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Friday Feature: Oslo, Norway

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Oslo

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Oslo is the capital of Norway and is best known for its modern architecture, contemporary art, beautiful green spaces, and incredible museums. Most of the museums are on located the Bygdøy Peninsula, including the Norwegian Maritime Museum and Viking Ship Museum, which showcase viking ships from the 9th century. The Oslo Airport located in the city is the main airport for Norway and hub for international traffic. It has scheduled flights to and from more than 100 destinations.

Best Times to Visit: The best time to visit Oslo is from May to August when the temperatures rise and there are surprisingly affordable room rates available. However, it’s good to remember that evenings can get chilly at times, so it is best to pack a coat!

Things to do:

Check out the Oslo Opera House. Oslo has a beautiful waterfront and the Opera House is commonly considered the most iconic buildings in all of Scandinavia. If you don’t have time for a complete guided tour, make sure that you check out the views from the top floor to get an amazing view of the whole town.

Explore the Viking Ship Museum. It is hard to think of Norway without thinking about vikings – so this is an absolute must do! Over 1,100 year ago, the Vikings dragged two longships from the shoreline to use as centerpieces for grand ceremonial burials. These ships have been carefully restored and are truly beautiful!

Stroll through Ekebergparken. This park-like museum cemented Oslo’s reputation as a contemporary-art capital, especially with respect to sculpture. The Ekebergparken is a vast forested public park overlooking the city and the Oslofjord is dotted with work from various artists.

Explore Frogner Park. This beautiful park is free to enter at any time of year and is Oslo’s namesake borough. There are 212 sculptures in total, in bronze and granite from Iddefjord. The main artist, Vigeland, was known for realism but his subjects can be rather bizarre (i.e. man fighting with babies to a woman being ridden by a baby using her platted hair as reins).

For more ideas for your next vacation, click HERE.

Feature Hotel: Hotel Continental, Saga Hotels Oslo, The Thief

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Things to know before you go…

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  • Stock up on your Norwegian Krone. The Euro doesn’t work in Norway but the NOK has weakened in past years making it cheaper to travel now!

  • Norway is a safe country. It is actually known as one of the safest countries with extremely low crime rates even in major cities.

  • The weather is always changing. So it is best to pack jackets, even in summer as evenings can get chilly.

  • The northern lights aren’t visible everywhere in Norway. Make sure to plan accordingly!

    Click HERE for more information!

Follow the adventure!

@explorateurtravel