A night at an Oslo Airport hotel makes a lot of sense when your flight leaves at dawn, when you land after the last convenient train, or when a missed connection leaves you stuck at Gardermoen until the morning.
The catch is that “airport hotel” covers two very different things here. A couple of hotels sit right next to the terminal. The rest are spread around the Gardermoen area and rely on a shuttle bus that runs to a timetable.
This guide sorts them out: which ones you can walk to, which shuttle route serves the others, what the bus costs and how early it runs.
Is there a hotel inside Oslo Airport?
Not inside the terminal itself. There is no transit hotel airside, so you need to pass through arrivals before you can check in anywhere.
What Oslo Airport does have is two hotels joined to the terminal area. Avinor, the state company that runs the airport, describes Radisson RED as a hotel you can walk to the terminal from without getting wet, and Radisson Blu Airport Hotel as a short walk from both the terminal and Gardermoen station.
Every other hotel on Avinor’s list is a bus ride away. That is not a problem in itself, but it changes how much time you need on the morning of a flight.
The two hotels you can walk to
Radisson Blu Airport Hotel, Oslo Gardermoen
This is the big, classic choice. The hotel has around 500 rooms and is linked to the terminal by a covered walkway, so you follow the signs from the arrivals hall and roll your case straight over.
It is also a few steps from the station, which helps if you want an evening in Oslo before an early flight. The Flytoget airport express reaches the city in roughly 20 minutes, and Vy’s regional and local trains also stop here.
Standard check-in is from 15:00 and check-out is at 12:00. The hotel has its own restaurant, 26 North, a gym and a large conference floor, so expect business travellers on weekdays.
Radisson RED
Radisson RED is the newer, more casual sister, with around 214 rooms according to Avinor. It is aimed at travellers who want something lighter in style, with a restaurant and bar on site.
The selling point is the same as at the Radisson Blu: you walk under cover to the terminal. For a 06:00 departure, that is about as easy as it gets in Norway.
Both hotels charge for the location. If price matters more than the extra sleep, the shuttle hotels below are usually the better deal, as long as the bus times fit your flight.
Hotels served by the Vy shuttle bus
The other airport hotels are served by shuttle buses run by Vy, the state-owned transport company. Vy says the routes run 74 times a day in total, so waits are usually short during the day.
The buses leave from the terminal’s lower level. Coming out of the arrivals hall, follow the signs down to the shuttle stops rather than heading for the main bus bays.
There are three routes, and it pays to know which one your hotel is on:
- S22: Quality Hotel, Scandic Gardermoen, Thon Hotel Gardermoen, Thon Hotel Oslo Airport and the Gardermoen business park.
- S44: Clarion Hotel Oslo Airport and Comfort Hotel RunWay.
- S55: Park Inn by Radisson Oslo Airport Hotel West, Best Western Plus and Scandic Oslo Airport.
Watch the names closely. Scandic Gardermoen and Scandic Oslo Airport are two different hotels on two different routes, and the same goes for the two Thon hotels, which share S22 but stop separately. Check the exact hotel name on your booking before you board.
Clarion Hotel Oslo Airport
The Clarion is one of the larger shuttle hotels and sits on route S44, together with Comfort Hotel RunWay. It is a common pick for families and groups who want a full-service hotel without the Radisson price.
Vy lists the first S44 departure from the Clarion at 04:08. The last bus from the airport back to the hotel leaves at 01:00, which is handy after a late arrival.
Scandic Oslo Airport and Park Inn Hotel West
Scandic Oslo Airport and Park Inn by Radisson Oslo Airport Hotel West both sit on route S55, along with the Best Western Plus. All three are straightforward airport-area hotels built around one-night stays.
The first S55 departure from Park Inn Hotel West is at 04:12, according to Vy, and the last bus from the airport leaves at 01:05. That covers most first-wave departures and almost every late arrival.
Scandic Gardermoen and the Thon hotels
Route S22 serves the cluster around the Gardermoen business park, including Scandic Gardermoen and both Thon hotels. Its first departure from Quality Hotel is at 04:32, and the first from the airport is at 04:55.
The important difference is at the other end of the day. The last S22 bus from the airport leaves at 23:55, earlier than on the other two routes. If you are landing close to midnight, check this before you book.
Shuttle tickets and prices
A single ticket on any of the three routes costs NOK 80. You can buy it on vy.no, in the Vy app, on vybuss.com, on board, at the hotel reception or from the ticket machine at the hotel’s stop.
Vy also has a family rule that lets children ride free with a paying adult. The age limit is worded differently on its two websites, so check the current terms if you are travelling with older children.
When you compare prices, add two shuttle tickets per person to the room rate. For a couple, that is NOK 320 for the round trip, which can close a good part of the gap to the hotels you can walk to.
Some smaller places handle transport themselves. Gardermoen Hotel Bed & Breakfast, for example, runs its own airport transport rather than using the Vy routes, so read the hotel’s own instructions when you book.
Which hotel suits your trip?
For a very early departure, the walkable hotels are hard to beat. You skip the bus entirely, and you can time your walk to the terminal with the security queues in mind. Our guide to early morning departures in Norway covers the rest of the dawn routine.
For a late arrival, the S44 and S55 hotels have the latest buses, running until about 01:00. Route S22 stops earlier, so a delayed evening flight could leave you paying for a taxi.
For a stopover that includes an evening in Oslo, stay near the station. The Radisson Blu is the obvious choice, but any shuttle hotel works if you leave enough time for the bus. Our comparison of Oslo Airport to the city centre explains the train options and prices.
On a tight budget, the shuttle hotels usually win, especially for solo travellers. Just build the bus into your morning: allow time for the ride and the walk up from the lower level before check-in and security.
Getting to the terminal on the morning of your flight
Leave more time than feels necessary. Security at Gardermoen can be slow during the early morning wave, when many domestic and European flights leave within a short window. See how early to get to the airport in Norway for sensible buffers.
From a shuttle hotel, aim to be on a bus that reaches the terminal at least as early as you would arrive from the city. The ride itself is short, but the buses run to a timetable and do not wait for late guests.
Once you are inside, the Oslo Airport map guide helps you find check-in, security and your pier quickly. Before you leave the room, take a last look at your flight on the live departures board, since gates and times at Gardermoen do move.
A hotel night at the airport is rarely the most exciting part of a trip. Chosen with the bus times and your flight in mind, though, it can turn a stressful early start into a short walk and a calm coffee before boarding.
