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
Outside the Pot
A little outside the center lie some of our favourite detours – not really detours, but we call them that, because detours are good for the brain, you know. The places mentioned in this text don’t belong to any single district, no – here we’ve gathered several spots found OUTSIDE the city core, some of them out in the forest!
Have you ever tried hopping on the metro and riding it from one end to the other? If not, now’s the time? When my husband was on parental leave with our eldest daughter, he made it his mission to discover a new district every week – including the ones outside the pot.
So, tuck Lysløypa into your pocket and cast off:
Head up to Sognsvann and top off the trip with something good at Sognsvannskiosken, right by the barrier – waffles, hot cocoa, and a well-earned break after your run. In Økern you’ll find a branch of Hakone, named after the Japanese town with hot springs and views of Mount Fuji. And out in Groruddalen lie two places that share a car park and a shared wish to care for nature: at Oslo Klatrepark you climb from tree to tree without a single hole drilled into them, and right next door sits Kafeen på Bånkall Gård, where seasonal produce from their own farm becomes delicious dishes on the menu, set on an old farmyard. We recommend climbing first, and visiting the café afterwards – as a treat! Further towards Oppsal you can dock at Østensjø Havn for pizza and a cold beer with a view over the marina, and if you continue even further out towards Nøklevann, Rustadsaga Sportsstue awaits with slow-fermented buns and hot cocoa – all these places confirm that it’s good to get out of the city pot more often than you’d think.
Everyone mentioned here is in Lysløypa, so don’t forget your book!
And while we’re on the subject of detours, and everything that lies outside the pot, we simply have to put in a good word for Marka. MARKA! Because Oslo is more blessed than we realise, since RIGHT outside the city lies the forest too!
Miles of ski trails, little hilltops where you can look down at the blinking lights and think: down there, they’re working overtime and sitting in meetings, up here I’m just drinking coffee with nowhere to be. Or you can pitch a tent five kilometres from home, get up early, and head straight to the office. It’s entirely doable. You can do it, because you live in Oslo, and Oslo is, by golly, a green capital. You can cycle yourself lost on gravel roads in the forest, you can paddle a canoe on still water, you can go on a date on a hilltop, you can climb deciduous trees, light a bonfire, and watch anthills. Just be. Recharge, maybe. Unwind. Run your first mile, or your thousandth.
Marka just lies here, like an old friend saying: well, is that you? How lovely. Sit down here for a while.
Because know this: the forest is your friend <3
Want to discover the other districts of Oslo?
Explore the district Frogner in Oslo with Lysløypa 2027!
Explore the district Grünerløkka 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!
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!
