Ariane visited one of the biggest Christmas markets in Norway, which is one of the most expensive countries in the world – and was quite surprised by the prices
One of my yearly Christmas traditions is to go to Oslo, Norway, to visit family – but also to soak up the festive vibes which I struggle to get anywhere else.
Where better for a December getaway than the snow-filled landscape of Norway? With traditional markets, beautifully decorated neighbourhoods, amazing Christmas foods, carol singing, and a short distance away from forests and nature, it’s an amazing place.
As part of my yearly trip, I always like to visit Jul i Vinterland, one of, if not the, biggest Christmas market in Norway. Open from November 9 until December 31, and located at Spikersuppa on Karl Johan, near the Royal Palace, it’s the place to go to soak up Christmas atmosphere.
It has everything you’d want from a Christmas market – stalls selling homemade items and food, a huge ice rink, fairground rides, and a bar where you can get mulled wine. And I have to admit, this is my main reason for going.
Norway’s version of mulled wine is called gløgg, a spiced mulled wine, which you can add red wine to. And one thing really surprised me – I expected it to be quite cheap for me, due to the conversion rate, but it was actually still pretty extortionate.
The Christmas market itself was more packed than I’ve ever seen it. Moving along, at a snail’s pace, with the stream of people, unable to go over and look at any of the stalls, I began to panic. It seems many tourists are taking advantage of the exchange rate, which is making it a lot cheaper for many to travel to Norway. Historically, Norway is one of the most expensive countries in the world to live in.
But once I battled the crowds, I managed to grab a tiny cup of gløgg – which I finished in just a few minutes. Due to the exchange rate, which means you get a lot of Norwegian kroner for your British pounds, even though it’s a Christmas market, I was expecting to get a pretty good deal.
And after all, we’re used to the extortionate prices we now get charged at UK Christmas markets, such as Winter Wonderland in London’s Hyde Park, or the Christmas markets in Manchester. But somehow – this still managed to be a lot more expensive than those.
For an alcoholic gløgg, which has a splash of red wine in it, I paid 129kr, which works out at £9 at the time of writing. So it’s still more expensive than Winter Wonderland, where a mulled wine costs £6.10. At Manchester’s Christmas markets, a mulled wine will set you back £6. Although in my humble opinion, gløgg is much better – although paying £9 does hurt.
However, if you wanted to get a Frankfurter at the German stall, it would cost 99kr, or £7. A bratwurst at Winter Wonderland will cost you £9, while at Manchester it costs £8. Other prices I saw included 60kr, or £4.20, for a bag of sugared almonds, and £4.19 for a hot chocolate. It also cost 130kr, or £9, for two Norwegian waffles, 115kr or £8 for a corndog and a candied apple for 59kr, or £4.
But it turns out the steep prices aren’t enough to scare people away. One person took to X/Twitter to say: “Jul i Vinterland is enchanting! There’s nothing quite like experiencing the festive magic in a beautiful city like Oslo. The blend of twinkling lights, holiday decorations, and a joyful atmosphere is truly heartwarming.”
Another wrote: “Jul i Vinterland – the Oslo Christmas Market is, I do believe, even cooler than Manchester’s.” Another added: “The Christmas market in Oslo is pure holiday magic! From festive lights to cozy treats, it’s a winter wonderland.”
