MARKETS
Fisketorget
Open every single day from 7am to 7pm, the Oslo Fish Market on City Hall Pier is a really immersive experience: you can buy fresh fish and shellfish at the seafood counter, you can get ready-made meals from the chefs there, or you can sit at one of the tables by the water (even after the market closes) and enjoy Nordic seafood dishes, oysters and sushi.
Sunday market at Blå
Every Sunday, a colourful flea market takes over the artistic venue and hotspot Blå in trendy Grünerløkka. At Søndagsmarkedet you’ll have the chance to peruse handmade items, vintage clothing and accessories, bric-a-brac and homeware and even works of art made by local artists. All while enjoying the cool street art adorning the neighbourhood walls.
Bondens Marked
Blink, and you might miss it. This farmer’s market in Oslo likes to keep you on your toes, appearing at a different place every week (usually Saturdays and Sundays, from 10am to 5am) – so the best thing to do is keep an eye on their website for their next location. No matter where you catch them, though, you’ll be sure to find local produce, succulent cheeses, bottled juices from small-scale producers and all things healthy and organic.
Mathallen Food Hall
In case Bondens Marked keeps eluding you, don’t worry: Mathallen is always there. Situated at what’s quickly becoming the heart of Grünerløkka, this food hall offers all the cheese, chocolates, sausages, meats, fish, and vegetables from small-scale producers your heart could ever desire – as well as many options for cafés and restaurants, and various pop-up gastronomy events.
Maschmanns Food Market
A slightly more curated but equally delicious option when it comes to food markets, Maschmanns in the posh Skøyen area is open daily (Sundays included) bringing high-quality cheeses, meat and seafood from all over Norway, as well as a gourmet variety of condiments (look out for the Italian olive oils and pestos). Apart from the food market, there’s also a bakery and pizzeria where you can sit and enjoy the delicious products on site.
Vestkanttorvet Flea Market
Open every Saturday (9am to 5pm, from March to December), Vestkanttorvet is one of Oslo’s biggest flea markets, close to Vigeland Park. Here you can find beautiful retro homeware and lamps, second-hand clothes, handmade items and works of art, shoes and accessories – even food treats. Browsing through the expansive set of stalls in Vestkanttorvet is not for the faint of heart or the high-healed, however, so wear comfortable shoes.
Birkelunden Flea Market
Speaking of beautiful, retro homeware: This open-air market, situated inside Birkelunden Public Park, is open most Sundays throughout the year (from noon to 7pm, or until it gets dark in the winter months). It’s the ideal place to look for 1940s homeware, but also for more contemporary bric-a-brac, and even books and DVDs from the 2000s. Keep an eagle eye out; there are so many little treasures all around you.
MUSEUMS
The Norwegian Folk Museum
Like many of Oslo’s museums, the Folk Museum is located on the Bygdøy peninsula across the fjord from the city center. The open-air museum, which has been running since 1894, features a vast collection of authentic historical houses from across Norway. The buildings have been painstakingly restored and moved to the museum through the past century, and most are open to explore.
Viking Ship Museum
The Folk Museum’s neighbor is perhaps the city’s best-known museum. Three of the world’s best preserved Viking ships, the Oseberg, Gokstad, and Tune ships, are displayed in this elegant, purpose-built museum. Discovered in Norway between 1867 and 1903, they had been buried for around a millennium, and when they were recovered, they revealed magnificent details about life and death in Viking society.
The Kon-Tiki Museum
In 1947, a group of six highly determined gentlemen set out to cross the Pacific Ocean on a raft they had built themselves. Their goal was nothing less than to float from Peru to Polynesia, 6,900 kilometers (4,288 miles) away. The Kon-Tiki Museum tells the story of the fascinating journey and the extraordinary men who undertook it, as well as Heyerdahl’s Ra ship journeys. A visit to the museum works well in conjunction with the Kon-Tiki movie from 2012.
Fram Polar Ship Museum
The Fram Museum is located just opposite the Kon-Tiki Museum on Bygdøy, five minutes from the Folk and Viking Museums. Like Kon-Tiki, this museum is also built around a sea vessel, but of a rather different calibre: The large, wooden schooner, Fram, was built in the 1890s to be the strongest ship of its kind ever, designed to withstand the crushing ice on trailblazing polar expeditions with the famous Norwegian explorers Fridtjof Nansen, Otto Sverdrup, and Roald Amundsen.
The National Museum
The National Museum comprises Norway’s public art museums, including the National Gallery, which has some of the country’s most important pieces of art and artists. Click here for a list of Oslo’s best art galleries, which includes the National Gallery, the Munch Museum, and the Vigeland Museum.
The Museum of Oslo
This great little museum takes you through the history of Oslo from the Middle Ages right through to the building of the new, iconic Barcode buildings by the Opera House. You’ll find it in the Vigeland Park (also known as Frognerparken), one of Oslo’s most iconic sights. Entrance is free, and the same is the case at the three other small museums that it runs in Oslo.
Akershus Fortress and Castle
Akershus Fortress has protected Oslo from foreign invaders since medieval times. It lies just minutes from the city center and has beautiful views of Oslo and Oslo Fjord. The fortress’s history reflects the ups and downs of Norway’s history. Walking the area is free, while admission to the castle has a fee, and you’ll also find the Resistance and Armed Forces Museums on the fortress grounds.
The Armed Forces Museum
A great companion to the Resistance Museum, the large and detailed Armed Forces Museum takes you through Norwegian military history from the 1400s to the conflict in Afghanistan. It also has a comprehensive exhibition on the Second World War, which the Akershus Fortress area was an important setting for.
Norway’s Resistance Museum
Founded by resistance fighters shortly after the war, this museum tells the story of the fierce Norwegian resistance to Nazi occupation, including the King and government’s narrow escape to London, from where they continued to counteract the Nazi-installed replacement government and worked with the Allied Forces (London still receives its Christmas tree from Norway each year as thanks). The memories of “normal” people in the resistance movement play an equally significant role at the museum, and the brave people behind crucial acts such as the heavy water sabotage campaign are honored. The excellent 2016 movie, Kongens nei, and the 2015 T.V. series, The Saboteurs, work well alongside the museum.
Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology
Find out who is best at concentrating and who has the fastest reaction times! A fun and interactive museum for everyone, the Museum of Technology has more than 80 interactive displays, tests, and competitions where you can learn more about yourself as well as medicinal and technical developments through the ages.
Holmenkollen Ski Museum and Tower
Like ancient sailors looking to the North Star, those who find themselves in Oslo can always navigate by the large Holmenkollen ski jump located on one of Oslo’s mountains. Holmenkollbakken opened to competitions in the 1890s, and a visit to the oldest ski museum in the world should be combined with a look at the new, even more intimidating ski jumping structure, which opened in 2010.
PARKS
Vigeland Park
One of Oslo’s most beautiful public parks, Vigeland Park contains the life’s work of Gustav Vigeland, a famous Norwegian sculptor. More than 200 Vigeland masterpieces are on display, including the bronze “Sinnataggen” (Angry Boy) and “Monolitten,” a 17-meter spire flanked by 121 commanding figures, all composed of a single piece of white granite. There is a visitor center, souvenir shop and a cafe.
TusenFryd Amusement Park
Copenhagen’s Tivoli was the model for this amusement park. Filled with loop and corkscrew-style roller coasters, it also offers a waterpark, a 67-meter spaceshot, carousels, and more than 20 other rides. Restaurants, souvenir shops, an amphitheater, games, and entertainment are part of the appeal as well. Within the grounds is the educational theme park Vikinglandent. A bus runs between Oslo’s main bus station and TusenFryd during opening hours.
Slottsparken
This castle park, which surrounds the Royal Palace, is open to the public. Visitors can witness the Changing of the Guard here. When the king is in residence, the Royal Guard band accompanies the change with music. An equestrian statue of King Karl Johan, who ruled Norway and Sweden during the first half of the 19th century, stands in front of the castle. Take the T-BANE to Nationaltheateret.
Botanisk Hage Gardens & Museum
These well-tended gardens are open year-round. They cover almost 40 acres and surround the university museum. See the scientific-oriented Systematic Garden, the Economic Garden with plants known for practical uses whether edible, medicinal, and fiber or dye-properties. Also see the Rock Garden, a miniature landscape of valleys, waterfalls, ridges and plants and The Palm House where plants from the desert and tropics are featured.
Tøyenbadet Water Park
This interesting water park is located in the eastern part of Oslo. It features a swimming hall and several open-air pools along with a waterslide and sauna. There even is an indoor climbing wall. Small children have their own pool. The outdoor pool is open year round. The park provides a dressing area and shower facilities. A small cafe serves refreshments. Located at Helgesensgate 90.
