Oslo travel guide

How the city fits together

Oslo curves around the head of the Oslofjord, with hills and forest closing it in on the other sides. The middle is small: the main railway station, the Opera and the new waterfront district of Bjørvika lie at the eastern end, Karl Johans gate runs from the station up to the Royal Palace, and the harbour with Aker Brygge and the City Hall sits just south of that line.

Everything else is a short ride away on the same ticket. Vigeland Park is on the western side, the ski jump at Holmenkollen on the hill above, and the fjord islands are a boat ride from Aker Brygge. Treat the centre as a place for walking and the rest as separate half-days.

How long to stay

• Two days fit the waterfront, one big museum and Vigeland Park, if you keep the metro for the far end of each day.
• Three days add Holmenkollen and an afternoon on a fjord island, which is where Oslo stops looking like any other Nordic capital.
• Four or five days leave room for a day trip by train, to Lillehammer for example, and for a slow morning in the forest above town.

Three days, in order

1. 1

   Day 1: Bjørvika and the fortress

   Start on the roof of the Opera House, which you can walk up for nothing, and look over the harbour. Spend the late morning in the Munch museum, which opens at 10 am, then walk round the bay to Akershus Fortress for the afternoon. The grounds are open until 9 pm, so there is no rush to see all of it.

2. 2

   Day 2: Vigeland Park and the harbour

   Take tram 12 out to Vigeland Park while the paths are still empty. Come back for a look at the City Hall and its waterside square, then go up Karl Johans gate to the Royal Palace. End the day at Aker Brygge, where the evening light on the water is the whole show.

3. 3

   Day 3: the hill and the islands

   Ride metro line 1 up to Holmenkollen for the ski jump and the ski museum, a 23 min journey from Nationaltheatret. Come down for a late lunch and catch the boat from Aker Brygge to Hovedøya for what is left of the afternoon, with 8 min on the water each way.

Rainy-day plan

Oslo has between seven and eleven days with precipitation in every month of the year, so a wet afternoon is something to plan for. The good news is that the large museums are compact and sit close to the metro, and a hot drink in a harbourside café suits the weather just as well.

• Morning: the Munch museum, open every day from 10 am. Book a timed ticket first, and note that bags larger than 40 by 35 by 10 centimetres go in a locker.
• Afternoon: the Fram Museum on the Bygdøy peninsula, for the polar ship itself. It is open every day from 10:00 to 17:00 and costs NOK 180 (about €17) for an adult.
• Evening: the Munch museum again on a Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday, when it stays open until 9 pm.
• Any time: the ski museum at Holmenkollen, open until 4 pm in the winter half of the year, with the jump tower on the same ticket.

Where to sleep

Around Oslo S and Bjørvika

The practical choice for a short stay: the airport train, the long-distance trains and the metro all stop here, and the Opera and the Munch museum are on foot. The streets around the station itself are busy at night, so choose a hotel a few minutes away from it.

Karl Johans gate and Nationaltheatret

The grand street and the squares around it. You are a few steps from the palace, the theatre and the harbour, and every metro line passes under the area. The price is a crowd on summer evenings.

On the water by Aker Brygge

Glass and wood buildings on the water, with restaurants downstairs and the island boats at the door. Calm once the offices empty.

Frogner and Majorstuen

Residential streets of old apartment buildings to the west, with Vigeland Park nearby and quick metro and tram links. Fewer hotels, more people who actually live here.

Grünerløkka

The district north of the centre along the river, popular for cafés, record shops and evenings out. Pick it if you want to spend your time like a local rather than next to a monument.

Before you go