1. Hike Nordmarka
From the growling traffic and tram stops of central Oslo, it’s only minutes to the peaceful forests and wildflower meadows of Nordmarka. Hiking routes are ten a penny in the outskirts, but those in Maridalen’s Alps are bankers in terms of outright beauty. Two destinations to aim for are Oyungen Lake and Mellomkollen, a hilltop viewpoint that absorbs all of Oslo to the south. Alternatively, closer to the centre, Vettakollen is one of downtown’s most accessible hikes.
2. Feel inspired by Nobel
Next door to the National Museum is the Nobel Peace Center, a manifestation of everything the Nobel Peace Prize represents. Incongruously, it’s housed in a historic railway station, but that belies the innovative nature of the interior’s multimedia exhibits; the Nobel Field presents laureates’ stories in a forest of touch-screen tablets and lights. The centre is an enormous ebook about humanity’s greatest accomplishments and the presence of the likes of Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, the Dalai Lama and Mother Teresa is heavily felt. Not Gandhi, though — despite being nominated several times, he never won.
3. Ski at Holmenkollen
This is where you feel the true Nordic spirit of the capital — ski jumping and feats of winter heroics are part of the national psyche. The reason to come is to gawp at the ski jump tower and to fathom how crazy Norwegians must be to fling themselves off the 60m-high (196ft) runway in the first place. Besides the ramp, there’s a museum with a huge collection, including thousand-year-old skis, and a network of cross-country trails to explore. To see how obsessed the Norwegians can get about the sport, come in March during the annual Holmenkollen Ski Festival.
4. Pop into Prindsen Hage
Oslo has some captivating backstreet cafés and bars, none more so than this rambling backyard on Storgata. It’s a community hangout and cluster of food trucks, a bar and garden with stripy deckchairs and easygoing games. Between the burgers, tacos and beers, make sure to play kubb (known as Viking chess), ping pong or pétanque. That’s brilliant for summer, of course, but those festive Norwegians also roll out a Christmas market, log-burning fires and pitched tents to keep the buzz going all winter long.
5. Discover Akershus Fortress
Otherwise known as Akershus Festning, this medieval fortress is the yin to the yang of the space-age architecture elsewhere on Oslo’s waterfront. It was built at the end of the 13th century to safeguard the city from attacks and is a hodgepodge of red-brick history museums, grand halls stuffed with heirlooms, a dungeon and exposed ramparts. Today, it is open for self-guided wanderings and is a great place to springboard back in time to the Oslo of the 14th and 15th centuries.
6. View stunning sculptures
Oslo has a long history of mind-tripping artists, but perhaps its most radical can be found in Vigeland Sculpture Park. Here, beloved sculptor Gustav Vigeland set out humanity in all its forms with 212 provocative artworks in bronze, wrought iron and granite. Among the highlights are The Angry Boy, Man Attacked by Babies and The Monolith, an obelisk of 121 naked figures clinging together. The Vigeland park is inside the Frogner Park.
7. Sail to the Kon-Tiki Museum
Reached by ferry from Radhuskaien (City Hall Pier), the peninsula of Bygdoy on the Oslofjord looks like it should be a retreat for commuters and summer beachgoers. And, at times, it can be, but just as often it’s a honeypot for visitors who come to see its standout museums that reflect the cultural history of Norway. The main draw is the Viking Ship Museum, but with that closed until 2027 (it’ll reopen as the Museum of the Viking Age), the other hot ticket is the Kon-Tiki Museum. Here, the focus is on the journeys of explorer Thor Heyerdahl, a Norwegian Captain Nemo whose jaunts included sailing across the Pacific on a raft and skippering a papyrus boat from Morocco to Barbados.
8. Tour the National Museum
Of all the changes on the ever-evolving Oslo waterfront, the colossal National Museum is the smash hit. Touted as the largest art museum in Scandinavia, the building brings together the National Gallery, the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design and the Museum of Contemporary Art under one light-filled roof, and its collection plumbs the depths of art, design and architecture. If world-class culture doesn’t cut it for you, then try the roof terrace, with its stylish restaurant and in-your-face views of the power station-like Radhuset (City Hall).
9. Applaud contemporary art
The first sign of the seismic change that’s taken place on the Oslo waterfront was the arrival of the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art on Tjuvholmen, aka Thief Island. The museum, in a boat-shaped building designed by Renzo Piano to echo the area’s maritime history, is a joy, with conceptual pieces from a who’s who of leading names in international modern art. Arguably, the star exhibit remains Jeff Koons’s ceramic gold sculpture Michael Jackson and Bubbles.
10. See Ibsen’s Oslo
Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, who lived his later years here and is buried in Oslo, is regarded as the founder of modernism in theatre. Ibsen did for realism what Shakespeare did for symbolism, and it’s possible to chase his ghost around the city. Download the Oslo Spex app to follow his daily walk from his flat in Arbins gate past the National Theatre to his favourite lunch spot, the Grand Café. Afterwards, visit the Ibsen Museum & Teater, a high culture temple for purists.
