How to Cheaply Get from Oslo Airport to the City Center (2026)

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The natural darling of Scandinavia has a reputation for being a very expensive place to travel. This is a guide detailing how to get from Oslo Airport to the city center in the absolute cheapest way.

Did I miss anything about the airport journey to Oslo city center? Let me know in the comments!

How to Get from Oslo Airport to City Center Overview

Before diving further into this guide, I want to quickly list the pros and cons of taking each type of train (in case you don’t have time to read this entire guide):

• Flytoget Airport Train: 258 NOK (about $26); 19 minutes from Oslo Airport to the city; offers luggage tag printing if you’re taking to the airport
• VY train from the airport: 129 NOK (about $13); 23 minutes from Oslo Airport to the city; continues past Oslo to other cities

Getting from the airport in Oslo to the city center seems like a harmless and straightforward task. And it is… if you’re okay with spending a lot of money to do so.

There are a couple of options available to get from Oslo Gardermoen to the city center, but none of them are entirely affordable. Including booking an Oslo Airport transfer or a taxi!

But this guide will show you exactly how to take the cheapest of all options– the VY train (it was formerly called NSB). You can also take a bus for around the same price, but it takes a lot longer and runs less frequently.

There is often confusion when travelers land at Gardermoen regarding what train to take, and if you take the wrong one, you will pay a lot more to get into Oslo.

It took me years of living in Norway to learn about this (not joking). If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments.

Arriving at Oslo Gardermoen

Once you arrive at Oslo International Airport, you will head toward the baggage claim.

You may notice the locals taking an immediate turn for duty-free and camping there for a while because the taxes are high in Norway and duty-free is definitely utilized by Norwegians when buying alcohol and other goods.

Once you grab your luggage, you will proceed through the doors to the main arrivals terminal. From there, you will take an immediate right toward the ‘train’ area.

Taking the Train From Oslo Gardermoen to Oslo Central Station

Once inside Oslo Airport’s arrivals hall, you will take the right indicated above. Continue walking past Peppe’s Pizza. You will then see a large sign that says ‘Flytoget’, or ‘Airport Train’. Don’t take this!

I repeat, DON’T TAKE THIS! If you’re trying to save money, that is. It will continuously say ‘Fastest way to Oslo city center!’. And it is… by 4 minutes.

The ticket is 258 NOK ($26 or €22) as of September 2025 (nearly double the price of the train I recommend taking below). It is a 19-minute journey to the city.

Ignore the Flytoget area and look for other machines that will say ‘Billetter Tickets’. You will see the VY trains (with ‘En Tur’ written all over the area these days). These are the trains you want to take and the ticket machine will look like this:

Once you’re at this ticket machine, select your language (English is an option). Proceed to do the following if you’re heading to Oslo Central Station (Oslo Sentralstasjon):

1) Pick your station. Start typing OSLO and you should see ‘OSLO S’ pop up. Select this. Depending on where you’re staying in Oslo, you may be better off departing the train at NATIONAL THEATER. Check a map beforehand.

2) Pay! Currently, the Oslo Lufthavn – Oslo S train costs 129 NOK (about $13 or €11) one-way as of January 2026. You can pay with a card or cash at this machine. There are discounts for children 17 and younger (and senior citizens 67 and older).

3) You will then see a message pop up that says you can only take this train and not the Flytoget. If you don’t see this message, you likely missed the part above where I said not to take the Flytoget.

4) Grab your ticket and proceed to the train. Do not forget to ask for a receipt if you need to turn it in for expenses or to get tax back.

Oslo Airport to Oslo Central Station Train

You will need to head to Platform 4 for this train. You can find it by moving forward from the ticket machine to the last escalator available.

The last train departs shortly after 11pm, so you will need to ensure that you’re able to catch the train with no problems. These times are usually the same regardless of whether you’re in Oslo in summer or Oslo in winter.

Once you’re down at the track (Spor 4 / Platform 4), you will need to ensure you catch the train on the right-hand side and not the Flytoget or you will receive a fine.

The train will likely go in the direction of Drammen or Kongsberg. Oslo S and Nationaltheatret are also on this line.

If you have already purchased a ticket, find a wagon that says ‘only valid ticket’, or ‘kun gyldig billett’. This just means that you have pre-purchased your ticket and paid in advance.

You should not see a ticket control on these trains from Oslo Airport to the city center. The journey is 23 minutes from Oslo Lufthavn to Oslo S.

Oslo Airport Train Timetable

If you’re looking to see the train timetables for the Oslo airport to city center trains, click here. The last train at the Oslo Airport departs at 2343 (11:43pm) in the evenings. Do take note of this if you are arriving late in the evening.

I do see a bus that is now leaving at 1:15am from Gardermoen to Oslo S. I have never taken this, but it is a good option if you’re arriving late.

Other Stations Serviced from Oslo Lufthavn

Some of the other stations you will see on this train from Oslo Airport to Oslo City Center are Lillestrøm (the first stop after the airport), Nationaltheatret, Skøyen, Lysaker, Stabekk, etc.

Just be sure to put your last destination in the ticket machine instead of Oslo S if you’re getting off at any of them. The ticket price may be higher (or cheaper) depending on the location.

How to Get from Oslo Airport to Fornebu

If you’re going to Fornebu, you can easily grab a taxi from the airport, but it is very expensive. I assume if you’re doing this, it will be on your company’s behalf.

The cheapest way from Oslo Airport to Fornebu is to take the same train I mentioned above, but to get off at Lysaker Station instead of Oslo S. From Lysaker, you will go to the Bus Platform B, where you’ll then wait on Bus 31 in the direction of Snarøya.

This will go to Fornebu, and you can get off at Telenor or any of the stops around Fornebu. If you have any questions, just let the driver know and he should assist. They will all speak English.

How to Get from Oslo Airport to Holmenkollen

If you’ve come to Oslo to attend a sporting event up around Holmenkollen, the easiest way to get there from the Oslo Airport is to take the same train noted above to Nationaltheatret station (you can also get off at Oslo S, but getting to the metro from there is a bit more of a challenge if you don’t know your way around the station).

Once you get off at Nationaltheatret, you will then need to go to the metro, or ‘T-bane’. There are heaps of signs pointing toward the T-bane. You will want to take Line 1 west, in the direction of Frognerseteren.

After hopping on the T-bane, it will take about 20-30 minutes to reach Holmenkollen. The stop is called ‘Holmenkollen’, so there will be no issues recognizing where to get off the train.

If coming directly from the airport, your ticket should cover you to Holmenkollen (although, depending on the time, your return ticket will likely not be covered).

Taking a Taxi from Oslo Airport to the City Center

If you’re vying to take a taxi from the airport to the city center, you probably either have a lot of money or your company is paying the transport fare. Congrats? It is not cheap. Like, really not cheap.

You can read more about taxi options from Oslo Airport to Oslo City Center here.

Luggage Storage at Oslo Airport

Oslo Airport used to have luggage storage and I used it SO many times over the years. When I was updating this guide a few months ago, I couldn’t find any information on Oslo Airport’s website. So I emailed them. No response.

I was finally back in Oslo in October 2025 and you can see what I found in the second photo below:

I guess they no longer exist… probably for security reasons. Therefore, I am unsure about any luggage storage options at this time. I did verify that there are still lockers at Oslo Central Station (as discussed below), so you’re in luck there.

Luggage Storage at Oslo Central Station

If you have arrived at Oslo S (Oslo Central Station) and want to store your luggage, you’re in luck.

There are lockers available at Oslo S and they are available almost all hours of the day (the station closes for three hours during the night, so you can’t grab your belongings during those hours). To find out more, click here.

Helpful Norway Travel Apps for Oslo

Many helpful travel apps for Norway will help your trip in and around Oslo. The two transportation-focused ones that I recommend are Vy and Ruter.

• Vy used to be NSB, which is the train operator in Norway. These are the trains you will want to take to and from Oslo Airport.
• Ruter is the local transport app that works for all forms of transport around Oslo. You can take the trikk (tram), t-bane (metro), buses, and ferries with this app.

You can register your profile where you can purchase tickets via your credit card, Apple Pay, or PayPal. This app is a must for those traveling around Oslo.

This is the best and cheapest way to travel from Oslo Airport to the city center.

If you have any questions or tips, please drop them in the comments or shoot me an email! I will try to keep this updated as much as I can.

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• Oslo in winter
• Oslo in autumn
• Best museums in Oslo
• Oslo packing list
• How to book the Oslo Discovery Tour
• Oslo fjord tour (how to book one)
• Weekend getaways from Oslo