Oslo Stopover

Our Norway holiday began with a one night stopover in its capital Oslo, which was Chris’s first and my second visit to the city.

Oslo is located at the end of the Oslo fjord and has been the capital of Norway since 1814.

We had met our friends Russell & Roza and Flo & Mike at Heathrow airport in the early hours of the Friday morning and taken the 07:05 am flight with SAS airlines. With a short flight of under 2 hours this gave us a day to enjoy the city.

Having checked in early at our hotel the 6 of us set off on foot towards the waterfront… but not without stopping a drink and a snack on the way.

The first thing we came across were the sauna boats which I remembered from my visit with my daughter Zoe back in 2018.

Floating sauna boats are an authentic Norwegian experience and you can enjoy a hot sauna then jump into the ‘refreshing’ water of the Oslo fjord!

Oslo Opera House is the home of the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet. It was designed by Norwegian Snohetta architects and was finished in 2008. Its angled iconic shape attracts people to climb up its sloping sides to its roof.

Just in front of the Opera House is a sculpture made of stainless steel and glass called ‘She Lies’ and represents an iceberg.

Oslo’s harbour promenade is nearly 10 km, linking different districts, although we only walked along a fraction of it.

The large historic pink building opposite the Opera House is an office building.

We didn’t visit but Munch Museum is an art museum dedicated to the life and works of Norwegian artist Edvard Munch.

We noticed many sculptures as we walked ftom the Opera House towards the fortress. The above is the National Monument for Victims of War sculpture with a huge woman and a tiny man.

The building of Akershus Castle and Fortress commenced in 1299 and was finished in the 1300’s.

You can walk around the pleasant grounds of the medieval castle free of charge.

The fortress withstood a number of seiges throughout the centuries due to its position at the end of a headland.

You can visit the inside of the Fortress if you buy a ticket in the gift shop.

As the “the terrifying villains of Norwegian myths and fairytales”, trolls play a big part in Norwegian culture. Tromso, our next destination, even has a museum dedicated to them!

Located in central Oslo is the large yellow parliament building.

Outside the parluament building was an exhibition of the history of the Norwegian assemblies.

Karl Johans Gate is the main street of Oslo and is lined with busy restaurants and bars.

We decided it was time to sample one of Oslo’s many bars and headed towards Roor bar with its craft beers. The friendly barman was happy to let us taste some although Flo, Roza and I each had a glass of Italian red wine. This place had a welcoming atmosphere and we stayed in there for a while.

We returned to Roor later in the evening. One of the beers was called Zoe which of course I had to try! And very tasty it was too.

Oslo Pride had taken place the previous week and I’m guessing the parade would have included the rainbow painted street where Roor is located.

Later we set off at 8 pm ready for our evening in Oslo but it was raining. The rain got heavier so we dived into the first bar we came across. This happened to be a rather plush cocktail bar!

Did I mention yet that Norway is expensive? Yep! £60 for a round of 6 drinks… although probably not too different from London prices.

So while not the cheapest, the music and ambience were good and we enjoyed our visit in this elegant bar.

Feeling hungry it was time to seek out some food. Pizza in Hells Kitchen was £52 for 2 amazing pizzas and 2 glasses of the Toro Loco house red which was the best of the day.

Accommodation

We were fortunate to be able to check in to our rooms early and stayed in the comfortable and centrally located Thon Terminus hotel. 

The following morning we enjoyed a fabulous buffet breakfast. With the breakfast, excellent shower, central location and reasonable price we would definitely recommend a stay there.

Summary

This short visit to Oslo was a great start to our Norway holiday. Next we are off to Tromso, high up in the Arctic Circle to spend a night there before driving to the Lyngen Alps for 6 days of hiking.