Start your exploration of the city with a stroll down Karl Johans gate, Oslo’s main street. While promenading, you’ll have a chance to buy souvenirs, listen to street musicians, have a bite to eat at one of many cafes and see the main sights: Oslo Cathedral (Oslo domkyrkje), the Norwegian National Theatre (Nationaltheatret), the Parliament building (Stortinget) and the Norwegian Royal Palace (Det Kongelige Slott). You can also rest in the shade of the palace’s park. Karl Johans gate was made world-famous by the brush of the famous Norwegian expressionist painter Edvard Munch, who often portrayed it in his work.
Oslo also has a museum dedicated to the artist, Munch Museum (Munch-museet). Its collection includes over a thousand paintings, including his famous The Scream. The exhibition also contains albums with sketches, drawings, etchings, posters, playbills, sculptures, photographs and the artist’s personal belongings. The museum shows films about Munch’s life and work and hosts lectures and concerts.
Be sure to visit Oslo City Hall (Oslo rådhus). Even though city council and administrative meetings are held here, the building is free to enter, and some of the halls can be visited. The best Norwegian artists and sculptors took part in the decoration of the building’s interior. The walls of the halls are decorated with impressive paintings and murals featuring Norwegian nature, historical events and images of daily life. The City Hall is known throughout the world, because it is here that every year on December 10th the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded.
Another major sight is Akershus Fortress (Akershus Festning), whose medieval walls offer a stunning view of the Oslofjord. By the way, you can take a boat ride down the fjord and admire the beauty of northern nature. From the water, you can also get a beautiful view of the Opera House (Operahuset). It rises from the surface of the water like a huge, sparkling iceberg.
Locals and visitors alike adore the Vigeland Sculpture Park. The parterre, decorated with lawns, flower beds, stairs and fountains, features 212 granite and bronze sculptures designed by Gustav Vigeland.