Vigeland park in Oslo in Norway
Norway It is a country that undoubtedly for many Spaniards among whom I find has a special appeal.
The great explosion of nature that are the fjords make the trip to this Nordic country a goal for many of us.
But a trip to Norway It will always have as an essential stage: visit of its capital Oslo.
Oslo City Hall in Norway
How is it Oslo And what will you find during your visit?
It is not a city as well known as its Nordic sister Stockholm, but if you think of an easy and pleasant city to visit as is the case with your other sister, Helsinki, that is Oslo.
Indeed, for your visit, the Norwegian capital is a city of dimensions that will surprise you with its recollection and, therefore, very manageable to explore it.
Oslo history
This is understood when you find out that at the beginning of the 19th century Oslo was no more than a town, which in 1850 had barely more than 30,000 inhabitants.
Corner of downtown Oslo in Norway
At that time the city was called Christiania, what happened since 1624 in tribute toKing Christian IV of Denmark.
In the second part of the 19th century, thanks to the improvement of the economy, the city had an important growth.
The dissolution in 1905 of the union with Sweden, which led to the independence of Norway, led to that in 1925 Oslo Get your original name back.
As you can imagine, Oslo It is a neat and clean city.
And if you are lucky to visit it on a sunny day, as it has happened to me in the last occasions in which I have visited it, it is a very bright and really beautiful city.
Then I will give you some Tips for visiting Oslo.
How to get to the center of Oslo from the airport
From the outset, here is information about how to get from the airport to the center of Oslo, with the main option of Express Flytoget train, other regional trains or the Flybussen bus.
And, of course, you also have the option of a private transfer To get to the city center.
Guided tours in Oslo
Facing you trip to Oslo, to have a first approach to the most interesting places in the city, you may want to sign up for a ticket guided visit.
National Theater in downtown Oslo in Norway
In this respect you have this private tour of Oslo, which you will do in the company of a Spanish guide.
Another different option to visit the Norwegian capital is the Oslo bike tour, with a duration of three hours and a English guide.
Or you can also sign up for a Oslo tour by bus With an hour and a half duration, guide in English and audioguide in Spanish, in which in addition to touring the city center, you will go to the ski jumping stadium and Vigeland Park.
What to see and do in Oslo
Once on your own, youOslo visit the street will have as axis Karl Johans, which joins the square where the railway station is with the landscaped enclosure where the Royal Palace.
Corner of downtown Oslo in Norway
All this downtown Oslo Current is where the city was rebuilt after the great fire of 1624.
So, Oslo it is a relatively modern city that was reborn next to the Akershus Fortress.
This fortified complex of the fourteenth century, which incorporates a castle that was rebuilt in the Renaissance style in the seventeenth century, stands on the banks of the fjord and next to the city port.
Oslo monuments
Along this main street you will see significant buildings such as the Oslo Cathedral or the National theater.
Akershus fortress in Oslo in Norway
Apart from the aforementioned fortress, in Oslo there are no large historical buildings as a result of which Norway has been since 1536 under the successive power of its Scandinavian neighbors, Denmark and Sweden.
Therefore, buildings like the Royal Palace or theOslo City Hall they are relatively modern; specifically, said palace was completed in 1848, and the town hall is from 1950.
But this is not an obstacle so that in Oslo you can't find very interesting attractions.
What museums to visit in Oslo
A key point in your visit will be the Bygdøy peninsula, where you will go by boat, and where they concentrate three museums very interesting that are an exponent of the Historical link between Norwegians and the sea.
From the tourist point of view, theViking Ship museum, with various boats discovered at the end of the 19th century.
Oseberg ship at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo
Before your trip, here you can buy your tickets to the Viking Ship museum, which also includes the visit of the history Museum.
For its part, the Fram museum stands on an imposing polar ship and there you can meet the adventures of Norwegian explorers at both poles.
And in the Kon-Tiki museum you find boats used in still recent maritime explorations like the one mentioned Kon-Tiki and the Ra II.
In that peninsula you also have the Norwegian People's Museum, which is especially worth visiting to see a typical norwegian wooden church of the thirteenth century, which was moved from the town of Goal.
The Monolith in the Vigeland park in Oslo
You also have important artistic corners to see in Oslo.
Vigeland Park in Oslo
You can't stop visit the park Vigeland, a surprising sculpture park created during the first half of the 20th century by the Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland, commissioned by the city council.
To make a more complete visit, here you can sign up for a Vigeland park tour with a Spanish guide.
Oslo Opera in Norway
For its part, the reflection of the work of the Norwegian painter Edvard Munch you have it in the downtown National Gallery, where you can see his famous work The Screamas well as in the Munch Museum.
Precisely said museum will open a new headquarters in the port area of Bjorvika.
Bjorvika port area
This is a new urban development carried out in recent years next to the port and east of the historic center of Oslo, next to the railway station.
Oslo Opera in Norway
New buildings of very modern architecture have been built among which the main protagonist, without a doubt, is the very spectacular building of the Oslo Opera House, which was completed in 2008, a reflection of the most avant-garde Norway.
The aforementioned new building Munch museum It is scheduled to open in 2019 and has been commissioned to the Spanish architect Juan Herreros.
Another new building is the new one Oslo Public Library located next to the train station, which opens this year 2018.
Holmenkollen ski jumping stadium in Oslo
As for the aforementioned Oslo Opera, I anticipate that your visit to the capital of this Nordic country will be incomplete if not you walk up the roof.
From the top of the building you have the best Panoramic views of this very modern area of the city and its new buildings.
And if you are fond of winter sports, immersed in a large forest on the side of a mountain that limits the city you have an essential appointment with the new and imposing ski jumping stadium Holmenkollen.
In that place you can also visit the Ski Museum.
Norwegian polar expedition objects at the Fram museum in Oslo
Oslo Fjord Cruise
Norway It is synonymous with nature and idyllic landscapes.
You can also enjoy it when you visit the capital making a essential cruise on the Oslo fjord.
You will not see great mountains, but you can see how the way of life of the Norwegians is, always linked to the sea.
Modern port area of Bjorvika in Oslo
You will navigate among very small but idyllic islands on whose banks the summer houses follow one another next to the pleasure boats.
Is Oslo an expensive city?
Surely when you consider a trip to Oslo, you already know that Norway is a fairly expensive country for the purchasing power of the Spaniards.
I'll tell you what Oslo It is a city clearly more expensive than Stockholm.
Oslo Fjord Cruise in Norway
So you have indicative prices from day to day in Oslo, a beer will cost you 6 to 10 euros; a cappuccino, 4 euros; a drink, 12 euros; and eat in a normal restaurant, from 40 to 60 euros.
How to get around by public transport in Oslo
While Oslo It is a city to visit on foot, you will need to use public transport to reach some places, such as the Vigeland park or the ski jumping stadium.
He price of public transport ticket in Oslo (trams, buses, subway) is 4.8 euros, if you buy it in advance, and 6 euros if you buy it directly in transport.
Therefore, it is worth considering card purchase Oslo Pass, which will allow you to travel on public transport, in addition to entering museums and monuments whose access is not free.
