Oslo’s a great city to cycle around and some places are best reached by pedal power due to the limited parking and public transport, like the Bygdøy peninsula beaches Huk and Bygdøy Sjøbad.
The Oslo City Bike (Oslo Bysykkel) scheme lets you take a bike from racks around the city for up to 45 minutes. Return it to a free space at any rack, then you can take a new bike straight away. The bikes are simple to use with easily adjustable seats and gears. Like any public bike scheme, some of the bikes get a little clunky so it’s worth testing your brakes before setting out!
The bikes are available from 06:00 to 00:00, and are usually out from April to December depending on when the ice clears/returns.
To access the bikes you’ll need to register online. Options include a season subscription, 24-hour, 3 day or 2 week pass, meaning the bikes are available to tourists too.
The app-based system is great for locals – it’s easy to find your nearest rack, get a real-time status about how many bikes are available, and unlock a bike – but this isn’t so tourist-friendly if you don’t have an internet connection. If you don’t have the app, each stand has a touch screen to unlock a bike using your phone number and pin.
