Oslo Airport Gardermoen is around 47 kilometres north of Oslo, but by train you’ll be at Oslo Central Station (Oslo S) in under half an hour. You have four realistic ways to get from Oslo Airport to the city centre: Flytoget, Vy’s regular regional trains, Flybussen and a taxi. The train is the fastest, and it leaves from the airport’s own railway station.
The hard part is choosing, because it depends on where you’re staying and whether you’re happy to pay to save a few minutes. Flytoget is the fastest and runs most often, while Vy’s regional trains take a few minutes longer and cost about half as much. Here you’ll find all the options with fares and journey times, where to get off and how to travel on around Norway straight from the airport. For the rough conversions I’ve used about £7.94 and $10.59 per 100 Norwegian kroner.
Contents
At a glance
- Flytoget: 276 NOK (about £22/$29), 19 minutes to Oslo S, departures every 10 minutes for most of the day.
- Vy regional trains: A Ruter ticket for four zones, about half the Flytoget fare, about 23 minutes to Oslo S, on average three departures an hour.
- Flybussen: 279 NOK (about £22/$29.50) online, allow 45 to 70 minutes, to Oslo Bus Terminal, Bislett and Majorstuen.
- Taxi: Price shown upfront at the booking machine, about 40 minutes to Oslo S without traffic.
Finding your transport at the airport
The railway station is easy to find. If you’re arriving from abroad, turn right when you come out of customs and follow the signs for Flytoget and the big board that counts down to the next departure. If you’ve landed on a domestic flight, take the escalator down from the arrivals hall, where an electronic board shows when the next train leaves.
Flytoget leaves from platform 3 on the other side of the ticket gates. The ticket machines are on both sides of the gates, and there’s a card reader at every gate. Vy’s regional trains also leave from the airport station, so check the departure board, and only board a Vy train if you have a Ruter ticket. Flytoget walks you through the whole way on its page about the train from the airport.
Flybussen’s ticket machines are by the information boards in the arrivals hall and outside the terminal at platform 11. The taxi rank is just outside the international arrivals hall, and next to it there’s a booking machine where you book your taxi and see the price before you set off. All the buses and trains are listed on the airport’s public transport page.
1. Flytoget to Oslo S and Nationaltheatret
Flytoget is the airport express train, and it’s my first choice from Gardermoen. The train runs via Lillestrøm to Oslo S in 19 minutes and continues through the city to Nationaltheatret, Skøyen, Lysaker, Stabekk, Sandvika, Asker and Drammen. The journey to Skøyen takes 29 minutes. There’s plenty of room, free Wi-Fi and power sockets, and every train has a carriage with straps for pushchairs.
Trains run every 10 minutes for most of the day. Early in the morning, late in the evening, at weekends and during the school holidays there are fewer departures, according to VisitOslo. The pitfall is Nationaltheatret: not every train goes there, so if that’s where you’re getting off, take a train terminating at Drammen or Stabekk. All trains stop at Oslo S.
Flytoget suits most travellers, especially if you’re staying in the centre, in Bjørvika or on the west side around Aker Brygge and Frogner. It’s more expensive than the regional train, but you get the most departures and rarely have to wait more than ten minutes.
Fares and tickets
An adult ticket costs 276 NOK (about £22/$29) to Oslo S, and the same to Nationaltheatret, Skøyen, Lysaker and Stabekk. To Lillestrøm it’s 218 NOK (about £17.50/$23), and all the way to Drammen 342 NOK (about £27/$36). Young people aged 16 to 20, students and travellers over 67 pay half price with valid ID, which means 138 NOK (about £11/$14.50) to Oslo S.
If you’re travelling with children, Flytoget is a good deal. All children under 16 travel free and don’t need a ticket when they’re travelling with someone over 16. The staff let them through the gates at the airport. The rules are on Flytoget’s page about travelling with children.
You can buy your ticket in the Flytoget app, online, from the ticket machines, which take both cash and cards, or simply pay with your bank card at the gate. Tickets are valid for 90 days, so you can buy your return journey straight away. A Flytoget ticket is only valid on Flytoget and not for changing to buses, trams or the T-bane (Oslo’s metro), and the Oslo Pass doesn’t cover Flytoget. You’ll find the fares on the Flytoget website.
Pay by card at the gate
The easiest way is to pay by card. At the airport, tap your card on the reader at the gates and choose the station you’re going to. Then you’re done, and you don’t need to do anything when you get off. On the way out to the airport, tap your card on the reader before you board, and again with the same card at the gates at the airport so you can get out.
If you’re a student or over 67, you’ll need to create a profile on Min side, Flytoget’s customer page, and register your card with your discount type to get half price when you pay by card. This is also where you can have your receipts sent to you automatically. Read more about paying by card on Flytoget.
Where to get off
Oslo S: The city’s main station is on Jernbanetorget at the eastern end of Karl Johans gate. From here you can walk to the hotels in the centre, and it’s only a few minutes on foot to Bjørvika with the Opera House and MUNCH. The T-bane runs beneath Jernbanetorget, and trams from here run towards Grünerløkka, among other places. If you’d like to stay right by the station, you can see hotels near Oslo S here.
Nationaltheatret: This station on the west side of the centre has three exits. From here you can walk down to Aker Brygge and Tjuvholmen by the water, and the T-bane or a tram takes you on to Frogner and Majorstuen. Many of the city’s sights are within walking distance, and you’ll find them in my guide to things to do in Oslo.
Skøyen: The third stop in the city, 29 minutes from the airport. Get off here if you’re staying or working in western Oslo around Skøyen.
2. Vy regional trains to Oslo S
The regular train is the smart choice if you want to save money. All of Vy’s regional trains on the Skien, Oslo, Lillehammer and Trondheim line run via the airport, and so do the local trains between Kongsberg and Eidsvoll. According to Vy, the regional train takes about 23 minutes to Oslo S. That’s only 3 to 4 minutes longer than Flytoget, but it usually costs about half as much.
There are on average three trains an hour between the airport and Oslo, so you might have to wait a bit longer than for Flytoget if you’ve just missed one. It’s worth checking the next departure in the Ruter app while you’re waiting for your luggage. Trains towards Skien continue through Oslo after Oslo S, so they also work if you’re heading further west. You’ll find the timetable and fares on the Vy website.
The regional train suits budget travellers and anyone with an Oslo Pass, because the pass is valid on Vy trains along the whole line between Oslo and the airport. The pitfall is the other way round: if you board Flytoget with a Ruter ticket, you don’t have a valid ticket, because Ruter tickets aren’t valid on Flytoget at all.
Fares and tickets
Vy trains in Oslo and Akershus use Ruter tickets, and to the airport you need a ticket for four zones. You can see the price in the Ruter app before you buy. A single ticket is valid for 60 minutes for one zone and 30 minutes more for each extra zone, and you can change along the way as long as the ticket is valid. So with a four-zone ticket you can change to the T-bane or a tram at Oslo S and ride the last stretch to your hotel without buying a new ticket.
For comparison, a single ticket in zone 1 within the city costs 46 NOK (about £3.70/$4.90) for adults, 19 NOK (about £1.50/$2) for children aged 6 to 17 and 23 NOK (about £1.85/$2.40) for travellers over 67. Children under 6 travel free. There’s no student discount on single tickets. You can buy your ticket in the Ruter app, in the Vy app or from Entur’s ticket machines, and you can also get paper tickets at Narvesen and 7-Eleven. The rules for single tickets are on the Ruter website.
3. Flybussen to Oslo Bus Terminal, Bislett and Majorstuen
Flybussen Connect runs three routes from the airport into Oslo. FB5 runs via Helsfyr, Grønland and Oslo Bus Terminal to Bislett and Radisson Blu Scandinavia, FB1 runs via Storo, Torshov and Bislett to Majorstuen, and FB3 runs via Økern, Storo and Tåsen to Smestad and Radiumhospitalet. Vy reckons on 45 to 70 minutes by bus between the airport and the city, depending on traffic and the route.
An adult ticket costs 279 NOK (about £22/$29.50) when you buy it online, and a little more on board. Students and travellers over 67 pay 174 NOK (about £14/$18.50), up to two children aged 6 to 17 travel free with a paying adult, and children under 6 always travel free. The bus doesn’t take cash, but you can pay contactless with the driver, at the ticket machines and in the Entur app. The ticket can be used up to 12 hours before or after the time shown on it, and on all the routes. You’ll find the fares on the Connect Bus website.
To be honest, Flybussen costs the same as Flytoget and takes longer, so it only makes sense if your hotel is near one of its stops, for example at Bislett or Majorstuen. If you have a 24-hour or 7-day Ruter ticket that covers all the zones on the journey, it’s also valid on Flybussen. If you buy a single ticket on board, you get a free transfer to Ruter’s buses, trams and T-bane. The rules are on Flybussen’s ticket page.
4. Taxi
The taxis wait just outside the international arrivals hall. Use the booking machine at the rank, where you can compare prices from several companies to most addresses in Eastern Norway. The car usually arrives within three to five minutes. You can also book in a taxi company’s own app or in the Vy app. The price depends on the time of day, the number of passengers and the address.
The airport advises against getting into a taxi you haven’t booked first, and against agreeing a price directly with a driver inside or outside the terminal. The driver must tell you the price before the journey starts. The trip to Oslo S takes about 40 minutes, and longer in heavy traffic. Read more on the airport’s taxi page.
A taxi is slower than the train and usually much more expensive. It makes most sense for four adults with lots of luggage. Four Flytoget tickets cost 1,104 NOK (about £88/$117), so compare that with the price on the machine before you decide.
Private transfer
If you’re landing late with children, or you’d like a driver waiting for you, you can book a private transfer from Oslo Airport here. The price covers up to three people and is agreed in advance, and the transfer must be booked at least 10 hours ahead.
Onward travel around Norway straight from the airport
If you’re not heading into Oslo, you can often travel straight on. Trains on the line towards Lillehammer and Trondheim run via the airport, so you don’t need to go into Oslo S first. If you’d like your ticket for a long train journey sorted in advance, you can buy train tickets from Omio here. Flytoget also runs directly west to Sandvika, Asker and Drammen.
There are also long-distance coaches straight from the airport. Vy Ekspress runs to Volda, Måløy and Førde in Western Norway, Valdresekspressen and Trysilekspressen head inland, and Vy’s airport bus FB11 runs to Fredrikstad via Sarpsborg. All the connections are listed on the airport’s Norwegian page about public transport.
Getting back to the airport
Flytoget is also the easiest way back, and from Oslo S it runs every 10 minutes for most of the day. Remember to tap your card on the reader before you board, and again at the gates at the airport. On board you can print baggage tags with Flytag, so you can skip the queue at bag drop. Check on Flytoget’s website whether this works for your airline.
If you’re catching an early flight, check the first departures the evening before in the Flytoget app or the Ruter app, because fewer trains run early in the morning. Several airlines recommend being at the airport at least two hours before departure. Vy has a travel guarantee: if your train is at least 30 minutes late, and you’d planned to be at the airport no later than 30 minutes before check-in closes, Vy covers a new flight ticket.
If you’re short on time on your last day and would rather be driven to the terminal, you can book a private transfer from the city centre to the airport here.
If someone’s dropping you off, it’s free to stop for up to 7 minutes at Kiss&Fly right by the terminal. After that it costs 70 NOK (about £5.60/$7.40) for every 20 minutes or part thereof, so if you need a longer goodbye, the short-stay car park next door is the better choice. The rules are on the airport’s Kiss&Fly page.
Which option should you choose?
Here’s what I’d recommend, depending on where you’re staying. The areas are the same as in my guide to where to stay in Oslo:
Sentrum and Karl Johans gate: Take Flytoget to Oslo S, or to Nationaltheatret if your hotel is at the western end of Karl Johans gate. If you’d like to save money, Vy’s regional train to Oslo S is almost as fast.
Bjørvika: Take Flytoget or the regional train to Oslo S, and walk the few minutes down to the water by the Opera House.
Aker Brygge and Tjuvholmen: Take a Flytoget train towards Drammen or Stabekk to Nationaltheatret, and walk down to the harbour.
Grünerløkka: Take the train to Oslo S and the tram from there. With the regional train and a four-zone Ruter ticket, the tram is already paid for as long as the ticket is valid.
Frogner and Majorstuen: Take Flytoget to Nationaltheatret and the T-bane or a tram from there. If you’re staying close to Majorstuen, Flybussen FB1 goes all the way there.
Landing late in the evening: Check the next Flytoget departure before you leave the terminal, because fewer trains run late in the evening. If there are none left, a taxi booked at the machine is the safe choice.
Travelling with children: Take Flytoget. Children under 16 travel free with an adult, so it’s often cheaper than both the bus and a taxi.
Four adults with lots of luggage: Compare the price on the taxi machine with four Flytoget tickets. If the difference is small, the taxi takes you right to the door.
Practical tips for getting from Oslo Airport Gardermoen to the city centre
Don’t buy a Ruter ticket for Flytoget. Ruter tickets are valid on Vy trains and fully or partly on Flybussen, but never on Flytoget, not even period passes for all zones.
Use the same card all the way. If you pay by card on Flytoget on the way to the airport, you need to use the same card at the gates at the airport to get out.
Buy your Flybussen ticket online. It’s cheapest on flybussen.no and costs more on board.
Download the Ruter app before you land. You can use it to buy tickets for the regional train, the T-bane, trams and buses, and to see the next departures.
Choose your hotel with the connection in mind. If you stay near Oslo S, both Flytoget and the regional train stop right on your doorstep, and you can see hotels near Oslo S here. Flybussen FB1 stops at Majorstuen, and the T-bane runs from there into the centre, so you can see hotels near Majorstuen here. If you’d like to stay in Grünerløkka, a tram ride from Oslo S, you can see hotels in Grünerløkka here.
If you’re not sure which neighbourhood suits you, read my guide to where to stay in Oslo, and find ideas for your trip in my guide to things to do in Oslo. If your trip continues to Sweden, I’ve also written a guide to getting from Arlanda Airport to Stockholm.
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