Oslo Apartments and Accommodation – where to stay
Oslo, the capital of Norway, is one of Scandinavia’s best loved cities and is beautiful, clean and modern. Oslo has been given the slightly dubious honour of being the world’s most expensive city but there’s still plenty of do if you’re travelling on a budget. Sitting dramatically at the head of the
Oslo fjord, Oslo sits on the edge of some beautiful thick forests and glistening stretches of water. 550,000 people reside in Oslo and the surrounding suburbs making it one of Europe’s smaller cities. In the centre of Oslo there are plenty of hotels and hostels, but if you’d like a more authentic Norwegian experience
Fun Facts
Oslo was named
Christiania until 1925.
Most of the city was destroyed by a fire in 1624
Oslo is considered one of the best places for coffee in Europe.
Nowhere in Oslo is more than 15 minutes from nature!
Things to do in Oslo
Oslo has much to offer tourists including some great museums, amazing sights and fine dining. We recommend you purchase the ‘
Oslo Pass’, a special card designed for tourists which entitles you to free public transport around the city and free entry to numerous interesting museums and galleries. Here are some of the attractions included:
Munch Museum – this museum is dedicated to the life and work of
Edward Munch, one of Norway’s most famous artists. The museum has over half of the artist’s large body of work and prints of everything he produced. The museum’s most famous painting, The Scream, was sadly stolen in 2004 but has thankfully been recovered since.
Viking Ships Museum – the focal point of this museum is three 9th century Viking ships that were discovered in the burial grounds of Viking chieftains. They are extremely well preserved and demonstrate the impressive ship building skills of the Vikings. There are also artifacts recovered from the same location.
National Gallery – houses an impressionist collection along with several Munch paintings. It’s a small gallery but nevertheless has works by Monet and Van Gogh.
Holocaust Centre – a thought provoking exhibition inside the Oslo city centre that gives insight into the lives and fates of the Norwegian Jews. It’s very informative and audio guides are provided.
The Ibsen Museum – formerly the home of Henrik Ibsen, the world’s second most famous playwright. Ibsen lived and worked in Oslo for over 20 years and his apartments has been painstakingly renovated and features a museum of his life and work alongside furniture from his home.
Holmenkollen – the Holmenkollen ski jump is an emblem of skiing worldwide and the view from the top gives terrifying glimpse into what a ski jumper has to face. The skiing museum next door gives you the opportunity to learn about the history of the sport.
Around Oslo
Oslo also has some impressive developments on the water. The
Aker Brygge waterfront development is a favourite with tourists and is a former shipyard. There are many restaurants along the waterfront as well as lively bars. Be warned – a beer will set you back €6! If you’d like a more affordable eating and drinking experience then head to the intriguing
Blitz House. This occupied and autonomous building is something of a centre for Norwegian alternative culture and has a laidback atmosphere. You’ll also find affordable beer and the best waffles in town!
The
Oslo Opera House is one of Oslo’s most recognisable and talked about buildings. It is home to the
Norwegian Opera and Ballet and sits on the bank of the fjord near the central station. The building is an artwork in its own right and resembles an iceberg. It is a huge hit with tourists and since it opened in 2008 it has been visited by over 10 million tourists. You can walk on the roof via the sloping marble roof to get some beautiful views over the city and fjord. Visiting the
Vigeland Sculpture Park should definitely be on your to-do list. It is lies in
Frogner Park and is the world’s largest sculpture park. It was created by just one artist – Gustav Vigeland. He created over 200 sculptures made from iron, bronze and granite and each sculpture represents different emotions based around the theme of the human condition.
Getting Around
Oslo Airport Gardermoen is Oslo’s main airport and is located 45km to the north of the city. A
Flytoget high speed train takes arriving passengers from the airport into the city in 20 minutes. Cheaper buses are available and the journey time is 45 minutes. Ruter is the name of the public transport company serving Oslo. They have a fleet or trams, buses and a metro system. They also have a local ferry service that connects Oslo Aker Brygge and Nesoddtangen, a pretty village located on a peninsula across the water from Oslo. There are also long distance ferries that connect Oslo with
Kiel in Germany and
Frederikshavn in Denmark.
£11per nightFully Furnished big room with balkony in shareda partment - To the Beach in 15 min (S-Bahn)Rostock, Germany