February Trip to Oslo, Norway

My breath rose up as a white puff into the frigid February air.  I tucked my chin further into the warm scarf wrapped around my neck.  Then the sun freed itself from the clouds and shined down between the grand buildings surrounding us.  Well that’s better. It’s amazing how much some direct rays of sun can warm up a 25°F day in Oslo.

February isn’t the time of year I would have normally chosen to explore Oslo. We booked a cruise to see the northern lights in northern Norway, and that happens in the winter.  Therefore we found ourselves experiencing this modern city while wrapped up in extra layers of warm clothes. We enjoyed our time here despite the cold weather. This post shares what I liked about the city followed by what there is to do and see while visiting the capital of Norway.

What is great about the city of Oslo?

Safety

First of all, the city feels extremely safe.  I had no worries about crime or any aggressive interactions.  But even more impressively, it is very safe to get around the city.  Everywhere we wanted to go had nice sidewalks.  Crosswalks were plentiful and the cars would always slow way down and look for pedestrians. They always stopped and patiently waited for us to cross.  

Lots of Parks

There are lots of green spaces throughout the city.  Though in February they are more white and brown.  These parks would be much more enjoyable in warm weather when the trees have green leaves covering them.  To sit on the grass and enjoy a nice day would have been lovely.  But even in the winter, locals were out for walks and runs around the parks.  So many mothers pushed their bundled babies in strollers along the walkways even though it was only 20-30°F.  Somehow, neither mom nor baby seemed to think it was too cold.

Great Mass Transportation

The mass transportation around the city is fabulous!  As soon as you land you benefit from this.  A train leaves from just outside the airport and heads into the city.  From the city center, there are lots of transfers that can get you where you need to go.  It seems you can reach almost anywhere by a bus, tram, or metro with 10-15 minutes walking at most.  They are clean and run frequently.

At first, the options can seem a bit confusing.  This is because there are a variety of transit options that work together.  There is the train, the tram, the metro, and the bus.  The Ruter App should be downloaded as it will show you routes and let you buy tickets with a couple clicks on your phone.

One thing to note: When you are going to or from the airport, Google Maps and the Ruter app often recommend the Flytoget Airport Express Tain.  This is a slightly faster option, but only by a few minutes and it costs about twice as much.  I recommend taking the regular train (options R10, R11, or R12).

Beautiful Architecture

I was surprised and really impressed by so many buildings while walking around Oslo.  So many regular apartment buildings were beautiful and interesting.  Many of these large, multi-story buildings had turrets and cool facades.

What to do and see in Oslo.

The Statues in Vigeland Park

Vigeland Park is a sculpture park within the larger Frogner Park.  Vigeland Park has over 200 sculptures created by Gustav Vigeland.  The sculptures depict men, women, and children in various poses and activities and they are stark naked.  After walking through the decorative iron gate, you will soon cross a bridge. 58 figures line the bridge and they are jumping, playing, and even throwing tantrums.  Next is a fountain displaying men of various ages holding up a vessel and small trees around their perimeter.

Further along is a circular staircase.  Rows of sculptures lead up the steps to the highest point where a monolith towers over the park.  The monolith has 121 figures clinging together, carved out of one solid piece of stone.  According to the Vigeland museum website, “the sculpture has been interpreted as a kind of vision of resurrection, and our longing and striving for spirituality”.

Further along, past the monolith is the “wheel of life”.  Figures carved together in a circle representing eternity.  To read more in detail about the park and the sculpture inside it, check out the website:   vigeland.museum.no/en/vigelandpark

Explore Akerhus Fortress

Construction of Akerhus Castle and Fortress began in 1299 under King Håkon V.  The castle was redesigned under King Christian IV (1588-1648) into a Renaissance Castle.  The grounds have been used as a royal residence, military base, and as a prison in the past.  Today part of the grounds are still used for military, part is a museum, and it’s also the temporary location of the Prime Minister’s office.

Walking around the grounds of Akerhus Fortress is free to the public.  You can stand on top of the walls of the fortress and look out over the Oslo Fjord and the city.  Walking under stone archways, you will see the castle walls and old cannons set up along the edges of the fortress. You can also visit the inside of the castle, but you will need a ticket to access this area. Unfortunately the castle wasn’t open the day we visited the site. Check the castle hours as well as the fortress hours before planning your visit.

Walk on Top of the Opera House

Oslo’s Opera House actually encourages you to walk on its roof.  The building was built with the intention of letting the public walk up the angled levels and take in views of the city around you.  The roof surfaces are covered with Italian marble and white granite.  It is designed to appear as if it rises up from the Oslo Fjord in front of it.  The Opera House was opened in 2008 and is home to the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet.

Visit Oslo Cathedral

Oslo Cathedral is located in the city center.  It is the seat of the Bishop of Oslo and has held royal weddings since the nation gained independence in 1905.  The cathedral was originally named Church of Our Saviors and was built in 1697.  A beautiful mural is painted across the ceiling inside the church.  It was created between 1937-1950 during the last major renovation of the church. A fiery sun glows in the center with the inscription “Gloria in excelsis Deo” – “Glory to God in the highest.”  The north, east, and south naves of the church illustrate Christ and his actions.  The west nave shows the four evangelists of the New Testament and four of the prophets from the Old Testament.  For a more in depth description of the cathedral, read the articles listed on the official Oslo Cathedral page: www.kirken.no/nb-NO/fellesrad/kirkeneioslo/menigheter/oslo-domkirken/Aktuelt/welcome-to-/photos-from-oslo-cathedral2/

Old Aker Church

The Old Aker Church is the oldest remaining structure in Oslo and the only church left from the Middle Ages.  It was constructed in the mid 12th century but the tower wasn’t built until 1861.  It is a Roman style stone basilica.  The nearby cemetery is also from the Middle Ages.  The grave of the artist Edvard Munch is located within this cemetery.

National Theatre

The National Theatre was inaugurated in 1899.  Statues of two famous Norwegian writers, Henrik Ibsen and Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, stand in front of the theatre.  Other Norwegian artists statues are scattered around the grounds, included actress Wenche Ross (pictured below) who made her stage debut in 1935.

Watch the Changing of the Guard at the Royal Palace

Every day at 1:30pm, the changing of the King’s Guard takes place at the Oslo Royal Palace.  The King’s Guard wear black military suites with green shoulder pads.  They have a tall, rounded hat with a long black plume hanging off one side.  The process wasn’t as showy as some changing of the guard presentations I have seen in other countries, but it was still nice timing our visit with the event.

See the Parliament Building

Parliament has been housed in this building since 1866.  The architecture is striking with its semicircular mid-section covered in arched doors and windows.  Two imposing lions carved from stone guard the walkway to the building.

Walk Around Aker Brygge

Aker Brygge is a small neighborhood along the Oslo Fjord boasting a harbor promenade.  It is lined with shops and lots of restaurants with nice outdoor seating.  Sitting outside at these restuarants would be very appealing in the summer months, not so much during our visit in February though.

Cross Oslo’s Fairytale Bridge

Anker Bridge is also known as the Fairytale Bridge.  Four bronze sculptures depicting well-known Norwegian fairytales sit on each corner of the bridge.  The four characters are the following:  White Bear King Valemon who is cursed to spend his days as a polar bear after refusing to marry a witch.  Per Gynt who is a deer hunter that rescues three dairy-maids from trolls.  Katie Woodencloak who escaped her evil stepmother on the back of a blue ox.  Veslefrik med felt who is a young man with a fiddle that gets three wishes from a troll.  The Anker Bridge crosses the Ankerselva River and connects the city center to the trendy neighborhood of Grünerløkka.

Visit the National Museum

We spent a few hours at the National Museum in central Oslo wandering through paintings from the 1500’s to the recent past.  The museum is large and we saw a little over half during our visit.  Many Norwegian artists and other artists who painted Norwegian landscapes are on exhibit.  I really enjoyed seeing the works by Norwegian painters Johan Christian Dahl and Edvard Munch.  Edvard Munch’s most famous painting “The Scream” is on presentation in this museum.

The Floating Saunas

We had planned to do this… but the cold weather and seeing all the ice formed in the fjords scared us off.  We did however, muster up the courage to do it in our next Norwegian city of Tromsø.  Watch for that blog to read about the experience.

See the Nearby Islands in the Oslo Fjord

For a cheap tour around the nearby islands in the Oslo Fjord, you can just ride a local ferry round trip by buying a regular mass transit ticket for a few dollars.  We took the B1 ferry and the full ride took about an hour.  The islands have colorful cabins scattered along the hills.  In the winter, the fjord is frozen near shore and our boat was breaking the thin ice sheets as it pulled into the docks.

That wraps up what I can tell you about Oslo.  Next, we fly up north of the Arctic Circle to spend time in the city of Tromsø!