Things to do in Oslo

1 MUNCH

At MUNCH, you can experience Edvard Munch's gift to the city of Oslo. It includes over 1,100 paintings, 4,500 drawings and watercolors, 18,000 graphic works, and 6,000 books, letters, and other documents.

In addition to Munch’s artwork, world-class contemporary art is displayed in the 13-story building. Changing exhibitions ensures a constant renewal of the experiences available at the museum, including solo exhibitions for recipients of the Edvard Munch Art Award.

2 Astrup Fearnley Museum

Astrup Fearnley Museum is a private museum for contemporary art located at Tjuvholmen in Oslo, organized as Astrup Fearnley Museet AS.

In 2023, the museum celebrates its 30th anniversary. This is marked with an extensive anniversary exhibition featuring famous iconic works, hidden treasures, and new acquisitions to the Astrup Fearnley collection. The exhibition fills both museum buildings and includes over 100 works from one of Europe’s most comprehensive collections of international contemporary art.

3 The Norwegian Opera & Ballet

Photo by: Nataliia Anisimova

Oslo's opera house is located right by the fjord and resembles an iceberg as it rises slantwise from the water’s edge. Visitors are invited to walk on the roof and enjoy panoramic views of Oslo and the Oslofjord year-round. The Norwegian Opera & Ballet offers a rich and exciting program in three different halls. The opera roof, lobby, and balconies are also used as concert venues, and visitors can take guided tours in Norwegian and English, visit the Opera Shop, and enjoy food and drinks in one of the restaurants.

4 Vigeland Park

Vigeland Park is a sculpture park located within Frogner Park, featuring over 200 sculptures created by Gustav Vigeland (1869–1943), including famous statues like the Angry Boy (Sinnataggen), the Monolith, and the Wheel of Life. Vigeland also designed the park itself, which houses most of his artwork. Vigeland Park is one of Norway’s most visited attractions, with over one million visitors annually. As the first park in Norway, it was listed as a heritage site by the Directorate for Cultural Heritage in 2009.

5 National Gallery

The new National Gallery houses a permanent collection of around 6,500 objects spanning centuries of design, crafts, and visual art, as well as contemporary works.

The main exhibition creates exciting connections across the different collections that were previously housed in separate museums. Visitors can also experience a major presentation of Edvard Munch’s most famous paintings, including The Scream (1893) and Madonna (1894).

The museum's landmark is the large, luminous exhibition hall made of marble and glass that crowns the top of the building. This space accommodates changing exhibitions of international caliber.

6 Oslo reptile park

Oslo Reptile Park is Norway’s only reptile park – a small zoo in the heart of Oslo with over 100 animals, including pythons, boas, geckos, lizards, poison dart frogs, beautiful tarantulas, a dwarf crocodile, monkeys, turtles, and fish – as well as a black widow, the world’s most poisonous spider. Visitors can take part in feeding the snakes, silk monkeys, crocodiles, and several other animals. See more tips for child-friendly activities here.

7 Explore the Museums on Bygdøy

Frammuseet

At the Fram Museum, you can explore the ship that brought Fridtjof Nansen to the North Pole. Considered the world’s strongest wooden ship, it is still well-preserved, and onboard, you can get a glimpse into how the crew lived during their dangerous expeditions.

Just a stone's throw from the Fram Museum, you will find the Kon-Tiki Museum, where several of Thor Heyerdahl's rafts are on display, including the balsa raft he used during his Pacific Ocean expedition. The museum also features other exhibits related to the expeditions, film screenings, and an underwater exhibition. Definitely worth a visit!

Norsk Folkemuseum

One of the world’s oldest and largest open-air museums, with 155 historical buildings, its own old town, and a stave church dating back to around 1200. In the summer, the museum offers horse and carriage rides, animal feeding, demonstrations of old craft techniques, an open colonial store, candle-making, a historic playground, guided tours, and walking theater performances.

Vikingskipshuset (currently closed – temporarily relocated)

Enhance your historical knowledge at the Viking Ship Museum, which showcases artifacts from the Gokstad, Oseberg, and Tune ships, along with smaller boats, sledges, tools, and textiles.

The museum is temporarily relocated to the Historical Museum in central Oslo, where you can see some of the most iconic items from the Viking Age. The Viking Ship Museum will return to renovated premises on Bygdøy in 2026.