Welcome to Oslo
Welcome to Oslo - The city of the Munch Museum and The Vigelandsparken Sculpture Park
The first town settlement appeared around 1000 AD, but we can say that Oslo's history begins in the Middle Ages, around 1300. The characteristic landscape - a mix of old medieval buildings, churches and modern architectures surrounded by large forests and green parks - has inspired many fascinating legends of heroes, trolls and princesses, that are still attracting many travellers.
Information and facts
Night-life
There are many places where to spend the evening. The city is divided into different neighbourhoods and areas. If you are looking for fashionable places you can visit the west-side of the city centre: Majorstuen, Vika and Frogne, where you can find places like: Südoest, Fru Hagen, Tea Lounge, Bar Boca. Otherwise you can go at Karl Johan, the main street, and enjoy the wide variety of different pubs, bars and nightclubs like: The Villa Music, LivingRoom, Café Art'é and Mono.
Shopping
In the city there are several big shopping centers and department stores, such as Oslo City, Byporten, Glasmagasinet, Steen & Strom, Palee, Eger Karl Johan and Aker Brygge. The famous street Akersgata is the home of design retailers such as Louis Vuitton, Mulberry, and Moods of Norway. Moreover Mollergata is a good place to find furnitures, while the Grensen area offers a good selection of shoes. If you are looking for souvenirs from Oslo, have a look around the City Hall.
Sightseeing
Around the city there are many kind of museums, art galleries and places of interest. You can start your visit from Akershus Castel and Fortress, located in the city centre at the Oslo Fjord, is a great place where you can learn about the history of Oslo. After these interesting place you can admire the Norway's largest public collection of paintings, drawings and sculptures: the National Gallery, which include the most famous paintings of Edvard Munch: The Scream and Madonna, and paintings by Cézanne and Manet. Another beautiful place is the Vigeland Park, a vast green area of duck ponds, trees and lawns. The park is a monument to the famous Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland, who spent 40 years creating the life-size statues that decorate the walkways and open spaces. At the end you can go to the Viking Ship Museum, where you can find three 9th-century Viking ships.
Time
Standard time zone: UTC/GMT +1 hour
Climate
Oslo's climate is fairly temperate, with mild and pleasant summers and cold winters with temperatures around zero. Snow is plentiful in winter. The best season for a holiday in Oslo is between June and August, when the sun shines during the long days of the midnight sun.
Public transportation
There is an extensive efficient public transport system composed by buses, trams, subway, trains and ferries. The city is served by 50 bus lines and 8 tram routes, all starting from Jerbanetorvet at Oslo S Station. There are 5 lines of subway is called the Oslo T-Bane.The taxis are easy to come by, for example near shopping centres, city squares, stations and other gathering points, otherwise it is possible to be ordered by telephone from a central office, or from taxi ranks.