Things to do · Oslo · Norway
20 best things to do in Oslo
20 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Premeditated, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Quick answer
The essential sights in Oslo are Oslo Opera House, MUNCH and National Museum. Of the 20 picks below, 10 are free, 8 work on a rainy day and 9 suit children. Allow about 3 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Oslo Opera House
- Free sights
- 10
- Good on a rainy day
- MUNCH
- Time to see the highlights
- 3 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oslo Opera House | Bjørvika | 45 minutes, more with a tour | Free |
| MUNCH | Bjørvika | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| National Museum | Aker Brygge | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Vigeland Park | Frogner | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Holmenkollen Ski Jump and Ski Museum | Holmenkollen | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Akershus Fortress | Sentrum | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Royal Palace and Palace Park | Sentrum | 45 minutes | Free |
| Oslo City Hall | Sentrum | 45 minutes | Free |
| Fram Museum | Bygdøy | 1.5–2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Norwegian Museum of Cultural History | Bygdøy | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Kon-Tiki Museum | Bygdøy | 1 hour | Mid-priced |
| Aker Brygge and Tjuvholmen waterfront | Aker Brygge | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Deichman Bjørvika library | Bjørvika | 45 minutes | Free |
| Mathallen Oslo | Grünerløkka | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Akerselva river walk | Grünerløkka | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Ekebergparken Sculpture Park | Ekeberg | 1.5–2 hours | Free |
| Oslofjord islands | Oslofjord | Half a day | Low cost |
| Fjord saunas at Langkaia and Sørenga | Bjørvika | 1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Sognsvann lake | Nordmarka | 1.5–3 hours | Free |
| Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology | Kjelsås | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
The 20 best things to do
Architecture · Bjørvika
1.Oslo Opera House
Snøhetta's opera house, opened in 2008, rises out of the fjord as a white slope of Italian Carrara marble that anyone can walk up to the roof. From the top you look over the Oslofjord islands, the MUNCH tower and the old fortress. Inside, the oak-clad foyer is free to enter, and guided backstage tours run on many days. The glass and steel sculpture 'She Lies' floats in the water beside it.
Walk the roof at sunset, then cross the footbridge to Sørenga for dinner by the water.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes, more with a tour
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Architecture
- Views
- Photo spot
- Couples
Museum · Bjørvika
2.MUNCH
The 13-storey MUNCH museum opened in 2021 to hold the huge collection Edvard Munch left to the city, including painted, drawn and printed versions of The Scream, which are shown in rotation to protect them. Several floors are given to Munch's large canvases and changing exhibitions that set his work against other artists, and the upper floors have fjord views through the tilted tower's glass.
Check which version of The Scream is on display when you arrive, and finish with the view from the top floors.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Timed tickets bought online help on summer weekends and for popular temporary exhibitions.
- Iconic
- Art
- Rainy day
- Views
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Museum · Aker Brygge
3.National Museum
Norway's National Museum moved into its stone-clad building beside City Hall in 2022, uniting the national collections of art, architecture and design. Highlights include Munch's 1893 painted version of The Scream and his Madonna, Romantic fjord landscapes by J.C. Dahl and a long design gallery of Norwegian furniture and silver. The top-floor Light Hall hosts big temporary shows, and the roof terrace looks over the harbour and Akershus Fortress.
Find the Munch room early in the day before it fills, then work through the design collection.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Iconic
- Rainy day
- Architecture
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Park · Frogner
4.Vigeland Park
Inside Frogner Park, Gustav Vigeland's sculpture installation lays out more than 200 bronze, granite and wrought-iron figures along a central axis, from the bridge with the much-photographed Angry Boy (Sinnataggen) to the 14-metre Monolith of intertwined bodies. It is open to all and free, and the wider park has a large playground, lawns and a café.
Come early on a summer morning or in soft evening light, when the bridge statues are free of tour groups.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Art
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Photo spot
Landmark · Holmenkollen
5.Holmenkollen Ski Jump and Ski Museum
The steel ski jump, rebuilt for the 2011 Nordic World Ski Championships, stands on the ridge above the city at the end of metro line 1. The Ski Museum at its base covers 4,000 years of skiing and polar expeditions, and a lift and stairs take you to a platform at the top of the jump with a view down over Oslo and the fjord. A zipline runs from the tower in season.
Ride metro line 1 to Holmenkollen station and walk about 15 minutes uphill; in winter, continue by metro to Frognerseteren for sledging and cross-country trails.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Views
- Kids
- Active
- History
Castle · Sentrum
6.Akershus Fortress
Begun around 1300 under King Haakon V, this fortress on a headland above the harbour was rebuilt as a Renaissance castle by Christian IV. The ramparts are free to walk and give some of the best views of the Opera House and Aker Brygge. Inside the grounds are the castle itself, with the Royal Mausoleum, and Norway's Resistance Museum about the German occupation of 1940–45.
Walk the ramparts on the harbour side at sunset, then drop down to the waterfront promenade towards Aker Brygge.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Views
- Outdoors
Palace · Sentrum
7.Royal Palace and Palace Park
The neoclassical Royal Palace, completed in 1849, closes the western end of Karl Johans gate and is still the monarch's official residence. The surrounding Slottsparken is a free public park with ponds and old trees, and the changing of the guard takes place in the palace square daily at 1:30pm. Guided tours of the interior run only in summer.
Stand by the palace front just before 1:30pm for the guard change, then walk downhill along Karl Johans gate.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Book ahead
- Summer interior tours have limited places; buy tickets ahead if you want to go inside.
- Free
- History
- Kids
- Outdoors
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Architecture · Sentrum
8.Oslo City Hall
The twin brick towers of Rådhuset, completed in 1950, face the harbour, and the Nobel Peace Prize is presented in its main hall every 10 December. Entry is free, and the main hall and upstairs rooms are covered in murals of Norwegian life, work and the wartime occupation by artists including Henrik Sørensen and Alf Rolfsen. The courtyard has carved wooden friezes of Norse myths.
Combine it with the National Museum next door and the harbour promenade; it is a good free stop when it rains.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Art
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Museum · Bygdøy
1.Fram Museum
The museum is built around Fram, the wooden ship used by Fridtjof Nansen, Otto Sverdrup and Roald Amundsen on Arctic and Antarctic expeditions between 1893 and 1912. You can climb aboard and walk through the cabins, and a second hall holds Gjøa, the first ship to sail the Northwest Passage. Exhibits cover sledging, polar clothing and the race to the South Pole.
Pair it with the Kon-Tiki Museum across the square; both are at Bygdøynes, the stop for the summer ferry.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Kids
- Rainy day
Museum · Bygdøy
2.Norwegian Museum of Cultural History
Norsk Folkemuseum is an open-air museum of more than 150 buildings moved from across Norway, including the Gol stave church from around 1200, turf-roofed farmsteads and an 'Old Town' of Oslo apartments furnished from different decades. In summer, staff in costume bake flatbread and tend farm animals; indoor halls cover folk costume, Sami culture and toys.
Start at the stave church before the crowds arrive, then let children loose among the farm buildings.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Architecture
Museum · Bygdøy
3.Kon-Tiki Museum
Thor Heyerdahl's balsa-wood raft Kon-Tiki, which drifted from Peru to Polynesia in 1947, is displayed here alongside Ra II, the papyrus reed boat he sailed across the Atlantic in 1970. A model whale shark hangs beneath the raft, and the exhibits on Easter Island and Heyerdahl's other voyages are compact enough for an hour.
Visit after the Fram Museum, which is a one-minute walk away.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Kids
- Rainy day
Waterfront · Aker Brygge
4.Aker Brygge and Tjuvholmen waterfront
The promenade from City Hall Square west past Aker Brygge's restaurants to Tjuvholmen is Oslo's busiest waterfront walk. At the tip, the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art sits under a sweeping glass roof designed by Renzo Piano, with an outdoor sculpture park and a small beach where people swim in summer. Ferries to the fjord islands and Nesodden leave from the piers along the way.
Walk the promenade in the evening and swim or dip your feet at the Tjuvholmen beach in July and August.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Couples
- Food
- Views
Architecture · Bjørvika
5.Deichman Bjørvika library
Oslo's main public library opened in 2020 opposite the Opera House, with several floors of reading spaces, a cinema, recording studios and maker workshops, all free to use. Large windows frame the fjord and the Opera roof. On the top floor, a quiet room holds the Future Library manuscripts, works by writers such as Margaret Atwood that will stay unread until 2114.
Climb to the top floor for the view over the Opera House, then rest on the window benches with a coffee.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Rainy day
- Views
Market · Grünerløkka
6.Mathallen Oslo
This food hall in a former industrial building at Vulkan, beside the Akerselva river, gathers Norwegian cheesemongers, fishmongers, charcuterie and bakery stalls with small restaurants and bars. It is the easiest place to taste brunost, cured meats and smoked fish in one stop, and it makes a good lunch break on the Akerselva walk.
Ask cheese counters to let you taste different brunost styles, from mild to the darker goat's-milk versions.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Food
- Rainy day
- Shopping
Nature · Grünerløkka
7.Akerselva river walk
The Akerselva river runs about 8 kilometres from Lake Maridalsvannet to the fjord, dropping over a series of small waterfalls past the red-brick textile mills that powered Oslo's industrialisation. A continuous path follows both banks, so you can walk downhill from Kjelsås through Nydalen, Grünerløkka and Vulkan to the centre in two to three hours, with cafés along the way.
Take tram 11 or 12 up to Kjelsås and walk back downstream; the stretch between Nydalen and Grünerløkka has the best waterfalls.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Nature
- Off the beaten path
- Active
Park · Ekeberg
8.Ekebergparken Sculpture Park
On the wooded hillside above Bjørvika, Ekebergparken combines a forest walk with sculptures by artists including Salvador Dalí and Renoir alongside contemporary works. The slopes give one of the widest views over the city and fjord, and a marked spot recalls the view that is said to have inspired Munch's The Scream. Entry to the park is free.
Take the tram from Jernbanetorget up Ekebergveien, walk the park downhill and finish at the viewpoint above the Opera House.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Views
- Outdoors
- Off the beaten path
Island · Oslofjord
9.Oslofjord islands
Public ferries run by Ruter link the city waterfront with the inner fjord islands, so a regular public-transport ticket covers a day of island-hopping. Hovedøya has the ruins of a 12th-century Cistercian monastery, meadows and small beaches; Gressholmen and Lindøya have painted summer cabins and swimming rocks. Services are most frequent from late spring to early autumn.
Pack a picnic and swimsuit; island cafés are few and close early outside high summer.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Nature
- History
- Couples
Experience · Bjørvika
10.Fjord saunas at Langkaia and Sørenga
Floating and waterfront saunas moored along Langkaia, beside the Opera House, and at Sørenga let you heat up and then plunge into the fjord, a year-round Oslo ritual. Most offer shared drop-in sessions bookable by the hour as well as private hire, and some boats sail out into the fjord. In summer, the free Sørenga seawater pool next door adds diving boards and a sandy area.
Book a shared session online, especially for winter evenings and weekends, and bring a swimsuit, towel and flip-flops.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Shared sessions often sell out at weekends; reserve a slot a few days ahead.
- Active
- Couples
- Views
- Outdoors
Nature · Nordmarka
11.Sognsvann lake
Metro line 5 ends at Sognsvann, a forest lake on the edge of the Nordmarka wilderness about 20 minutes from the centre. An easy 3.3-kilometre trail circles the lake, and longer marked paths lead deeper into the forest towards Ullevålseter. Locals swim here in summer, grill on the shore and ski the groomed trails in winter.
Walk the loop anticlockwise and stop at the beach on the far side for a swim or a picnic.
- Time needed
- 1.5–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Active
Museum · Kjelsås
12.Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology
Norsk Teknisk Museum fills a large hall at Kjelsås, near the top of the Akerselva, with steam engines, early cars, aircraft and computers, plus a hands-on science centre where children can experiment with electricity, water and light. It is one of the best rainy-day options in Oslo for families.
Combine it with the Akerselva river walk, which starts just down the hill.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | MUNCH, National Museum, Vigeland Park and Oslo City Hall |
| History | Akershus Fortress, Royal Palace and Palace Park, Oslo City Hall and Fram Museum |
| Views | Oslo Opera House, MUNCH, Akershus Fortress and Holmenkollen Ski Jump and Ski Museum |
| Outdoors and nature | Vigeland Park, Akershus Fortress, Royal Palace and Palace Park and Norwegian Museum of Cultural History |
| Food and markets | Aker Brygge and Tjuvholmen waterfront and Mathallen Oslo |
| With children | Vigeland Park, Royal Palace and Palace Park, Fram Museum and Norwegian Museum of Cultural History |
| On a rainy day | MUNCH, National Museum, Oslo City Hall and Fram Museum |
What to book ahead
- MUNCH: Timed tickets bought online help on summer weekends and for popular temporary exhibitions.
- Royal Palace and Palace Park: Summer interior tours have limited places; buy tickets ahead if you want to go inside.
- Fjord saunas at Langkaia and Sørenga: Shared sessions often sell out at weekends; reserve a slot a few days ahead.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Oslo?
Oslo Opera House. Snøhetta's opera house, opened in 2008, rises out of the fjord as a white slope of Italian Carrara marble that anyone can walk up to the roof.
+What can you do for free in Oslo?
Oslo Opera House, Vigeland Park, Akershus Fortress, Royal Palace and Palace Park and Oslo City Hall. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Oslo when it rains?
Head indoors to MUNCH, National Museum, Oslo City Hall and Fram Museum.