Where to Stay in Oslo with Kids: Best Family-Friendly Hotels by Neighbourhood

Oslo is one of my favourite European cities and I have fond memories of visiting throughout my childhood. What makes it work so well for families is the combination: a proper city with museums, galleries, great food, and a waterfront you can walk, right alongside some of the most accessible nature of any European capital. In the summer you can swim in the fjord, hike to a mountain viewpoint with panoramic views, and be back in the city for dinner. In winter you can ski thirty minutes from the centre. There aren't many cities that can say that!

We visited at the end of June 2025 with our daughter when she was two and a half, staying with family on Nesodden for the week. We spent our days hiking Vettakollen (she walked most of it herself, with bribery from the blueberry bushes along the trail), wandering around Grüneløkka, picking wild strawberries by the fjord, and generally making the most of those extraordinary Nordic summer evenings when the light barely fades until midnight. It is a city that gets better the more time you spend in it.

For everything to do once you arrive, read our full guide: Top Things to Do in Oslo with Kids. And if you're planning a wider Norway trip, our Norway Road Trip guide covers the full route from Oslo to Bergen.

Practical Notes Before You Book

Getting Around Oslo with Kids

Oslo's public transport network is excellent and very pram-friendly, covering the whole city with metro, tram, bus and ferry. Children under 6 travel free on all public transport. The Oslo Pass is worth serious consideration for families: it gives unlimited travel plus free entry to a long list of museums and attractions, and we used ours every single day. Tickets outside the pass can be bought through the Ruter app.

Best Time to Visit with Young Children

Summer (June to August) is the obvious choice. The nature is at its best, the long evenings are unlike anything in the UK, and the fjord warms up enough to swim in from around late June. The shoulder months of May and September are also good with cheaper accommodation, fewer crowds, and often still warm enough to be outdoors. December is worth considering for the Christmas markets, and winter works well if skiing is on the agenda, but be prepared for proper cold.

Where to Stay in Oslo with Kids: By Neighbourhood

Sentrum — For Central Access and Major Sights

Oslo's city centre is compact, walkable and flat, with most of the major cultural sights (the National Museum, the Opera House, Akershus Fortress, Aker Brygge) within easy reach on foot or a short tram ride. It suits families who want to tick off the main sights quickly without spending time on public transport. The waterfront around Tjuvholmen and Aker Brygge is particularly good with young children: wide open spaces, the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art (which has a small outdoor area that children love exploring), and the fjord ferries departing from here to the islands and Nesodden.

1. Hobo Oslo (from around £130/night)

A stylish boutique hotel a short walk from Oslo Central Station and Karl Johans gate, Hobo has a local breakfast spread worth waking up for — warm dishes, Norwegian cheeses, and freshly baked bread from their in-house bakery. The rooms are compact but thoughtfully designed, with a terrace bar on the upper floors and a good restaurant serving Nordic and international dishes throughout the day. Cribs are available at an additional charge, subject to availability; no extra beds. It suits families with a baby or toddler who want a central, well-located base without paying luxury hotel prices. Akershus Fortress is a 13-minute walk and the ferry to the islands departs from Aker Brygge a short distance away.

2. Saga Hotel Oslo, WorldHotels Crafted (from around £155/night)

A 4-star hotel in the western part of Sentrum, close to the Royal Palace and Frogner Park, with a great breakfast buffet, free parking (rare in central Oslo) and spacious family rooms. The location is excellent for families: the Royal Palace gardens are a short walk, Vigeland Sculpture Park is reachable on foot or by tram, and the city centre's main sights are within easy reach. Children up to 15 stay free in an existing bed. Check cot availability at time of booking.

Frogner — For Vigeland Park, a Residential Feel and Quiet Streets

Frogner is one of Oslo's most handsome residential neighbourhoods: wide streets lined with early 20th-century apartment buildings, good independent restaurants and cafés, and Frogner Park right on the doorstep. The Vigeland Sculpture Park inside Frogner Park is one of the best free attractions in Oslo with 200 sculptures covering life, relationships and the human experience, spread across a park large enough to spend several hours in. On a sunny day, I wrote an essay on this park in my Art History degree and it was special coming back years later with my own daughter running between the figures. Frognerborgen, Norway's largest playground, is also in the park. The neighbourhood has excellent tram connections to the city centre.

3. Saga Apartments Oslo (from around £110/night)

Self-catering apartments in the Majorstuen part of Frogner, with private balconies, kitchenettes with Nespresso machines, and a tram stop (Rosenborg) less than 300 metres away. Vigeland Sculpture Park is a kilometre on foot. The apartments are modern, individually furnished, and the location, right by Bogstadveien shopping street and with the Royal Palace a 15 minute walk, is among the best in this part of the city. The sister hotel around the corner handles check in and can offer breakfast at an additional charge. Worth asking about cots at the time of booking.

Grüneløkka — For Street Art, Sofienberg Park and Oslo's Best Food Scene

Grüneløkka is Oslo's most trendy neighbourhood: an area of old textile factories and workers' housing that has become one of the city's most vibrant places to explore. Street art covers the buildings along Akerselva river, there are vintage shops and independent coffee roasters on every block, and the food is some of the best in the city. Mathallen, the food hall on the western bank of the river, is an excellent lunch spot with dishes from a range of different kitchens all under one roof. The neighbourhood also has Sofienberg Park with a good playground, and Birkelunden park where a second hand market runs every Sunday morning.

4. Hygge Houses Oslo (from around £100/night)

A homely 1 bedroom apartment in the heart of Grüneløkka, with a fully equipped kitchen, comfortable living space, and a location that puts you within walking distance of Mathallen, Sofienberg Park and the best coffee shops in the city. It sleeps three comfortably, perfect for a couple with a young child. The neighbourhood is flat and easy to navigate with a buggy, and a tram to the city centre runs close by. Check cot availability with the host at time of booking. A good choice for families who want to be immersed in the neighbourhood's atmosphere rather than based in a conventional hotel.

Holmenkollen — For Nature, Views and Winter Sports

Holmenkollen sits 350 metres elevated above Oslo on the wooded hillside north-west of the city, and there is an immediate calm from being in this tranquil environment. Here you have forest trails in every direction, the Holmenkollen ski jump (and ski museum) a short walk away, Oslo Winter Park for skiing in winter months, and views over the whole city and the fjord making you appreciate all the nature around you. It's 30 minutes by metro from Oslo Central Station, making it a surprisingly practical base. In summer you can hike to Vettakollen from here — we took the metro to Sognsvann and walked to the viewpoint, and it was one of the best views of the whole trip.

5. Scandic Holmenkollen Park (from around £170/night)

One of the most distinctive hotels in Oslo — a historic building from 1894 in Norwegian Dragon Style architecture, recently renovated and combined with a modern wing to create a 376-room property with a spa, gym, three restaurants and expansive forest views from most rooms. The waffle bar at Holmenkollen Bistro is worth knowing about: waffle fajitas, waffle club sandwiches, waffles with cured ham and sour cream which will be a hit for the whole family. Family rooms are available with space for four. There's a playground on site, and free parking. One practical note: the spa pool is for guests aged 16 and above, and the children's pool hours are restricted to 8-10am, so plan around that. Paid parking underground, metro to Oslo S takes 30 minutes.

Nesodden — For the Fjord, Swimming and a True Oslo Summer

Nesodden is the peninsula that juts south into the Oslofjord, reachable by a 20-minute ferry from Aker Brygge in the city centre. It is not a tourist destination in any conventional sense as it's where Norwegians have the summer houses, go swimming off the rocks, and spend long evenings in the garden. I have family out here (check out Havstad Pewter for Norway's oldest Pewter Factory!) and it is without question my favourite part of the Oslo area in summer. The swimming is clean and warm from late June; wild strawberries and blueberries grow along the paths through the woods; and the cave at Spro Gruve is a disused mine full of muscovite (fools gold) that makes the walls shimmer. It's unlike anything I've ever seen before!

6. Oslo Fjord Views with Private Beach Hut, Flaskebekk (from around £150/night)

A 2 bedroom house at Flaskebekk on the Nesodden peninsula, sleeping up to five, with a terrace looking out over the Oslo Fjord, a fully equipped kitchen, and exclusive use of a private beach hut a 5-10 minute walk away. You will reconnect with nature here with a cosy house with outdoor space, fjord views in every direction, and total quiet. Walking distance to Nesoddtangen ferry pier and daily services. It suits a family who want two or three nights of something different from a city hotel. Cot availability: check with the host at time of booking.

Our Verdict

For a first visit to Oslo with young children, Sentrum or Frogner are the most practical bases. Sentrum puts you closest to the main sights and the fjord ferries; Frogner puts you next to Vigeland Park and gives you a quieter residential base with good tram connections. Saga Apartments Oslo in Majorstuen is the pick for families who want space and self-catering flexibility at a reasonable price. Hobo Oslo is the better option if you want a hotel rather than an apartment and like being near the station.

For families who want something more lively (within reason!) then Hygge Houses Oslo in Grüneløkka is the right base for this whereas Scandic Holmenkollen Park is the choice for families who want to be immersed in forest and nature from the moment they step outside.

If you're visiting in summer and have the flexibility, I'd strongly recommend building two nights on Nesodden into the trip. The ferry commute back to the city is actually pleasant rather than a burden, and waking up to that view over the fjord is a different experience entirely from anything a city hotel can offer.

For everything to do once you're there, read our Top Things to Do in Oslo with Kids.