Oslo Travel Guide: Viking Ships, Modern Art & Norwegian Charm

Oslo often gets overshadowed by Norway’s fjords, but the capital is one of Scandinavia’s most rewarding city destinations. Compact enough to walk across in a day, yet dense with world-class museums, a dynamic waterfront, and the kind of urban forest access that makes Norwegians the enviable outdoor people they are, Oslo earns its place on any Nordic itinerary.

The Oslo Card

The Oslo Card is the most sensible purchase for most visitors. It covers entry to almost all of Oslo’s major museums (including the recently opened Munch Museum, the National Museum, and the Viking Ship Museum), unlimited travel on the city’s metro, trams, buses, and ferries, and discounts at several restaurants and attractions.

Cards are available for 24 hours (NOK 595), 48 hours (NOK 840), or 72 hours (NOK 1,060). If you plan to visit more than two or three museums and use public transport, it pays for itself quickly. Purchase online in advance or at the Oslo Visitor Centre.

Top Attractions

Vigeland Park (Frognerparken)

The largest sculpture park in the world dedicated to a single artist, Vigeland Park contains 212 bronze, granite, and cast-iron sculptures by Gustav Vigeland, all arranged along a 850-metre axis. The centrepiece is the Monolith — a 14-metre column of 121 intertwined human figures carved from a single block of granite. The park is open 24 hours, free of charge, and beautiful in every season. In winter, locals ski on the surrounding paths.

Viking Ship Museum

The Vikingskipshuset on Bygdøy peninsula houses three original Viking ships from the 9th century — the Oseberg, Gokstad, and Tune ships — excavated from burial mounds around the Oslo Fjord. The Oseberg ship is the most ornately decorated and best-preserved Viking ship in existence. The museum is small enough to see thoroughly in two hours but remarkable in its impact. Note: the museum underwent major renovation; check current access status before visiting.

Munch Museum (MUNCH)

The new Munch Museum opened in 2021 in Bjørvika on the waterfront, in a striking 13-storey building with sweeping Oslo Fjord views. It holds the world’s largest collection of Edvard Munch’s work — around 28,000 works including multiple versions of The Scream. Interactive displays contextualize Munch’s turbulent life and psychology. The rooftop restaurant offers outstanding views.

National Museum

The Nasjonalmuseet, which opened in 2022, is Norway’s largest cultural history institution. One of its most famous exhibits is Munch’s most iconic version of The Scream alongside masterworks of Norwegian Romantic nationalism — Johan Christian Dahl’s landscapes, Hans Gude’s mountain scenes.

Aker Brygge and Tjuvholmen

Oslo’s revitalized waterfront is one of the most enjoyable urban spaces in Scandinavia. Aker Brygge is a former shipyard turned into a strip of restaurants, bars, and shops with harbor views. Adjoining Tjuvholmen is more architecturally bold, with the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art (Renzo Piano building) at its tip. In summer, the dock areas fill with people eating outdoors despite the northern latitude.

Holmenkollen Ski Jump

The iconic Holmenkollen ski jump, perched on a hill north of the city, is visible from much of Oslo. In summer (the ski season is long over), a viewing platform at the top of the jump gives extraordinary views over the city and fjord — and a terrifying sense of what ski jumpers actually experience. The adjacent Ski Museum is the world’s oldest and traces the history of skiing from 4,000-year-old petroglyphs to the present.

Take the T-bane (metro) Line 1 to Holmenkollen station — the ride through Oslo’s forested suburbs is pleasant in itself.

Bygdøy Peninsula

Bygdøy deserves a half-day. Beyond the Viking Ship Museum, it holds the Norwegian Folk Museum (open-air collection of traditional buildings from across Norway, including a 12th-century stave church), the Kon-Tiki Museum (Thor Heyerdahl’s original balsa wood raft), and the Fram Museum (the polar exploration ship Fram — the world’s strongest wooden vessel — inside a climate-controlled building).

Food and Drink

Norwegian food culture has undergone a transformation. Oslo now has several Michelin-starred restaurants and a growing farm-to-table scene, but traditional dishes remain essential:

• Smørbrød: Open-faced sandwiches on dense rye bread with toppings of smoked salmon, shrimp, roast beef, or egg and mayonnaise. The classic Norwegian lunch.
• Gravlaks: Cured salmon — silkier and richer than smoked salmon. Try it at the fish market in Aker Brygge.
• Kjøttkaker: Norwegian meatballs, larger and spiced differently from Swedish ones, served with brown sauce and mashed potatoes.
• Akevitt (Aquavit): The national spirit — caraway-flavored and drunk ice-cold, often with herring.

For budget eating, the Mathallen Oslo indoor food hall in Vulkan district is excellent — local producers selling cheeses, charcuterie, baked goods, and hot food at reasonable prices. Grünerløkka, the hip neighbourhood north of the city centre, has Oslo’s highest concentration of affordable cafés and restaurants.

Transport in Oslo

Oslo’s public transport network (Ruter) is excellent. The T-bane (metro) has six lines meeting at a central interchange. Trams cover the city centre. Ferries cross to Bygdøy and the Oslo Fjord islands (Hovedøya, Langøyene) — included on the Oslo Card.

The city is highly walkable in summer. Cycling is also practical — Oslo has an extensive bike lane network and a city bike sharing scheme (Bysykkel).

Getting from the airport: The Flytoget (Airport Express Train) connects Oslo Gardermoen Airport to the city centre in 19–22 minutes. The NSB regional train takes slightly longer but is cheaper.

Best Time to Visit

May to August: Oslo’s summer is genuinely lovely — long days (it barely gets dark in June), outdoor terraces busy, fjord swimming possible, and cultural events in full swing. The Oslo Jazz Festival in August is one of Norway’s best.

December to February: Winter is cold (often below freezing) and dark, but Oslo Christmas markets are charming, and the city’s ski trails are skiable from the city’s northern neighbourhoods — you can literally ski from the T-bane to groomed forest tracks at Nordmarka.

September to October: Autumn is underrated — fewer tourists, golden foliage in the surrounding forests, and comfortable walking temperatures.

Practical Tips

• Language: Norwegian, but nearly all Norwegians speak excellent English. No language barrier for visitors.
• Prices: Oslo is expensive. A coffee costs NOK 60–80 (€5–7). Budget NOK 200–350 (€17–30) for a simple restaurant meal.
• Tap water: Perfectly safe and excellent quality everywhere. Bring a reusable bottle.
• Oslo Fjord Islands: A ferry in summer to Hovedøya (medieval monastery ruins) or Langøyene (sandy beaches) is a delightful half-day escape from the city.

Oslo is a city of quiet confidence — it doesn’t shout about what it offers. Visitors who take the time to look beyond the well-known museums discover a city with one of the highest qualities of life in the world, and an infectious, if understated, pride in that fact.