Oslo’s Sentrum district is home to most of its cultural attractions, including the neoclassical Royal Palace (where King Harald V officially resides), the Norwegian Parliament, Oslo Cathedral and the National Theatre. The city’s most striking piece of modern architecture is the Opera House, a glacial-inspired building where visitors can ascend the marble-clad roof for views over the Oslofjord, city skyline and hills beyond. Elsewhere, the upmarket neighbourhood of Frogner is home to the Vigeland Sculpture Park. The largest of its kind in the world, this incredible art installation by Gustav Vigeland features over 200 bronze and granite pieces.
The city’s waterfront is going through something of a renaissance. Stroll along the renovated wharf and peruse the public sculpture park at the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art. On the opposite side of the bay is the 13th-century medieval Akershus Fortress. During the summer you can take a ferry from Aker Brygge to Bygdøy, a western peninsula that’s home to popular museums including the Norsk Folkermuseum, Viking Ship Museum and Kon-Tiki Museum, which celebrates Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl. You can also board a ferry to the islands of the inner fjord, including forest-cloaked Hovedøya, which boasts some pretty beaches and a 12th-century monastery.
Oslo is a city of outdoor enthusiasts – all it takes is a sunny day or a few inches of snow for people to head into the hills to hike and ski. En route back to the city, hop off the train at Holmenkollen, the site of a vertigo-inducing ski jumping hill. There’s been a ski jump here since the late 19th Century and the world-famous Holmenkollen Ski Festival, now a stop on the Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined World Cup circuits, has been held here since 1892. Although you can’t have a turn on the hill yourself, a simulator gives you a taste of what it’s like to soar through the air above Oslo.
As you’d expect from a capital city, Oslo has plenty of hotels to choose from right at its heart, a number of which reflect the city’s stylish modern vibe. Due to its topography, Oslo’s main airport is actually located in Gardermoen around 30 miles to the north to the city. A second airport, Torp Sandefjord, is just under 70 miles to the south west. Simply contact our team and we’ll arrange everything you need to charter a private jet to Oslo, Norway.
