Things to do in Oslo

Oslo is Norway's capital, built around the head of the Oslofjord with forest at its back door. About 700,000 people live here. The fjord's islands and the Nordmarka forest are both closer than most capitals manage, and locals use both constantly.

What the centre holds

Akershus Fortress has guarded the harbour since 1299 and still looks down on the newer Opera House below it. The Opera opened in 2008. Vigeland Park, a short tram ride out in Frogner, holds over two hundred sculptures by one man, Gustav Vigeland.

• Bygdøy peninsula. A short ferry from the centre, home to the Viking ship collection, the polar ship Fram and the open-air folk museum.
• Holmenkollen. The ski jump that hosted the 1952 Winter Olympics, with a museum and a view back over the whole fjord.
• City Hall. Where the Nobel Peace Prize is handed out every December, its twin brick towers visible from most of the harbour.

The forest and the fjord

Nordmarka forest begins at the end of the metro line, no car needed.

• Forest hikes. Trails start right where the T-bane stops, and a guide adds the kind of local detail a map does not, sometimes with a dog along.
• Island hopping. Small boats reach the Oslofjord's islands in minutes, good for swimming in summer and quiet walks the rest of the year.
• Winter. Snowshoeing and torch-lit forest walks with a campfire replace the summer hikes once the snow settles in.

Practical

• Weather. Summer highs reach about 22C, winter lows average around -7C with reliable snow, and daylight runs from close to nineteen hours in June to six in December.
• Getting there. The Flytoget airport express train reaches Oslo S in about twenty minutes.
• Getting around. The metro reaches both the forest and the fjord piers; a bike covers most of the flatter centre.
• Money. Oslo is one of the more expensive cities in Europe for food and drink, a simple lunch running well above the continental average.
• Best time. June to August for the islands and long daylight; December to March for snow and the ski jump at its best.