When we initially booked our Scandinavian excursion, Oslo was merely a city to pass through on our way from point A to point B. We were spending a quick half day there before moving on to Bergen, our intended destination. However, as soon as we walked out of the train station that opened up into the center of this metropolitan, I knew we were very, very wrong.
While the city center is reminiscent of New York City’s little sister with towering buildings, floods of taxis and city buses, along with bright, vibrant billboards, walking just a block or two takes you back to the northern European styling we’re so used to seeing. Unique architecture, quaint parks and a beautiful main road that opens up to the Royal Palace make Oslo a cosmopolitan all its own.
Although known for costing a pretty penny, it is definitely possible to explore Norway without draining your savings account. To get the most bang for your buck, consider purchasing the Oslo Pass that gives you free entry to over 30 museums, as well as free public transportation.
Conveniently, Oslo’s buses travel all over the city. If you’re lucky like us, you’ll get on the bus the wrong way and get to see the entire city before actually arriving at your destination. Yay. But really, the maps are easy to follow as long as you read the direction of the bus ahead of time. Our first stop, after our unanticipated hour tour, was to Bygdøy Peninsula.
This peninsular is home to five of the national museums, a royal estate, along with beaches, forests and parks. Basically, it’s your one-stop-shop if you’ve only got a day in the city.
We thoroughly researched the museums before our arrival to make sure our time was well spent. We started at the Viking Ship Museum which was filled with, you guessed it, viking ships (along with tools and supplies from that era). The ships are extremely well preserved and you can get up close to their construction and read stories about their assumed travels.
Next, we rode the bus further down the peninsula to The Fram Museum, which displays the ins and out of Norwegian polar exploration. The Fram is the strongest wooden ship ever built and still holds the records for sailing farthest north and farthest south, as noted on the museum website. The short introductory film is well worth your time before exploring the museum. The exhibits hold nothing back and go so far as to offer a polar simulator to give you a taste of the arctic, brrr.
Lastly, we went to our favorite museum of the day. Although the Kon-Tiki Museum is often passed over for larger museums, we found this to be the most fascinating. The Kon-Tiki was a lightweight raft constructed of balsa logs built by writer and explorer Thor Heyerdahl and crew in 1947 to sail across the Pacific Ocean from South America to the Polynesian islands. The museum is set up like a movie come to life, providing you with a trail to follow to read about the events that occurred in a timeline style. Along with the raft itself, the museum also exhibits many artifacts and crew interviews to go along with the information.
Now museum’d out, we took the bus back to the main land and stopped at Vigeland Sculpture Park within Frogner Park. The beautiful landscaped area is perfect for an afternoon stroll or an evening picnic. Sculptures by Gustav Vigeland are located throughout the park and create an interesting, almost eerie, presence.
For our final stop, we made our way down the open markets on the street leading up to the Royal Palace as the sun set. A bustling city that offers so much variety in such a rich urban environment is one not to be miss.
Have you ever been to Oslo? Do you like to go to museums when you travel? Or do you skip them?
xx,
Juliette
I have a post just like this on my blog! My 24 hours in Oslo were spent at Holmenkollen, the Armed Forces museum, and the Nobel Peace Center, to name a few. Thanks for writing more about the museums and Vigeland Sculpture Park– I loved the city and I’m definitely going to need a return trip to explore more of it!
So cool! Love that there are so many amazing experiences in this city. It’s such a neat place that I feel like is often overlooked!
Great post! I would love to go to Norway one day
xx
Mademoiselle Coconath
http://mllecoconath.com
Thank you! Definitely worth a visit!
Anytime I go to New York, I have to visit The Metropolitan Museum of Art. I’ve never been able to see everything, and every time I go I want to see many things over and over again. When I go to Paris later this year, museums will be on my very short list.
That’s my museum attitude too. I’m going to Paris this summer and only a little bit of time is set aside for museums!
They may have to drag your body kicking and screaming out of The Louvre 🙂
Haha that will be the exception!
One of my favorite cities!! Love this overview.
Thanks!!
I would love to visit the Viking Ship Museum! That looks really, really cool. My husband and I try to visit one or two museums, depending on how much time we have…excellent post, as always. <3
Thanks girl! This one was especially cool…might be because it was only a few rooms so you got to soak up all the history without having to spend hours upon hours there.
Sounds like my husbands kind of museum…in and out!
Norway is beautiful! I would love to go someday.
Much love,
Ashley | dearash.com
Definitely worth a visit 🙂
Wow what a beautiful place, I’m definitely going to need to visit one of these days!! Thank you for sharing!
I have never been Oslo. I have never even been to Europe! Looks like a neat city, but isn’t on our list. I do like museums though.
Lots of museums to explore in Oslo! But totally understand it wasn’t on my list either until we decided to visit Bergen 🙂
Thanks for the tip on the Olsa Pass. Great pictures! This is going on my bucket list.
You’re welcome! And thanks! It’s a lovely trip to make.
This looks like so much fun! Thank you for the little guide –Hanna Lei
Of course! Hope it’s helpful!
I love travel blogs, they take me to places I long to visit.Your 24 hour trip sounds so completely fascinating. Glad to learn about the Oslo pass that’s a real awesome deal. With so many museum trips your travel experience must be so educational and enriching.
I love travel blogs for that reason too! It’s amazing to learn about places I’ve never heard of before…but of course it just makes my bucket list longer and longer!
Thank you for presenting my home town in such a nice way 🙂 If you’re here for a longer stay, I would recommend going a little bit out of the city center, follow Akerselva (the river that divides the city into East and West) up from Hausmannsgate and as far as you get – lots of quirky little pubs and restaurants. And when at Bygdøy, especially if you have kids with you, go and see the Folk Museum. In summer they have lots of activities for the young ones.
So you glad you enjoyed my experience! I am making it a point to come for a longer stay in the near future and will make sure to hit the places you suggest! It’s awesome to have the input from a local to really find the quirky corners that aren’t always on guide books 🙂 Thanks so much for reaching out!
Never thought of visiting this place, but I think it can be added to my bucket list.
It’s so full of charm, I would certainly make it a point to stop by!
Looks amazing! I have always been wanting to go to Oslo. I would usually skips the museums but the viking ship museum actually looks pretty interesting, I’d probably give that a try 🙂
I’m not a big museum person either, but these are worth it! Plus, they don’t take up the whole day do you still have plenty of time to explore.
Hi Juliette
i love travelling
with your blog i find more about new places thank you ‘
might be worth a mention on your page.
Either way,keep up the awesome work
cheers
Naveen
Bored wiki
Glad this could open doors for you!
Hi! Thanks for useful travelling ideas at Oslo, Norway. I also like the idea of the title of your site ‘namaste travelling’. What inspired you to choose this title? Interesting to know, as I’m from India, staying in Oslo, Norway.
Read my thoughts as an expat on Norway: https://figmentsofimaginationwordpresscom.wordpress.com/
Would love to hear from you!
Thanks for reading! What a coincidence. I chose my title to combine my two loves, yoga and traveling. I’m a yoga teacher and spend most of my free time exploring the world 🙂 Love your post!
What a great guide and day! I haven’t been to Oslo yet, but I think if I go it would be for a short trip. Definitely going to keep these sights in mind! 🙂
-Emily http://www.coatandcoffee.com
I’m glad toy found it helpful! Also, loving your blog!
Oh thank you! Loving yours as well. Glad I stumbled upon it haha. 🙂
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