How do I get around Oslo?

Download Ruter before you land. The app sells every ticket you need and works as your pass on the T-bane metro, trams, buses, and harbour ferries. A single zone 1 ticket runs 40 NOK (about $4.20) and lasts 60 minutes with free transfers. The 24-hour pass at 117 NOK ($12.30) pays for itself by the third ride, and the 7-day version at 323 NOK ($33.90) is the obvious call for a longer stay. All 5 T-bane lines converge at Jernbanetorget, Stortinget, and Nationaltheatret, so the system feels simpler than the map suggests. Trains run every 5 to 10 minutes until about midnight, then every 15 to 30 minutes on night services Friday and Saturday. One thing that catches people. Paper tickets from the machine cost more than the app price, and buying on board is not an option at all. Inspectors check frequently, and the fine for no valid ticket is 1,150 NOK ($121). Not a risk worth taking.

Oslo's center is small enough to cover on foot in decent shoes. The walk from Oslo Sentralstasjon to the Royal Palace along Karl Johans gate takes about 20 minutes over flat ground, past the Oslo Cathedral (built 1697) and the National Theatre. Aker Brygge and the Bjørvika waterfront, where the Munch Museum and the Oslo Opera House (opened 2008) sit side by side, are a 10-minute walk south of the station. You can feel the harbour breeze off the Oslofjord and hear the slap of water against the pier pilings on a still morning. Grünerløkka, the neighbourhood with the best coffee and the loudest weekend brunches, is a 15-minute walk northeast from Jernbanetorget across the Akerselva river. The sound of the river running through the old mill district is the signal you are heading the right way. Frogner Park, where the Vigeland installation's 212 bronze and granite figures have stood since 1907, needs a tram or a 30-minute walk from Majorstuen.

The ferry from Aker Brygge to Bygdøy runs every 20 to 30 minutes in summer and costs a standard Ruter zone 1 fare. It drops you at the museum peninsula within a 5-minute walk of the pier, where the Fram Museum and the Kon-Tiki Museum sit close together. The ride takes about 10 minutes across cold, slate-grey water with views back to the Opera House roofline. For the Oslofjord islands, ferries to Hovedøya and Gressholmen leave from Vippetangen, near Akershus Fortress (founded 1290), and are covered by any valid Ruter ticket. Hovedøya has a ruined 12th-century Cistercian monastery and a rocky beach where locals swim in water that still feels bracing even in mid-June. Holmenkollen ski jump is a 20-minute T-bane ride on line 1 from Nationaltheatret. The station sits at the base of the hill, and the 10-minute uphill walk to the jump passes through pine forest that smells of warm resin in summer.

Uber and Bolt both operate in Oslo, but Norwegian taxi fares will sting. A 5 km ride from Jernbanetorget to Grünerløkka runs 150 to 200 NOK ($16 to $21) depending on time of day. The flagfall alone is around 50 NOK. Save ridehailing for the 2 a.m. return from a bar in Youngstorget when the T-bane night service is not running. Electric scooters from Voi and Tier line the sidewalks along Aker Brygge and Karl Johans gate at 10 NOK to unlock plus 3 NOK per minute, which adds up faster than walking. Oslo's occasional cobblestone patches around Akershus Fortress and parts of Kvadraturen make them bumpy. Mind you, in dry weather they cover the 2 km gap between Bjørvika and Aker Brygge faster than waiting for a tram. Skip the Oslo Pass for transit alone. It only saves money if you are hitting 3 or more paid museums per day.