Oslo, the classic and the new

Grand hotels, old and new

Oslo’s grand hotels began on Karl Johans gate. The Grand Hotel opened there in 1874, and VisitOSLO records Henrik Ibsen and Edvard Munch among its regulars; Hotel Continental, a member of The Leading Hotels of the World, faces the National Theatre, its Theatercaféen one of the city’s great rooms; Hotel Christiania Teater fills a theatre that opened in 1918.

A newer Oslo has followed the city to the water and into its landmarks. The Thief opened on Tjuvholmen in 2013, on an island once known for thieves and smugglers; Amerikalinjen fills the old headquarters of the Norwegian America Line; and Sommerro has turned the Art Deco headquarters of the city’s Light Works into a hotel with seven restaurants and bars and the Vestkantbadet baths.

Where to stay in Oslo →

The harbour reborn

The Opera House, designed by Snøhetta, rises white from the water in Bjørvika, and its roof is open to walkers all year round. Beside it stand MUNCH, with Edvard Munch’s art over 13 floors, and Deichman Bjørvika, the main library, where the Future Library keeps 100 manuscripts unread until 2114. Across the harbour, the National Museum, the largest art museum in the Nordic countries, holds The Scream of 1893, and Renzo Piano’s Astrup Fearnley Museet stands at the tip of Tjuvholmen.

Bjørvika →   Aker Brygge & Tjuvholmen →

Museums of the sea and the ice

On Bygdøy, Oslo keeps its seafaring past: the Fram, the strongest wooden ship ever built, which you can board; the Kon-Tiki raft that crossed the Pacific in 1947, in a new exhibition from 2026; and the Norwegian Maritime Museum, with a boat about 2,200 years old. The Viking ships are waiting for their new home, the Museum of the Viking Age, which plans to open in November 2027.

Bygdøy →

At the table

In the 2026 MICHELIN Guide Nordic Countries, Maaemo holds Three Stars and Kontrast Two, and seven more Oslo tables hold One. Simpler pleasures are as Norwegian: brown cheese on a warm waffle, a skolebrød from the bakery, a pølse i lompe from the kiosk, and in December ribbe or pinnekjøtt on Christmas Eve.

Norwegian Cuisine →   The best restaurants in Oslo →

Sauna and fjord

Oslo lives on its fjord. Ruter’s boats carry city tickets out to the islands of Hovedøya and Gressholmen; the harbour bath at Sørenga and the city beach below the Opera let you swim in the middle of town; and the saunas of Oslo Badstuforening in Bjørvika, with a plunge into the fjord between rounds, keep the habit going all winter.

Boats & Fjord →

Music and stage

The Norwegian National Opera & Ballet plays on three stages in Bjørvika; the Oslo Philharmonic at Oslo Konserthus; and Nationaltheatret, at the end of Karl Johan, is the national stage. Henrik Ibsen’s last home, where he lived for the final 11 years of his life, is now his museum.

Arts & Culture in Oslo →

The hills and the snow

A T-bane ride lifts you from the harbour to Holmenkollen, where the ski jump rises over the city and the Ski Museum, founded in 1923, calls itself the world’s oldest. Above it, Frognerseteren serves apple cake with a view of the fjord, and the forests of Nordmarka begin.

Holmenkollen →   ULTIMATE Ski Resorts →

Joachim Trier’s Oslo

Few cities have a film-maker as devoted as Joachim Trier: VisitOSLO calls Oslo almost a recurring supporting character in his films, from Reprise and Oslo, August 31st to The Worst Person in the World and Sentimental Value, which won the 2026 Academy Award for best international feature film.

Oslo on film →

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