often not cheap once you have added the transfer and the time.
Times to allow
- Landing to a city-centre hotel: about an hour by train, including baggage.
- Hotel to the gate: two hours for Schengen, two and a half for international. Gardermoen is efficient and rarely slow.
At the airport
Buy your alcohol at the arrivals duty-free shop. This is not a joke and it is not a loophole — Norwegians returning home queue at it, and it exists because of the price of alcohol in Norway. The arrivals shop is before customs and is the cheapest alcohol you will encounter in the country.
Know your allowance: there are quantity limits and they are enforced, and there is an online calculator on the customs site.
Wi-fi is free. Cash is unnecessary — Norway is effectively cashless and your card will work everywhere.
Coming back
Trains to the airport leave from Oslo S and Nationaltheatret. Both operators run from both.
Check for weekend engineering work, which occasionally puts buses on part of the route. It is the one thing that turns an easy transfer into a difficult one, and it is easy to check the night before.
The zone catch
One thing that catches people out on the way back.
Gardermoen is not in Oslo’s zone 1. A 24-hour or 7-day Ruter ticket bought for the city does not cover the journey to the airport — you need a separate ticket that spans the zones, or a Flytoget ticket.
The Ruter app will sell you the right thing if you enter the destination rather than assuming your existing pass extends.
Which train for which hotel
Oslo S — the main station, at the eastern end of Karl Johans gate, next to the Opera House and Bjørvika. Both operators terminate here.
Nationaltheatret — under the western end of Karl Johans gate, and the right stop for anything near the Royal Palace, the National Museum or Aker Brygge. Both operators call here too, and a great many visitors ride past it to Oslo S and then walk back.
Skøyen — west, for the Frogner and Skøyen hotels.
Check which is nearest your address before you board; it can save you twenty minutes with a suitcase.
Arriving from elsewhere in Norway
Trains from Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger and Kristiansand all arrive at Oslo S. The Bergen line is one of the great railway journeys in Europe — around seven hours across the Hardangervidda plateau — and it is worth doing in its own right rather than flying.
Coaches use the bus terminal beside Oslo S.