Scandinavia's most expensive night out, done right: pre-drink at home, hit Youngstorget and Grünerløkka from 11pm, and keep going until the city's 3am closing time.
Year-round. The darker months (October to March) have the most concentrated indoor nightlife. Summer has outdoor bars along the Aker Brygge waterfront.
Oslo is expensive by any measure. A pint of beer in a bar costs 90–120 NOK (£6–£8), cocktails run 150–200 NOK (£10–£14), and club entry adds another 100–200 NOK on top. The strategy everyone uses is the same: buy alcohol from Vinmonopolet (the state off-licence) before 6pm on Friday and pre-drink at the hostel or a friend's apartment before heading out at 10pm or 11pm. The bars are too expensive to drink in from 8pm.
The main nightlife areas are Youngstorget and the streets around it in the centre, and Grünerløkka to the northeast, a neighbourhood of converted industrial buildings with a higher concentration of bars per square metre than anywhere else in the city. Blå, on the river Akerselva at Grünerløkka, is a live music venue and club running four nights a week with a focus on jazz, electronic, and hip-hop. Revolver in the centre books indie and alternative acts. The clubs around Youngstorget — including SO and Palace Grill — run commercial dance and house from midnight to 3am.
Party hostels within reach of Oslo's main celebrations. Ranked by guest rating.
Day-by-day breakdown
Vinmonopolet state off-licences close at 6pm on Fridays and 4pm on Saturdays. Buy wine, beer, or spirits before closing time — a 330ml can of beer costs 25–35 NOK at Vinmonopolet versus 90–120 NOK at a bar. Pre-drinking at the hostel from 8pm to 10pm is standard practice. Many Oslo hostels have communal kitchens and common rooms set up for exactly this. The walk from most central hostels to Grünerløkka is 20–25 minutes or one tram stop on line 11, 12, or 13.
Grünerløkka bars open at 3pm but are quiet until 10pm. By midnight the area is full. Blå (Brenneriveien 9c) is the most reliable venue: live acts start at 9pm, club sets from midnight, running until 3am Thursday to Saturday. Entry is 100–150 NOK. The streets around Thorvald Meyers gate have a dozen independent bars within a five-minute walk. Youngstorget and the centre have larger clubs with commercial music — SO and Palace Grill are the main ones — running until 3am. Oslo's legal closing time is 3am and it is enforced.
Pre-booked private transfers and shared shuttles for your arrival.
