I spent one day in Oslo, and I found I was able to see a lot in Oslo just in one day! It helped that it was a really sunny summer day and we were able to cycle around the city. We did a cycle tour with Biking Vikings, which took 3 hours. It was a great way to get around the city with a knowledgeable guide to take us to the spots and explain everything.

We started at the Oslo City Hall, Rådhuset, which has pretty impressive interiors, even if (by modern standards) the outside is kinda… ugly. We cycled past the National Theatre, to the Royal Palace, which has lovely gardens. It’s an impressive palace, but we didn’t go inside. We then cycled up past the palace gardens to the suburban streets in Uranienborg. Our guide explained that this area used to belong to the palace – hence the big beautiful tree lined streets, where the King used to ride his horse. But when the palace needed money, they sold off this prime real estate, to the richest of the rich, of course. Which means that now the area is full of huge, beautiful houses on gorgeous, tree-lined streets. House envy!

From there we cycled through the Vigeland park, which was incredible! Our guide explained that the artist, Gustav Vigeland, was granted a house and studio from the government, in return for creating all the incredible sculptures. The collection of sculptures tells a story about the circle of life and death, and humanity in many forms.

The Akershus Fortress was next on our list, and we wandered through the grounds, learning about the history of the fortress. We also went over to the Opera House, which is beautiful and a very cool piece of architecture (Opera House is pictured above, the Akershus Fortress is below, at sunset).

In the afternoon we wandered to Aker Brygge, where there’s a design-led shopping centre, and nice restaurants on the water. Walking along the shore to the Museum of Modern Art, which is a lovely modern building, with canals passing underneath. This is such a nice area to walk around – there’s a sculpture park, a beach, and bridges to cross. It was a great place to spend the evening relaxing.