A Couple's Guide To Oslo Norway

Oslo is a beautiful city all year round. Its colourful old buildings, many city parks and close proximity to nature provide a charming setting for a leisurely, romantic time for two and fun, coupley activities all year round.

Take a Stroll in Oslo’s Parks

One of the nicest, cheapest and most cosy things to do is to visit one of Oslo’s many beautiful city parks. The best-known and largest of these is Vigelandsparken (also known as Frognerparken) in eastern Oslo. The Norwegian artist Gustav Vigeland produced a huge amount of sculptures, and most of them are now here – so play, fall in love and ponder the meaning of life in what is considered the world’s largest sculpture park. Though some of the statues are rather gloomy, the park is a beautiful place for a stroll all year round and when the weather is good, you’ll see Oslowegians frolicking in the sun with barbecues, dogs and loved ones.

Take in the View

Explore the Fjord

During the summer, Oslo Fjord comes alive with activity. Boats and ships of all sizes offer mini cruises and sightseeing trips to suit every need and price tag. The cheapest way to discover the fjord is to take the little white ferries that make up part of Oslo’s public transport (i.e. free with a Ruter ticket) and go island hopping on the little islands Hovedøya, Lindøya, Nakholmen and Gressholmen just outside of the city centre. These islands are popular destinations for a day out during good weather, but they still feel very private and have a lovely mix of beaches, forests and historical buildings (not least the old abbey ruins on Hovedøya).

While Hovedøya has a little catering during the summer, all of these are ideal places for bringing a picnic and chilling out on the beach. If you’re looking for a more maritime merry time, meanwhile, plenty of companies offer fjord tours of varying lengths aboard beautiful old vessels, and you can even indulge in live music or a prawn buffet on some of them.

Be Cultural

Oslo has a lot of great museums and galleries to explore once you know where to find them; look out for special events and exhibitions in places like the Munch Museum and the National Gallery. You’ll also find a lot of cute smaller cafés, restaurants and bars, some of which offer live music on certain nights, such as Bare Jazz and Cafe Sør. Finally, while performances at most of Oslo’s theatres, such as Nationaltheatret, Folketeatret and Det norske teatret, are usually in Norwegian, the beautiful Oslo Opera has a varied array of orchestral, operatic and ballet performances on offer – which usually do not require knowledge of Norwegian to be enjoyed to their fullest. During the (summer) day, you can spend a lazy hour at the top of the building, soaking in the sun and finding out where to head next.

Featured image by Jørn Eriksson.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.