Oslo, the fjord capital: the back story

About Oslo, the fjord capital: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Oslo Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Oslo began in the Middle Ages below the Ekeberg hills, where Gamlebyen is today; King Christian IV rebuilt it after the fire of 1624 in the grid of Kvadraturen and named it Christiania. The city of today faces the fjord: the Opera House rises from the water in Bjørvika, MUNCH and the Deichman library stand beside it, and on the far side of the harbour the City Hall, opened in 1950, looks out to Akershus Fortress, begun in 1299. Across the water, Bygdøy keeps the polar ships, the Kon-Tiki raft and the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History.

The harbour

Walk the Opera House roof, then MUNCH and Deichman Bjørvika; follow the harbour promenade past Akershus Fortress and the City Hall to Aker Brygge and Tjuvholmen.

Bygdøy

The Fram Museum, the Kon-Tiki Museum, the Norwegian Maritime Museum and the Norsk Folkemuseum, with its Gol stave church; the Museum of the Viking Age is being built here, with opening planned for November 2027.

Buy the Oslo Pass if you plan three or more museums in a day: it includes public transport too.

Karl Johan

Karl Johans gate runs from the Central Station to the Royal Palace, past the Cathedral and the National Theatre; the National Museum is a short walk south.

The hills

The Holmenkollen ski jump and Ski Museum, Frognerseteren and the forests of Nordmarka are a T-bane ride away; Ekebergparken and its sculptures are a tram ride east.

Our advice: give Bygdøy a whole day, and go by boat in summer.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Oslo, the fjord capital: the back story before you go.