9 Things to Do in Oslo with Kids

If you’re up for an adrenaline-filled day out, drive up north to Vinterbro. It’s home to Tusenfryd, one of Norway’s largest amusement parks. Highlights include a collection of steel and wooden rollercoasters, such as the Thundercoaster, Speed Monster, and Loopen. The SuperSplash is a water coaster that takes you on a speedy cruise for 320 metres before plunging down into the water. The younger kids can enjoy carousels and mini Ferris wheels.

As one of Oslo’s most unique interactive museums, Popsenteret focuses on pop music. Besides showcasing the colourful history of Norwegian pop music and culture through vivid galleries, you can get into one of its recording studios where you can try hitting high notes like A-Ha’s Morten Harket and mix your vocal samplings with their preprogrammed tracks. You can even take some studio shots for your album cover. This interactive music museum is in Oslo’s hip neighbourhood of Grünerløkka.

Oslo’s museum of natural history shares the same grounds with the University of Oslo’s early 19th-century botanic gardens. Fascinating exhibits at Natural History Museum include the Tree of Life, which tells the story of life on Earth through evolution. You can see preserved specimens of Norwegian wildlife or walk under life-size European dinosaur fossils. The 150-acre botanic garden offers pleasant walks along wide pathways. These lead you past a series of willow sculptures and to 2 historical greenhouses that each display beautiful plant collections.

You and your curious kids can enjoy a full day out exploring various scientific exhibits at Norsk Teknisk Museum, or Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology. Among its fascinating permanent exhibitions are a collection of old aircraft, vintage cars, full-sized steam locomotives. Some of the vehicles, you hop into. You can play with an exhibit demonstrating how hydroelectric power works, there’s the Robot Centre where you can pick up some coding basics, and its planetarium shows you the solar system.

Oslo Summer Park is set in the forested hills of Tryvannsveien, around a half-hour drive north from Downtown Oslo. You can go mountain biking through forest trails, but the park’s main attraction is its treetop zipline course. Grown-ups can enjoy around a dozen different trails of varying difficulty levels, some with over 1,000 metres of ziplines. Tots can develop their skills at the kiddie obstacle course, complete with protective gear. 

You can include a trip to Fram Museum on your family itineraries to Oslo’s maritime museum complex on the headland of Bygdøynesveien. The Norwegian Maritime Museum and the Kon-Tiki Museum are right beside it. Inside its triangular warehouse, you’ll find Fram displayed in its full glory. The wooden polar vessel serves as a vestige of Norway’s contribution to the age of polar exploration. In galleries, you can learn about the mighty ship’s expeditions through historical photos and descriptions.

You can inspire your own kids’ artistic imaginations with the variety of paintings showcased at the International Children's Art Museum in Oslo. The art pieces are spread over several floors, with pieces in its growing collection created by none other than talented kids from around the world. Some of the best pieces are honoured as postcard prints, which you can purchase as a token of your visit. Your kids can even “contribute” by creating their own masterpieces on drawing tables provided. 

Home of the captivating Vigeland Sculpture Park, Frogner Park is Oslo’s main recreational site where you can escape the hubbubs of the city. It features lush gardens with bridges crossing over mini lakes, where locals love to go on picnics among the beautiful scenery. The sculpture park itself is at the heart of Frogner Park. This open-air gallery is dotted with the life-size creations of the late Norwegian sculptor, Gustav Vigeland. The kids can play to their heart’s content at a playground nearby, which is one of Oslo’s largest.