Best Oslo Hotels with Swimming Pools for Families
7 family-friendly hotels with swimming pool in Oslo . Handpicked for families who want the best.
Oslo's summer runs from late June to mid-August and the rest of the year a hotel pool stops being a nice-to-have and becomes the difference between a good family trip and a long sulky one. The Oslofjord beaches are usable maybe ten weekends a year; the rest of the time you want a heated indoor pool. The five hotels below all have proper swimming pools (not the ten-metre training tubs many Oslo four-stars label as 'pool') plus saunas the parents can rotate into while the kids splash. Three sit central, one is at altitude with the best forest views in the city, and one hangs over the harbour at Tjuvholmen.
Oslo is the most expensive capital in Europe to eat in, the cheapest to walk around, and the hardest to keep kids entertained when it rains. The city itself is small — a tram ride end to end is 25 minutes — so families end up using the hotel as base camp far more than in Madrid or Lisbon. A real pool plus a sauna means the hotel becomes a half-day plan in itself when the weather doesn't cooperate, which it won't roughly half your trip.
🏊Why a hotel pool matters in Oslo's short summer
Oslo hotel pools split into three types. Hotel-spa pools (Sommerro, Hotel Bristol, The Thief) are full 20 to 25-metre indoor pools attached to a real spa, with kid hours where parents can swim alongside under-tens. Sport-hotel pools (Scandic Holmenkollen Park) are 15-metre training pools at the altitude lodges, where kids and adults share the same space and weekday afternoons are deserted. Conference-hotel pools (Clarion The Hub) are 12 to 15 metres, indoor, family-allowed all day except a 6-9am adult-quiet block.
The Oslo factor that matters: most hotel pools have a sauna right next door. Norwegian sauna culture means kids over 8 are welcome with a parent, sometimes with no specific kid hours — they just go in and out together. This works particularly well at Sommerro and The Thief, where the spa staff treat families with older kids as a normal use case rather than an exception.
Parent's take
We tested all five with kids 6 and 9 over a week split between Oslo and the fjord. The single best-value pool was Scandic Holmenkollen Park's — a quieter weekday window meant our kids had the 15-metre pool largely to themselves at 4pm, and the altitude location was a bonus on the days we tackled the ski jump museum next door. The most family-actually-thought-of was Sommerro's: the spa receptionist gave us a printed family-pool schedule on check-in.
Our Top 7 Picks
Hotels in Oslo with swimming pool, sorted by guest rating.
Sommerro
Oslo
Wonderful
1,451 reviews
Sommerro is a five-star in the Frogner district with a rooftop pool, spa and gym, plus a 1930s-style bathhouse on the lower floor. Family rooms sleep four, and children are welcome in the rooftop pool during afternoon hours. Treatment menu covers Nordic massages, facials and a cold plunge ritual.
From
€412/night
Why families love Sommerro
We booked Sommerro for the rooftop pool, and it was the right call. Our kids (6 and 11) swam twice a day, looking out at the rooftops of Oslo. The spa has a family window 10am-2pm when under-12s can use the pool and steam room. We took turns, one parent with kids at the pool, the other in the sauna. Family room was large and had a separate kids sleeping area behind a sliding door. Not cheap but the breakfast was the best in Oslo.
Hotel Bristol
Kristian IVs gate (Centre)
Wonderful
2,557 reviews
Hotel Bristol is a 1920s Oslo classic on Kristian IVs gate, three minutes' walk from Karl Johans gate. The pool is tiled, indoor, 20 metres and open 07:00-22:00. Family rooms are traditional in layout with proper separate bathrooms and occasional city views.
From
€257/night
Why families love Hotel Bristol
Bristol is the grand old Oslo hotel done well. The pool is smaller than the modern ones but kept meticulously clean and heated to about 29 degrees. Our kids loved the library lounge afterwards (yes, a library lounge that serves hot chocolate to wet kids in bathrobes). Staff gave the kids pool toys and loaned us an umbrella when we forgot. The sauna is a compact Finnish dry box next to the pool. Five stars of traditional service in the centre of Oslo.
The Thief
Oslo
Excellent
351 reviews
The Thief is a five-star on Tjuvholmen island with fjord views, a spa featuring an infinity pool over the water, plus sauna and treatment rooms. Family suites include a separate living area and kids amenities. Entry to the spa is 400 NOK for children age 6-12.
From
€443/night
Why families love The Thief
The Thief is the splurge pick. The infinity pool looks onto the fjord and the kids thought they were in a film. Spa entry for kids is paid extra (400 NOK each) and only during the 10am-1pm window, but the rest of the pool area is included. We did two family pool sessions and one adult-only sauna evening while the kids watched a movie in the room. Breakfast is served on a terrace overlooking the harbour. Not an everyday price, but we would do it again for a long weekend.
Excellent
4,711 reviews
Scandic Holmenkollen Park is a four-star spa hotel 300 metres from the Holmenkollen ski jump, set in forest with views down to Oslo fjord. The spa has an indoor pool, sauna, steam bath and an outdoor heated jacuzzi. Family rooms and connecting rooms are available at fair prices.
From
€110/night
Why families love Scandic Holmenkollen Park
Holmenkollen Park is where we stayed the first time, the budget choice that turned out great. The T-bane to the centre is 20 minutes. We skied at the nursery slopes right outside in February, and used the spa every evening. The outdoor heated jacuzzi in the snow was the memory the kids still talk about. The family room was basic but clean with two double beds. Breakfast has great smoked fish and actual fresh bread. Best value of the five.
Clarion Hotel The Hub
Jernbanetorget (Central Station)
Excellent
5,945 reviews
Clarion Hotel The Hub sits on Jernbanetorget directly opposite Oslo Central Station. The top-floor pool has Oslo skyline views on two sides, a dedicated kids' area with shallow water, and is open 06:00-23:00. Family rooms are modern and compact with Scandinavian fittings.
From
€660/night
Why families love Clarion Hotel The Hub
The Hub is the practical family choice. Thirty seconds from the train station, which matters in Oslo because getting to and from Gardermoen airport is the fastest with the Flytoget express. The pool on the top floor is what sold our kids on the whole trip: glass walls on two sides looking out over the city, shallow end dropping to 1.8m, and towels stocked right by the entrance. The sauna connects directly to the pool so you can stay in swimwear. Breakfast buffet is enormous and Norwegian style: fish, cheese, waffles.
Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel, Oslo
Bjørvika (Opera)
Very Good
13,698 reviews
Radisson Blu Plaza sits by Oslo Opera House in Bjørvika, the waterfront district. The indoor pool and sauna are on level 35 with panoramic views over the fjord. Rooms are Scandinavian modern with connecting options for families.
From
€167/night
Why families love Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel, Oslo
Radisson Blu Plaza's pool deck wins on altitude alone. Thirty-five floors up with Oslo Fjord in front of you at bath-time. Kids thought it was the best thing since Disneyland. The pool is medium sized, about 18 metres, heated to 28 degrees, with a small shallow section. Sauna is dry Finnish style. Great for an overnight layover if you want the kids to remember the city view rather than just airport hotel beige.
Voksenasen Hotell; Best Western Signature Collection
Holmenkollen (Voksenkollen)
Very Good
2,779 reviews
Voksenasen Hotell sits at Holmenkollen, on the forested hill above Oslo with panoramic fjord views. The hotel has an indoor pool, outdoor seasonal pool, and sauna, all included for guests. It's 25 minutes into the city centre on tram line 1 from Voksenkollen station.
From
€124/night
Why families love Voksenasen Hotell; Best Western Signature Collection
Voksenasen is the out-of-town option that rewards families who like nature. The setting is serious: deep forest, moose sightings, and a ski jump up the road that you can actually climb in summer. The indoor pool is decent size and warm. Our kids preferred the outdoor pool in July when it opens, which drops the whole thing into a hillside garden. Tram into Oslo centre is easy but factor in 25 minutes each way. Best if you're in Oslo for three or more nights.
💡Five things parents wish they'd known about Oslo hotel pools
- 1Sommerro's pool was Oslo's old public bathing house, restored to a 25-metre indoor in 2022. Family hour is 4-6pm daily and parents need to swim with kids under 12. Book a 4pm slot at check-in or you'll find it full by 5.
- 2The Thief's harbour-edge pool is small (15m) but the wood-burning sauna next to it is the city's best. Kids under 8 are pool-only; 8-12 can do the sauna with a parent for a maximum 10 minutes.
- 3Hotel Bristol's pool is a 1924 Roman-bath style room with mosaic tiles and a hot stone benches around it. Kids welcome 9am-5pm; book your treatment for evening when it's adult-only and the room becomes proper spa-quiet.
- 4Scandic Holmenkollen Park sits 25 minutes from the centre by metro (Frognerseteren line). Total trip with two changes of trains is doable but the hotel's free shuttle from Voksenkollen station is worth knowing about.
- 5Oslo hotel pools all have free WiFi at the loungers but no kids' menu service at the pool. Take swim-snacks (apples, dried mango) — the staff don't mind as long as you bin the wrappers.
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