If this is your first trip to Oslo, take a wander along the waterfront and enjoy a dinner of fresh fish at Aker Brygge. You'll find the busy harbour central to daily city life. Been there before? Then admire paintings full of emotion like The Scream at the Munch Museum or wander among giant human statues at Vigeland Sculpture Park.
Oslo is a cosmopolitan city of high culture and strong maritime history. Most major buildings in the city centre, including the Parliament, the National Theatre and the University, date from the 19th century, the era of writers Ibsen and Hamsun. A good way of getting your bearings is to walk along the smart shopping street of Karl Johans Gate, which cuts through the centre from the Royal Palace in the west to the central station in the east.
You could happily spend hours visiting Akershus Fortress, a grandiose complex of medieval and Renaissance buildings. When you've done the tour, put your feet up at a restaurant overlooking the water at neighbouring Aker Brygge. Take a bus - or a boat in summer - to the Bygdøy Peninsula, Oslo's 'Museum Island', where the open-air Norwegian Folk Museum has traditional houses and churches from all over Norway.
For views over the city and Oslo fjord, take the T-Bane metro north to Holmenkollen, site of the 1952 Winter Olympics, high in the hills above Oslo. Explore the peaceful surroundings of the Vigeland Sculpture Park, with larger-than-life statues of people piled up in crazy contortions. Or chill out amid the greenery at the Botanical Garden. Don't miss the Munch Museum, dedicated to Norway's best-known artist and featuring works like The Scream and The Madonna.
Scandinavia's second largest airport, Gardermoen Airport Oslo flies over 19 million passengers a year from its spacious, efficient terminal. The airport is located just 20 minutes away from the Norwegian capital via the Flytoget Airport Express train.
