Oslo

I continuously fall in love during my journeys. This time with Norway. My love to Scandinavia continues. Norway offers high mountains, green lands covered by forests and hundreds of lakes. On the opposite (or maybe the same) side - raw modern architecture, concrete and glass. Amazing place if you want to take a deep breath. Today I will present you 3 days that I spent there.

Where to go?

Taking into account budget, direct flights from Poland and only 3 available days my choice was simple – Oslo. OK, the fact about having a friend with an apartment was also influential :) Nevertheless Oslo is the easiest way to visit Norway. If you are interested how I have organized my trip, you’re welcome to read the post.

How to plan the trip?

The best option is to take a flight directly to Oslo – Gardermoen. However, if the airlines cancel your flight (as in my case), there is an option to take a flight to Oslo-Torp. The budget airlines like Wizzair or Ryanair offer the connections every day. Then you can take a minibus and in about 2 hours you will be at the Oslo Busterminal in the middle of the city.

Currency in Norway is Norwegian Krone. In practice you do not need to exchange your money because in all places you can pay by card. To use the public transport I recommend to install an app #ruter on your mobile phone. Through the app you can buy tickets and check the bus/tram/metro schedule. Very useful and comfortable option.

Must see in Oslo

I had 3 full days and (assuming a good weather) it was enough to see the most recommended attractions in the city, get around the nearest neighborhood, visit one museum and go for a walk in the forest.

1st day

One day I spent in the city center. The list of the sights that you cannot miss while being in Oslo:

- Royal Palace

- National Theatre

- Aker Brygge

- Oslo Cathedral

- City Hall

- The Norwegian Nation Opera&Balet

- Akershus Fortress

To reach the above listed attractions you don’t need to rely on public transportation. Try Norwegian ice-creams (Softice) and make a picnic on the Opera house’s roof with the view of famous bar code (group of the modern buildings). In the evening, after sunset, I recommend to take one more walk along the harbor. The lights reflected in the water creates amazing ambiance.

2nd day

We spent quite a lot of time discussing which museum should we visit. The most famous painting Shout was temporarily unavailable (National Museum) and I have already seen a real Viking boats in Roskilde (Viking Museum), the choice was then to visit Fram Museum presenting the story of polar expeditions. This museum was the most recommended one by Trip Advisor and after spending there more than 2 hours I know why. The real boat that crushed the ice in the last century on both north and South Pole, the polar chamber where you can experience -10 degrees, cinema presenting the Nordic voyages and foremost very clear and interesting information how people discovered the coldest part of the Earth. Really recommendable place in Oslo.

The next stop – Holmenkollen Ski Jump. The construction is really impressive and the view of the Oslo was worth to climb there ^^ For those who wants more extreme experience, there is an option to buy a ticket for a zip-line from the ski-jumps’ top and feel like a real ski jumper.

A few metro stops from Holmenkollen there is the most famous park in Oslo - Vigeland Sculpture Park. Open yearlong park contains 650 Gustav Vigeland’s sculptures depicting human life cycle and emotions. Straight from the shoulder – the park is full of naked human bodies in bronze and granite :)

The end of the day we've decided to spent on a boat. Water taxis cruise regularly among the Oslo’s islands. The view of the harbor from the seaside is amazing. Wooden houses painted in blue, green and red colors gave the picturesque view of Oslo.

3rd day

My first thought that comes to my mind about Norway is wild nature. Green forest, deep fjords, cold lakes and moose standing on the road. I wanted to experience it just for a while. The nearest place for that is Sognsvann Lake located just 45 minutes from Oslo. Great place for jogging, picnic or a walk. Here you can also start a trekking toward the north. I loved this place.

We finished the 3-days trip in one of Oslo’s pubs – drinking crafted beer and listening Norwegian karaoke. The trip was great but I feel unsatisfied and I know that I will want to come back to explore Norway.