We enjoyed spending a lot of time browsing at this store yesterday. Ark is the largest bookstore…read morechain in Norway, and this location is the largest in Oslo. The selection of photography, art & graphic art books is terrific, and there's also a pretty good selection of graphic novels & illustrated children's books. With the exception of the children's books, most of the others are in English. Interestingly, an American author was being interviewed when we first arrived. At one point a customer approached me and asked a question. I asked her in Norwegian if she spoke English and she complied (maybe she thought the store had hired a non-Norwegian-speaking person?), but she was mortified when I then told her I didn't work there. I kind of liked the idea that I looked so "official". :)

In search for books to learn Norwegian, I found this bookstore. This bookstore is extensive and has…read moretwo locations next door to each other. One is smaller and has a collection of items that appeal to tourists: tour books, books on Viking history, troll books, etc. There are fun backpacks for children as well. The larger bookstore next door is three floors. The top floor has an entire aisle dedicated to learning Norwegian. There are plenty of language acquisition books to appeal to all. There are books written in English. Staff was friendly and took the time to assist. Great shop!

A very cute book store with nice staff who will help you pick out a book if you don't have anything…read morespecific in mind :)

I have a slight love affair with books and when it comes to bookstores I am in heaven. Someone…read moreshould combine books and healthy food....I would never leave. Anyways, this place is a gem. I came in just to check it out and had no intentions of buying but the guy that was working there honed in on me and knew I was a sucker. I left with two awesome reads. My cousin even left with a 1962 published Ernest Hemingway book, a real steal. Everything is categorized alphabetically by author, so don't go in expecting an English section or a food section. Go in with an open mind and maybe a list of authors you would like to explore. Some books are new but I would say most are used. I started rambling off some authors I was hoping to read but the book had either been sold already or they didn't have the title I was hoping for. But what I loved about the guy working there was he took in everything I was asking and came up with his own recommendations. And he was spot on. excellent excellent service! I won't be going to any other bookstore but here. If I can support local and have a handy dandy resource to help me navigate the endless shelves of books for new treasures I will never shop anywhere else. Do yourself a favor and explore this place.

Quick stop for all your traveling needs! I would use this place if you aren't keen on researching…read moreonline for cheaper deals. This place wont necessarily save you money but it will save you on time. I loved the book section and thought they had a fantastic selection, everything from traveling with babies, to volunteering, to eating your way through the world. I came in to buy my sister a present, but ill come here again for inspiration and to let my mind wonder a bit. They carry all sorts of gear, tools, gadgets and journals. Literally a dream shop for wunderlust people.

This shop has the potential to be a good shop, a shop that one would like to revisit often, but it…read moreis not. The norwegians are infamous for giving a poor customer service and that is a bit sad really. Mainly because this is a travel shop and one would suppose that the people who work in it have some experience with dealing with people and especially with people from other cultures/nationalities. Perhaps it has to do with the posh area of Frogner... It would probably be a bit more chilled out and friendly in Grunnerloka. I have shopped from here 4 times. There is a good assortment of things. Things that can be found somewhere else too, but here they are in a more relevant travel context. Unfortunately the prices here are not the best either. I gave 2 stars because a shop is not made only by its merchandise, it is mainly made by its people. And most of them look really bored and not communicative. Especially for a world travel shop.

Another one of my must-stop-by stores when I'm in Oslo. It's a travel store / coffeeshop...which is…read moregreat, because while you browse their collection, you can get inspired by the smell of the cinnamon buns and the grinding of the coffee machine. But the reason I really like this store, because they carry my favourite Scandinavian (outdoor) brand: Fjall Raven. I've bought various items here, amongst others a jacket and a pair of trousers...all of which I wear all the time...and I hate to admit it...but I get complimented on a lot. (I guess the brand is not so established in Central Europe and so people think it's something exotic ;-) It's not a cheap place...but I was lucky enough to buy some items on sale!

I want to like this place so bad. But it had a huge problem which I'll get to in a bit…read more The girl who worked there was super friendly and welcoming as I walked in. I was super cold after initially heading to a place in Torshov which was randomly closed for the day. She knew what she was selling and could describe each of the teas they had in pretty good detail. She knew enough to make a fantastic recommendation of one of the Earl Greys for me (and she was spot on...it was delicious). Their wifi worked exceptionally well. The atmosphere was unusually pleasant and inviting. As a travel nerd, I love being surrounded by all things travel. That is partly why I felt at home at the Chillout Travel Center in Bergen as well. BUT... and this is a big BUT... The heat didn't work. For anyone that doesn't think this is a big deal...Oslo has been -20C or more the last few days. In addition, the place had small holes the size of a kroner/dime in the windows that the cold air seeped in through. They tried covering the holes with tape or something on a few of the windows...but the other ones were left open and the customers sitting there were clearly just as cold as I was. I stopped into Chillout to do freelance work at my computer but obviously couldn't do it as my fingers were frozen solid. They pulled out a little portable heater and placed it by me...but it was too late. The damage was done and I couldn't recover and thaw out. My tea even went cold within a matter of minutes and I was unable to finish it. I would totally head back here...but I'll wait until summer I think. And for any other businesses that may read this...PLEASE...for the LOVE OF GOD...have your heat on and make the customers comfortable. There is nothing worse than going into a nice and seemingly cozy cafe to work and order a nice hot tea...only to be left in the cold.

A bookshop which sells, hold on to your seat, BOOKS! But not only books, it also sells greeting…read morecards and office supplies. I have been shopping here for years and they have always had what I am looking for or they have ordered it with only a short leadtime. Perfect shop with good customer service.

This small independent bookstore is a little treasure. They have a wonderful eclectic selection of…read morebooks (in Norwegian). The staff is genuine book lovers, friendly and helpful and provides great personalized advice.

Lovely little yarn store with a large collection of Isager brand yarn plus other beautiful yarns,…read moreknitting notions, and gifts. There is also a great selection of books and a chair and table so you can peruse for a bit. I was desperate for a knitting project during my travels and I found a great selection of sock yarns. Perfect! They had some sock kits, too! The employees were kind to let me read for a chunk of the morning, but I DID buy a bag of sock yarns, needles, and other fun stuff!

I was in Oslo for a business trip and had a small knitting project with me. I am not a very…read moreexperienced knitter and, of course, made a mistake which I could not correct myself. I found this knitting shop on the Internet and during our lunch break I walked over to Fru Kvist to ask for help. The woman in the shop could not have been nicer or more friendly. She was kind enough to fix my error and put me on the right path in about two seconds flat. The shop itself is absolutely beautiful with an amazing collection of gorgeous yarns. I certainly did not resist the temptation to buy three skeins of a lovely cotton/wool yarn, especially since my welcome had been such a warm one!