Summer holiday in Oslo with kids

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.

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.

Nesodden

Idyllic swimming spot on Nesodden with a sandy beach and smooth rocks good for fishing, with a lovely view over Bunnefjorden. Can be combined with food from Hellviktangen art café, located right next door.

Oslo

The city's most central sea bath, in Bjørvika, with its own sheltered children's pool, bathing ladders and large wooden sun decks. Close to the centre and easy to reach on foot or by tram, but it fills up quickly on sunny days.

Oslo

One of Oslo's most popular swimming spots, with large grass and sand areas, a new toilet building (18 toilets, two accessible), a kiosk, showers, drinking water and courts for beach volleyball and basketball. Huk also has its own separate nudist beach, and since 2022 a new arrival area with bicycle parking for more than 200 bikes. The coastal path continues to Paradisbukta to the west and Frognerkilen to the east.

Oslo

Idyllic island eight minutes by boat from Aker Brygge, with several lovely spots for swimming and sunbathing (sand, smooth rocks and grassy areas), a kiosk/café by the monastery ruins, and accessible toilets in summer. There is a universally accessible walkway of about 150 metres from the boat to the beach, going around the hill where the café and monastery ruins stand. At the Lindøysund bathing area there are four toilets and one accessible toilet.

Oslo

An idyllic cabin island with red and green boathouses, swimming from smooth rocks and a few small patches of sand, and paths around the whole island. Calm surroundings, but mostly rocks, so water shoes are handy for the youngest.

Oslo

Sheltered, child-friendly cove on Bygdøy with fine sand, calmer and less crowded than Huk. A good choice for those who want to avoid crowds with small children.

Hegermanns gate 20, 0478 Oslo

Outdoor 18-hole mini golf course by Torshovparken, run by Christiania Minigolf Club. Open daily in summer, noon-9pm, last tee-off at 8pm (weather permitting). 90 kr per round for adults, 60 kr for children. For children under 16, club membership costs 50 kroner a year and includes free play with standard equipment all season.

Havnegata 4, 1441 Drøbak

The only aquarium in eastern Norway, down by the harbour in Drøbak. More than 50 tanks from 30 litres to a 25,000-litre pool, with a children's tunnel, a jellyfish tank and a touch pool where children can handle creatures from the fjord. Small enough for a two-year-old to manage, and concrete enough to hold an eight-year-old. Drøbak makes a good day out in itself, with the Christmas house and the boat to Oscarsborg within walking distance.

Kampen park, Oslo

Splash pool in Kampen park, popular and well-visited by families on warm days. Shallow water for the youngest, a playground and large lawns in one of the city's loveliest neighbourhood parks, at Kampen.

Munch Brygge, Bjørvika, Oslo

Urban paddling in the heart of the city: Mad Goats takes the whole family on guided kayak and SUP tours through Bjørvika and out on the Oslofjord, including through a 300-metre tunnel that ends right by the Opera House. All equipment is included and no paddling experience is needed. Guided tours suit ages 10 and up (separate courses from age 14, and under-18s need written consent from a guardian). They also rent out kayaks and SUPs, and have bases both at Tjuvholmen and in Bjørvika. Note the meeting point: the Akerselva kayak and packraft tour starts from Nedre Foss Park in Grünerløkka and ends out in the fjord by the Opera House, while the vattkort courses and rentals run from Bjørvika.

Oslo

The westernmost of the cabin islands, with swimming from smooth rocks in calm surroundings. Nice for a quiet day on the water, but mostly rocks and little sand, so bring water shoes for the youngest.

Oslo

Sea bath with a bathing platform, diving tower and large grassy areas to lie on right by the city centre. The beach has small stones at the water's edge, so water shoes are a good idea for the youngest.

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 children up to and including three go free.

Middelthuns gate 28, 0368 Oslo

Oslo's classic outdoor pool with a 50-metre pool, diving tower and its own children's pool with a slide. Note: closed for renovation until the 2028 summer season (reopening has been delayed a year from the original 2027 plan) - check status before visiting.

Lundveien 3, 1900 Fetsund

A log-driving museum and wetland centre where the Glomma meets Øyeren, about forty minutes from Oslo. Timber was floated and sorted here with booms until 1985, and the site stands as it was, with jetties, boats and buildings to walk between. The mix of open-air industrial history and wetland birdlife works for both younger and older children, and much of it is outdoors.

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.

Brynjulf Bulls plass 3, 0250 Oslo

In 'Urskogen Silva' in the lower floor, children can create their own insects in a tactile and digital workshop, while the Fairy Tale Room lets the youngest meet familiar storybook characters. The workshop suits everyone over the age of 3, and there is a family tour of Silva every Saturday at 12-1.30pm and 2.30-4pm. Children under two do not need a ticket, and children aged 2 to 17 enter free but must have a ticket.

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. Open Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 4pm in 2026, and the tower is closed this season. The park states that it suits children from about the age of 3. Children under 6 must be accompanied by an adult on the orange and green courses, and children under 12 need a responsible adult in the park.

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.

Oslo

Swimming spot with a long tradition (a bathing culture dating back to 1890), with a bathing pier with steps down to the water, diving opportunities from the pier, a toilet and a lovely beach promenade with views towards Ulvøya. The baths opened in 1890, and back then women and men bathed separately, with the sea divided by a canvas screen. The toilet is open in the summer season, from around 15 May to 15 September.

Eidsvegen 90, 2166 Rånåsfoss

An idyllic outdoor pool by the Glomma river, a five-minute walk from Rånåsfoss station. A large main pool and a separate children's pool for the youngest, with a kiosk, showers, toilets and a lifeguard on duty. Children under 7 swim free. Note: about 45 minutes from Oslo (Nes municipality), and only open in summer (typically late June to mid-August, noon-7pm).

Oslo

Smaller, local swimming spot in Grorud - a nice and often quieter alternative for families in the area. Fresh water with grassy banks around it and a short walk from Grorud, well suited to the youngest.

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.

Oslo

Swimming spot with clean water in Østmarka, more natural and forest-close than the sea baths near the centre - a good choice for a quiet day by the water. The best bathing is at the north end, where there is a ramp some way into the water and a gravel road all the way from Trosterud. The lake is 55 metres deep, so it is not the warmest in the forest, but the water quality is very good. Fishing with a rod from a canoe or rowing boat is allowed.

Oslo

Outdoor recreation area with a sandy beach, modern granite ramps along the water, fixed barbecue spots, several grassy areas, a boules court and playgrounds. The bathing area is universally accessible, and the tarn is around six to seven metres at its deepest. The city advises against swimming for a day after heavy rain, and measures the water temperature in June, July and August.

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.

Oslo

Swimming spot near Klemetsrud in southern Oslo, a quiet local alternative away from the most visited sea baths. A freshwater tarn surrounded by forest and trails, with shallow water that suits families well. There are several floating docks to swim out to, as well as a diving board, and a seating area with bench tables and fixed barbecues. Two outdoor toilets are open in the summer season, from 15 May to 15 September.

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.

Søndre gate 1, 0550 Oslo

Outdoor 18-hole mini golf course at the bottom of Grünerløkka along the Akerselva river. Open daily in summer, noon-9pm (weather permitting), with both an easy and a difficult course. Pizza and soft drinks can be ordered at the course.

Klosterenga park, 0656 Oslo

Fountains, water-filled sculptures and running water from a wall in Klosterenga park, where the Hovinbekken stream flows through a system of channels, basins and pools. Popular with children on warm days.

Oslo

Child-friendly swimming spot with a lovely sandy beach, smooth rocks, a diving board and a cosy kiosk/toilet building from 2009. Grassy lawn with tables and benches for picnics. From the rocks children can fish for crabs, and there is a fixed barbecue in its own area with bench tables, plus a toilet in the summer season. The city advises against swimming for a day after heavy rain, and measures the water temperature in June, July and August.

Hyttegata 3, 3616 Kongsberg

A mine train 2.3 kilometres into the mountain, then 342 metres below ground in what was Norway's largest silver mine. The journey in is in open carriages and children are given helmets. It stays cool year-round, around six degrees, so bring a jumper even in July. For many children the train itself is the highlight, and the mix of darkness, echoes and a story about people who worked here for 335 years leaves a mark. About an hour and a half from Oslo.

Oslo

Lake in the Oslo forest with a sandy beach, three bathing platforms along the water, a kiosk, a beach volleyball court, six toilets (four wheelchair accessible) and a universally accessible path and ramp down to the water. The path around the lake is 3.3 kilometres and has been lit all the way round since 2015, dimmed after 11pm. In winter it is ploughed and gritted, and the city prepares a skating rink on the ice when it is thick enough.

Oslo

Lovely swimming water with a small sandy beach by Ammerud, well suited for a quiet afternoon with the youngest. A freshwater tarn in a green corridor with trails around it, smaller and more sheltered than the big sea baths.

Oslo

Oslo's longest and arguably best sandy beach (about 250 metres, crescent-shaped), with a kiosk, toilets, drinking water, barbecue spots and the option to camp for up to two days in a designated area. The bathing area has an accessible ramp, a swimming enclosure and a breakwater, and toilets and water are open through week 40. The island was a waste dump from 1908 to 1948, and the grassy field is the surface of the old tip.

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.

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.

Oslo

Swimming spot near Holmlia with plenty of room to play on land and a large car park, popular among families from southern Oslo. Shallow water near the shore, big lawns and an old farmstead make it a great spot for a whole day.

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.

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.

Oslo

A nature reserve in the inner fjord with a small sandy beach below Gressholmen Kro and smooth rocks towards Rambergøya. Calm and rural, with a café on the island. As a nature reserve it has some rules, so stick to the paths and beaches.

Oslo

A small, quiet cabin island closest to the city centre, with swimming from smooth rocks and little coves. Nice for a calm day away from the crowds. Bring water shoes, as it is mostly rocks and little sand.

Oslo

A slightly more sheltered swimming spot on Bygdøy with lovely smooth rocks and patches of sand, a good alternative when Huk is full. The green areas around it leave room for a blanket and a picnic, and it is a short walk from the bus.

Kongeveien 5, 0787 Oslo

The world's oldest ski museum sits inside the ski jump itself at Holmenkollen, with 5,000 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.

Edvard Munchs plass 1, 0194 Oslo

MUNCH has a broad children's programme: 'Sanselek' sensory play for the very youngest, in separate versions for babies aged 6-12 months and toddlers aged 1-2, '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.

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.

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. The museum runs public guided tours several times a week, included in the museum ticket or free, plus its own programme for children and young people in every school holiday. Children under 6 enter free. The Palmehuset and Victoriahuset greenhouses are temporarily closed.

Torshovdalen, Oslo

Splash pool in Torshovdalen, the park corridor between Torshov and Sinsen. Shallow water for splashing on warm days, with large lawns, a playground and plenty of room for a picnic in a popular green space.

Lodalsparken, Kværnerbyen, 0195 Oslo

A water mirror shaped like a river in Lodalsparken in Kværnerbyen, where children can wade and hop from stone to stone while the grown-ups watch from the seating areas nearby. The water is among the cleanest in Oslo, and in winter the mirror becomes a skating rink.

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.

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.

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 a family workshop every Sunday from noon to 4pm, where children and adults solve creative tasks together. Rasmusklubben is a free art club for children aged 5 to 12. The city beach and outdoor sculptures are free to explore.

Bygning 62, Akershus festning, 0015 Oslo

A military-history museum at Akershus Fortress, with tanks, cannons and uniforms many children find exciting. The museum now charges admission: 160 kroner for adults, 80 for children aged 6 to 17 and 400 for a family ticket with two adults and up to four children. Children under 6 and Oslo Pass holders get in free. Open daily 10am to 4pm from September to April, and until 5pm from May to August. 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.

Trondheimsveien 644, 0964 Oslo

Treetop climbing park by Bånkall farm in Groruddalen, with 8 courses 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. The children's course has no height requirement and the climbing itself is free there; harness and helmet rent for 170 kr. Children under 7 must otherwise climb together with an adult up 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.

Selvbyggerveien/Rødbergveien, Årvoll, Oslo

One of Groruddalen's most popular swimming spots, with an asphalt bottom and grassy slopes around the pond. Relatively shallow water that makes it well suited for learning to swim. Blue Flag-certified beach.

Oslo

Popular lake with a sandy beach, a bonfire spot, toilets (including accessible), outdoor showers, a summer kiosk, a lovely floating dock and good parking. Universally accessible with bathing steps and a ramp. The lake is about two kilometres long and around ten metres deep, and the bathing area meets the requirements for universal accessibility, with three toilets open in the summer half of the year and one accessible toilet.