Explore Oslo's most distinctive neighborhoods with Lysløypa as your guide. Inside the book, you'll find curated walking routes that lead you through independent shops, cafés, bars, cultural spaces, and community initiatives across the city. Carry the book in one hand and bring a friend, a grandmother, or a partner in the other—or set out solo. Discover local businesses, inspiring people, and the vibrant grassroots culture that makes Oslo unique.
Text: Ida Frisch & Christina Skreiberg
Illustrations: Siri Marki
Grünerløkka
Løkka, the neighbourhood travel giants like Lonely Planet or The New York Times love to describe as Oslo’s more artsy, alternative area. We can still remember our younger years in the capital, when small bars lured us in with dancy rhythms, affordable beer, and after-parties at strangers’ places.
Løkka is constantly being taken over by each new season’s newcomers, students and young professionals, and we love how this rotation of people, eras and vintage makes the neighbourhood both a cliché and a caramel treat, all at once.
Indulge shamelessly! With Lysløypa! Start the day at Hakone for great coffee and tempting pastries – we recommend the croissant with pistachio cream, just like you’d get it in Sicily! Hungry? Sit yourself down at Bønder i Byen and eat your way through both the lunch and evening menus – the cheeses from the royal cows at Bygdøy Kongsgård are nothing to sneeze at. Need another coffee break? Kuro on Rathkes gate serves minimalist coffee at its very finest, often with a small concert thrown in, plus a lovely clothing shop in the same space. Fancy something sweet and fresh? Head to Sunt og Godt Løkka, a little jungle of a café with rawcake and smoothie bowls that do the trick. Craving culture in the evening? Black Box is the place – the fantastic theatre in Rodeløkka where you never quite know what you’ll get: dance, performance, a play, plus its own bar and bookshop. And when night falls, it’s all about pizza – Vespa og Humla on Københavnsgata serves Neapolitan deep-dish pizza Thursday through Saturday, with Moroccan tiles and a «dolce far niente» mood thrown in for free. These places are in Lysløypa, so don’t forget your book!
And we’re not done yet – here’s a whole heap more we can’t help but recommend, these aren’t part of this year’s Lysløypa, but we love them just as wholeheartedly: kiss someone by the reflecting pool at Birkelunden, buy flowers for your date at Carousel. Swoon. Or fancy a new vintage dress? Visit Frøken Dianas Salonger! Further down the street you’ll find Skaperverket Designkollektiv, a gift shop where you can buy treasures made by local artists and designers. Or find your way to one of the many bars that pop up in the most unexpected places. Like St. Pauli Biergarten – head uphill for this one – tucked right beneath the old people’s home. It’s open in summer, and that means elderly folks with walking frames, babies in prams, and grown-ups in the thick of life all sharing tables together.
Feel free to take on Løkka by bike, wheelchair, or scooter, so you can zip up and down the side streets and soak in a truly vibrant, scruffy and hip part of our city. Fall in love on Løkka!
Want to discover the other districts of Oslo?
Explore the district Frogner in Oslo with Lysløypa 2027!
Explore the district Oslo City Center in Oslo with Lysløypa 2027!
Explore the district St. Hanshaugen in Oslo with Lysløypa 2027!
Explore the district Sagene in Oslo with Lysløypa 2027!
Explore the district Gamle Oslo with Lysløypa 2027!
Explore Marka and the neighbourhoods outside the city center with Lysløypa 2027!
Looking for great tips on independent and unique places in Oslo? Get yourself a copy of Lysløypa 2027! The book gives you discounts at selected spots. Think global, shop local!
