The capital of Norway offers visitors the opportunity to explore a diverse array of attractions indoors or outdoors. If you're an art fanatic, it's easy to lose yourself in the city's many world-class museums and galleries.
One of the largest and most popular museums is the Edvard Munch Museum. It features one of the biggest collections of works from this famous Norwegian artist, including his prolific 'Scream' painting.
Karl Johan
Inspired by an autumn day spent hunting for mushrooms, the Karl-Johan Wall Lamp Smoked Oak/Opal calls you to curl up with a good book while a soft and soothing light illuminates your room. Its organic shape in black stained or smoked oak makes it perfectly suited for any home.
In the centre of Oslo, Karl Johans Gate is a famous commercial street, which has an atmosphere that is close to pure Norwegian and offers many shopping and tourist attractions. It also has a lot of restaurants and cafes, which attract locals.
Aker Brygge
Aker Brygge is a bustling and trendy part of Oslo, which is home to a lot of stylish cafes and cocktail bars. It also has a number of high-end restaurants, which make it a great place to visit if you want to taste some delicious food in an exciting and unique atmosphere.
During the next four years, Aker Brygge will undergo an extensive reconstruction and modernisation. It will feature new shops and restaurants, a seaside promenade and outdoor areas that are custom-built to host cultural events and activities.
The pier along the water in Aker Brygge is home to many popular eateries that serve top-notch cuisine and provide an incredible view of the marina and Oslo Fjord. The waterfront is also a great spot to enjoy the city's scenery and architecture.
Sognsvann Lake
The beautiful and serene Sognsvann Lake is a favourite Oslo outdoor spot where locals and tourists love to spend their holidays. It is also a popular destination for cross-country skiing, hiking and snowboarding.
A trip to this pristine nature area is a great way to recharge your batteries after spending a few days in the city. There is a paved trail and numerous entry points to the lake, making it easy to explore.
Tjuvholmen Sculpture Park
Sculpture parks have become increasingly popular in recent years, and Oslo is no exception. The Vigeland Park is famous for the Angry Boy, and there’s also Ekebergparken in a wooded area of southeastern Oslo.
The Tjuvholmen Sculpture Park is a great spot for admiring the work of world-renowned artists like Louise Bourgeois, Antony Gormley, and Anish Kapoor. It’s located near the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art and is designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano.
Fram Museum
The Fram Museum is a place to learn about the history of Norwegian polar exploration. It is a unique museum that pays tribute to three of the world’s greatest explorers: Fridtjof Nansen, Otto Sverdrup and Roald Amundsen.
The highlight of the museum is the polar ship Fram that was used by Nansen in his expedition to the North Pole. The original interior is intact and visitors can walk around its cabins, lounges, engine room and cargo hold.
Next to the main building is the Gjoa building featuring exhibitions on the Northwest Passage and arctic expeditions. The museum also has a polar simulator that helps you experience the dangers and cold of polar expeditions more than 100 years ago.
Kon-Tiki Museum
Kon-Tiki Museum celebrates Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl's life and achievements. Here you can see the original Kon-Tiki balsa raft and the papyrus boat Ra II, as well as other relics and films highlighting his work.
The renowned explorer made waves across the world with his 1947 expedition aboard the Kon-Tiki raft. His aim was to prove that people from South America could have colonised Polynesia during pre-Columbian times.
Snohetta's proposal is to revamp the exhibition spaces, reimagining them in line with Heyerdahl's "adventurous spirit and his drive to promote intercultural understanding and tolerance". Its centrepiece would be an angular extension that gently splits the existing building in two, reflecting Kon-Tiki and Ra II. It will also feature a large multi-purpose auditorium, as well as a garden that's both intimate and contemplative.
Vigeland Park
The Vigeland Park is the world's largest sculpture park and one of Oslo's most popular attractions, with more than one million visitors each year. Designed by the artist Gustav Vigeland, the park contains more than 200 bronze and granite statues, including the famous Monolith of Life.
The park consists of 5 main units: an 850-metre long axis that runs through the Main Gate, a bridge, the fountain and the monolith plateau, which is surrounded by 36 figure groups.
Sculptor Vigeland had a particular obsession with the human form. He spent 20 years designing 600 nude statues to reflect the human life cycle from birth to death.
