Coming from the sleepy town of Tromso in the Arctic Circle to the sunny cosmopolitan city of Oslo, was quite the contrast, and gave us the opportunity to see what the rest of Norway has to offer.

Surrounded by dense vibrant forests filled with lofty trees that circle calm lakes and thriving by a ferry port that neighbours numerous other majestic islands, Oslo is lucky to be in such close proximity to scenes of nature that can transform your world. Oslo city is hip, friendly and vibrant, filled with architectural delights, fantastic museums and independent restaurants (although we were too broke to eat in any).

Arriving on a strict budget from Tromso, we stayed in an Air BnB which saved us a fortune on eating out. Cooking breakfast and dinner at home and bringing a packed lunch with us made from our new best friend, supermarket Renate, meant that unfortunately we never visited any swish bars or delicious restaurants, but that is what you can expect if you are visiting Norway- it is incredibly expensive. The level of expensive that you pay £14 for one beer. One beer! So as you can imagine, your trip might be an incredibly sober one.

There are quite a few things to see and do in Oslo on the cheap though. We took the time on our first day to walk along the river through the city of Oslo, from the Olaf Ryes Plass in Grunerlokka. At first we found ourselves exploring this trendy district, with chic cafes and trendy bars aplenty. The streets were lined with eclectic street art and unique pieces of statement art which casually were placed in beer gardens around the area. Young locals covered in quirky tattoos in the most random places sauntered around the streets, a common theme in Grunerlokka. Continuing along the river, we passed dog walkers and runners in the sunshine, catching a glimpse of what Oslo is like away from the main rush of the city.

With our second day we ventured out of the clutches of the city and explored the leafy paradise that cornered the city, taking in breathtaking sights of feathery moss, ancient boughs dancing in the wind and dazzling lakes that reflected the rays of sunshine onto the glistening lakes. Instead of hiking, we chose to cycle, hiring bikes from Viking biking for 225 NOK for the day- which although a lovely company and who organised fun and interesting city tours, do not have the most sturdy mountain bikes around!  We made our way to Frognerseteren by metro, heading to the Nordmarka forest. Hopping off the metro, you are immediately placed in the forest, and jumping onto our bikes we whizzed further into the depths of the Nordmarka. The trails are not ideal for a bike, and sticking to the cycle routes meant that we were unable to clamber into the Nordmarka and explore her natural beauty in its finest glory, off the beaten track, so I do advise hiking instead.

However, after stopping for lunch at the traditional lodge Ullevalseter, a delightful restaurant filled to the brim with various trophies and achievements from the man behind the lodge, and having our homemade sandwiches by a nearby pond, we followed the direct path all the way down to the entrance of the forest.  Taking this route, rather than doing a circle on us and backtracking to the same metro station as before meant we avoided hills and were closer into Oslo city than before.

On our third and final day, we explored the sights within the city of Oslo, and most importantly, the cheap ones too! Head over to City Hall, which hosts the seat of the city council. It is adorned with beautiful art within its walls which highlights the culture and nature of Norway as a country, filled with scenes of fishermen and forests. Be wary that the hall closes strictly at 4pm, even locking the toilets at this time (I nearly got locked in!)

Vigaland Sculpture Park is a stunning yet bizarre park to explore, as well as a perfect place to sit back and relax, enjoying an ice cream in the sun. Many locals were sunbathing or having a BBQ in the weather, and being the biggest park in Oslo, there is no surprise why that is so. There are various sculptures dotted around the park, all made from one artist making it the largest sculpture park in the world- all by one artist! Very impressive! Although some of the art pieces are as I said before, are bizarre.

There are a vast amount of museums and art galleries around Oslo, however being on a time constraint and strict budget; we chose to buy the joint tickets to the Viking Ship Museum and the Historical Museum for 100 NOK. Hopping on a local bus, we bounded past scenes of cows and hay stacks to the museum, as if we had jetted out into the west country! It was incredible to see how resourceful the Norwegians were with nearby land, even on the outskirts of the city. The Viking Ship Museum boasts three Viking ships that stand impassive and proud- both in shape, size and architectural design. The ships are impressive, as well as the exhibits, however it would be more interesting to see how the Viking’s lived their life and their influence on the world. Hopping back on the bus we headed to the Historical museum for answers, where unfortunately the shabby exhibits with little information told us very little. It’s definitely not a museum to pay to individually visit, and one that can be improved in many areas, as many tourists remark whilst visiting the numerous museums, “Why don’t they just put all the museums together, rather than having them sparsely located over the city?”.

One building that you must take the time to wonder over to and clamber on top of is the Opera house, a solid pure white marble building that oozes edginess from it’s sharp angles and sophistication from its smooth surfaces. I did find it incredibly ironic that such a white collar entertainment industry had been architecturally designed in this way, but who questions the opera house in Sydney? You are able to sit at the top of the building and breathe in the portside views of the city of Oslo, scattered fjords and beyond.

We found public transport efficient, clean and cheap, I really couldn’t recommend it more. You can download the app on your smart phone and buy tickets for ferries, trains, trams, boats and the metro just by a quick tap half the price! If you are old school and leave your data behind you like me, you can buy tickets from any nearby 7/11 store- and there are plenty! A fantastic travel tip for you if you are on a budget are the 24 hour tram ticket’s you can buy which allows you to validate it when you want to, and are wonderful for getting you back to the airport the next day via a local train, rather an expensive airport shuttle bus or train!