Grünerløkka | Urban Oslo

Every city has its alternative districts – places which have not yet made it onto the tourist trail and where locals can still enjoy city life without trailing behind groups of people stopping and taking pictures on every street corner. For Oslo, this area is Grünerløkka.

Having said that, the former working-class district is certainly growing in popularity. Its edgy and urban atmosphere gives cool Copenhagen, or stylish Stockholm a run for their money.

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Running through Oslo is the Akerselva river, once a lifeline during the city’s industrial history, the remains of which can still be seen today. To the east of the river, nestled behind the old industrial buildings is the trendy Grünerløkka district, home to a huge selection of boutiques, vintage and second-hand outlets, cosy cafés as well as leafy parks, restaurants and bars popular with people from all across the city.

I started my visit to the area from Birkelunden, a relatively large park in the centre of the neighbourhood. It seemed this was a popular place to meet up with friends and picnic. Unfortunately, I had neither a picnic, nor any friends with me, so instead I crossed through the park and began my stroll down the main street, Thorvald Meyers Gate, which cuts straight through the district.

I soon arrived at Olaf Ryes Plass, another park, smaller than Birkelunden, but encircled by busy restaurants and, what I later found out to be, a music hall and concert venue.

Even at 5pm on a Thursday the eateries were full of people enjoying drinks with friends and gorging themselves on plates of delicious looking food. Not wishing to give into the complaints of my rumbling stomach quite yet, I continued on down the main street, peeking in to a number of shop windows as I went.

The following day I returned to Grünerlokka as I had yet to visit the ‘Mathallen’ – in other words a modern food hall – just across the Akerselva

I have to admit that at first glance I was slightly disappointed after the anticipation of visiting a Scandinavian food hall for the first time. I was expecting something a little more traditional but was met instead with an extremely modern building offering all sorts of foodstuffs and differing cuisines. However, after a short wander around, the place grew on me and I began to understand its attraction. Being someone who enjoys and appreciates a wide range of food, it was a delight to take in the sights and smells of the fresh produce and in some cases watch a number of the food hall’s chefs cooking up a storm. Unfortunately, although the food looked delicious my budget did not stretch enough to indulge in any of the food so I swiftly set off to explore the surroundings further.

A short walk from the exit on the far side of the food hall took us into an area where the streets were brightly decorated with all sorts of weird and wonderful artwork. We spent some time strolling around some of these streets such as Brenneriveien and Ingens gate, admiring the colourful works of art and peeking into the art workshops dotted along the various streets of this quarter.

It certainly gave us an alternative perspective of life in Oslo and I would definitely recommend checking out the area should you be passing through Oslo on your travels.

How to get there:

Grünerløkka is super-easy to reach by public transport as a number of trams and buses service the district from the city centre. I would recommend catching the number 12 from Aker Brugge (towards Kjelsås) and getting off either at Birkelunden or Olaf Ryes Plass.

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So what do you think of urban Oslo? Would you stop by for a wander around?

As always, let me know in the comments below!!