Oslo
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What sets Oslo apart from other European cities is not so much its cultural traditions or its internationally renowned museums as its simply stunning natural beauty. How many world capitals have subway service to the forest, or lakes and hiking trails within city limits? But Norwegians will be quick to remind you that Oslo is a cosmopolitan metropolis with prosperous businesses and a thriving nightlife.
Once overlooked by travelers to Scandinavia, Oslo is now a major tourist destination and the gateway to what many believe is Scandinavia's most scenic country. That's just one more change for this town of 650,000—a place that has become good at survival and rebirth throughout its 1,000-year history. In 1348 a plague wiped out half the city's population. In 1624 a fire burned almost the whole of Oslo to the ground. It was redesigned and renamed Christiania by Denmark's royal builder, King Christian IV. After that it slowly gained prominence as the largest and most economically significant city in Norway.
During the mid-19th century, Norway and Sweden were ruled as one kingdom, under Karl Johan. It was then that the grand main street that's his namesake was built, and Karl Johans Gate has been at the center of city life ever since. In 1905 the country separated from Sweden, and in 1925 an act of Parliament finally changed the city's name back to Oslo. Today, Oslo is Norway's political, economic, industrial, and cultural capital.
Things to Do
Other
Norwegian Wood
Oslo Jazzfestival
Øya Music Festival
Top Destinations
Bygdøy
Southwest of the city center is the Bygdøy Peninsula, where several of the best-known historic sights are concentrated. This is where you'll find the Vikingskipshuset, one of Norway’s most popular attractions. The pink castle nestled in the trees is Oscarshall Slott Åd, once a royal summer palace. The royal family’s current summer residence–-actually just a big white house–-is also here.
Frogner, Majorstuen, and Holmenkollen
Also known as Oslo West, Frogner and Majorstuen combine classic Scandinavian elegance with contemporary European chic. Hip boutiques, excellent restaurants, and esteemed galleries coexist with embassies and ambassadors' residences on the streets near and around Bygdøy Allé.
Grunerløkka
Once a workaday neighborhood north of the center, Grünerløkka now hosts a number of trendy bars, cafés, and eateries. Popular with young people, the area is now known as Oslo's version of New York's Greenwich Village.
Kvadraturen, Aker Brygge, Tjuvholmen, and Bjørvika
Kvadraturen is the oldest part of Oslo. In 1624, after the town burned down for the 14th time, King Christian IV renamed the city Christiania and moved it to the more easily defendable area adjacent to Akershus Fortress. In order to prevent future fires, the king decreed that houses were to be built of stone or brick instead of wood. Kvadraturen translates roughly as “square township,” which refers to the area’s geometrically ordered streets.
For more than a century this waterfront district was the home of a massive commercial shipyard called Akers Mekaniske Verksted. Postmodern steel-and-glass structures now dominate the skyline. The promenade along the water's edge is crowded with families whenever the weather is sunny. Facing the water are dozens of high-end eateries, upmarket boutiques, and art galleries. Bridges connect it to the quieter Tjuvholmen neighborhood.
Sentrum
Although the city region is huge (454 square km [175 square miles]), downtown Oslo is compact, with shops, museums, historic buildings, restaurants, and clubs concentrated in a small, walkable center that's brightly illuminated at night. The rapidly diversifying population means some streets maintain a certain quiet charm, while others are a bit more noisy and bustling. Here you'll find the lion's share of historic buildings, such as the Royal Palace and the Parliament Building. This area is also chock-full of museums, including the gleaming new National Museum complex.
Tøyen and Damstredet
The Munch Museum is east of the city center in Tøyen, an area where Edvard Munch spent many of his years in Oslo. The Tøyen district has a much different feel than Oslo's cushy west side—it's multiethnic and more industrial. West of Tøyen, north of the city center near the cemetery Vår Frelsers Gravlund, is the quiet, old-fashioned district of Damstredet, one of the few areas with original, 18th-century wooden houses.
