The back story 1
In-depth stories behind the list.
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The back story
Oslo, the fjord capital: the back story
The Opera you can walk on, the new MUNCH, Akershus Fortress, the City Hall and the museums of Bygdøy: how to read Oslo.
15 of the best · Oslo, Norway
The Best Things to Do in Oslo
The Opera House roof, MUNCH, Akershus Fortress, the City Hall, the Royal Palace, the Fram and Kon-Tiki museums, the Norsk Folkemuseum’s stave church and Holmenkollen.
Our 15 favourites, listed A–Z · Updated October 2026
What's onThis week in Oslo
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Insiders' picks
Three of our favourites from this list, vetted by people who know and love Oslo.
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Walk on the roof
The Norwegian National Opera & Ballet
The white Opera House that rises from the harbour, with a roof you can climb all year round.
Kirsten Flagstads plass 1, 0150 OsloExplore View on map
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The Scream, always on show
MUNCH
The world’s largest collection of Edvard Munch, over 13 floors on the harbour in Bjørvika.
Edvard Munchs plass 1, 0194 OsloExplore View on map
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The polar ship Fram
Fram Museum
The polar ship Fram, the strongest wooden ship ever built, which you can board, with Amundsen’s Gjøa beside it.
Bygdøynesveien 39, 0286 OsloExplore View on map
The full list: Sights, A–Z
Show 14 of 15 places on a map
Neighbourhood
The harbour 4
Opera, MUNCH, fortress and City Hall.
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Begun in 1299
Akershus Fortress
The medieval castle and fortress on the harbour headland, begun in 1299 and turned into a Renaissance royal residence.
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The Scream, always on show
MUNCH
The world’s largest collection of Edvard Munch, over 13 floors on the harbour in Bjørvika.
Edvard Munchs plass 1, 0194 OsloExplore View on map
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Opened in 1950
Oslo City Hall
The twin-towered City Hall of 1950, its halls painted with Norwegian history and its carillon ringing the hours.
Fridtjof Nansens plass, 0160 OsloExplore View on map
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Walk on the roof
The Norwegian National Opera & Ballet
The white Opera House that rises from the harbour, with a roof you can climb all year round.
Kirsten Flagstads plass 1, 0150 OsloExplore View on map
The city 4
Palace, cathedral and museums.
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By the City Hall
Nobel Peace Center
The museum of the Nobel Peace Prize, by the City Hall square; parts of its second floor reopen on 12 December 2026.
Brynjulf Bulls plass 1, 0250 OsloExplore View on map
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Consecrated in 1697
Oslo Cathedral
The baroque cathedral on Stortorvet, consecrated in 1697, with ceiling murals by Hugo Lous Mohr and windows by Emanuel Vigeland.
Stortorvet, 0154 OsloExplore View on map
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Viking treasures
The Historical Museum
The world’s best-preserved Viking helmet, the Oseberg ship’s serpent head and medieval art, in an Art Nouveau building.
Frederiks gate 2, 0164 OsloExplore View on map
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Completed in 1849
The Royal Palace
The neoclassical palace at the top of Karl Johans gate, with the changing of the guard every day at 13:30.
Slottsplassen 1, 0010 OsloExplore View on map
Bygdøy 5
The museum peninsula.
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The polar ship Fram
Fram Museum
The polar ship Fram, the strongest wooden ship ever built, which you can board, with Amundsen’s Gjøa beside it.
Bygdøynesveien 39, 0286 OsloExplore View on map
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Planned for November 2027
Museum of the Viking Age
The Viking ships’ new home on Bygdøy, under construction: the museum plans to open in November 2027.
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160 historic buildings
Norsk Folkemuseum
One of the world’s largest open-air museums: 160 historic buildings and the Gol stave church, dated to around 1200.
Museumsveien 10, 0287 OsloExplore View on map
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At the tip of Bygdøynes
Norwegian Maritime Museum
Norway’s museum of the sea, with the open boats of the coast, a 1500s wreck from Bjørvika and a boat about 2,200 years old.
Bygdøynesveien 37, 0286 OsloExplore View on map
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Thor Heyerdahl’s raft
The Kon-Tiki Museum
The balsawood raft Kon-Tiki, which crossed the Pacific in 1947, in a new exhibition from summer 2026, with the reed boat Ra II.
Bygdøynesveien 36, 0286 OsloExplore View on map
The hills 1
Holmenkollen.
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The world’s oldest ski museum
Holmenkollen Ski Museum & Tower
The world’s oldest ski museum, under the Holmenkollen jump, with the view from the top of the tower.
Kongeveien 5, 0787 OsloExplore View on map
