Port guide: Oslo, Norway

Scandinavia’s smallest capital has very agreeable style and liveliness and some big attractions. Here’s what you need to see and do.

Oslofjord, Norway.

Who goes there

All the big cruise lines and many smaller, luxury and expedition ones call in at Oslo either on Baltic, Norway or Northern Europe cruises; the latter often start in Amsterdam or Southampton. The most appropriate might be homegrown company Viking Cruises. Its ships have Nordic design and celebrate Norwegian heritage and food.

Sail on in

Oslofjord extends watery fingers some 100 kilometres from the open sea to Oslo, and your ship will be following in the historic wake of viking longboats. It’s a long, lovely arrival, so haul yourself up early to admire passing towns bright with Lego-block buildings, and islands topped with red churches. In summer as you sail out again, you’ll spot locals boating, fishing and flopping on rocks in their underpants enjoying the lukewarm Nordic sun.

Oslo Harbour.

Berth rites

Cruise ships dock at any of four different piers, and you needn’t worry about which, because all are close to the city centre. Still, hope for Sondre Akershuskai right under Aksershus Castle – the only one with an actual terminal building, even if small – or Revierkaia, which looks right at Den Norsk opera house, sitting like a marble iceberg on the harbour, with sloping roofs you can walk up for the views.

Going ashore

This modest capital has small-town charm but big-city assets and a long maritime history. Its most striking buildings are the redbrick and art-encrusted Town Hall, opera house and castle, all on the waterfront. A short walk away you’ll see the royal palace. Karl Johans Gate is the lively main shopping, cafe and beerhall drag. Former shipbuilding district Aker Brygge has been reinvented as an upmarket residential and dining zone with fine harbour outlooks.

Don’t miss

Hop on a ferry for the short ride to Bygdoy Peninsula for several fascinating museums. The terrific Norwegian Museum of Cultural History has reassembled 160 historic buildings from around the country, and staff demonstrate craft skills. Also worthy are the Norwegian Maritime Museum, Fram Museum that celebrates polar exploration, and Kon-Tiki Museum centred on Thor Heyerdahl’s 1947 Pacific crossing by raft. The superb Viking Ship Museum is unfortunately closed until 2026 for renovations.

Get active

Oslo is flat and compact, so get a rental from Oslo City Bike, which has 262 stations around town, and start pedalling. An hour’s ride is NOK 25 ($3.40) but you might be better off with a three-day pass for NOK 119. The nine-kilometre harbour promenade takes you past many Oslo highlights, while the Bygdoy peninsula offers semi-rural cycling and Oscarshall, a diminutive royal palace open to visits in summer.

Best bites

Given prices in Norway, you don’t need to be dining off the ship, though you could buy a snack bag of shrimps at Aker Brygge. If you want to go mad, take out a loan and head to Maaemo, a three-Michelin-star restaurant that presents the pinnacle of New Nordic cuisine using foraged and organic local ingredients in dishes such as mackerel with wild garlic, Norwegian lobster, cured reindeer and salted duck breast.

Further afield

Some cruise lines offer excursions to fjord town Drobak or to Nordmarka for scenic hiking and panoramas over Oslo, but most stick to the city. If you want to get out on your own, you’ll find worthy sights along Oslofjord, not least The Henie Onstad Collection of modern art. You can hike across Hovedoya Island and inspect monastery ruins 1000 years old, and explore historic settlements such as Fredrikstad and Halden on the fjord’s eastern shore.