Oslo is a walking city. Give it a full day on foot and it opens up: coffee people fly in for, side streets the maps skip, the Royal Palace at the top of the hill, and second hand racks worth crossing town for. This is the route we send friends on when they visit. Start at Oslo S, finish with dinner on Grünerløkka, and let the city set the pace.
Start with a Fuglen coffee at Byens Gulv
From Oslo S, walk into Folketeaterpassasjen and find Byens Gulv. It is the kind of room locals keep to themselves, a warm counter with coffee from Fuglen, the Oslo roaster people genuinely travel for.
Order a proper breakfast and a flat white, and take your time. The rest of the morning is downhill from here, mostly.
Walk Torggata to Stortinget
Head up Torggata, one of the best streets in the city for browsing, toward Stortorvet and the cathedral. From the square, turn up Grensen and loop back down Lille Grensen, a short stretch that is easy to miss and worth the detour.
Grensen brings you out at Stortinget, the Norwegian parliament. Stop for a photo out front. Look down the avenue and you will see the Royal Palace at the top of the hill. That is roughly where you are headed next.
Two Cirkulær stops near Karl Johan
Walk toward the Palace along Karl Johan and step into Paleet, the covered arcade. Inside is Cirkulær Paleet, our curated second hand store. Have a proper look, because every piece is one of a kind and the racks change daily.
From Paleet, cut straight through Norli, the bookshop that connects the arcade to Universitetsgata. A few steps on you reach Cirkulær Universitetsgata, our flagship and the first store we ever opened.
Lunch at Kafeteria August
By now you have earned lunch. Kafeteria August is a short walk away, with simple, good food and a room you settle into. Sit down, eat well, and plan the afternoon.
Tram 19 to Hegdehaugsveien
After lunch, walk to Tullinløkka and take tram 19 toward Majorstuen. Get off at Homansbyen. A minute from the stop is Cirkulær Hegdehaugsveien, on one of the best shopping streets in the city. It is the last Cirkulær stop of the day, and often the one people leave with the most.
Dinner on Grünerløkka
Head home, drop your bags, and change for dinner. Tonight you are eating at Jimmi's on Grünerløkka, across the river on the east side, where the city loosens up and the evening is just getting going.
That is Oslo on foot: coffee worth the trip, a parliament and a palace, three second hand stores, and dinner across the river. Do it slowly. The city rewards it.