//
Oslo, Norway
Photo: Daderot, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
From the travel guide. Select a place for details, a map and what is nearby.
Includes some confronting exhibitions and an exhibit for every winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Included in the Oslo Pass. See also Nobel tourism.
This museum is a treat. Included in the Oslo Pass.
at Tjuvholmen
Astrup Fearnley Museet is a private collection of contemporary art, founded in 1993. The museum was relocated to Tjuvholmen, Aker Brygge in 2012. The building - designed by Renzo Piano - is spectacular in itself, and the museum offers a small green oasis with a beach, very welcome in the concrete surroundings of Aker Brygge. The museum offers temporary exhibitions, and is an established and central institution in Norwegian contemporary art.
This museum opened in 2022 and comprises the collections of the former National Gallery, the Museum of Architecture, the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design, and the Museum of Contemporary Art. The second floor houses paintings from the 15th century until today and includes a room exclusively dedicated to works from Edvard Munch while the other exhibits are displayed on the ground floor.
Sporveismuseet
The museum is in a former tram depot, and still has a track connecting to the Oslo tram system. It features a collection of old trams and buses. On the first Sunday afternoon of each month, the museum operates a historic tram in the streets.
Oscarshall is a royal summer Palace from the mid-19th century, now open to the public. A small palace filled with 19th-century Norwegian art and surrounded by a magnificent park. One of the finest examples of neo-gothic/romantic style in Norway. This small palace was never used as a residence. The Palace sits a hill above Frogner bay and offers fine panorama of the city. The palace was commissioned by Swedish-Norwegian King Oscar I and Queen Joséphine. Guided tours.
Norsk Folkemuseum
A large open air museum featuring typical buildings from various periods in Norwegian history. This includes a city building that shows living conditions from the 1850s to the 1980s. Included in the Oslo Pass.
In addition to two 1100-year-old Viking ships (apparently the best preserved in the world), it also contains various other Viking artefacts and a Viking burial chamber, complete with ancient skeletons. Included in the Oslo Pass. It is closed for a major refurbishment and plans to reopen in 2027.
Norsk Sjøfartsmuseum
Houses a huge collection of ships and boats and records the impact of Norway's seafarers on their own country and the world. Included in the Oslo Pass.
Displays Thor Heyerdahl's balsa raft Kon-Tiki, and Ra II, as well as some other artefacts from Easter Island. Included in the Oslo Pass.
Features the vessel Fram, the world's first ice breaker and the last polar expedition ship made of wood, and presents a history of polar exploration (with a strong Norwegian focus!) Included in the Oslo Pass.
Also at Bygdøy, in the former residence of the Norwegian World War II collaborator and nationalist leader, Vidkun Quisling. The Center houses exhibitions and provides research on Holocaust and the plight of religious minorities. Included in the Oslo Pass.
Situated to the south of the Frognerparken and Halvdan Svartes gate. The museum manages the sculptural works of Gustav Vigeland and offers a permanent exhibition of Gustav Vigelands sculptural works, as well as rolling exhibitions of various spatial art-forms (sculpture, installations and video-art). The museum was designed by Lorentz Ree and built in the 1920s. The striking building in red brick is one of the finest examples of Norwegian neoclassic architecture. The complex also included a studio for the artist. The urn of the artist is kept in the tower.
Oslo Bymuseum
Museum with exhibitions showing the city's cultural and commercial development. Free admission for everyone on the first Thursday of the month.
Frogner park including Vigeland Sculpture Park is a large green area about 10 minutes by subway from the city center. In addition to being a nice green recreational area, it is also decorated with hundreds of sculptures by the Norwegian artist Gustav Vigeland. There is a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere here, although the sculptures are a little disturbing. If your children want to climb the statues, nobody will even bother to look twice at you. There is also a cafeteria, and two museums, the City Museum of Oslo and the Vigeland Museum. If you fancy an outdoor swim, Frognerbadet is situated next to the Frognerpark with 3 pools, several diving towers and a water slide.
National Library
Monumental building from 1913 with frescos by Emanuel Vigeland (younger brother of sculptor Gustav Vigeland). The Library holds copies of all published material in Norway. Fine retreat on a rainy day. Free entrance to Kartsenter (Map Center) with displays of map collections and history of geography and exploration in Norway. Cafe and bar within.
Henie Onstad art gallery
The Henie Onstad Kunstsenter is an art museum located at Høvikodden (in Bærum municipality) on a fine location at the fjord near Sandvika. Sonja Henie and Niels Onstad created the museum by donating their private art collection and funds for running the museum. Henie was famous figure skater (three-time Olympic champion) and Hollywood film star. Onstad, her husband, was a shipping magnate and art collector. The museum is located just outside the city border in the Bærum suburbs between the abandoned airport Fornebu and Bærum centre at Sandvika.
Hukodden, Bygdøy
Beach, partly sandy, popular on warm summer days.
Indian cuisine, vegetarian only.
Classical diner, opened 1989. Best burgers in town? Relaxed atmosphere, pleasant staff. Busy during summer. Hip, timeless and family friendly, all at the same time.
Cheap and popular Indian restaurant, often full during the weekends. Cash only.
Good Indian restaurant.
Vying with Oslo Ladegård and Villa Paradiso to have the best pizza in Oslo.
Salads, sandwiches. The herring is good.
Enjoy this unique design experience. This was the Oslo airport in the 1950s and is now a café with a great lunch menu and various cakes and treats.
Sushi and Korean dishes.
A French style seafood restaurant.
Lorry is an institution in Parkveien, near the Palace and at the lower end of Hegdehaugsveien/Bogstadveien shopping street. It is a quirky mix of proper restaurant and bar. Originally a "brown" tavern that has been in operation since 1901. The menu includes hearty food, particularly before Christmas when traditional Norwegian Christmas food is served. Beer on tap and a wide selection of beer in bottles. Lorry is a place for anybody: Cabinet ministers, journalists and media celebrities, university professors and artists mingle with the local beer guzzlers and friends for Friday beer. Outdoor seating in the pedestrian street.
Modern restaurant in the Frogner district. There's another Bølgen & Moi on Tjuvholmen island at the waterfront.
A feast for everyone involved, except perhaps your wallet. Exquisite dining at corporate prices.
Exclusive food of Norwegian raw materials.
A small place with outstanding food, small seasonal menu.
Highly recommended gourmet restaurant where the menu changes daily according to the chef's mood and available ingredients. A ten-course meal costs about 850 kr per person. Only 23 seats and no reservations, but a good bar to while away the hours waiting for food.
An exclusive fish restaurant serving fish, fish soup and shellfish.
Porsche Studio
Commonly quoted as one of the best coffee shops in Oslo, this half café, half Porsche show room serves coffee at a reasonable price.
A popular pub with fair selection of Norwegian and foreign beers. In addition to enjoying good beer it's possible to play darts and get a slice of pizza. Every Monday an international beer course is held here by Ølakademiet.
The pub for real beer connoisseurs and beer lovers, many types of specialty beer on tap.
In addition to the gourmet restaurant (see above) the palace also includes a separate bar with nice drinks and concerts every Monday, plus the 3-story outdoor seating area "Skaugum" with lots of concert during summer.
Spanish cava and tapas bar, fairly cheap and enjoyable.
the first microbrewery in Scandinavia, over 35 beers on tap.
Official Arsenal supporter pub in Norway.
Solli Plass
Sollihagen: This outdoor terrace has heat lamps and a South European party atmosphere. Nox: Exclusive indoor nightclub where you can book a table throughout the night. Age limit 20 on Thursday/Friday and 23 on Saturday.
Centrally located, next to the Royal Palace and Slottsparken. Three types of room to meet all budgets. They don't serve breakfast but have agreement with a cafe nearby.
Quiet area. Breakfast, afternoon sweets and an evening meal are allways included.
Considering the hotel's fashionable location and spacious rooms, great value for money.
5 minutes by train from Oslo S central train station, by the E18 highway to the city. Scenic surroundings.
KNA-hotellet
Central west end hotel with gym, sauna and conference facilities.
Renovated hotel, with excellent location in Oslo's west quarter, right in the city's best shopping avenue, Bogstadveien.
Central conference hotel.
50 rooms, small but good value. Restaurant with Japanese food.
On the water front of the Oslo Fjord in the middle of the business and contemporary art district of Oslo. The hotel is surrounded by many nice (and pricey) restaurants.
Antiques and second hand market. Every Saturday on the corner of Professor Dahls gate and Neubergsgate at Frogner.
Salvation Army second-hand store done Norwegian style! Super high quality clothes, some furnishings, and a SA café/Sally Anne (SA's fair-trade concept store) right next door. Great place for inexpensive hats/gloves/socks when the Oslo winter sneaks up on you.
The Studio Gallery of the Norwegian up-and-coming fine art artist Siren Waróe. Watch her golden art being made live and order your own dream-painting or get a print of one of her paintings.
A shopping centre focusing on interior designs with around 20 different shops with their own theme. This may be the most exquisite interior design centre in northern Europe. Illum Bolighus is especially worth a visit (this is a subsidiary of a famous Danish department store).
continues over the bridge to Tjuvholmen
A seaside shopping and nightlife centre with high prices, but lots of glam and fun.
Choose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Oslo (Gardermoen) · International · OSL
Loading places around the airport…
Articles and travel topics about West and Norway.
InspirationExplore the best places to visit in February across snow festivals, world-famous carnivals, tropical island beaches, and polar night aurora displays.
6 min read
Nature & adventureWhere to see the northern lights in 2026 and 2027 during Solar Cycle 25, comparing weather in Tromsø, Abisko, Fairbanks and Iceland.
7 min read
InspirationThe best places to visit in January for winter sun, deep powder snow and wildlife, comparing Niseko, Sri Lanka, Tromsø and New Zealand.
7 min read
Nature & adventureDiscover the best nature retreats and farm stays for a relaxing break, featuring Tuscan agriturismi, cloud forest lodges, and fjord cabins.
7 min read
Every section of the guide. Open one to read it in full.