Scandic Byporten

The hotel stands in a perfect place, Near the station, an easy pace, The waterfront, the opera grand, And Munch’s art close at hand. The metro hums, the trams do glide, Our cozy room, though small inside, Could use a touch of fresh repair, But warmth and comfort lingered there. The lobby's charm, a quiet nest, Where in the evenings we would rest, With space to talk, and time to spare, A peaceful vibe hung in the air. Each morning brought a splendid spread, With treats and flavors widely fed, The staff, with kindness, led the way, Their smiles brightened every day. For those who seek to roam and see, This spot’s as perfect as can be, A haven while you tour the town, A place that never lets you down.

Such a convenient location for a short stay in Oslo. It’s literally attached to the central train station’s shopping centre building, so you don’t even have to walk outside in the elements when arriving by train from the airport. Our rooms were compact, for sure, but still just big enough for our family of 4 as we were only staying for 1 night (we actually stayed here twice, 8 days apart). I’m not sure how we would have gone staying here for more than 3 nights, though, as our suitcases took up much of the available floor space when they were left open. There was a TV but we didn’t watch it. All the usual kettle, tea, coffee, bar fridge, etc… Our boys (12 & 9) liked the bunk beds. Our bed was 2 singles joined together, but it was still comfortable enough. Everything was clean. The staff at the front desk were very nice & very helpful; our flight from Sydney, Australia, came in early in the morning & so, on arrival at the hotel, we asked if we could store our luggage there (they do have luggage storage facilities, by the way) but they were kind enough to let us check in several hours earlier than our booked check-in time, which was amazing. The lobby area of the hotel is very cool, with lots of nice little areas to sit & read or have a drink from the bar there. There were chess sets & other games to occupy the kids during check-in. The whole area was nicely lit, too: not super bright like a lot of places. One of the standouts for us was the included breakfast, though: wow! So many options & in a really cool restaurant that has lots of indoor seating overlooking the plaza outside. Great for people-watching while you enjoy every type of food & drink you could possible want for breakfast. The average Norwegian lunch or dinner outing for our family was costing around 200AUD during our total of 10 days in Oslo & Lofoten, & this room including the breakfast was costing us less than 300AUD for each night. What a bargain!

The foyer was busy on arrival but the concierge was calm and polite, and took time with me. I could have checked in using English but I tried my less-than-fluent Norwegian and he was patient and supportive while I did so. The room overlooked the main square in front of the main Oslo S train station which made access to and from the airport for an early flight no problem.

We had an early train at 0625 so could not have breakfast in the hotel. However the hotel provided us with a takeaway breakfast in bags plus coffee. I wish more hotels provided that service.

Very convenient location if you're using the trains to get into Oslo, and the metro/trams/buses are all right there too. And despite this, I heard no traffic from our room even with the window open. Check in was easy, staff were incredibly polite and helpful, reception is quite a comfortable/fun place to kill time before flights or if it's a bit rainy - there's colouring for kids, loads of seating, shuffle board and a tuc shop. The room had bunk beds for my 5 and 7 year old, and the bathroom was spacious and warm. Breakfast was a plentiful buffet with loads of choice for my kids and me, though it is a bit of a pain to find seating where you don't have to walk miles to get the kids continuous bowls of sugar puffs.... We paid £122 for one night. Absolutely no complaints.