Practical

Oslo view from the Royal Castle

Oslo has a special combination of city life and easy access to the great outdoors. The city is beautifully situated at the head of the Oslo Fjord surrounded by forested ridges, and this very location gives the city qualities you may not expect from a capital. Within the city limits you can go skiing and kayaking, make excursions to an island or go ice skating.
The city has just over half a million inhabitants, a very low number compared to other European capitals. But it it also one of the largest; Oslo covers an area of 450 square kilometers – most of it forests and cultivable land.

GETTING THERE

Travel to Oslo by train, bus, ferry, plane or car. See which companies offer direct routes to Oslo:

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ACCOMODATION

Oslo offers a range of accomodation in every price category, as hotels, youth and family hostels, guest houses, camp sites and private accommodation.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Oslo is a small city with short distances. It’s perfectly safe to walk but you also have the option of travelling by metro, tram, city bus or boat. The transfer period for a single ticket and smart ticket for is 60 minutes. Read more here

EATING & DRINKING

A night on the town in Oslo can be anything from a picnic in the park and beers at a pub to a gourmet meal followed by drinks and dancing at a club. Read more here

ATTRACTIONS

The Royal Palace
The royal residence at the top of Karl Johans gate. The Palace Park contains statues, small lakes and is a popular recreation area.

Oslo Vigeland Park

Vigelandsparken Sculpture Park

Vigelandsparken Sculpture Park
The 80-acre Vigelandsparken Sculpture Park in western Oslo features 212 sculptures by Gustav Vigeland. Every year over one million locals and tourists visit the park, which is always open. Free admission.

Akershus Fortress
Oslo’s rich history is on display in the grand buildings and museums at this 13th-century fortress in the city centre. The fortress is also a popular recreational area with great harbour views. Free admission.

The Norwegian Opera & Ballet
The marble and glass building in Bjørvika features award-winning architecture and world-class opera and ballet performances. The Opera House is open to the public, and walking on the roof is a popular activity. Free admission.

Botanical Garden
Botanical Garden is a green oasis in the city of Oslo – a place to get inspiration and experience beauty. Most of the area is designed as an Arboretum, with approximately 1800 different plants. Entrance to the garden is free. Natural History Museum, Zoological Museum, Mineralogical-Geological Museum and Paleontological Museum is situated in the of Botanical Garden.

Edvard Munch Dance of Life

Edvard Munch: Dance of Life

Munch Museum
Edvard Munch has a unique position among Nordic painters and is considered a pioneer in expressionism. The Munch Museum’s collection, left to the city of Oslo by Edvard Munch, consists of a large number of paintings, graphical prints and drawings. Free admission.

National Gallery
National Gallery is home to Norway’s largest public collection of paintings, drawings and sculptures. Most of the art is pre-1950, and central attractions include The Scream and Madonna by Edvard Munch. Free admission.

Stenersen Museum
Stenersen Museum is part of the City of Oslo Art Collections. It displays a representative selection of Norwegian art from 1850 to 1970. The museum also shows alternating exhibitions with Norwegian and international contemporary art. Free admission.

National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design
National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design comprises the following museums: Norwegian Museum of Architecture, the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the National Gallery.

Viking Ship Museum
The world’s two best-preserved Viking ships from the 9th century are on display at the Viking Ship Museum on the Bygdøy peninsula, which also shows Viking tools, sledges, a horse cart and wood carvings.

Norwegian Museum of Cultural History
Norwegian Museum of Cultural History is one of Europe’s largest open-air museums. It consists of 155 traditional houses from all over Norway and a Stave Church from the year 1200.

Fram Museum
Fram Museum houses the world’s most famous polar ship, Fram. Visitors can go on board the ship and see how Norway’s polar explorers lived and survived in the coldest places on earth over 100 years ago.

Holmenkollen
The famous Holmenkollen Ski Jump was recently rebuilt. The new state-of-the-art ski jump features the world’s oldest Ski Museum and an observation deck with panoramic views of the city.

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