After getting off the plane in Oslo, we picked up our bags and headed straight for the Radisson Blu for check in. While Oslo Airport itself is absolutely gorgeous and ultra modern, the hotels in the area aren’t exactly that great if you look at TripAdvisor. And let’s not forget that Europe in general doesn’t have complimentary airport shuttle services from any of the self proclaimed “airport hotels.”
How I Booked This Hotel:
So when I went to book an overnight layover at Oslo, I chose the hotel closest to the airport, the Radisson Blu. While the Park Inn is also close by, it is a little farther away in terms of walking distance and not as conveniently located next to the train station that takes you into town. I used points + cash for this reservation because I had some Radisson points laying around, but the redemption didn’t really have too much value. Rates at the hotel were around $220 per night all in and I paid 20,00 points + $120 for my stay. Lately you are probably better off booking Radisson Blu hotel properties on Hotels.com and letting those nights contribute toward your rewards there (just an fyi).
Anyway the hotel is located right across from the arrivals hall at Gardermoen. You just have to walk across the street from the passenger pick up areas and walk through the covered tunnel leading to the lobby of the hotel.
Check In:
Check in at this hotel was a bit of a free for all. There was a huge tour group that was staying at the hotel, and many of the members of it just kept cutting the line. I somehow made the point that I was in front of them and made my way to the elite desk, which seemed just overwhelmed at that moment. My mom actually was a Raddison Gold member at the time so she was automatically given an upgrade to a room which was a Junior Suite, while I was just given a regular double bed room. There were no real perks for being an elite member other than this in case you were wondering. Overall, check in was fairly quick and efficient, but I didn’t find the staff at the front desk to be particularly warm or friendly.
Standard Double Room
Our room was pretty much your ‘run off the mill’ hotel room with two twin beds and a bathroom. Toiletries were “thisworks” branded and pretty much as boring as it gets with regards to soap. The accommodations were ok and mostly clean, but they weren’t really not as modern as what you would expect of Scandinavian hotels in general. It was perfectly fine for a single night stay, nothing more.
Junior Suite
My parents stayed in what I presume is a Junior Suite. Their room featured a run down sofa bed alongside some lounge chairs, and a rather large bedroom. You can clearly tell the wear and tear of the hotel room everywhere you looked and the bed itself had seen better days in general. I would certainly say that our room was better off than theirs in many ways and this was supposed to be the so called “upgrade.” The restroom in this room was pretty much identical to the one we had in our own room so there wasn’t really anything different there.
Location & Express Trains to Central Oslo
The Radisson Blu is located right across from the Oslo Airport Station and is pretty much connected to it on the backside of the hotel. The Flytoget Airport Express train runs every 30 minutes at peak hours and you can be in Oslo Central Station within 20 minutes. Prices are a bit expensive compared to local trains at $20 each way for adults and $12 each way for students, but the trains feature free Wi-Fi and are pretty darn comfortable. Children under the age of 16 travel for free as long as they are with an adult.
On this particular evening, we took the train to the Nationalthearet station, which took about 25 minutes and had dinner at Der Peppern Gror (an Indian restaurant in Central Oslo). Food was a bit expensive (as expected in Oslo), but overall it was very good. The restaurant is more of a Indian Street Food style place. In case you are wondering, I had the Vada Pav (seen below), which was very tasty but pretty much made my mouth burn (fair warning).
After dinner, we roamed around Central Oslo for a little while before catching the train back to the airport. It was getting late so there wasn’t much really to see or do in Oslo despite there being plenty of light outside.
Bottom Line:
The Radisson Blu Oslo Airport Hotel is perfectly situated for a quick overnight stay in Oslo. The proximity to both the airport train station and the terminal really make choosing this hotel a no brainer. While the rooms aren’t the greatest for a Radisson Blu or any major airport hotel for that matter. Really the perfect place to stay near Oslo Gardermoen, just don’t expect to be swimming in the lap of luxury. It goes without saying that this is well down there on my list of airport hotels. I’m going to try to stay at the Park Inn by Radisson next time to compare the two.
