Oslo Nightlife: Places and Districts to Go Out in Oslo

  Oslo by Night

Like the neighboring Scandinavian capitals of Stockholm and Copenhagen, Oslo has a range of nightlife to die for. Unfortunately, though, a night out in Oslo can be so expensive that they have a name for the culture of drinking at home to save money!

An unquestionably friendly city during the day, Oslo is similarly welcoming at night. As well as having an incredibly stylish feel, the atmosphere around the bars and clubs that line the streets is one of the city’s most attractive features.

The strip of bars and clubs along Markveien and Thorvald Meyersgate in the bohemian quarter of Grunerlokka (to the northeast of the city center, off Toftes gate) is Oslo at its most painfully trendy.

But the center of town is just as action-packed. Tucked away on a grid of streets surrounding the Radhus (a little to the east of the city center), there are any number of great places to choose from.

On summer evenings, with plenty of tables to sit outside and do some people-watching, the harbor district of Aker Brygge is an ideal spot to start a night. To the west of the city, meanwhile, the district of Majorstua is, if anything, even more refined.

The main street of Karl Johans Gate (and nearby Kristian Augusts gate) holds some of the city’s bigger, more mainstream clubs. Solli Plass (to the west) is another spot with more than its fair share of bars, while Radhusgata also has a couple of excellent clubs.

But in addition to the top DJs that Oslo attracts, it really is a city bursting with musical enthusiasm. It boasts a vibrant jazz scene in particular, which reaches its pinnacle in August with the arrival of the Oslo Jazz Festival.

The stamina of revelers in Oslo is legendary: beginning the night with some leisurely home drinking ('vorspiel'), they then go out on a big night, only to go home again for a bit of ‘nachspiel’ – an enthusiastic after party with which to bring in the dawn.

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