It can be done; I’m living proof. You can see Norway’s fabulous capital city and absorb a smorgasbord of Scandinavian culture – old and new – in 72 hours with the Oslo Pass for a mere $73. Available at various hotels and hostels or online, the Oslo Pass gives access to 30 museums, public transportation, and even discounts on performing arts venues.
Check out my recommendations for six must-see sights in Oslo.
1. Mini-Cruise of Oslo’s Fjord
Start your first day behind City Hall on Pier 3 touring the surrounding fjords by boat with your Oslo Pass. This hour and a half, “hop-on-hop-off” cruise stops at several popular tourist destinations including Oslo City Hall, the Opera House and Bygdøy making it the most picturesque and cheap way to see the sites.
2. Kon-Tiki Museum
I got off at Bygdøy excited to see firsthand what I had been reading about since childhood; the wonderfully preserved, hand-made balsa and rope rafts built by Norwegian adventurer and ethnographer, Thor Heyerdahl.
Hoping to prove that ancient man had the “smarts” to successfully voyage across the ocean, Heyerdahl built and tested his first raft, Kon-Tiki, in 1947 and circumnavigated the Pacific on a 101-day nautical odyssey. As if that wasn’t enough, he did it again in 1970 from Bolivia to Morocco on a raft named Ra II. In addition to the rafts, the museum features excellent photographs, videos, and artefacts from this incredible nautical adventure.
3. Viking Ship Museum
A 15 minute walk from the Kon-Tiki Museum and you’re suddenly among some of the world’s most revered nautical giants from a bygone era: two original Viking ships from the 9th century and the culture/scientific insight of the people who built them.
Norway’s proud shipbuilding heritage is clearly on display and visitors from all over the world flock to this important cultural treasure. Be prepared for large crowds at this popular spot!
4. Norwegian Museum of Cultural History
Just 5 minutes away on Museumsveien, stop by the Museum of Cultural History for the Norwegian version of Virginia’s Colonial Williamsburg, complete with over 100 traditional homes, a working farm and a preserved 12th century Stave church.
Be sure to check out the museum’s event calendar as all kinds of festivals and exhibits take place here throughout the year. The bucolic scenery is lovely and the museum’s cafe, Arkadia, features local fare including delicious sandwiches, small plated dishes and fresh baked goods.
5. Nobel Peace Prize Museum
As you head into the heart of Oslo on public bus #30 Nydalen (right outside the Cultural History Museum), it’s only seven stops to the Nobel Peace Prize Museum. Once an old railway station, this museum recalls the story of Alfred Nobel and the history of perhaps the world’s most coveted prize.
Every year the main exhibition hall’s theme is dedicated to that year’s winner. When I visited in 2015 it was devoted to Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai for their “struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education.”
6. Norwegian National Opera House
As you exit the Nobel Peace Prize Museum, look across the harbour and you’ll see the gleaming white marble of the Norwegian National Opera House. Built in 2008, it’s an amazing piece of architecture designed by Oslo-based design company Snøhetta, to look like an iceberg rising from the water.
It’s great for taking photos too, as you can ascend to the top of the building to see the Oslo skyline, or just sip an ice-cold cider from the Opera’s cafe as you take in the beautiful views of the harbour and the busy waterfront promenade.
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