Oslo Things to Do: Vigeland, Opera and Museums

I will be honest. Oslo was never at the top of my travel wishlist, because everyone told me it was expensive and quiet. Then I spent a week there and realised I had been wrong. Oslo is genuinely one of the most beautiful and interesting capitals in Europe, a city carved out of forest and fjord where world class art sits next to wild nature. Here are the things to do that made me fall for it, the ones I would do all over again tomorrow.

Walk Through Vigeland Park

The single best free thing you can do in any European city, in my opinion, is walk through Vigeland Park in Frogner. It is a vast open air sculpture gallery featuring over two hundred works by one artist, Gustav Vigeland, and it is unlike anywhere else. The sculptures are all human figures, in every mood and moment of life, from playful children to the famous angry baby, right up to the great monolith tower of bodies at the centre. I walked the length of it slowly and found something new to think about at every sculpture. It is emotional, strange and utterly human. Go on a sunny day, walk from the main gate up to the monolith, and give it a good hour or two.

Climb the Opera House

Oslo’s Opera House is the modern icon of the city, a huge white marble structure that rises straight out of the fjord. The best part is that you can walk right up onto its sloping roof, and I mean actually walk on it, no ticket required. From the top you get a sweeping view over the harbour, the fjord and the city skyline. I went up at sunset and it was one of my favourite moments of the whole trip, standing on that big white slope as the light turned gold. If you want to go inside, catch a performance or take a guided tour, because the interior is just as striking as the exterior, with warm oak and glass that make it feel almost like a ship. But even if you skip the building, climbing that roof is unmissable.

Museums on the Bygdoy Peninsula

Oslo’s great museums cluster together on the Bygdoy peninsula, and they are worth a whole day. The Viking Ship Museum is the headline act, home to astonishingly well preserved Viking ships that are over a thousand years old, pulled from the ground and displayed in all their timber glory. You can also visit the Kon-Tiki Museum, the Fram Museum with its polar exploration ship, and the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History with its outdoor folk village. I particularly loved the Fram Museum, learning about the doomed and heroic polar expeditions. Getting there is easy by ferry from the city centre, and the ferry ride itself is a lovely taste of the harbour.

The Fjord Itself

You cannot leave Oslo without getting out onto the water, because the fjord defines the city. The easiest option is a ferry that runs along the inner fjord and stops at the islands, so you can hop off and explore or just enjoy the ride. I took the ferry out to one of the islands and spent an afternoon wandering the shoreline and looking back at the city across the water. In summer you can swim, kayak, or book a longer fjord cruise that goes further out. Even a short boat trip changes your sense of Oslo completely. The city suddenly makes sense, a settlement facing the water, ringed by forest, built to enjoy its spectacular setting.

Royal Palace, Akershus and the Waterfront

Back on land, the city centre holds plenty worth your time. Watch the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace and stroll through its lovely park. Walk the ramparts of Akershus Fortress, a medieval castle that has guarded the harbour for centuries, for another great view down over the water. And spend evenings along the regenerated waterfront, particularly Aker Brygge and Tjuvholmen, filled with restaurants, galleries and stylish new buildings. I ended most of my days with a slow dinner by the water, watching the light linger long into the evening in the Scandinavian summer. If you have more time, add the Akershus fortress ramparts at sunset, a walk to the top of the Sognsvann lake trail, or a look at the newer landmarks such as the striking Deichman library. Oslo rewards a little lingering. There is always another view, another museum, another stretch of quiet forest waiting just beyond the last stop, and I found that a slow pace lets you discover them all without running yourself ragged. Oslo is a city you explore at a gentle pace, outdoors, on foot and on the water, and that is precisely its magic.