Must-see attractions in Oslo

  • Bygdoy Vikingskipshuset.

    Vikingskipshuset

    Aker Brygge & Bygdøy

    Around 1100 years ago, Vikings dragged up two longships from the shoreline and used them as the centrepiece for grand ceremonial burials, most likely for…

  • Ekebergparken Sculpture Park with sea view and the sculpture "Anatomy of an angel" by the artist Damien Hirst.

    Ekebergparken

    Sofienberg, Grønland & Tøyen

    Opened to much controversy in 2013, Ekebergparken cemented Oslo's reputation as a contemporary-art capital and, in particular, one devoted to sculpture. A…

  • View to the City Hall.

    Astrup Fearnley Museet

    Aker Brygge & Bygdøy

    This private contemporary-art museum resides in an arresting, silvered-wood building designed by Renzo Piano, with a sail-like glass roof that feels both…

  • Oslo, Norway - July 22, 2014: Henrik Ibsen statue. The statue stand in front of the museum of Henrik Ibsen.; Shutterstock ID 603752813; Your name (First / Last): Gemma Graham; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: BiT Destination Page Images

    Ibsen Museet

    Oslo

    While downstairs houses a small and rather idiosyncratic museum, it's Ibsen's former apartment, which you'll need to join a tour to see, that is…

  • Norway, Oslo, Vigeland Sculpture Park / Monoliten Statue (by Gustav Vigeland)

    Vigelandsparken

    Oslo

    The centrepiece of Frognerparken is an extraordinary open-air showcase of work by Norway's best-loved sculptor, Gustav Vigeland, and is home to 212…

  • Opera building.

    Oslo Opera House

    Opera House & Bjørvika

    Centrepiece of Oslo's rapidly developing waterfront, the magnificent Opera House (2008), reminiscent of a glacier floating in the waters of the Oslofjord,…

  • Akershus Fortress Oslo Norway; Shutterstock ID 553892116; Your name (First / Last): Gemma Graham; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: BiT Destination Page Images

    Akershus Festning

    Oslo

    When Oslo was named capital of Norway in 1299, King Håkon V ordered the construction of Akershus, strategically located on the eastern side of the harbour…

  • OSLO, NORWAY - 8 JULY, 2015: Famous beautiful concrete building which houses Nobel Peace Centre located by the waterfront at Aker Brygge.; Shutterstock ID 312822503; Your name (First / Last): Josh Vogel; GL account no.: 56530; Netsuite department name: Online Design; Full Product or Project name including edition: Digital Content/Sights

    Nobels Fredssenter

    Aker Brygge & Bygdøy

    Norwegians take pride in their role as international peacemakers, and the Nobel Peace Prize is their gift to the men and women judged to have done the…

  • Fram Museum, Bygdoy, Oslo, Norway

    Polarship Fram Museum

    Aker Brygge & Bygdøy

    This museum is dedicated to one of the most enduring symbols of early polar exploration, the 39m schooner Fram (meaning ‘Forward’). Wander the decks, peek…

  • Walking on a narrow path in Nordmarka, Oslo, Norway.

    Nordmarka

    Oslo

    Oslo's beloved woodland sits to the north of the Holmenkollen Ski Jump and is a prime destination for hiking, mountain biking, sledding and skiing. In the…

  • Holmenkollbakken Ski Jump located in Oslo, Norway.

    Holmenkollen Ski Jump

    Oslo

    The Holmenkollen Ski Jump, perched on a hilltop overlooking Oslo, offers a panoramic view of the city and doubles as a concert venue. During Oslo's annual…

  • Oslo, Norway, 7 August 2022: view of the modern National Museum of Norway; Shutterstock ID 2244644495; your: Ann Douglas Lott; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: Oslo National Gallery POI
2244644495
Oslo, Norway, 7 August 2022: view of the modern National Museum of Norway

    Nasjonalgalleriet

    Oslo

    The gallery houses the nation's largest collection of traditional and modern art, and many of Edvard Munch's best-known creations are on permanent display…

  • Munchmuseet

    Sofienberg, Grønland & Tøyen

    This monographic museum dedicated to Norway's greatest artist, Edvard Munch (1863–1944), houses the largest collection of his work in the world: some 28…

  • Henie-Onstad Art Centre

    Oslo

    This private art museum contains works by Joan Miró and Pablo Picasso, as well as assorted impressionist, abstract, expressionist and contemporary…

  • Frognerparken

    Oslo

    Frognerparken attracts westside locals with its broad lawns, ponds, stream and rows of shady trees for picnics, strolling or lounging on the grass. It…

  • The Gol Stave Church of the Norwegian Folk Museum

    Norsk Folkemuseum

    Aker Brygge & Bygdøy

    This folk museum is Norway's largest open-air museum and one of Oslo's most popular attractions. The museum includes more than 140 buildings, mostly from…

  • The Royal Palace

    Royal Palace

    Oslo

    The Norwegian royal family's seat of residence emerges from the woodland-like Slottsparken, a relatively modest, pale-buttercup neoclassical pile. Built…

  • Historisk Museum

    Oslo

    The Historical Museum is actually three museums under one roof. Most interesting is the ground-floor National Antiquities Collection (Oldsaksamlingen),…

  • Vigeland Museum

    Oslo

    For a more in-depth look at Gustav Vigeland's work, this museum is just opposite the southern entrance to Frognerparken. It was built by the city in the…

  • Oslo Cathedral

    Oslo

    The highlights of a visit to Oslo Cathedral, which dates from 1697, are the elaborate stained-glass windows by Emanuel Vigeland (brother of Gustav) and…

  • Damstredet

    Oslo

    The quirky 18th-century wooden homes of the Damstredet district and the nearby Telthusbakken are a nice change of pace from the modern architecture of the…

  • Norwegian Resistance Museum

    Oslo

    Within the Akershus Fortress complex the Norwegian Resistance Museum stands adjacent to a memorial for resistance fighters executed on this spot during…

  • Tjuvholmen Sculpture Park

    Aker Brygge & Bygdøy

    Like the Astrup Fearnley Museet that it surrounds, this sculpture park was designed by Renzo Piano and is also dedicated to international contemporary art…

  • Emanuel Vigeland Museum

    Oslo

    Emanual Vigeland, brother to the more famous Gustav, began construction on this large, vaulted space in 1926, with plans to make it a museum. The dimly…

  • Natural History Museum

    Sofienberg, Grønland & Tøyen

    Under the trees of Oslo's Botanical Garden, the university's serious-looking Natural History Museum comprises two different collections: the Zoological…

  • Botanical Garden

    Sofienberg, Grønland & Tøyen

    Oslo's 6.5-hectare Botanical Garden – the oldest in Norway – has a beautiful woody arboretum, a sublime scent garden, a mini-mountain landscape and a…

  • Nobel Institute

    Oslo

    It is unclear why Alfred Nobel chose Norway to administer the Peace Prize, but whatever the reason, it is a committee of five Norwegians, appointed for…

  • Akerselva River

    Oslo

    Running from Maridalsvannet to the Oslofjord, this fast-flowing river was once the centre of Oslo's industry and then, until the late 20th century,…

  • Slottsparken

    Oslo

    Rising up above the western end of central Oslo is the sloping parkland of Slottsparken, one of the capital's first public parks. Filled with rambling…

  • Rådhus

    Oslo

    This twin-towered town hall, completed in 1950 to commemorate Oslo's 900th anniversary, houses the city's political administration and is filled with mid…

  • Vår Frelsers

    Oslo

    This triangular cemetery dates to the Napoleonic wars, but it's most notable as the final resting place of artist Munch and writer Ibsen. Ibsen's grand…

  • Kon-Tiki Museum

    Aker Brygge & Bygdøy

    A favourite among children, this worthwhile museum is dedicated to the balsa raft Kon-Tiki, which Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl sailed from Peru to…

  • Museet for Samtidskunst

    Oslo

    The highly regarded National Museum of Contemporary Art is keeper of the National Gallery's collections of post-WWII Scandinavian and international art…

  • Norwegian Maritime Museum

    Aker Brygge & Bygdøy

    Author Roald Dahl once said that in Norway everyone seems to have a boat, and the theory seems like quite a good one at the Norsk Maritime Museum. The…

  • 1857

    Sofienberg, Grønland & Tøyen

    Stian Eide Kluge and Steffen Håndlykken began this artist-run space in a former timberyard in 2010 and it's one of the city's most respected and enduring…

  • Sentralen

    Oslo

    If you're not here for the restaurant, the cafe, the bars or the live-music venues, it's still worth popping in for a poke around both the spectacular…

  • Queen Sonja Art Stable

    Oslo

    The former palace stables, used for half a century as storage, were reopened as a public gallery space by Queen Sonja on her 80th birthday. The charming…

  • nyMusikk

    Sofienberg, Grønland & Tøyen

    Part gallery, part office, part library and part performance space, nyMusikk hosts a program of sound-focused art shows, performances and festivals. Even…

  • Oslo City Museum

    Oslo

    Near the southern entrance to Vigeland Park, this charming museum is housed in the 18th-century Frogner Manor, built on the site of a Viking-era great…

  • Kunsthall Oslo

    Opera House & Bjørvika

    This nonprofit art space presents a very interesting program of both international and Norwegian contemporary artists, including special commissions. It's…

More destinations you need to see