6 hr layover in Oslo logistics questions
Nov 25, 2015, 5:14 pm
#1
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6 hr layover in Oslo logistics questions
I'm flying RIX-OSL-ARN this friday (November 27). I have 6 hours and 5 minutes stop in OSL. I'm trying to decide how/if I can visit Oslo...
I've done some homework, and found no threads that covers my situation - Cold foggy November afternoon stop with current airport situation...
Condition:
Flying Norwegian Air both legs. Arriving in OSL 14:55, and leaving for ARN 21:00. I will have a heavy but carry-on backpack. I will most likely store it at the airport if the luggage storage isn't terribly out of the way (i.e. different terminal). If necessary, I can carry it to the city and back...
Questions:
1. It is November. I expect the sky to be completely dark by 4-5pm. To make matters worse, the weather forcast is "foggy". Will I be able to see the main downtown sights (Akershus Castle/fortress, Royal Palace, roof of the Opera, other stuff on KarlJohan)
2. I'm a budget traveller. I believe the train ride from OSL - downtown is ~$11 each way, while the 'express' cost double that. How much time (transit and wait time) will the difference be?
3. Considering recent terrorism events in Europe, what is the realistic wait time for exiting the airport and checking back in?
I've done some homework, and found no threads that covers my situation - Cold foggy November afternoon stop with current airport situation...
Condition:
Flying Norwegian Air both legs. Arriving in OSL 14:55, and leaving for ARN 21:00. I will have a heavy but carry-on backpack. I will most likely store it at the airport if the luggage storage isn't terribly out of the way (i.e. different terminal). If necessary, I can carry it to the city and back...
Questions:
1. It is November. I expect the sky to be completely dark by 4-5pm. To make matters worse, the weather forcast is "foggy". Will I be able to see the main downtown sights (Akershus Castle/fortress, Royal Palace, roof of the Opera, other stuff on KarlJohan)
2. I'm a budget traveller. I believe the train ride from OSL - downtown is ~$11 each way, while the 'express' cost double that. How much time (transit and wait time) will the difference be?
3. Considering recent terrorism events in Europe, what is the realistic wait time for exiting the airport and checking back in?
Nov 25, 2015, 5:19 pm
#2
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Should be fine. Leave downtown ~1:45 before the flight and I would bet you are bored at the terminal.
Last edited by sbm12; Nov 25, 2015 at 5:34 pm
Nov 25, 2015, 7:40 pm
#3
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Depends on how foggy it really is. And what it really means is that you may not see far when you're there, but you can still see some of the stuff.
IIRC much more frequent and only 23 minutes en route. Much smarter than the express in just about every scenario IMO. It is what I've done every time. https://www.nsb.no/en/our-destinations/oslo-gardermoen
Should be fine. Leave downtown ~1:45 before the flight and I would bet you are bored at the terminal.
IIRC much more frequent and only 23 minutes en route. Much smarter than the express in just about every scenario IMO. It is what I've done every time. https://www.nsb.no/en/our-destinations/oslo-gardermoen
Should be fine. Leave downtown ~1:45 before the flight and I would bet you are bored at the terminal.
If this was my only trip to Oslo, I'd still go down for a 2-3 hour walk downtown. I'd just not expect to see a whole lot and would adjust my expectations of what I could capture with my own sorry excuse for photography.
Nov 27, 2015, 3:01 pm
#4
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Thanks for the responses. I wanted to close the loop and report back...
I am now sitting at Sky City in ARN (kinda mini-mall in between terminals) with a comfy bench and free internet.
My Norwegian flight landed about 15 minutes late. I stepped off the plane and onto the shuttle bus ~15:25. I couldn't see much, as it was already a little dark, and the ground was wet. As we got into the terminal, the exit line was really long (my flight was pretty full), so I decided to skip the trip downtown and stay air-side, enjoy the free internet and try to get on an earlier flight.
Some notes that may help others:
I booked my RIX-OSL-ARN flight by first finding it on google/flight. The actual price was actually accurate as redirected to norweigian air's website. Checkout was quick and painless. I received timely text messages regarding gate information (including changes).
As most of you know, Norwegian is a discount airline, where everything cost extra, including 1st checked luggage and seat selection, as well as onboard beverages. When I checked in at RIX, the ticket agent had no problem trying to find me a window seat (she did for both flights). Also, she even offered to check my big backpack for free, as she noticed the RIX-OSL flight was pretty full. I declined. I had no problem finding overhead space, even though I was close to last entering. People were noticeably more polite than back home in 'merica.
At OSL, there were 2 OSL-ARN flights served by Norwegian. I missed the first one, and struck-out the second one (the gate agent told me the full was completely full... not sure if true, or if I was even allowed to standby). I got on my original 9pm flight. check-in was orderly and relatively quick. We took off about 9pm (maybe 9:05...) and landed 9:50pm at Terminal 5. No immigration (both Schengen countries). Oh, there was free internet on my OSL-ARN flight. I believe there was probably free internet on the RIX flight as well, but I slept throught that one...
For those of you with a chance to visit these countries, look into the overnight cruises (especially Tallinlink) as an alternative for flying between HEL/ARN/RIX/TLL. For me, it was cheaper than a cheap 2* hotel.
I am now sitting at Sky City in ARN (kinda mini-mall in between terminals) with a comfy bench and free internet.
My Norwegian flight landed about 15 minutes late. I stepped off the plane and onto the shuttle bus ~15:25. I couldn't see much, as it was already a little dark, and the ground was wet. As we got into the terminal, the exit line was really long (my flight was pretty full), so I decided to skip the trip downtown and stay air-side, enjoy the free internet and try to get on an earlier flight.
Some notes that may help others:
I booked my RIX-OSL-ARN flight by first finding it on google/flight. The actual price was actually accurate as redirected to norweigian air's website. Checkout was quick and painless. I received timely text messages regarding gate information (including changes).
As most of you know, Norwegian is a discount airline, where everything cost extra, including 1st checked luggage and seat selection, as well as onboard beverages. When I checked in at RIX, the ticket agent had no problem trying to find me a window seat (she did for both flights). Also, she even offered to check my big backpack for free, as she noticed the RIX-OSL flight was pretty full. I declined. I had no problem finding overhead space, even though I was close to last entering. People were noticeably more polite than back home in 'merica.
At OSL, there were 2 OSL-ARN flights served by Norwegian. I missed the first one, and struck-out the second one (the gate agent told me the full was completely full... not sure if true, or if I was even allowed to standby). I got on my original 9pm flight. check-in was orderly and relatively quick. We took off about 9pm (maybe 9:05...) and landed 9:50pm at Terminal 5. No immigration (both Schengen countries). Oh, there was free internet on my OSL-ARN flight. I believe there was probably free internet on the RIX flight as well, but I slept throught that one...
For those of you with a chance to visit these countries, look into the overnight cruises (especially Tallinlink) as an alternative for flying between HEL/ARN/RIX/TLL. For me, it was cheaper than a cheap 2* hotel.