Oslo- Guide

Oslo General Information

Oslo Aerial View

Curving around the head of Oslo Fjord's sparkling waters, surrounded thickly forested ridges, this compact, beautiful city is one of Europe's oldest capitals. It was originally established around 1000 AD. However its most imposing momuments were built in the 17th century, under the supervision of King Christian IV, who rewarded himself for his efforts by renaming the city Christiana. By the early 20th century it had reverted to its original name but remained essentially a sleepy Scandinavian backwater until the 1980s, when a surge of oil wealth turned Norway into one of the world's richest countries, recently nominated by the UN as the most desirable pace to live in terms of education, social welfare and life expectancy.   Oslo is now a gleaming, bustling city with a vibrant nightlife. The recent glut of prosperity has inevitably brought higher prices, but it is still possible to sample it on a reasonable budget.

Oslo is a relatively small capital, with a population of around half a million. It adheres to a grid system, its compact streets laid out behind the fortifications of the Akershus Castle, so it's almost impossible to get lost while walking around it. The best place to start a tour is probably Karl Johans Gate, the city's main boulevard, which stretches from the central railway station to the Royal Palace. It is pedestrianised for six blocks and the beautiful old town houses that line one side of it are crammed with brand name shops, while the lovely Studenterlunden Park lies on the other. It is also one of the few major thoroughfares in the world where the pavement is heated to prevent ice or snow from accumulating - testimony to the Norweigians' disarming unwillingness to let severe winters stop them enjoying themselves.

From Karl Johans Gate most of the city's main landmarks are easily accessible. The Viking Museum contains three of the best preserved longships in the world and offers fascinating insights into the nation's bloodthirsty past. In a similar fashion, the National Gallery and the Munch Museum feature key works by the artist Edward Munch (including his most celebrated painting, "The Scream"), which convey a piercing despair at odds with modern Oslo's outwardly serene, prosperous atmosphere. This theme of surreal and vaguely disturbing art persists in Vigeland Sculpture Park, which features over 200 works by the celebrated sculptor Gustav Viegland. Its centrepiece is an obelisk composed of 150 writhing nude figures, which is meant to sum up the desperate struggle of human condition, but might prompt other, less rarified thoughts in the viewer's mind!

Oslo Park from the sky

Somewhat more traditional, the early 14th century Akershus Castle offers a wealth of historical detail and lovely views across the harbour, which, in the summer, is crammed with yachts, ferries and fishing boats. The astonishing Norwegian Folk Museum, one of the largest outdoor museums in Europe, recreates 19th century Norway with 150 houses that have been transported from all over the country and lovely restored. Slightly outside the centre of the city, but well worth visiting, the Holmenkollen skiing museum memorialises an activity which, in Norway, is not just a sport but an invaluable method of travel during the snowy winters.

If visiting all or even some of these cultural landmarks leaves you yearning for an infusion of frivolity, don't wory. Oslo also features some excellent shopping malls, most notably the new Aker Brygge, a glass, harbourside palace of consumerism with 60 boutiques and 35 restaurants. But really, as enticing as all these sights and actvities sound, Oslo's enduring appeal is more than just the combination of all of them. It dwells instead in the way the city is enmeshed with the beauty of the surrounding landscape. As Oslo residents proudly point out, "the sea and the nature" are what make their capital special, no matter what the season.

Oslo Restaurants & Bars

Eating out in Oslo is quite expensive, but the fact that the menus are almost always in English allows you to avoid the potential pitfalls of ordering in in a foreign language. Traditional Norwegian food is served in many restaurant - especially at the harbourside - and focuses principally on seafood (especially mussels and salted cod) and game (moose and reindeer.) All of this can be washed down with a tankard of the best quality local beer, Ringnes.