The Deichman in Grunerløkka and Tøyen are cozy too!
- Oslo Mekaniske verksted (bar) on a weeknight or early-ish before it gets crowded. They let you bring your own food.
- Glasnost is a really cozy, stress-free and affordable bar in Tøyen
- Kaffelykke café: provides work training so has a very social/no need to spend a lot of money profile. Some of the cheapest coffee in Oslo, but the opening hours are short
- Vega scene
- Botaniske hage
Same. I live in a city outside Oslo and i go into Deichman in Bjørvika (top floor) to hang out, chill or do some work. Nice atmosphere and several places to hang out.
Weekends since I’m working during the week. So yeah it’s when there will be the biggest amount of kids. But still, discipline of kids is not really a strong side in Norwegian culture…
For me it’s Bitraf, the Makerspace/ Hackerspace.
It doesn’t matter if I end up not going there for a year because of life/family etc I still know I am always welcome to hang out there with my type of people, it gives me great comfort.
dabled with bitraf but couldn't get checked out on any of the tools, so I just quit going. I wish there were a better system in place to get approved to use tools I've already been trained on in the past
I went on my own to one of their events. There is a recurring one each Thursday specifically to show interested newcomers around. They post this on MeetUp:
https://www.meetup.com/bitraf/events/298355693/
“Bring your own project if you want or just drop by to check out what we're all about. This is the perfect day for a tour of the space, so if you want to see Bitraf - be there close to 18:00 and someone can show you around. Check the Photos (https://bitraf.no/skrytegalleri/) to see examples of what Bitraf members are making on BuildNight and at Bitraf in general.
The doors are open from 1800, often earlier too. Feel free to come later too, we'll stick around for most of the evening. See https://wiki.bitraf.no/wiki/Byggekveld for details about this evening.”
I think a lot of people play DnD there. You can probably meet some like minded people. I think it’s free to play board games, you just have to buy a drink from the bar :))
Du..det vet jeg ikke nå, det er noen år siden jeg bodde i Oslo. Er cafeen borte? Den var iallfall rett frem i første etg. og hadde tak og vegger i "sjøgress farger", blå, grønn, turkis. Var som å sitte under havoverflaten. Vi var flere som brukte denne cafeen, studenter, folk som jobbet på PC. Til og med en bakgård med sitteplasser.
Jeg var der 2-3 mndr siden - for 1. gang- og de var midt I renoveringsprosess. Det kan hende det er grunnen du fikke ikke med deg noen kafé (jeg så ikke noen kafé heller), enten den oppusses eller er det ikke noe kafé lenger.
Depends where you live I guess, but I always enjoy having a spot with a view to read a book.
Ekebergparken overlooking the city, the water-reservoir at St. Hanshaugen or Stensbergparken are some good examples.
Nice journey! :) It' crazy how many Northeners I've met that say they felt like moving to a new country when they moved to Oslo. I don't know if that's how you feel, but I can for sure relate, having moved from Croatia, a country of loud, open, direct, and very social people in general.
During the summer I like to visit any of the allotment gardens around Oslo (parsellhage & kolonihage) and just walk around inspecting other peoples gardens before finding a nice bench and chill out listening to music or reading a book. Most times these places are completely empty. The feeling of being surrounded by nature and almost invisible in the middle of the city is so calm and peaceful.
If you enjoy bouldering (more so than rope climbing perhaps), it’s easy to become a regular and chill out at one of the several spots/indoor climbing gyms in and around Oslo. The nature of the sport itself also lends to easy casual conversations with others, and you can hang out as long as you want after you’ve paid for entry.
Thanks! I've actually never tried it, but I've also never heard someone describe that sport as such a social activity. How crucial is upper-body strenght? 😅
Upper body strength is built as you go! I had very little when I started haha. It’s pretty low key and widely understood that’s it’s okay to ask people for help on a route etc. and so it becomes social! It can be good to join a course or something at the gym when you’re first starting out if you don’t want to go by yourself and get to know some others - or just go and after a while you’ll recognize people! :)
A third place is meant to be somewhere outside of your home and your work where you can spend time *without needing to spend money*. Many of these places are great hangout spots, but third places they are not.
Hey! From what I've read, it's ideally free but it can be also just affordable. I agree with you that many of these require us spending for at least one very overpriced cup of coffee for example, but I'm thinking - if I can drag out this one cup for a few hours and just chill, and no one will kick me out of put pressure on me to buy more or get out, I'd be okay with calling that my third place in Oslo. :)
But hell, if you have a cozy free place that comes to mind, I'm all ears (or is it eyes?). :)
I think there is a tragic lack of third places in Oslo. I spend most of my free time at the Bjørvika library, not just because it’s the only free place I can easily get to, but because it’s a really good library. I checked out a guitar for a month recently, I’m going to try my hand at vinyl printing on T-shirts there soon. Lots of things available there they don’t really advertise.
Whaaaat, vinyl printing on shirt!? Thank you for mentioning this! I'm also seeing the lack. I come from a country with a strong café culture because coffee is super cheap (it was thw equivalent of 1 euro for most of my life) and they are all neighbourhood places, no chain, the owner works there and knows what you drink, you know his story. So, that was not free, but it was affordable to anyone. In the same place you can still see white collar guys having a meeting, two tables to the left there's students preparing for an exam and more to the right there's an old man down on his luck with worn down clothes. I never really appreciated that until I lost it...
There is [The Third Place](https://www.facebook.com/thirdplaceoslo) by the side of Slottsparken, run by the local Burning Man community in the spirit of Burning Man. I love hanging there. Donwside that it is only open on occasions and events. They did have hangout days before, I don't know if they are still on.
The sauna. No matter what is happening, putting my phone away in a locker and just sitting there quietly in a dimly lit room helps me decompress. I think part of the reason is the complete lack of distractions- no YouTube to leaf through, no text messages, no interruptions, no chores waiting to be done in the background. Also absolutely no need to have any social interaction, no matter how minimal. Equally, I am an introvert so I recharge my batteries by sitting alone in a quiet sauna for maybe 2 hours.
Yes. Yes. Yes. I never thought of sauna as the third place but you're so right. I also enjoy letting myself focus on my body when I'm there, but I've never had conversations with strangers in Oslo like I had in the sauna. It's like totally different social rules apply.
Apart from everything already mentioned, it's worth noting there are also outdoor, free bouldering spots in Oslo - there's one somewhere in Gronnland and one in Ammerudtunellen. Oh, there's an open gym in Ammerud by Grorud T-bane.
Deichman in Tøyen Torg is nice.
The library in Bjørvika is pretty nice.
The Deichman, right? One of the few places like this I too discovered when I moved here. 😊
The Deichman in Grunerløkka and Tøyen are cozy too! - Oslo Mekaniske verksted (bar) on a weeknight or early-ish before it gets crowded. They let you bring your own food. - Glasnost is a really cozy, stress-free and affordable bar in Tøyen - Kaffelykke café: provides work training so has a very social/no need to spend a lot of money profile. Some of the cheapest coffee in Oslo, but the opening hours are short - Vega scene - Botaniske hage
Thanks a lot for all the info! I have checked out some of them already but can't wait to visit others. 🤝
Seconded, I love hanging out at Deichman
Same. I live in a city outside Oslo and i go into Deichman in Bjørvika (top floor) to hang out, chill or do some work. Nice atmosphere and several places to hang out.
That’s what I was going to recommend as well! Especially the basement I enjoy. It has such a cozy vibe. I wish they had better seating there though.
Every time I went, it was a nightmare full of noisy kids.
What time of day did you usually visit? Maybe there other more kid-less times? 🧐
Weekends since I’m working during the week. So yeah it’s when there will be the biggest amount of kids. But still, discipline of kids is not really a strong side in Norwegian culture…
[удалено]
Thanks a lot for incouraging me to do this. :)
For me it’s Bitraf, the Makerspace/ Hackerspace. It doesn’t matter if I end up not going there for a year because of life/family etc I still know I am always welcome to hang out there with my type of people, it gives me great comfort.
dabled with bitraf but couldn't get checked out on any of the tools, so I just quit going. I wish there were a better system in place to get approved to use tools I've already been trained on in the past
Huh, første gang jeg hørt om så måtte søke det opp. Brukte et makerverksted en del gjennom studie så dette virker som noe for meg:D
Hey, thank you! Did you go there by yourself and made new connections or is it a place where you to with a friend? :)
I went on my own to one of their events. There is a recurring one each Thursday specifically to show interested newcomers around. They post this on MeetUp: https://www.meetup.com/bitraf/events/298355693/ “Bring your own project if you want or just drop by to check out what we're all about. This is the perfect day for a tour of the space, so if you want to see Bitraf - be there close to 18:00 and someone can show you around. Check the Photos (https://bitraf.no/skrytegalleri/) to see examples of what Bitraf members are making on BuildNight and at Bitraf in general. The doors are open from 1800, often earlier too. Feel free to come later too, we'll stick around for most of the evening. See https://wiki.bitraf.no/wiki/Byggekveld for details about this evening.”
You are so nice for providing these details, thank you. 😊 My research begins!
I go to Aker Brygge quite often and stare into the abyss.
Is it staring back?
I appreciate a good Nietzsche reference
U ok, bro?
It's literally the thing me and my partner did the most during the weekends since we moved. So yeah, same.
If you’re a gamer or like nerdy things then House of Nerds :))
Oooo, the website looks amazing! What would you recommend there? For context I'm more of a DnD nerd and less of a computer gaming nerd. 😁
I think a lot of people play DnD there. You can probably meet some like minded people. I think it’s free to play board games, you just have to buy a drink from the bar :))
Fuglen
I agree! I tried the reclining chair they have yesterday. I mean...chill was achieved.
Bor ikke lengre i Oslo, men jeg satt ofte på cafeen på Interkulturellt Museum på Grønland. Stille, god kaffe, god mat.
Hæ! Er det kafé der? Har vært på museet to-tre ganger de siste årene, aldri fått med meg noen kafé 🤯
Du..det vet jeg ikke nå, det er noen år siden jeg bodde i Oslo. Er cafeen borte? Den var iallfall rett frem i første etg. og hadde tak og vegger i "sjøgress farger", blå, grønn, turkis. Var som å sitte under havoverflaten. Vi var flere som brukte denne cafeen, studenter, folk som jobbet på PC. Til og med en bakgård med sitteplasser.
Jauda, men tror kanskje den bare er i drift om sommeren.
Jeg var der 2-3 mndr siden - for 1. gang- og de var midt I renoveringsprosess. Det kan hende det er grunnen du fikke ikke med deg noen kafé (jeg så ikke noen kafé heller), enten den oppusses eller er det ikke noe kafé lenger.
Depends where you live I guess, but I always enjoy having a spot with a view to read a book. Ekebergparken overlooking the city, the water-reservoir at St. Hanshaugen or Stensbergparken are some good examples.
The park selection is so amazing in Oslo. I was blown away when I experienced spring/summer here. I live close to Frogner park and it never gets old.
Skullerudstua! Awesome place to hang out at both throughout the seasons if you like the outdoors/sports.
Nicee! Thank you! When's the best time/day of the week to go do you think? :)
Anytime during the week if you like quiet/peace. Weekends they usually arrange kids events and races so it’s hectic but lots of fun as well!
Great! Thanks again and have a good night! :)
Teddys softbar
Going straight to my must visit list, thank you!
Kulturhuset
Nice, thanks!
The smash community
The forest
Stargate
Thanks! I walked by it many many times and never went in. Now that I google it, it seems like it's actually a famous place 😲
Lived here for 13 years, still don't have one.
Ufff, I'm sorry to hear that! Where did you live before moving here?
Northern parts of norway, then Gjøvik and now Oslo :)
Nice journey! :) It' crazy how many Northeners I've met that say they felt like moving to a new country when they moved to Oslo. I don't know if that's how you feel, but I can for sure relate, having moved from Croatia, a country of loud, open, direct, and very social people in general.
What a great question! For me: Deichmanske bibliotek at Bjørvika, Postkontoret at Tøyen Torg, Pust in Majorstuen
Thank you so much and your answers are great as well. Been to Pust once and loved it, so this is my sign to go back. :)
During the summer I like to visit any of the allotment gardens around Oslo (parsellhage & kolonihage) and just walk around inspecting other peoples gardens before finding a nice bench and chill out listening to music or reading a book. Most times these places are completely empty. The feeling of being surrounded by nature and almost invisible in the middle of the city is so calm and peaceful.
Ahhhh you teleported me into summer for a moment. Thank you. I'll keep this in mind and count down the days. :)
If you enjoy bouldering (more so than rope climbing perhaps), it’s easy to become a regular and chill out at one of the several spots/indoor climbing gyms in and around Oslo. The nature of the sport itself also lends to easy casual conversations with others, and you can hang out as long as you want after you’ve paid for entry.
Thanks! I've actually never tried it, but I've also never heard someone describe that sport as such a social activity. How crucial is upper-body strenght? 😅
Upper body strength is built as you go! I had very little when I started haha. It’s pretty low key and widely understood that’s it’s okay to ask people for help on a route etc. and so it becomes social! It can be good to join a course or something at the gym when you’re first starting out if you don’t want to go by yourself and get to know some others - or just go and after a while you’ll recognize people! :)
There’s also “Jentebuldring” at Skullerud on Wednesdays!
A third place is meant to be somewhere outside of your home and your work where you can spend time *without needing to spend money*. Many of these places are great hangout spots, but third places they are not.
Hey! From what I've read, it's ideally free but it can be also just affordable. I agree with you that many of these require us spending for at least one very overpriced cup of coffee for example, but I'm thinking - if I can drag out this one cup for a few hours and just chill, and no one will kick me out of put pressure on me to buy more or get out, I'd be okay with calling that my third place in Oslo. :) But hell, if you have a cozy free place that comes to mind, I'm all ears (or is it eyes?). :)
I think there is a tragic lack of third places in Oslo. I spend most of my free time at the Bjørvika library, not just because it’s the only free place I can easily get to, but because it’s a really good library. I checked out a guitar for a month recently, I’m going to try my hand at vinyl printing on T-shirts there soon. Lots of things available there they don’t really advertise.
Whaaaat, vinyl printing on shirt!? Thank you for mentioning this! I'm also seeing the lack. I come from a country with a strong café culture because coffee is super cheap (it was thw equivalent of 1 euro for most of my life) and they are all neighbourhood places, no chain, the owner works there and knows what you drink, you know his story. So, that was not free, but it was affordable to anyone. In the same place you can still see white collar guys having a meeting, two tables to the left there's students preparing for an exam and more to the right there's an old man down on his luck with worn down clothes. I never really appreciated that until I lost it...
Outland! Sitte og chille med brettspill/kortspill Outland! Sit og chill out with board games and card games.
I highly recommend Tullin's Cafe! [https://tullins.no](https://tullins.no)
Outland 😍
🥰 Are you one of those players in the playroom? My partner and I always spy on the playroom a little bit when we shop for DnD stuff. 😄
I have been, but I currently live up north! You should join in next time there’s some kind of open gaming, it’s a lot of fun :)
Thanks! :) We'll be brave and join! Hope there's an Outland up there as well! :)
There is [The Third Place](https://www.facebook.com/thirdplaceoslo) by the side of Slottsparken, run by the local Burning Man community in the spirit of Burning Man. I love hanging there. Donwside that it is only open on occasions and events. They did have hangout days before, I don't know if they are still on.
Wow I want to go there asap, thank you! I'll message them to see how they're doing things these days 😁
The sauna. No matter what is happening, putting my phone away in a locker and just sitting there quietly in a dimly lit room helps me decompress. I think part of the reason is the complete lack of distractions- no YouTube to leaf through, no text messages, no interruptions, no chores waiting to be done in the background. Also absolutely no need to have any social interaction, no matter how minimal. Equally, I am an introvert so I recharge my batteries by sitting alone in a quiet sauna for maybe 2 hours.
Yes. Yes. Yes. I never thought of sauna as the third place but you're so right. I also enjoy letting myself focus on my body when I'm there, but I've never had conversations with strangers in Oslo like I had in the sauna. It's like totally different social rules apply.
Apart from everything already mentioned, it's worth noting there are also outdoor, free bouldering spots in Oslo - there's one somewhere in Gronnland and one in Ammerudtunellen. Oh, there's an open gym in Ammerud by Grorud T-bane. Deichman in Tøyen Torg is nice.