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Bar Boca
This tiny bar shoots for a stylised 1950s Hawaiian surfer look with a satisfying cool design. The place is packed, serves cocktails made with fresh fruit and is home to someone who clearly spent a lot of time compiling obscure period music.
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Bar Royale
Inside a former public toilet, this cavelike club (previously Skansen, deemed by the former style bible Face to be the world's greatest club) spins house and techno.
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Blå
A cultural centre inside an old industrial building where you will meet Oslo's best dressed hipsters, Blå also books a ton of jazz acts. There's an outdoor seating area on the river.
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Black Box
You may want to check out the alternative dance and theatre scene at the café-style Black Box, in the Aker Brygge complex.
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Café Kaos
The city's best neighbourhood bar scene is along Thorvald Meyers gate and the surrounding streets in Grünerløkka. Try working your way through the cocktail list at the hip Café Kaos
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Champagneria
The well-heeled crowd of Oslo west can be found sipping cava in Champagneria, near Solli plass.
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Cinemateket
Cinemateket is a godsend to Oslo's alternative film-lovers. This art-house cinema screens alternative contemporary films, classics and independent fare.
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Dattera Til Hagen
In Grønland, the back garden at Dattera Til Hagen is especially busy in the summer.
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Den Norske Opera
Den Norske Opera is Oslo's opera company and stages opera, ballet and classical concerts every month, except for July. As of 2008 they will be performing in the city's new Opera House at Bjørvika, complete with humidified air for resonance and screens with subtitles in eight different languages on the back of each seat. More casual concerts in the public roof garden are also planned.
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Filmens Hus
Filmens Hus screens old classics and international festival winners most days.
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Garage
In addition to Norwegian bands, Garage books international rock acts like Death Cab for Cutie and the Beautiful People. While the sound system is good, the view is not thanks to a too-low stage.
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Gloria Flames
Gloria Flames is king of the Grønland nightclub scene: the DJs and bartenders here play a heavy mix of rock and indie to a disreputable crowd in a blonde wood room.
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Justisen
Some of the most popular places close to the city centre can be found around the Youngstorget, also the political hub of Oslo. Justisen, frequented by lawyers and politicians, is good for a peaceful beer in classic surroundings and has outdoor tables.
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Library Bar
Wear your finest tweed (not required) and sit among piles of leather-bound tomes in the Hotel Bristol's old-school drinking den. Crystal chandeliers set the tone. This is also a good place for a fancy luncheon sandwich (around NOK70 to around NOK95 ). Overcoats must be checked.
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London Pub
Oslo's oldest hangout for the studs, where you can shoot stick and feed jukeboxes. If you feel like serious dancing, head downstairs where DJs spin every night of the week.
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Lorry's
Lorry's serves overpriced, crappy food in a bar with dirty toilets. Despite this, stuffed moose heads, pleasant heated beer garden and large menu of lager ensure it's well loved. Drunk artists used to pay for their beer with some of the stuff hung on the walls.
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Mono
For Indie acts (Gruff Rhys from Super Furry Animals), head to this bar where every surface is black. On nights with no performances, you'll hear the bartender play stuff like Deerhoof.
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National Theatre
The National Theatre is Norway's showcase theatre venue and has a lavish rococo hall. It was constructed specifically as a venue for the works of Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, whose works are still performed here.
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Olympen
A freakish, century-old workers' beer hall, populated by students, artists and drunks, featuring awesomely cheesy cover bands (Bob Jovi) and cheap beer (around NOK33 ) in a cavernous space full of elaborate wooden booths and huge oil paintings of faded, unrecognisable cityscapes.
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Onkel Donald Kafé-Bar
A popular central location is the long-standing Onkel Donald Kafé-Bar.
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Oslo Konserthus
The Oslo Konserthus is a prominent landmark on Oslo's high cultural scene. It schedules a variety of performances, with an emphasis on fine jazz and classical music.
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Oslo Spektrum
Oslo Spektrum is a large concert hall where you can barely see whoever is performing (which might be Guns N' Roses, Bruce Springsteen or the finalists of Norwegian Idol ).
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Palace Grill
The well-heeled crowd of Oslo west can be found sipping cocktails at the New Orleans-style courtyard bar at Palace Grill, also an excellent restaurant, near Solli plass.
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Parkteateret
The yellow and black foyer of this cool-kid theatre and performance space serves espresso and beer to the fashionably dressed. In summer, excellent pavement seating overlooks one of Grünerløkka's English squares.
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Robinet
Some of the most popular places close to the city centre can be found around the Youngstorget, also the political hub of Oslo. Robinet, to the north of the square, is a tiny, retro bar packed with musicians and media-types.
