For a comparatively
small city, Oslo is remarkably well supplied with museums
and galleries. The compact city centre retains
much of its medieval layout, amid the greenery and parks. Within
walking range of the city centre, there are pleasant districts through
which to browse, enjoying street life and the shops. The area immediately
to the west of the Oslo S station (Oslo Sentralstasjon),
is best avoided after dark.
Aker Brygge,
in the centre, has a quayside bustle. To the west, on the edges
of the Vigeland Sculpture Park, Frogner is dotted
with cafés and interesting shops and boutiques. On the eastern
edge of the town, in Tøyenbadet Park, lies
the Munch Museum, which houses the vast collection
left to the city by Edvard Munch, as well as the Botanical
Gardens and the Tøyenbadet swimming pool
complex.
The peninsula of Bygdøy, with its interesting
collection of museums and desirable residential areas, is a short
ferry ride away from the City Hall. The Rådhus
(City Hall), which lies midway between the Royal Palace
and Akershus Slott, is a short walk from Oslo
Cathedral, the Domkirke, and the nearby market, Stortorvet.
It is surrounded by museums and theatres and is a perfect starting
point for an exploration of the town centre or for taking a cruise
on the fjord from nearby Pier 3.
Wherever one walks in Oslo, there is another beautiful view –
a panorama of the fjord or the mountains or the fresh greenery of
the parks. It is essentially a comfortable city and easy to walk
around being small enough to explore the outer fringes in one day
of walking. At the edges of the city, the great outdoors encroaches,
with skiing and walking trails are 15 minutes’ train ride
from the centre.
Tourist Information
Rådhuset (City Hall)
Fridtjof Nansens plass 5
Telephone number: 24 14 77 00.
Fax number: 22 42 92 22.
E-mail: info@visitoslo.com
Website: www.visitoslo.com
Opening hours: Monday-Friday 0900-1600
hrs (October-March), Monday-Saturday 0900-1700 hrs (April and September),
Daily 0900-1900 hrs (June-August).
Tourist
Information Office
Oslo Sentralstasjon
Jernbanetorget 2
Summer opening hours
: Daily 0800-2300 hrs, May–August, Monday-Saturday 0800-2300
hrs September, Monday-Saturday 0800-1700 hrs October-April).
Passes
The Oslo Pass probably represents the best value
for visitors. As well as free admission to the museums, the pass
offers unlimited local travel on all forms of transport, free entrance
to Tøyenbadet and Frognerbadet
swimming pools and free parking in the municipal car parks, along
with price reductions on some sightseeing trips and many other discounts,
such as for cinemas, restaurants, car hire and souvenir shops. Cards
can be purchased for 1, 2 or 3 days, at a cost of NOK195, NOK285
and NOK375 respectively and are available at the Tourist
Information office, hotels, Narvesen newsagents and various
other outlets.
Key Attractions
Akershus Slott and Festning (Akerhus
Palace and Fortress)
King Haakon V Magnusson ordered the building of Akershus Slott on
a commanding headland, during 1299. Although damaged, repaired,
fortified and renovated over the last centuries, the ancient walls
and central medieval tower of this imposing fortified palace still
dominate the sea front. The town was rebuilt within the fortress
walls after the great fire during 1624 (the fortress was originally
outside of the city). The 17th-century renovations with magnificent
banqueting halls and reception rooms, stand above dank medieval
dungeons and underground passageways. The grounds also house Norges
Hjemmefrontsmuseum (Resistance Museum), with poignant displays
related to the Nazi occupation of the country.
Akershuskaien
Telephone number: 23 09 35 53 (the palace) or 23 09 31 38 (museum).
Website:www.visitoslo.com
Opening hours:
Festning
opens Monday-Friday 0900-1700 hrs, Saturday-Sunday 1100-1700 hrs
(June-August), Monday-Friday 0900-1600 hrs, Saturday-Sunday 100-1600
hrs (September-May).
Slott open Monday-Saturday
1000-1600 hrs, Sunday 1230-1600 hrs (May-Septmber).
Admission:
Free (fortress), Charge (palace and museum).
Oslo
Rådhus (Oslo City Hall)
On the waterfront looking over the fjord, this modern twin-towered
building, opened during 1950 to celebrate the city’s 900th
anniversary, dominates but does not particularly enhance the landscape.
However, the colourful frescos and murals of the interior being
designed by Norwegian artists, redeem the solid exterior. Themes
of Norwegian history and culture predominate, depicting daily life
and Viking mythology, although references to conflict
are inescapable in a building long delayed but finally built in
the aftermath of World War II, and is where the
Nobel Peace Prize is presented each December.
Fridtjof Nansens Plass
Telephone number: 23 46 16 00.
Website: www.visitoslo.com
Opening hours: Daily 0830-1600 hrs (September-April),
Daily 0830-1700 hrs (May-September).
Admission:
charge during May-September, free with the Oslo Pass.
Nasjonalgalleriet (National Gallery)
Norway’s National Gallery houses a respectable pre-1945 international
art collection, including works by Gauguin, Picasso, Cezanne
and El Greco. But the Norwegian collection,
with its emphasis on works from the ‘National Romantic
Period’, is undoubtedly the main interest. Several
rooms are given over to the work of Edvard Munch,
including a version of Skrik (The Scream). The
19th-century Romantic paintings of Dahl, Tidemand
and Gude, such as Bridal Voyage
in the Hardanger Fjord, depict the spectacular Norwegian landscapes
of the forests and fjords, while the museum continues to collect
modern Norwegian artists.
Universitetsgata 13
Telephone number: 22 20 04 04.
Website: www.nasjonalgalleriet.no
Opening hours: Monday, Wednesday and
Friday 1000-1800 hrs, Thursday 1000-2000 hrs, Saturday 1000-1600
hrs, Sunday 1100-1600 hrs.
Admission:
free.
Oslo Domkirke (Cathedral)
Consecrated in 1697, the cathedral has been subject of several renovations.
The current baroque style interior dates from 1950, when Oslo was
celebrating its 900th anniversary. It does, however, incorporate
several original features including the altar screen, pulpit and
font, which had hitherto been on display at the Museum of
Applied Art.
Stortorget
Telephone number: 23 31 46 00.
Website: www.oslodomkirke.no
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1600 hrs (May-September),
Daily except Tuesday 1200-1800 hrs, Tuesday 1000-1600 hrs (September-May).
Admission: free.
Kunstindustrimuseet
(Museum of Applied Art)
Founded during 1876, the Kunstindustrimuseet boasts collections
of Norwegian and foreign handicrafts, fashion and design dating
from as early as the 7th century.
Highlights include 16th and 17th century tapestries, ceramics, silver
and furniture. Galleries are dedicated to royal costumes, Asian
items and design.
St Olavs Gate 1
Telephone number: 22 03 65 40.
Website: www.kunstindustrimuseet.no
Opening hours: Tuesday-Friday 1100-1500
hrs, Saturday-Sunday 1200-1600 hrs.
Admission:
free.
Bygdøy
A quick ferry crossing from central Oslo to the peninsula of Bygdøy
transports visitors into Norway’s varied maritime past. All
the attractions on Bygdøy are within 10 or 15 minutes’
walking distance of each another.
One of Europe’s biggest open-air museums, the Norsk
Folkemuseum (Norwegian Folk Museum) is a walk through Norway’s
geography and history, featuring a variety of period buildings which
have been transported from all over the country. Turf-roofed farms
and barns in one section give way to the streets of the Old
Town, complete with shop, houses and an early petrol station.
A 5 minute walk away, the elegant Oseberg, excavated
during 1904 and dating from about 800, is the finest of the ships
at the Vikingskipshuset (Viking Ship Museum). The
museum also contains finds from burial chambers, where 2 skeletons
once lay amid their riches and jewels. The biggest of the ships,
the Gokstad, is the best preserved. The intricate
patterns (which scroll and twist all over the ships, the jewellery
and the artefacts) all testify to the links with the Celtic nations
where the Vikings once traded and raided.
The Norsk Sjøfartsmuseum (Norwegian Maritime
Museum) portrays the pivotal role played by the sea in Norway’s
history, from Vikings to fishing to oil tankers, with magnificent
model boats, film footage, artefacts and paintings. Outside, a war
memorial recalls the Norwegian sailors who perished in World
War II, beside a replica of the Gjøa,
the first ship to sail through the North West Passage. Fjord tours
aboard a veteran steamship are offered during the summer. Close
by at the Frammuseet, is the 1892 polar vessel, Fram,
in which Fridtjof Nansen sailed toward the North
Pole, and Roald Amundsen to the Antarctic.
The Kon-Tiki Museum houses Thor Heyerdahl’s
famous balsa raft, Kon-Tiki, and reed raft, Ra II,
as well as other items, including Easter island statues
(Moais) and a stuffed whale shark.
Norsk
Folkemuseum (Norwegian Folk Museum)
Museumsveien 10
Telephone number: 22 12 37 00.
Website: www.norskfolke.museum.no
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1800 hrs (May-September),
Monday-Friday 1100-1500 hrs, Saturday-Sunday 1100-1600 hrs (September-May).
Admission: charge or free with Oslo
Pass.
Vikingskipshuset
(Viking Ship Museum)
Huk Aveny 35
Telephone number: 22 13 52 80.
Website: www.ukm.uio.no/vikingskipshuset
Opening hours: Daily 0900-1800 hrs
(May-September), daily 1100-1600 hrs (October-April), closed public
holidays.
Admission: charge.
Norsk Sjøfartsmuseum (Norwegian
Maritime Museum)
Bygdøynesveien 37
Telephone number: 24 11 41 50.
Website: www.norsk-sjofartsmuseum.no
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1800 hrs (mid-May-September),
Sunday-Wednesday 1030-1600 hrs, Thursday 1030-1800 hrs (October-mid-May).
Admission: charge or free with Oslo
Pass.
Frammuseet
(Fram Museum)
Bygdøynesveien 36
Telephone number: 23 28 29 50.
Website: www.fram.museum.no
Opening hours: Vary between daily 0900-1845
hrs and 1100-1445 hrs, according to time of year.
Admission:
charge or free with Oslo Pass.
Kon-Tiki
Museum
Bygdøynesveien 36
Telephone number: 23 08 67 67.
Website:www.kon-tiki.no
Opening
hours: Daily 0930-1745 (June-August), daily 1030-1600 hrs
(October -March), daily 1030-1700 hrs (September and May).
Admission: charge, free with Oslo
Pass.
Further Distractions
Munch Museet (Munch Museum)
The Munch Museum, to the east of Oslo, lies in the broad parklands
of Tøyenhagen. It hit the news during 2004
when two of the most famous works were stolen, but its collection
of other works by Edvard Munch is very extensive.
Tøyengaten 53
Telephone number: 23 49 35 00.
Website: www.munch.museum.no
Admission: charge.
Holmenkollbakken
Ski Museum
Open throughout the year, the Holmenkollen Ski Museum covers over
4,000 years of the history of skiing. There is a ski simulator and
the chance to enjoy views over Oslo from the top of the observation
tower and a restaurant is located on the hill.
Kongeveien 5
Telephone number: 22 92 32 00.
Website: www.skiforeningen.no
Admission: charge.
Ibsen
Museum
Norway’s best-known poet, Henrik Ibsen, lived
in this Oslo house from 1895 until his death in 1906 and his office
is preserved exactly as he left it. Admission by guided tour only,
all year round.
Arbins Gate 1
Telephone number: 22 12 35 50.
Website: www.ibsenmuseet.no
Admission: charge.
Oslo
Reptilpark
With more than 100 species including lizards, snakes, dwarf crocodiles
and spiders, the Oslo Reptile Park is an unusual
diversion in the city centre. Snake feeding takes place every Tuesday
at 1700 hrs, is a highlight of the week.
Storgata 26
Telephone number: 22 17 05 22.
Website: www.reptilpark.no
Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday 1000-1800
hrs.
Admission: charge, free with Oslo
Pass. |
