Oslo

Sitting at the northern head of the 100-kilometre Oslofjord and ringed by the dense pine hills of Nordmarka, Oslo has reinvented its waterfront over the past fifteen years. Former container docks and highway tunnels have been replaced by a nine-kilometre harbour promenade where locals walk up the white Carrara marble roof of the Oslo Opera House, inspect Edvard Munch's paintings at MUNCH and leap from floating wood-fired saunas straight into clean fjord water.

Inland from the harbour, grand 19th-century avenues link the Royal Palace and the vast new National Museum with the 200 bronze and granite figures of Vigeland Sculpture Park, the indie coffee roasteries of Grünerløkka and the polar exploration ships of the Bygdøy peninsula. Start with our before-you-go briefing and top things to do in Oslo.

Oslo Airport, Gardermoen (OSL), lies 47 kilometres north of the city and connects directly to Oslo Central Station (Oslo S) in 23 minutes on regular Vy regional trains or 19 minutes on the Flytoget Airport Express. Inside the city, the Ruter smartphone app covers all Zone 1 trams, buses, T-bane metro lines (including Line 1 up to Holmenkollen) and the electric B1/B2 ferries across to the inner Oslofjord islands. See getting to Oslo and how Ruter tickets and the Oslo Pass work.

Staying in Sentrum or Bjørvika puts Oslo S station, the Opera House and Karl Johans gate right outside your door, while Aker Brygge and Tjuvholmen offer waterfront views, Frogner provides leafy embassy streets near Vigeland Park, and Grünerløkka surrounds you with bars and bakeries. We compare all main bases in where to stay in Oslo.

Walk onto the marble roof of the Opera House and visit MUNCH, spend a morning inside the National Museum, stroll the sculpture bridge of Vigeland Park, board the polar ship Fram on Bygdøy, and ride T-bane Line 1 up to Holmenkollen Ski Jump. Full list in things to do in Oslo.

Oslo is the world capital of lightly roasted Nordic filter coffee, paired in neighbourhood bakeries with knotted cardamom buns, cinnamon swirls and heart-shaped waffles topped with sweet caramelised brown goat's whey cheese (brunost) and sour cream. For lunch and dinner, sample Arctic cod (skrei), reindeer stew (finnbiff) or street food inside Vulkan's Mathallen and Oslo Street Food. Read more in our Oslo food and coffee guide.

Founded around 1048 by King Harald Hardrada at the foot of the Ekeberg hills, rebuilt across the bay after the great fire of 1624 by King Christian IV under the name Christiania, and reclaiming its Norse name Oslo in 1925, the Norwegian capital awards the Nobel Peace Prize every 10 December inside its twin-towered red-brick City Hall.