Today crime novels and television series that come from northern Europe are in fashion. On Netflix there are many Swedish, Norwegian or Finnish productions so the tourist's eye seems to me that it is leaning towards those frozen lands. Toward Oslo, For example.
The capital Norway It is an old and beautiful city that has a lot to offer its visitors. It is the gateway to a country of wonderful landscapes so maybe next summer you can make a getaway. If so, point what you can do in Oslo.
Oslo
The capital is at the same time the most populous city in the country and is one of the oldest cities in Europe as it was founded in 1048. At that time it did not reach the level of Bergen or Nidaros but already between the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries it was named capital by King Haakon V and from there it began to grow.
Like any medieval city, it suffered destruction by fire but it was always rebuilt. In the XNUMXth century a time of prosperity began and in the following century some of the most beautiful buildings in the city were built. By then her name was Cristania although Oslo returned to the ring in 1924. Just to add more historical information Oslo fell into German hands in World War II due to its military strategic importance.
The city It is in the fjord of the same name, surrounded by mountains and hills Lower. There are many islands around and also rivers. Summers are rather cool although a heat wave can catch you, and winters are really harsh with temperatures always minus zero degrees.
Tourist attractions in Oslo
The Viking legacy is one of the tourist magnets of Oslo so you cannot leave the city without visiting the Viking Ship Museum. It is situated on a peninsula and guards one of the best preserved Viking ships in the world which was found in a grave.
The museum projects a film called The vikings are alive all day through the ceiling and the internal walls of the museum and throughout the visit you will see everything that has been discovered in archaeological excavations.
With the ticket of this museum you can visit another, the Historic museum, as long as it does not take more than 48 hours to make the second visit. Continuing in tune with the historical visits is the Akershus fortress. It is great to visit on a sunny day. This construction dates from 1299 and it is a medieval fortress that has been modernized through time and thus, today, has Renaissance characteristics.
For this fortress There are guided tours and admission is free.to. Guided tours in summer are every day and cover both the exterior and the interior. Outside of summer, guided tours are only on weekends. It opens from 6 am to 9 pm between January 1 and December 31. Another interesting site is the Fram Museum what about the polar ship Fram.
Fram is the name of a super strong wooden ship, maybe the strongest wooden boat ever built, to navigate the north and south ice creams. At the museum you can get on board and learn about how the people of yesteryear survived in freezing weather. The exhibition is in several languages, Spanish included. It opens from 10 am to 5 pm.
Other interesting museums are the Geological Museum and the Zoological Museum. The latter focuses on the wildlife of Norway and the world, with recreations of animals and landscapes. The first one is closed to the public today but ask when you go that maybe it has already opened its doors again. Both are part of the Museum of Natural History and if you don't want to pay a ticket you can go on Thursdays, which is free.
El Botanical Garden it is also very pretty and diverse with a arboretum Immense with 1800 different floors and a large and very old wooden house that is worth visiting and that used to be a convent in the Middle Ages.
If you like amusement parks or the sun is shining in the sky and you want to be outdoors having fun then that day will be a good day to go to the TusenFryd Amusement Park, thus the largest park in Norway. It has more than 30 attractions and shops, carousels, roller coasters and other games.
Even in summer there is a water parkor with a pool, river and waterfall. Another park, but not games, is the Vigeland Sculpture Park, quite popular.
It is inside the Frogner Park and keeps more than 200 sculptures by Gustav Vigeland, an artist born in the XNUMXth century. They are made with granite, iron and bronze and it is a really very popular site as it receives more than a million visits a year.
Admission is free all year round. Fantastic! Inside there is a museum dedicated to the artist, a cafeteria with outdoor tables and a visitor center with a gift shop ideal for taking souvenirs.
Finally, we have the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History. It is huge and it is outdoors. It houses a total of 155 traditional houses brought from all over the country, even a nice church from the 1200s.
It is a great place to learn about Norwegian history, culture and folklore: toys, crafts, weapons, traditional costumes, and in summer you can go horseback riding or carriage rides, participate in handicraft demonstrations and much more.
Escaping a bit of history and culture there are other interesting places in Oslo. For example, him Holmenkollen Tower and Ski Museum. The tower is a ski jumping tower, one of the most famous in the world and the oldest of its kind. The museum makes a journey through four thousand years of skiing history in the country and there are exhibitions dedicated to this sport, snowboarding and polar exploration as well.
The best is the panoramic observation point at the top of the tower It offers great views of the whole of Oslo. This place opens all year round between 10 am and 4 pm.
Finally, even if you don't like ballet or opera or anything like that, I suggest you visit the Oslo Opera House it is a modern and striking building. It is above the port and is a fantastic place to stay for a while, climb on its roof and contemplate the landscape of the city and the fjord.
The windows start at floor level so even without entering the building you can peek inside, an interior with a lot of light wood and a modern and warm style at the same time. Guided tours are in English, Yes indeed.
Tips: download to your mobile the Official Oslo app, free for Ipad, iphone and Android and if you like tourist passes remember that the Oslo Pass with which many of these attractions that we have just reviewed are free. The adult pass has three categories, 24, 48 and 72 hours and costs respectively 42, 63 and 78 euros.