Explore Oslo

A taste of Oslo

Oslo is one of the most quietly impressive Nordic capitals — a city of around 700,000 wrapped around the head of a long sheltered fjord, with seven forested hills rising directly behind the centre and an obsession with putting world-class contemporary architecture at the waterfront. The 2008 Oslo Opera House by Snøhetta, with its sloping marble roof that visitors walk up like a glacier rising from the harbour, was the moment that announced modern Oslo to the world; since then, the dramatic new Munch Museum (Lambda tower, 2021, with 11 floors holding 26,000 works including all four versions of 'The Scream'), the National Museum (2022, the largest art museum in the Nordic countries, holding the most famous original 'Scream' in dedicated low-light gallery), and the Deichman library complete the new waterfront cluster. Beyond, the Viking Ship Museum (currently closed for full reconstruction until 2027) and its temporary replacement, the moving Holmenkollen ski jump and Olympic museum (with brilliant views over the city), the Vigeland Sculpture Park (212 emotional bronze and granite figures by Gustav Vigeland), and the haunting Akershus Fortress are the headline stops. Don't miss the regenerated Grünerløkka and Vippa harbour-front districts for the country's best young restaurants and breweries.