🏋️♀️🏊♂️📚 Oslo and Bergen: gyms, swimming pools and quiet lounges after work
After 5 p.m., you want to stretch your legs and finish a couple of tasks. Below is a list of places where you can quickly work out or swim in the capital region and the ‘city of seven hills,’ and then find a quiet place to focus for an hour. Plus, checklists and a mini backpack kit.
🏋️♂️ Types of venues: chains, municipal, student, hotels
💳Chain gyms: drop-in without a membership
- SATS — honest drop-in ~200 NOK: pay at the reception, access to the gym and free group classes (if there are places available). Convenient when you're in town for a week.
- Fresh Fitness — drop-in ~150 NOK, often open 05:00–24:00 (check the specific club). A budget option for a one-off visit.
- EVO Fitness — no club membership required, open 05:00–24:00; sometimes offers a trial period (check the website for promotions).
Tip. If you need a gym within walking distance of your office/co-working space, check the nearest SATS/Fresh/EVO clubs on the map rather than by how central the address is — in Oslo and Bergen, micro-location is key.
🏊 Municipal swimming pools: predictable and businesslike
- Oslo. A list of city swimming pools is available on the municipality's website (convenient for checking addresses and weekly opening hours).
- Bergen. The flagship is AdO Arena: long evening hours on weekdays and current lane schedules on a separate page (check before you go).
🎓 University networks (if you have access)
- SiO Athletica (Oslo) — a network for students and those with a SiO profile (check your membership eligibility).
- Sammen Trening (Bergen) — there is a ‘regular membership’ for non-students; single payment options are also available, which are convenient for a month or two.
🧖 Hotels/spas with access for external guests
- THE THIEF (Tjuvholmen, Oslo). External guests can book day passes to the spa (usually Mon–Wed; prices on the website). A good place to relax before an evening notebook slot.
- Sommerro — Vestkantbadet (Frogner, Oslo). Renovated historic bath complex: external guests are allowed according to the schedule; check the hours/access to the pool and saunas.
🤝 How to combine ‘workout + hour of silence’
🔄 Where to sit with your laptop right after a shower
- Deichman Bjørvika (Oslo) — quiet reading areas and evening hours until 22:00 on weekdays; usually until 18:00 on weekends.
- Deichman branches with Oslonøkkelen. Some branches are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. with a digital key 15+ (self-service). Convenient for ‘quiet windows’.
- Bergen Offentlige Bibliotek. Summer hours are more modest, but several branches are open in the ‘meråpent’ format from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (registration required).
Recovery ritual (20–30 minutes). Water + short stretch → light snack → noise-cancelling headphones → one clear task in your notes.
📌 How to choose a place: travel time, one-time visit, lockers, ‘evening routes’
🚇 Travel time
Choose a gym/swimming pool near ‘your’ transport hub (Bybanen in Bergen, metro/train in the capital region) — this saves 20–30 minutes every evening.
🎟️ One-time visits (guidelines)
- SATS drop-in ~200 NOK; Fresh drop-in ~150 NOK; EVO — check current promotions/trial periods. Status as of 14 August 2025 — check before you go.
🔒 Lockers, showers, power outlets
Bring your own mini padlock for the locker and a cable for your bike (if you are combining with cycling). For a place to charge your laptop after training, it is better to choose places with guaranteed power outlets (libraries/hotels/some clubs).
🕖 Evening lanes
At AdO Arena, the tracks and areas are divided by time, so it's easy to plan your ‘swimming window’ between 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. In Oslo, check the active pools and weekly schedule.
| Block | Checklist |
|---|---|
| Mini backpack kit “sport → laptop” | Mini lock + light microfiber towel |
| Water bottle, bar / banana | |
| Noise-cancelling headphones, charger, power bank | |
| Swimming goggles / flip-flops (if pool) | |
| Warm layer / shell jacket for going out | |
| Where to go — Oslo | Workout: SATS / Fresh near your metro/office — , Fresh Fitness |
| Swimming: nearest pool on | |
| “Quiet hour”: Deichman Bjørvika until 22:00 or branches with Oslonøkkelen — | |
| Where to go — Bergen | Swimming: AdO Arena with evening lane schedule — |
| Workout: Sammen (non-students welcome) or nearest SATS — | |
| “Quiet hour”: main library or “meråpent” branches 07:00–22:00 — Bergen Offentlige Bibliotek | |
| Mini backpack kit “sport → laptop” (alt) | Flip-flops / goggles (pool), shower set |
| Headphones, charger, power bank | |
| Light sweater / fleece + shell jacket | |
| Mini lock, bike cable | |
| Water bottle & snack |
❓ FAQ
AdO Arena is the main swimming arena with long evening hours on weekdays. After swimming, you can use Bergen Public Library, which has “meråpent” (self-service) branches open 07:00–22:00 — a good option for a quiet laptop session.
Yes. Oslo’s municipal pools publish weekly schedules — check the website before you go. Crowds tend to be lighter in the late evening, especially between 19:00–21:00. Pick a pool near your metro/commuting hub to save time.
SATS (drop-in ~200 NOK), Fresh Fitness (~150 NOK), and EVO Fitness (05:00–24:00 access, often with trial offers). In Bergen, Sammen gyms also provide single-payment options, even for non-students.
Pack a mini-kit: water, snack, headphones with noise cancellation, charger, and powerbank. After a shower, do a short stretch + light snack, then sit in a library or hotel lounge with reliable sockets. Focus on one clear task — this prevents fatigue and distraction.
