Oslo is where natural splendours meet urban gentrification. Photo / Getty Images
Oslo is where natural splendours meet urban gentrification. Photo / Getty Images
Norway’s capital city, Oslo, seamlessly fuses the great outdoors with metropolis highlights, writes Lisa Abend
Has a city ever remade itself so quickly or so thoroughly? The Norwegian capital embarked on a plan to refashion itself as a major cultural destination well before the pandemic struck, but it is only now that the initiative’s full impact is being felt. In the last few years, Oslo has opened two major museums and a stunning public library. Striking neighbourhoods have sprung up along the city’s iconic fjord, united by a harbourside promenade and dotted with new restaurants and bars. Yet for all the transformation, Oslo retains its most distinguishing feature: its celebration of the outdoors. This is a city that, even in frigid winter, incorporates the natural world into urban life.
Floating saunas at Langkaia, with the Oslo Opera House in the background in Norway. Photo / David B. Torch/The New York Times
A walk west along the harbour brings you to a massive grey box, one of those love/hate buildings whose June 2022 opening makes it Oslo’s newest major cultural institution. You’ll never get through the National Museum in one go — with some 6,500 objects, from ancient Greek sculpture to the Norwegian queen’s coronation gown, it is the Nordic region’s largest — so be strategic. The real sense of discovery awaits in the Norwegian collections. Works by Edvard Munch (including a self-portrait of the artist as an arrogant young man) and Christian Krohg’s social realism all pack an emotional wallop, but perhaps none so much as Sámi artist Máret Ánne Sara’s vivid piece of protest art, Pile o’Sápmi (tickets: 180 nok, or about NZ$28).
5:30 p.m. | Sweat it out
A number of public saunas have popped up along the fjord and are open year-round for that peculiar Nordic ritual: winter bathing. Of all of them, SALT, which is also a cultural centre with concerts and exhibitions, offers the lowest barrier to entry. Instead of a dip in the frigid sea, participants dunk themselves in barrels of cold water before sweating it out in Norway’s largest sauna, where the festive atmosphere is fuelled not only by the bar outside but also by the DJs who perform inside on Friday and Saturday evenings (sauna: 195 nok).
8:30 p.m. | Have a savage dinner
A testament to Oslo’s improving food scene, Savage has been earning raves since it opened this autumn. Tucked into an inner courtyard in the new Revier Hotel in the Kvadraturen neighborhood, the soothing dining room, all light wood and soft lighting, avoids the cold flash and hard edges of many of Oslo’s upscale places and keeps the spotlight on the food. Overseen by executive chef Andrea Selvaggio, the tasting menu envelops Nordic ingredients such as lumpfish roe and scallops in a world’s fair of flavours. Standouts include an airy bit of brioche topped with a dollop of beef tartare and smoked eel bearnaise, and a langoustine, crisp-fried in the shape of a lobster claw, with a creamy haddock sauce made fiery with spicy nduja sausage (tasting menus: from 970 to 1,550 nok per person).
If the previous evening’s sauna left you craving more, it’s time to get hardcore. The motley village of saunas at Sukkerbiten — each structure different from the rest — offers direct access to the still, gelid waters of the fjord. Book ahead; even when the water freezes into the dread “porridge ice,” there’s no shortage of locals looking for that shot of serotonin (from 175 nok).
Saunas at Sukkerbiten, which offer direct access to the fjord, in Oslo. Photo / David B. Torch/The New York Times
10 a.m. | Get your fill of Munch
The same fjord figures in The Scream, by Munch, and there’s no better place to see it (or, rather, one version of it; he made several) than the towering, architecturally controversial Munch Museum, which opened its new location in the revitalised Bjorvika area in 2021. The collection includes other renowned pieces like The Dance of Life; the massive, mystical canvases he painted for the University of Oslo’s Ceremonial Hall; and sensitive portraits, including one of his older self, his face etched with lines and cynicism. Ride the escalators to the interactive exhibition displaying objects from Munch’s home and studio, and the stunning views (tickets: 160 nok).
11:30 a.m. | Linger in the library
Those same views — including vistas over the dramatically angled roof of the Opera House — help make the new main Deichman Bjørvika library a digital nomad’s fantasy. Open stacks and comfy seating invite perusing, and no one shushes you here. In fact, a cafe, communal tables and a children’s section with a “parking lane” for babies in strollers are positively convivial. A tiny, wood-panelled room that is part of a remarkable installation, Future Library, by Katie Patterson, crowns the top floor. Every year, a manuscript from an author is commissioned, with the stipulation that none will be read until a century has passed from the project’s 2014 inauguration. Manuscripts from Margaret Atwood and Karl Ove Knausgaard, among others, have already been tucked into drawers cut into the library’s curvaceous walls.
The new main Deichman Bjørvika library in Oslo. Photo / David B. Torch/The New York Times
1 p.m. | Have a sandwich
The up-and-coming Oslobukta neighbourhood, in a former industrial area, is popping with new restaurants and cafes, including some of the city’s most expensive, which is saying something. For a more reasonable choice that is still suitably chic, Holzweiler Platz, inside the fashion shop of the same name, offers open-face sandwiches and Middle Eastern-ish salads and dips in a swoony room designed by Norwegian starchitect firm Snøhetta (lunch for two: around 800 nok). For low-budget sustenance without the design (although its Poulsen artichoke lamps add a nice touch), the local outlet of Åpent, a well-regarded bakery, has delicious sandwiches and cakes (lunch for two: around 500 nok).
2 p.m. | Keep it local
There aren’t scads of shops in Oslobukta, but the ones there all feature local designers and artisans. Holzweiler sells its own clean-lined designs, from slinky maxi dresses to puffer coats that manage to look sleek. Norwegian Rain specialises in lightweight, beautifully cut rain gear. Devold has been selling what an employee there called “the best quality wool in Norway” since the 19th century; besides skiwear, this is also a good place to invest in traditional Norwegian sweaters. Dapper features Scandinavian menswear brands and has its own cafe. The upscale butcher Annis Oslobukta stocks local cheeses, preserved fruits and vacuum-packed lutefisk, a gelatinous, lye-cured stockfish that is a Norwegian favorite.
In the cold season, Oslo can look like a Pieter Bruegel painting, bursting with happy people doing fun winter things, and nowhere so much as at Spikersuppa. An outdoor rink smack in the middle of the city, it fills at midday with parents teaching their wobbly toddlers to skate; after dark (and that means by 3 p.m.), couples of all ages enjoy a spin beneath the coloured lights. Entrance is free, and skates can be rented at a nearby kiosk.
7 p.m. | Feast sumptuously
Through the door of a pizza place in the St. Hanshaugen neighbourhood and up a staircase sits Oslo’s most idiosyncratic dining experience. With its red floral wallpaper and fringed overhead lamps, Bar Amour looks not unlike a fin-de-siècle bordello, but here other pleasures are on offer. With just two burners and a tiny grill tucked behind the bar, the “kitchen” turns out stellar dishes whose light treatment allows the extraordinary ingredients at their heart — plump oysters dotted with apple and black currant leaves; a plush tranche of wild salmon coddled in an herby butter sauce — to shine, especially when paired with the superb wines sommelier Jonas Thommessen selects (tasting menu is 990 nok, not including drinks).
10 p.m. | Go down a back alley
Tucked into a back alley in the Tullinløkka neighbourhood, behind a restaurant called Fjord, rough wooden tables and potted plants give Becco a retro feel, but the place couldn’t be more of the moment. Opened for little over a year, it draws a relaxed crowd to its three airy floors. Guests drink from the long list of natural wines and listen to live DJs and the occasional band plays an eclectic mix of jazz, pop and alternative music.
Esben Holmboe Bang, the chef behind Oslo’s acclaimed Maaemo restaurant, has something of an empire in the city, with outlets that include a pricey cocktail bar, an upscale French boîte and an all-day cafeteria. The Vandelay, his first expansion, is perhaps most inviting at brunch, when the offerings include pancakes, luscious ricotta and lavender honey on toast, and beautiful fried eggs with a sprinkling of “really good cheese” (breakfast for two: 500 nok).
Brunch offerings at the Vandelay in Oslo, Photo / David B. Torch/The New York Times
Noon | Find silence (and cake)
A 30-minute ride on the Holmenkollen tram brings you to the Nordmarka forest, filled with locals skiing and sledding. Cross-country skiing is a national birthright, but with more than 1,600 miles of cross-country trails, it’s possible to find silence among the snow-blanketed spruces — that is, until you head to Korketrekkeren, the zippy tobogganing track. The run is free; toboggans can be rented. Then stop by Frognerseteren, a 19th-century wooden chalet, now a cozy cafe lined with portraits of severe-looking Scandinavians and Vikings marauding on skis. With views of the fjord and the city, it’s a perfect place to watch that 3 p.m. sunset (coffee and cake for two: 200 nok).
Cross-country skiing at Holmenkollen in Oslo, Norway. Photo / David B. Torch/The New York Times
KEY STOPS
National Museum: The city’s newest major museum, has some 6,500 objects, from ancient Greek sculptures to works by Munch and Sara.
Savage: One of Oslo’s newest upscale restaurants, keeps the focus on the food, which includes Nordic ingredients like lumpfish roe and scallops with global flourishes.
Nordmarka forest: Just outside the city is where to go for a taste of the snowy outdoors.
WHERE TO EAT IN OSLO
Holzweiler Platz: Offers sandwiches and salads and dips, but go there for the sleek space by Norwegian starchitect firm Snøhetta.
Apent: A well-regarded bakery, has a branch in the Oslobukta neighbourhood, where sandwiches and cakes are a budget lunch option.
Bar Amour: Turns out stellar dishes with minimal ado in an atmospheric bar setting.
The Vandelay: A perfect weekend brunch spot: Griddled pancakes, and ricotta and lavender honey on toast are among the menu items.
Frognerseteren: Housed in a 19th-century chalet in the Nordmarka recreational area, offers coffee, cocoa and homemade sweets.
WHERE TO STAY
Sommerro: In the elegant Frogner neighbourhood, is one of Oslo’s newest hotels, housed in the former art deco headquarters of an electrical company. All velvet upholstery and curved polished wood, the hotel has a wonderful pool; doubles start at 3,900 nok, or about $393.
Amerikalinjen: Opposite the train station, occupies the former headquarters of the passenger line that once took Norwegian immigrants to New York. Rates cover a terrific breakfast that, in a nod to its New York connections, includes decent bagels. (Doubles from 1,900 nok.)
K7: Near the water in the old part of town, is a hotel and hostel, with tasteful private rooms and group accommodations, complete with kitchen, laundry and TV room. A bed in a 12-bed dorm room starts at 345 nok; private doubles start at around 900 nok.
Grünerløkka: With its street art, cafes and vintage clothing shops, Grünerløkka is a good choice for finding a short-term rental. Efficient public transportation means it’s only a 25-minute tram ride to the new developments along the fjord.
