Family days out in Oslo

Torshovgata 33, 0476 Oslo

Popular puppet theatre in the old tram depot (Trikkestallen) at Torshov, run by Oslo Nye Teater/Égal Teater. The intimate shows suit the youngest children well, and the short running time makes it a great first theatre experience. NB: Oslo Nye has decided to close the Trikkestallen stage, the puppet theatre is moving to Centralteatret and the main stage, so check the venue on oslonye.no before you go.

Kirkeveien 34, 0266 Oslo

Puppet theatre in a small red house in Frognerparken, next to the Frogner tennis courts. The shows are made for different age groups, from «Molefonkens ballong» for the youngest (ages 2-4) via «Molefonken» (ages 1-6) to the puppet cabaret «Den magiske kiste» (ages 3-8). Several shows are followed by a workshop where children make their own theatre puppet.

Skedsmogata 23, 0655 Oslo

Organic children's farm two minutes from Ensjø metro station, run by volunteers. Free entry to sheep, donkeys, hens and other animals, with the farm open a few hours on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays in season. Note: it closes for summer (roughly weeks 26-33) while the animals graze in the forest - check their Facebook page before visiting.

Sam Eydes vei 13, 1081 Oslo

The City of Oslo's free visitor farm in Groruddalen, between Furuset and Lindeberg, with horses, sheep, cows, calves, goats, chickens, turkeys, geese, rabbits and guinea pigs. A calm farm experience where children can get close to both large and small animals.

Bogstad Gård, Sørkedalen, Oslo

Organic, Debio-certified visitor farm by Bogstadvannet, run by the City of Oslo. Children can meet farm animals such as cows, sheep, pigs and hens, and the area around the farm is great for a walk and a picnic by the lake.

Nøklevann, Østmarka, Oslo

Old smallholding in the forest by Nøklevann in Østmarka, about 1.3 km from Bøler metro station. Children can say hello to the farm animals, and the walk in pairs nicely with a swim or a picnic by the lake.

Kirsten Flagstads plass 1, 0150 Oslo

Children aged four to seven sing, dance and play their way through a current opera or ballet performance at the Opera House in Bjørvika. A playful introduction to the performing arts made for the youngest, and an affordable first experience at 50 kr.

Holtegata 15, 0259 Oslo

Family programme with dinner and activities. After dinner, the youngest can join baby singing while older children can take part in the church's choir school.

Stortingsgata 28, 0161 Oslo

Storytime and author visits one or two Saturdays a month (except summer), best for children aged 3-6. Everyone gets a bun after the reading.

Fryds vei 25, 1407 Vinterbro

Norway's largest amusement park, about 20 km south of Oslo, with roller coasters, carousels and dedicated areas for the youngest. It is open in the summer season, and a direct bus runs from the Oslo bus terminal to the entrance.

Tryvannsveien 64, 0791 Oslo

One of Scandinavia's largest treetop climbing parks, at Tryvann, with over 227 elements and its own toddler park for children from age 3. The courses are graded by difficulty, and everyone gets a safety briefing before starting.

Øvre Slottsgate 3, 0157 Oslo

Free workshop in the Winter Garden at Sentralen every Saturday and Sunday, 11am-4pm: drawing, painting, glue, Duplo, a reading corner and rotating guest activities (storytelling, art, woodwork and more). Best for children aged 2-6, but everyone is welcome.

Anne-Cath. Vestlys plass 1, 0150 Oslo

Deichman puts on plays, storytelling sessions and children's films for slightly older kids at several of its 22 branches in Oslo. Check the programme at your local library.

Sandviksveien 130, 1365 Blommenholm

Art and culture house in a historic villa from 1890 by the sea in Sandvika. The main offering for children is Sanseloftet, a 400 sqm sensory experience spread across nine rooms with colours, scents and light, made for children aged 3-12 (adults only enter accompanied by a child). Creative workshops are also held on weekends, and children's birthday parties can be arranged. Open Tuesday-Sunday 11am-4pm. Note: located in Bærum, not Oslo municipality.

Trondheimsveien 644, 0964 Oslo

Treetop climbing park by Bånkall farm in Groruddalen, with 12 courses and around 80 elements at varying heights and difficulty levels, including a dedicated children's course for ages 3-6 where an adult follows along from the ground, and several zip lines. Children under 7 must otherwise climb together with an adult on the courses. Helmet and harness included, with a safety briefing before climbing. Open in season (April-October) - check current opening hours on the website.

Brynjulf Bulls plass 3, 0250 Oslo

In 'Urskogen Silva', children can create their own fantasy creature and watch it come to life digitally, while the Fairy Tale Room lets the youngest meet familiar storybook characters. Children aged 2-17 enter free (ticket required).

Gardeveien 15, 0369 Oslo

In the old tram hall from 1913, the family can get up close to historic trams and metro cars, or try being a driver in the simulator inside the Holmenkollen line car. Open Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday 11am-3pm.

Rosenkrantz' gate 11, 0159 Oslo

Interactive illusion museum right by Karl Johan, with sensory challenges and optical illusions that captivate both children and adults. Separate children's tickets from age 4 and free entry for those under 3.

Flere steder i Oslo

Norwegian pop-up literature project creating interactive theatre experiences for children aged 0-11 (individual shows are often aimed at ages 3-9), where children explore familiar stories through listening, play, movement and creating. Includes storytelling theatre, games tied to the story, creative workshops and a pop-up bookshop. Has staged shows such as Peter Pan, The Gruffalo and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. No fixed address - performs at various venues in Oslo, including Sentralen, Det Andre Teatret, Deichman Bjørvika and Tøyen (Vaterland/MiniØya).

Ivan Bjørndalsgate 28, 0472 Oslo

Norway's largest improv theatre, with its own theatre bar and outdoor seating. Has regular Saturday shows for children at 1pm, both on the main stage and on the intimate stage. The children's shows are usually recommended from age 5-6. The programme changes through the season, so check what is playing and the recommended age.

Kirsten Flagstads plass 1, 0150 Oslo

Dedicated children's tours of the Opera House, tailored for children aged 4-10, focused on experience rather than facts. Usually Saturdays at 1pm, about 50 minutes. Note: strollers are not allowed on the tour.

Ekebergveien 99, 1181 Oslo

Petting farm on Ekebergsletta, ten minutes from the city centre, with over 100 animals roaming free or in a fenced area you can enter: horses, cows, goats, sheep, pigs, rabbits, geese, chickens and peacocks. Also offers horseback and pony riding. Open all year.

Vollsveien 13H, 1366 Lysaker

Climbing centre with dedicated children's rooms for children aged 2-10: a room with auto-belay for harness climbing, and a bouldering room with rope-free climbing for the youngest. No booking or experience required. Also offers climbing groups for ages 7-9, 10-13 and 13-18, plus climbing camps during school holidays.

Vulkan 1, 0182 Oslo

Norway's national stage for dance, with a regular programme of dance performances for children of all ages - from baby dance for the youngest to interactive shows for older children. Also hosts Family Days with baby dance, contact play, creative dance workshops and children's performances.

Olaf Helsets vei 5, 0694 Oslo

One of Norway's largest climbing centres, with lead and top-rope climbing across several floors, a strength training room, a dedicated children's area and 20 auto-belay devices.

Vulkan 13, 0178 Oslo

Indoor climbing and bouldering centre by Mathallen at Vulkan, run by Kolsås Klatreklubb, with three climbing walls and 26 top-rope stations. Centrally located, and a nice place to try climbing with slightly older children.

Myrens Verksted, Torshov, Oslo

Large climbing and bouldering hall of 2,400 sqm at Myrens Verksted, with walls up to 14 metres and its own bouldering section. Equipment rental and courses make it easy for beginners and children to get started.

Asak Søndre gård, 1923 Sørum

Scandinavia's second-largest treetop climbing park, with 41 zip lines and 21 colour-coded courses for various ages and skill levels, about 30 minutes from Oslo.

Kompveien 1031, 1925 Blaker

A visitor farm with many different animals: deer, horses, ponies, sheep, goats, rabbits, guinea pigs, pigs, chickens, peacocks, llamas, alpacas, donkeys and exotic birds. Also offers pony rides, climbing courses, nature playgrounds, high jumping and a forest trail. Open mainly on weekends and select weekdays, with themed events like Easter and Halloween. Note: located in Blaker (Aurskog-Høland/Fetsund area), about a 30-minute drive from Oslo.

Sars' gate 1, 0562 Oslo

An interactive museum about climate and nature in the Botanical Garden at Tøyen, made for children and youth to understand and experience, not just read. The exhibition uses light, sound and activities to show how the climate works and what we can do. Right outside lies the whole garden, free to wander.

Brynjulf Bulls plass 1, 0250 Oslo

The museum about the Nobel Peace Prize by the City Hall square, with glowing, modern exhibitions and stories of peace laureates from around the world. It's more sensory and visual than an ordinary museum, and the centre runs family tours and workshops. Best for older children, but the room of glowing 'laureates' fascinates most.

Kolstadgata 1, 0652 Oslo

A library only for children aged 10 to 15 - no adults allowed in. Biblo Tøyen is an imaginative universe with workshops, games, an old truck and tram to hang out in, and loads of books, where the young people themselves are in charge. Completely free, and a unique space unlike anywhere else.

Tåsenveien 2, 0462 Oslo

A food-culture centre just for children in an old farm at Geitmyra, where kids get to cook real food from scratch, grow things in the kitchen garden and learn where food comes from. They run cooking courses, holiday activities and family days in large, inviting kitchens. A tasty and slightly unusual niche in the middle of the city.

Tåsenveien 26, 0853 Oslo

A workshop at Tåsen where children make their own jewellery and ceramics and learn basic techniques from scratch. The jewellery course suits ages eight and up, and children over nine can take part on their own, while younger ones join with an adult. No experience is needed, and it works well for a rainy day indoors.

Hansteens gate 1, 0253 Oslo

A ceramics workshop in Vika, close to Solli plass, with dedicated children's courses where children aged six to nine shape and decorate clay together with an adult. A calm, creative indoor activity whatever the weather, in bright premises in the city centre.

St. Olavs gate 2, 0165 Oslo

Small animal park in the middle of central Oslo with over 100 animals: snakes, geckos, lizards, frog species, tarantulas, a dwarf crocodile, monkeys, turtles and fish.

Wergelandsveien 29, 0167 Oslo

Free children's room (Sjeherasad) on the first floor, open to everyone on Mondays from 10am to 2pm outside the school holidays. You can browse the books, climb the climbing frame and jump in the cushion amphitheatre. Litteraturhuset also has a regular children's programme with films, book readings and more, and welcomes kindergarten groups in the mornings.

Rosenholmveien 11, 1252 Oslo

Farm and environment centre in Holmlia with an activity programme for children and youth built around horses and horse activities, animal care and gardening. A green breathing space in the city where children learn to look after animals and grow things through the season.

Kongsveien 23, 0193 Oslo

Sculpture park with over 40 artworks and panoramic views over Oslo, free and open around the clock all year. For families: the Hakkespettene activity house with art workshops, a small climbing park with balance elements and a low zip line, plus a sensory wall and animal-spotting tasks inside the museum (separate opening hours). The park has sloping terrain with paths and some gravel/uneven ground in places.

Sars' gate 1, 0562 Oslo

Here children can meet dinosaur skeletons and animals from all over the world, then run free in the Botanical Garden right outside. Guided tours for children on weekends in autumn and winter. Children under 6 enter free.

Frederiks gate 2, 0164 Oslo

In this museum, the whole family can get up close to the world's only preserved Viking helmet and real Egyptian mummies, along with artefacts from antiquity and the Middle Ages and a large coin collection. Everyone under 18 enters free.

Edvard Munchs plass 1, 0194 Oslo

MUNCH has a broad children's programme: sensory painting for the very youngest, 'Barnas kunstdag' (Children's Art Day) for 3-8-year-olds almost every Sunday, and workshops during school holidays for slightly older children. Strollers are not allowed inside the exhibitions, but baby carriers can be borrowed.

Sonja Henies vei 31, 1311 Høvikodden

In the dedicated children's workshop 'Labben', kids can draw and freely explore shape, colour and materials, inspired by the exhibitions. Staffed by museum educators on Sundays and during school holidays, with family tours of current exhibitions every Sunday. Children under 18 enter free. Note: located in Bærum, not Oslo municipality.

Bygdøynesveien 37, 0286 Oslo

The museum invites children into the exhibition 'Oppdag havet' ('Discover the Ocean'), where they can, among other things, explore a submarine simulator, and on weekends children aged 4-12 can build their own boat in the popular boat workshop. All children enter free.

Museumsveien 10, 0287 Oslo

On the historic farmstead, children can feed animals, try old-fashioned toys, ride the popular tractor 'Gråtass' and run freely around the large open-air museum area with over 160 old buildings from all over the country, including the stave church from Gol. Everyone under 18 enters free.

Bygdøynesveien 36, 0286 Oslo

The exhibitions on the Kon-Tiki and Ra rafts have their own stories made for children, following the crab Johannes and the monkey Safi through Thor Heyerdahl's expeditions. Compact and easy to visit with small children.

Kirkeveien, 0268 Oslo

The world's largest sculpture park made by a single artist (Gustav Vigeland), with over 200 sculptures in bronze, granite and wrought iron - including the famous Sinnataggen (Angry Boy). Children can run freely among the sculptures, and right by the main entrance lies Frognerborgen, Norway's largest playground with a climbing castle, swings and a sandpit. Free and open around the clock.

Kjelsåsveien 143, 0491 Oslo

Voted Oslo's most fun museum for children, with over 100 interactive installations where kids can create a tornado, play a laser harp, drive a mini train and try VR covering transport, science, medicine and industrial history. SkaperLab for children/youth aged 12-16 with programming, music and 3D printing.

Bygdøynesveien 39, 0286 Oslo

The polar-ship museum at Bygdøy where children can board the Fram itself, the strongest wooden ship ever built, and explore three floors of polar history. A new 4D simulator takes you on a polar voyage, and the whole experience lets children climb, peek and discover. Bus 30 or the ferry from City Hall pier.

Strandpromenaden 2, 0252 Oslo

A contemporary-art museum out on Tjuvholmen, in a landmark building by Renzo Piano surrounded by a sculpture park by the fjord. The art is often big, strange and playful - easy for children to be fascinated by - and the museum runs family workshops on weekends. The city beach and outdoor sculptures are free to explore.

Lille Frøens vei 4, 0369 Oslo

The world's first museum dedicated to art made by children, in a small house at Frøen. Here hang drawings, paintings and sculptures made by children from all over the world, with creative workshops and rooms for play and expression. Note: the museum has limited opening hours - check barnekunst.no before you go.

Kongeveien 5, 0787 Oslo

The world's oldest ski museum sits inside the ski jump itself at Holmenkollen, with 4,000 years of skiing history, polar gear and a ski simulator where children can 'ski' downhill and jump. The same ticket takes you up the jump tower, 64 metres above ground, with a 360-degree view over all of Oslo. In summer there's a zip line from the top.

Bygning 62, Akershus festning, 0015 Oslo

A free military-history museum at Akershus Fortress, with tanks, cannons and uniforms many children find exciting. Children can climb into a real tank, follow the development from Viking swords to fighter jets, and try a shooter simulator. For the youngest there's a discovery trail with an activity booklet.

Bygning 21, Akershus festning, 0015 Oslo

A museum about the Norwegian resistance during the Second World War, in an old stone house at Akershus Fortress. The exhibition tells powerful stories of sabotage, underground newspapers and everyday courage, best suited to older children learning about the war at school. Combine it with a walk around the fortress itself.

Nobels gate 32, 0268 Oslo

The artist's own studio and home by Frognerparken, where you see how the sculptures in the Vigeland Park came to be - plaster models, drawings and tools in large, light halls. The museum has family Sundays and workshops where children can model in clay themselves. Lovely to combine with a walk in the adjacent park.

Halvdan Svartes gate 58, 0266 Oslo

The city museum in the old Frogner manor in the middle of Frognerparken tells Oslo's story across 1,000 years. Children and young people up to and including age 25 get in free, adults pay, and the first Thursday of every month is free for everyone. Children meet models, old objects and changing exhibitions, and outside lie the whole park and playground. A calm cultural stop that's easy with small children.

Vestlys plass 1, 0150 Oslo

Oslo's new main library by the Opera has a whole children's floor on the second level, with books, cushions, play nooks, workshops and a regular children's programme. Everything is free, and you can stay as long as you like - perfect on a rainy day. The building itself is an experience, with views toward the fjord and the Opera.

Sars' gate 1, 0562 Oslo

A free, lush garden at Tøyen with thousands of plants, ponds, a fragrant systematic collection and plenty of room to wander and run. For children it's like a calm, green oasis in the middle of the city - bring a blanket and a picnic. The Palm House and Victoria House with tropical plants charge a small entry, the rest is free year round.

Akershus festning, 0015 Oslo

The old fortress and castle on a rise by the fjord are free to wander, with ramparts, cannons, cobblestones and uniformed guards. Children can run on the lawns, look out over the harbour and pretend to defend the city. A living piece of Oslo history out in the open air, in the middle of the centre.

Bispegata, 0192 Oslo

A park in Gamle Oslo built over the ruins of the medieval city, with remains of old churches and a royal manor and a large reflecting pool. Children can clamber on the ruins, splash by the water in summer and hear about Oslo as the city looked 800 years ago. Free and open around the clock, with plenty of room to play.

Kirsten Flagstads plass 1, 0150 Oslo

The Opera House in Bjørvika is built so you can walk straight up onto the roof - the sloping marble surfaces rise from the ground to the top, and it's free. Children love running up and down the slopes, and from the top you have a wide view over the fjord, the city and the boats. Bring good shoes; the marble can be slippery when wet.

Holmenkollveien 200, 0791 Oslo

The last stop on the Holmenkollen line is the very gateway to Nordmarka, with a grand view over Oslo, the venerable café and easy walks straight into the forest. In winter it's the starting point for sledding in Korketrekkeren and floodlit trails; in summer berries, swimming in forest tarns and stroller walks. Free to be here - take the line all the way up.

Bygdøy allé, 0287 Oslo

The King's farm on Bygdøy, with grazing cows, sheep and its own pony stable children can visit, in the middle of a large, open cultural landscape. Families can wander the farm lanes, see the animals and bring a picnic, and in summer there's pony riding and farm activities. A quiet, rural breathing space just minutes from the centre.