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Oslo is the “hub” of Norwegian air traffic. It has many many direct flights from all Europe. So if you need to get to Tromso, Alesund or another city, you may have to spend the night at Oslo Gardermoen airport. And that’s just as well, because there are several options. For some you have to take a shuttle bus, for others you just have to cross the street.
As I’ve had the opportunity to try out quite a few of them, I’ll explain them all to you, and also show you the buses, as they can get a bit confusing. Let’s get started!
The very good thing : there are two hotels accessibles by foot : Radisson Blu and Radisson Red.
How to choose your hotel at Oslo Gardermoen airport
There are around ten hotels close to Oslo Gardermoen airport. They are all, or almost all, of equal quality, equal price, equal distance from the airport and fairly similar services. That’s a big help, isn’t it? We’re going to find the most classic Norwegian hotel brands: Radisson (Blu & Red), Comfort, Thon, Scandic… and so, here are the criteria you need to consider:
- Proximity to the airport. Clearly. If you’re only spending one night at the airport, there’s no point taking a downtown hotel: you’ll pay more and have to lug your luggage around. But that’s not all! Make sure your hotel is accessible by shuttle bus, or even better, across the street. I’ll explain the shuttles just below.
- Breakfast. They all offer a continental buffet breakfast (and in Norway, it’s generally top-notch), included in the price. However, if you have an 8 a.m. flight but the restaurant doesn’t open until 7 a.m., you’re in for a real treat. And at the price of breakfast, that would be a shame, especially if you have to go to the airport afterwards for a coffee or a little something overpriced. So make sure that the breakfast time corresponds to your departure time for the airport.
- Bedding comfort. At the airport, along with breakfast, this is the only thing I’m a bit of a pain in the ass about. As the night will be short, and the day and the next are exhausting because of the transport, a comfortable night’s sleep is essential to optimize the few hours of sleep. For that, I simply look at the reviews. Generally speaking, I find that Thon, Scandic and Radisson have great bedding.
- A restaurant for the evening. Well, that’s only if you’re not going to spend the evening in the city center. But if you arrive at the hotel and there’s nothing for dinner, it’s a bit of a shame. However, I think they all offer this possibility.
Buses to reach the hotels
Close to the airport, we have a small group of hotels that can be reached by three dedicated shuttle bus routes. All buses leave from level 1, making them impossible to miss.
No need for a bus, you only need to cross the street!
- Radisson Blu
- Radisson Red (yes, that’s the Radisson mafia!)
Line S22
- Quality hotel
- Scandic Gardermoen (note that there are two Scandics)
- Thon Hotel Gardermoen
- Thon Hotel Oslo Airport (beware of the two different Thon hotels!)
Line S55
Line S44
How to buy your bus ticket
So there are several ways to buy your shuttle ticket to the hotels (and back to the airport):
- kiosks at the bus stops. There are two, but to be honest, I’ve never seen them work.
- You can buy directly from the driver, but I think it’s only by card. They speak English. I don’t really like doing this because it wastes time, but it helps out.
- buy on the Vybuss.com website, which is the platform for buying bus tickets (hence the name, yeah). Select Gardermoen Airport, then the name of your hotel (only those in the list above). Then it gives you all the routes, which stop to get off at, the time, then you select the one that suits you, and you can pay by card. You can take the return trip directly.
Timetables and fares
The adult ticket costs 80 NOK (about €8) per trip. It’s expensive per km, but cheaper than a cab, and the shuttles run almost all the time.
From 4:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. Well, they run every 30 minutes. And they’re pretty punctual.
Hotels near Oslo airport
These hotels are almost all equivalent in terms of quality. I’d single out the Radisson Blu, both in terms of quality, breakfast and above all proximity, as it doesn’t need a bus (one road to cross). But it’s more expensive.
The Scandic, Thon and Comfort are all within the same range and opposite each other, but prices vary enormously from one day to the next, from one hotel to the next.
Let’s take a look
Radisson Blu
The huge advantage of the Radisson Blu is that it’s right across the street from the airport. It takes about 2 minutes by foot to get there, so unlike the others you don’t have to take the shuttle (and save €16 per person).
It’s a little more expensive than the others (but not during low season), but I have to admit I’m a bit partial to their bedding and breakfasts, so it’s still a very, very good quality hotel. Prices range from 110 to 220€ per night
Radisson Red
Radisson’s new range. Cheaper than its Blu counterpart, but still top quality!
Here it’s just a 5-minute walk away, which is still a huge advantage. It’s brand new (opened early 2022) and frankly very good.
So the Radisson advantages, bedding and breakfast. Excellent value for money in my opinion, especially for Oslo! Just a 5-minute walk away. Prices between €110 and €180
Park Inn Radisson
Another Radisson! But this one is a 5-minute bus ride from the airport. So you have to take the shuttle (€16 return).
The big advantage is that you get all the Radisson services for very little money (for Norway). So bedding, breakfast and frankly, a very decent hotel! So, compared with the two hotels at the airport, it may be more cost-effective to go there, just a little longer. Located on the S55 line, prices range from €100 to €165
Scandic Oslo Airport
Another classic Norwegian chain: Scandic. And I like them a lot because they are functional hotels, very good bedding and also a good focus on breakfast.
I’ve been there twice, never disappointed, not too expensive either depending on the period. Also located on the S55 line. Between 110 and 140€
Best Western Plus
There are fewer of them in Norway, but Best Westerns are a guarantee of quality just about everywhere in the world. A brand I like, and this one, I’m going to be super original, offers exactly the same services as the others, i.e. good bedding and a very good breakfast. Located on the S55 line, prices range from €115 to €145
Gardermoen Bed & Breakfast
An economical solution close to the airport. Gardermoen Bed & Breakfast is an independent and much cheaper hotel. Perhaps a little lower quality than the others, but still, very good for spending the night, good bedding and very decent breakfast apparently. It’s not on the bus routes, but offers its own shuttle bus service at 7€. How convenient! Price between 70 and 100€
How to get from the airport to downtown Oslo
To get from Oslo Gardermoen airport to the city center, you have several options, including one that allows you to hop into town if you have a few hours. The fastest, the FLYTOGET train:
- 20 minutes to the city center
- departures every 10/20 minutes
- quiet!
- 23€ per trip, the most expensive!
- Find out more on the official website
The classic VY regional train:
- 25 minutes if all goes well (very popular train to work)
- 12€ per journey
- Find out more about timetables here.
Conclusion
And that’s it! I hope I’ve given you a fair amount of information about good hotels.
I haven’t covered them all in detail because I haven’t tested some and that would be a bit much, but they’re pretty much all equal. However, my favorites are the Radisson RED for its attractive prices without having to take the shuttle, the efficiency and the breakfast at the Thon, but also I really like the fact of having a hotel for less than €100, the Gardermoen bed & breakfast.
And for a little indulgence, the Radisson Blu, really nice and sometimes affordable!
