Private guided tours · Oslo
Private guided tours around Oslo. Twenty years on these roads, four languages, and the commentary the licensed guides aren't allowed to give you.
20 years in Norway · EN / DE / FR / Swiss German · 10,800 on YouTube
Why book this
I've lived here for twenty years and driven most of the country. I've walked up the wrong mountain, fallen into the swamp, and driven six hours to a viewpoint that wasn't worth six minutes. Every recommendation comes from things I've actually done, including the ones that didn't work.
App vs me
If you just want the facts, the Xplore Norway app does that. 1,058 stops with GPS-triggered audio, three languages, 199 NOK. Hiring me is different. People have called me a living encyclopedia, a walking Wikipedia, a podcast that adjusts to questions. The app gives you what. I give you why, when you ask, in the order you ask it.
Fit check
You've seen the channel and know what you're getting. You want the actual story, including the parts the official tour skips. You don't mind strong opinions, hearing that something everyone raves about is overrated, or being told when a famous spot isn't worth the detour. You're curious, not nervous.
And who it isn't
If you want a friendly, polished, family-safe tour with carefully neutral commentary, there are good licensed guides in Oslo who do exactly that. Book one of them instead. No hard feelings.
The tours
Every tour is private and built around what you want. No fixed groups, no scripts.
A walking tour through Oslo with the commentary the official guides skip: the real history, the politics, the architecture nobody asked for, and who blew the budget building it. Half day (3–4h) or full day (7–8h).
Guided hikes in Nordmarka, up Kolsåstoppen, around Asker. Easy to moderate, 3–5 hours. Includes a proper Norwegian matpakke and a hot drink at the top. This is what Norwegians actually do on a Sunday.
You don't pick the destination. I check the weather that morning and choose the best spot within reach. Fog in the west, we go east. Just tell me how many hours you have.
Oslo told through its trams, metro, buses and railways. A niche tour for people who find infrastructure genuinely interesting, and that is a real audience. 2–3 hours.
Live guiding while you drive your own car: I ride along as navigator, or you follow my car with the commentary through your speakers. Oslo–Bergen, Oslo–Beitostølen, fjord routes, or your own.
Pricing
No vague "contact us for pricing" on the standard tours. Here's what a private guided day in Oslo costs, for your whole group, with the customised planning part of the price, not added on top.
Both prices cover up to 4 people. Each person beyond that is NOK 500. No booking fee, and no per-person charge hidden underneath.
Road trips vary too much by length and route for a fixed price. Quoted individually: tell me what you have in mind and I'll work it out.
On selected dates I also run open group tours, priced per person. Say so if that suits you better.
Customised
Every tour is built for the people on it. Before we go, you tell me what you want: history or hiking, a relaxed pace or as much as we can fit in, the famous sights or the ones locals keep to themselves. I plan around that, and I adjust on the day if the weather or your mood changes. You're not joining a group on rails. It's your tour, start to finish.
Example hikes
A few of the routes I run for the hiking tour. The full list is much longer; tell me your level and how long you've got, and I'll match a hike to it.
Into the forest national park straight from the end of the Oslo metro line.
A ridge summit above Maridalen, the valley that holds Oslo's drinking water.
A quieter forest climb, starting out from Elveli.
The wooded hill above Skaugum, the royal family's estate.
Forest trails in Kjekstadmarka, well off the tourist map.
A point-to-point walk down to the fjord at Vollen, then the boat back to Oslo.
Best view over the Drammensfjord.
Please note · road trips
Norwegian transport law is strict, and I'm honest about it: I can't currently legally drive you in a car as a paid service. On road-trip tours you drive your own or a rental car, and I guide: riding along as your navigator, or leading in my own car with the commentary coming through your speakers. If you'd rather not drive at all, I can arrange a licensed chauffeur company for that part. Just say so when you enquire.
Proof
Two hundred videos, fifteen years of them, all public. Every place I'll take you, you can watch me there first.
Questions
No. Licensed guides know the official curriculum. I know that, and everything around it, twenty years' worth. The licence proves you've memorised the script. I'd rather have the breadth.
The guiding itself, the route planning, and all the commentary. Food, transport tickets and entries to paid sites are not included unless we agree otherwise. For hiking tours, a Norwegian matpakke and a hot drink at the top are included.
English, German, French and Swiss German. Pick one when you enquire; the whole tour runs in that language.
Up to 12 for walking and hiking tours. Car tours are more flexible; it depends on your vehicle.
We adapt. Usually that means a different route, sometimes a reschedule, and if neither works, a refund. Norway's weather is part of the deal, not a surprise.
It depends on the route. Most are easy to moderate. Tell me your level when you book and I'll match the hike to it.
Yes. Private tours are a fixed price for the group, not per person: two or twelve costs the same.
Stripe, PayPal, Vipps or bank transfer. 50% deposit to confirm the booking, the rest on the day.
48 hours or more before the tour: full refund. 24–48 hours: 50%. No-show: no refund. If I cancel, you get a full refund or a reschedule.
Get in touch
Tell me roughly what you're after: dates, group, what you'd like to see. I usually reply within 24 hours.
I typically respond within 24 hours.