Directions to Brannfjell School
Our home for the week
After a year away, in 2024 the referee department returns to Brannfjell School, right next to all the Norway Cup action at Ekeberg. All referees, and the department, will be staying at Brannfjell. This means a first time back there for our group since 2013. We will be accommodated in two rooms next to each other. To keep each room comfortable, and for fire safety, you will be allocated to a particular room. If you don’t know or can’t remember your allocated room when you arrive, give Luke or Russell a shout.
We’ll try and link up as many new guys with returnees on arrival in Oslo as we can but it is very much flight time dependent and might not be possible in all cases. In fact, this year, very few people are arriving at the same time as each other.
This page is to give you directions to Brannfjell, which usually opens for check-in late afternoon/early evening on the Friday. If you arrive on Friday morning or afternoon, keep an eye on the WhatsApp group as people usually meet up somewhere in the city centre, near the bus and train stations, before heading to the school together for check-in.
The directions are in two parts: first, from the airports to the city centre and second, from the city centre to Brannfjell. We usually get the cost of our transport from the airport covered. In 2023 we got a flat rate allowance added to our match fees. We’ll try and confirm what’s happening with this before arrival so you can choose transport accordingly. You should keep your receipts/tickets anyway, just in case!
Airports to City Centre
From Gardermoen
There are three options from Gardermoen: (1) High Speed Train (FlyToGet, which has orange branding); (2) “slow” train (some of which are only a couple of minutes slower than the FlyToGet!) or (3) bus - the FlyBussen. Get one of the trains - the bus costs as much as the express train and takes over an hour!
For either train, take a right after you’ve gone through customs/Nothing to Declare and have entered the arrivals hall. Keep going until you reach the ticket machines and barriers beside W H Smith. The express train ticket machines are the orange ones. You want to get a ticket to Oslo S (Oslo Central station).
The express FlyToGet is designed for travellers so has more space for bags, etc., but costs more. These trains are every 20 minutes and cost NOK 240 single / NOK 480 return (£17.75 / £35.50). This train takes 19 minutes. Oslo S is usually the second stop, after Lillestrøm.
If you get the “slow train”, aim for the R12 to Asker or the RE11 to Skein. Again, you want to go to Oslo S, which is usually the first stop. They take about 25 minutes to get there and the standard cost is NOK 124 each way (about £9). The are trains every 10-30 minutes.
From Torp
Get the Torp Ekspressen bus service. There is no point getting the train - it takes longer. There is one timetabled to leave about 45 minutes after each flight actually lands. It takes about an hour and a half and costs 350NOK (£26) each way.
For those on the late Manchester flight, the bus is due to leave at 2315. It will wait if your flight (or the Gdańsk flight that arrives at the same time) is late. It is due to arrive at Oslo Bus Terminal at 0050. There are directions below to get from the Bus Terminal directly to the bus/tram stop.
City Centre to Brannfjell
Oslo S to the bus/tram stop
These directions are from Oslo S (central train station). If you arrive at the bus station, there’s a walk way to the train station. Take a right when you get off the bus and keep going until you get to escalators. At the top, outside and to the left, is Cafe Fiasco, where folk will probably meet on the Friday. Oslo S is over the bridge on the left and well signposted.
From Oslo S you should head to the Bjørvika tram and bus stop. When you get into the main station, head for the main exit. Follow signs in the station for Jarnberntorget (affectionally known as JBT). Everything is pretty well signposted inside the station, but when you exit you should see a green building (with signs for Egon and seats outside) to your right. The map to the left shows how to walk there from the main square outside the JBT exit. After you turn left, look out for the tiger statue!
Bus to the School
Assuming you have bags and cases with you, the best way to get to Brannfjell is taking the 74 bus - there are no steps to get on and it takes you closest to the school. The bus will be marked as heading to Mortensrud. The buses are every half hour or so. The easiest way to buy a ticket is to download the “Ruter” app and buy it on that. Once you’ve checked in, you’ll get a wristband for free public transport.
The stops are announced on the bus and there is usually a screen showing them too. You should get off at Ekeberghallen. You’ll know you’re approaching because you’ll see the Norway Cup carnival and the football pitches! When you get off the bus, cross the road at the zebra crossing but then keep going the same direction as the bus (or stay on the same side of the road, but there’s no path!). You’ll pass two Astro pitches, one on each side of the road. At the next zebra crossing, cross back. You’ll find yourself in front of the red FKUM building. Turn left and then keep going an 100m or so until you get to some big bins and a small red roof-ed building. Turn right until you’re past the buildings and then turn left. You’ll then find yourself at the front door of the school.
If you miss the Ekeberghallen stop, the next one - Bekkelagshjemmet - is only a little further on. Just get off there and turn back. You’ll find yourself going up a bit of a hill, though!
Trams to the School
The 13 and 19 trams, which also leave from Bjørvika, go close to the school. They are marked as destined for Holtet or Ljabru. The stop for the school is Sportsplassen. Again, tickets can be bought on the app. There is a really big hill between the tram stop and the school, so whilst it’s pretty handy during the week for getting into the city, it’s not advised when you’ve got all your gear to cart!
If, though, you choose to get the tram to Sportsplassen, you’ll need to cross the tracks after you get off the tram. After you do so there’ll be a turning circle and small road to your left. Go up that road and keep going up before dog-legging to the right (do not take either of the earlier right turns at or after the athletics track and don’t follow any other Norway Cup signs as they’ll take you to the pitches). Keep going until you can see some orange picnic benches and bins on your left. The building there is the school.
Arriving Late to the Bus Station
The map on the right shows the walking route: basically get out of the bus station at ground level, turn left, cross the road and keep going left. When you get past the old red brick building on that side of the road (“Nortura SA on the map), turn right. You’ll see the steps up to the Akrobaten bridge on the right, the seating outside the bar Mastermind on the left and a view of the Barcode District buildings ahead in the distance. Go up and over the bridge. When you get over the bridge, keep going down the street to the main road, turn right and cross the road at the next opportunity.
You want to get the bus or the tram as described above. The last 74 bus leaves at 2340 and the last tram leaves at 0028. After that, the 19N nightbus (heading towards Kringsjå) goes the same route as the 74. It starts at 0102 and leaves every half hour after that. Get off at Ekeberghallen, as described above.
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