It feels like we didn’t get to fully appreciate Oslo in August 2025 because it was sandwiched between the beauty of Flåm, and our anticipation for Legoland, Billund during our Scandinavian adventure. Also, at this point in our trip everyone started to get sick or just tired from the travels, so we decided to pivot and spend an afternoon playing with toys from a really cool local toy store rather than exploring more of the city. From what we did see, it was beautiful and super kid friendly, and I would love to go back so we can enjoy more that the city has to offer.
Why Oslo, Norway with kids?
Oslo has a nonstop to Billund which is where Lego Headquarters is, so we wanted to fly into Billund and then journey back to Copenhagen for our flight home since Billund is in a somewhat remote part of Denmark from a transit perspective. Oslo fit the bill, and allowed us to do the Norway in a Nutshell journey too. We learned upon arrival that they have some incredible playgrounds for kids, and the museums are also super kid friendly with activities scattered in the exhibit halls to keep kids engaged.
Planning:
Somebody in my local mom group suggested the Thon Hotel Slottsparken and it was an awesome recommendation for families. We were able to get a two bedroom suite with a kitchen which was perfect for letting the kids spend an afternoon and evening relaxing in a hotel and eating familiar foods we were able to get from the local grocery store.
Experience:
We really loved the Oslo National Museum. It was so kid friendly! When we arrived at the museum we immediately went to the gift shop so both kids could pick out two post cards for our usual museum scavenger hunt, but honestly the museum had so many cool kid activities interspersed in the exhibits that our scavenger hunt wasn’t really needed for the kids to enjoy the museum. They would have been super happy just coloring at the station set-up on the first floor of the museum, and then enjoying the interactive activities that could be found every few rooms in the museum like blocks and puzzles.
After spending a morning at the museum, we had lunch by the water adjacent to a playground, and then let the kids pick out souvenirs at Sprell, the local toy store. If everyone had been feeling better we would have done more than walk by the Opera house later in the day after dinner at Kaffistova which offered our final taste of traditional Norwegian food of the trip.
Before we departed for our flight to Billund we did take the kids to Kirsebærlunden lekeplass to experience the longest slide in Norway. This playground helped get the kid’s energy out, and they enjoyed the bright colors and design of the park.
Lessons Learned:
- Sprell is an amazing toy store. It was hard to limit the kids to one item they could easily bring home. I somewhat regret not getting more plus-plus toys while there because the options were so much better than what I have been able to find back in the states.
- Despite Vivino listing a wine from Norway on their app, I could not find one despite checking multiple stores in Norway. I could find Mead, but no real wine.
- Oslo has incredible playgrounds adjacent to major tourist attractions which makes it easier to travel with younger kids who need to play between cultural activities.
- Check out my international travel check list for more travel tips.
Travel Gear:
- The travel jar of Jiff we carry came in handy when everyone hit the mid-vacation slump
- Toddler carrier
- Minu stroller
- Amazon Fire Tablets for kids
- Check out my Amazon Storefront for a full list of my product recommendations. Please know I can make a commission from products that help offset the cost of maintaining this blog.
Final Thoughts on Oslo with Kids:
In the perfect world we would have more vacation days so we could have enjoyed more of what Oslo had to offer. It felt like we had a quick introduction to a very kid-friendly city, and need to go back to experience more of their history and culture.
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