Oslo, the capital of Norway and its biggest city by number of inhabitants, is often misconceived as a dull and uninteresting municipality. We visited it with rather low expectations but ended up being surprised by Oslo’s lifestyle and landmarks!
It was founded in 1040, during the Viking era, with the name “Ánslo”. It eventually succeeded Bergen as the capital of Norway during the year 1300. However, a great fire destroyed it in 1624 and a new city (Christiania) was built from scratch in the vicinity of the now-ravaged Ánslo. In 1925, the growth of Christiania absorbed Ánslo and the city was rebranded as Oslo.
It is today one of the most developed and liveable cities in the world, with a great network of public transportation, abundance of green areas, excellent urban planning and world-class museums.
We stayed at these low-end apartments, located in the neighbourhood of Grünerløkka. From there, we walked our selected highlights of central Oslo on one day, and went to the Fram Museum with our rental car on the next morning. Here’s our suggested itinerary for a full day plus a morning in this city:
Day 1 – City Centre
1.1. Munch Museum
The first stop is dedicated to a museum honouring one of the most famous Norwegian artists, Edvard Munch. The gallery originally opened in 1963 but was relocated this new building in 2021 and rebranded as “MUNCH”.
With a total of 11 galleries across several floors, MUNCH offers a wide range of approaches to the artist’s work and juxtaposes his art with pieces from other modernists and contemporary artists.
Please note that the most famous painting created by Munch, “The Scream”, is not always on display due to conservation efforts. It usually alternates with other versions of it – a drawing and a print. One of these is always visible and we were lucky enough to see the original painting.
- Entrance fee:
- Adults: 160NOK
- 16-25yo: 100NOK
- 0-15yo: free
- Opening hours:
- Mon-Tue: 10-18h
- Wed-Sun: 10-21h
- Expected duration of visit: 2h
1.2. Opera House
A few meters separate the Norwegian Opera House from the previous stop, the MUNCH. Despite its young age (construction was completed in 2007), this structure became instantly an icon of Oslo. The angled, white marble exterior makes it look like it’s rising from the water. It’s possible to walk on the building itself and around it. The interior is possible to visit as well but we just hung around in the exterior for a bit before continuing with our plan.
- Entrance fee:
- Adults 120NOK
- Children 70NOK
- English tour schedule (tours also available in German and Norwegian):
- Mon-Sat: 13h and 14h
- Sun: 14h and 15h
1.3. Oslo Domkirke
The cathedral of Oslo was first consecrated in 1697, and restored in 1950 to feature its original baroque interior. It is used by the Royal Family and the Government for religious events such as weddings and funerals.
On selected nights it is possible to attend cultural events such as concerts (mainly classical music).
1.4. Akershus Fortress
A personal favorite in Oslo. This medieval castle was originally built in the 13th century both for protection and as a royal residence for the city. It was remodelled after the great fire of 1624, incorporating some aesthetic strokes of Renaissance.
Visits to the various rooms and suites of the castle are possible nowadays and are well worth the money, in our opinion. Within its walls it’s also possible to find the Norwegian Armed Forces Museum and Norway’s Resistance Museum, which we did not visit.
Visits to the castle for individual tourists are only available on July and August. Groups of tourists can still book a date outside these months.
- Entrance fee (the same price tag applies to the castle and to each museum)
- Adults 100NOK
- Students/seniors 60NOK
- Children 40NOK
- Opening hours (July-August)
- Mon-Sat: 10:00-16:00
- Sun: 12:00-16:00
- Expected duration of visit: 1h30
1.5. Aker Brygge Promenade
This walkway was not in the original plan but we ended up strolling a bit on it. While not being anything particularly iconic or historic, it gifts tourists with great views to Akershus Fortress. On the other side of the promenade, a series of fancy restaurants lay their terraces on the sidewalk. The walkway is as busy as it gets on lunch/dinner hours, specially on weekends.
1.6. Nationaltheatret
A beautiful yellowish building that resembles a neoclassical style, a feature that’s quite obvious on its front facade. The structure was inaugurated in 1899 and has since seen the best Norwegian and foreigner performers and productions.
The building comprises four different stages. We are unaware of the existence of any guided tours to the building, so we just saw it from the outside. Acquiring a ticket to a show may be the only way to see it from inside.
1.7. The Royal Palace
The palace stands close to Nationaltheatret and is the official residence of the current Norwegian monarch. It was originally built as a residence for King Carl Johan, but was not completed until after his death. In 1849 it was formally inaugurated in the presence of the whole Royal Family.
Public tours began in 2002 and are available from late June to mid-August and last for around 1 hour. It’s advisable to buy the tickets beforehand due to high demand. Always check on the official website if there are any formal ceremonies taking place on the day you’re planning to visit – tours won’t be available on these days. We ditched this visit due to the extremely high entrance fees.
- Entrance fee:
- Adults: 175NOK
- Students/seniors: 145NOK
- Children: 125NOK
1.8. Vigeland Park
This is another highlight of this city, a huge park with more than 200 pieces of art created by Gustav Vigeland, mostly human representations. It is, in fact, the world’s largest outdoor park with sculptures from the same artist. The author was also responsible for the design and architecture of the park itself.
In the centre, there’s a distinct sculpture: a tall, 17m-high monolith comprising 121 human figures. We can find women and men on the lower sections and children on the top. It is thought to represent a vision of resurrection and the strive for spirituality.
- Entrance fee: free
Day 2: Bygdøy
We saved the second day to Bygdøy, a small peninsula near the city centre that concentrates a significant part of Oslo’s museums. We drove there on our rental but if you’re relying on public transportation you may take bus #30 from the city centre.
Our flight back home departed on this afternoon so we chose the museum that seemed to combine the best experience and acceptable visiting time. We chose the Fram Museum (also called the Polar Exploration Museum), which is regularly referred as one of the best in Norway.
The exhibition focuses on the brave explorers and sailors that defied the unknown and went to explore the North and South Pole. One of the most recognised is Roald Amundsen, a Norwegian key figure on these expeditions. Inside the building we may find two of the boats used on these adventures: the Fram and the Gjøa.
- Entrance fee:
- Adults: 140NOK
- Students/children: 50NOK
- Expected duration of visit: 2h
Close to the Fram Museum we may also visit:
- Kon-Tiki Museum (a museum that also focus on maritime expeditions, this time by the famous explorer Thor Heyerdahl. It is named after Kon-Tiki, an award-winning documentary from the fifties)
- Norwegian Maritime Museum (covering ship building, boat models, fishing, and marine archeology)
- Viking Ship Museum (under restoration today and expected to reopen by 2025/6)
- Norwegian Museum of Cultural History (featuring Norwegian folk costumes, folk art, church art and Sami culture)
And that’s it! We really hope these tips can help you organise a visit to this Scandinavian capital!