What to see in Oslo. Great city, I really love the Norwegian capital. So, we don’t want ot waste valuable time.
First of all let’s introduce our friend, the Norwegian capital, Oslo
Oslo is largely modern. A real historical center is missing and one of the few “old” buildings (let’s be clear, I’m Italian, and old for me is something that has at least 1400 years) is the Akershus fortress.
Near the fortress you can find the interesting Museum of the resistance (do you know that the Norwegian resistance movement against the Nazi occupation is the longest fighting resistance movement Ginst the Nazi? they fought the Germans for five years, from 1940 until the withdrawal of the Nazi troops in 1945. If interested I suggest you see Max Manus – man of war).
Let’s get back on track. From the fortress you can then enjoy a nice panorama of the port and the Aker Brygge district.
If something can summarize the tough and resolute character of the city, which has been able to react with pride to the xenophobic right-wing attacks carried out by Breivik in 2011, it is the building of the municipality of Oslo. The town hall, called Radhuset, is an imposing red brick structure that you can’t help but notice.
What to see in Oslo
Let’s go neighborhood by neighborhood – Sentrum and Aker Brygge
You can start from the fortress of the Akershus and from the aforementioned Museum of the resistance to the Nazi occupation. Then you can go to the nearby Museum of Architecture, and to the Sentrum (the city center with the red brick town hall). Now you are in the brand new district of the Aker Brygge, a fashionable area with clubs, artistic installations, galleries and many restaurants.
Almost in front of Aker Brygge there is the Bigdoy peninsula. Here you can visit the Museum of navigation, the Museum of Viking ships (impressive), the interesting Kon Tiki Museum with the adjacent Framm museum. You can buy 1 ticket for 3 museums and save some bucks but more on the Museum and the Bigdoy peninsula in the last part of this post.
Opera house and Barcode
Oslo Opera House is perhaps the most recognizable building in the city. A white and square construction that you cannot help but notice if you pass the central station of Oslo and go towards the sea. If you are interested in the Opera, the tickets for the events are not difficult to find and even the gift shop inside has very interesting things.
A completely modern neighborhood full of soaring towers has also been built around the Opera House, this is the Barcode project. In another post on the blog I talk a lot about the Barcode and the mixed reception it has received from Norwegians residents. Anyway, finally, also Oslo has a fuckload of skyscrapers.
What to see in Oslo, Grunerlokka
Grunerlokka is a bit like the “hipster district” of Oslo. Very cool and full of bars, restaurants, hairdressers, vintage clothing shops…
Let’s say that the original working-class district has long since faded. Instead of bars, opium vendors and brothels, you will find hairdressers/barbers right out of glossy magazines, eco-friendly coffee and superexpensive tapas. It’s called gentrification. Nobody has really managed to understand if it’s an inevitable thing, like death and taxes. The prices, be sure of that, will make your wallet very light. Even after a simple breakfast.
Galleries, vintage shops, night clubs, Grunerlokka really seems to go out of its way to entertain the tourist. Microbreweries, used / vintage clothes shops and then above all, the Blå. A disco that is not only a disco but a cultural center among, certainly among the top 5 clubs in Northern Europe. And if you don’t believe it, take a look at the website.
What to see in Oslo, Vygeland park
The Vygeland / Frogner park is located east of the center of the capital, a bit outside the central area (tram number 12 arrives there).
I’m not a person particularly fascinated by parks. Yet Vygeland seems to be more than just a park. Certainly, you will find girls and boys who go for a run, young ladies with little dogs and moms with strollers (or Dads, it’s Scandinavia after all).
In short, the whole classical repertoire of parks. The contrast here is made by the statues. They seem to be the plastic representation of those nightmares that make Scandinavian thrillers interesting.
Because there really seems to be something in the collective psyche of northern Europe. Something that the few hours of light in the winter, frequent rain and the short summers (global warming not included here) seem to cultivate with care. A melancholy at times violent, a macabre humor that finds expression in those statues, more than 200. All the statues are exhibited in Frogner Park, the park that houses the works of the Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vygeland.
Groenland
Finally, a mention of the last district of Oslo that I would put in a list of what to see, especially at night: Groenland.
This is perhaps the most multi-ethnic neighborhood in a capital that has a good 10% non-Norwegian population. Some places actually serve ethnic dishes and drinks at decent prices (like 6 euros for a curry dish or kebab, which by Oslo standards is incredibly cheap) and drinks.
Of course, in addition to the cheap curry dishes, what you can find is a lively nightlife and some shops. In particular, I would like to point out two streets/clubs (for nightlife, not for the store).
In the street with the same name as the neighborhood, Groenland, there are a couple of interesting places, the Rock-In and the Dattera till Hagen. If you want to be really cool you can go to MEK (Mekaniske Verksted), an old factory converted into a brewery. The prices are high but not very high and so, in the midst of blonde beer and blonde tipsy girls I would say that it is easy to have a nice evening!
Oslo what to see, the Bigdoy peninsula: nature and museums
The natural history museum shares the ticket with the Bygdøy Viking Ship Museum, so if you are interested in one of the two, then you can enter for free in the other.
In addition, in the Bygdøy peninsula there are several other museums (Framm, Kon-Tiki, Maritime Museum and folk museum). From the port of Oslo there is a boat that reaches the peninsula in 10 minutes, but you should know that the walk along the bay (1h15min) or a walk in Bygdøy Allé (1h), may be a good alternative.
First because you will see an interesting part of the city and second because once arrived in the peninsula, you can take the paths that cross it instead of the main road. Bygdøy is in fact almost a place apart from Oslo, and you can see it especially by walking in the little path far from the roads. It seems very strange that a few hundred meters there is a European capital with all its offices and industries.
So, the long post about what to see in Oslo is finished. If you want to keep reading I suggest you these:
A trip to Panama for the carnival
Or the infinitely more cheap, and maybe dangerous, Nicaragua
