Why Oslo?
More low-key than Stockholm or Copenhagen, Oslo is a relaxing place where you won’t wear yourself out with things to do. Having said that, large sections of the capital’s extensive waterfront are now unrecognisable even from a few years ago. Fjord City refers to the immediate area east and west of the city centre, where ports, docks and industrial areas are giving way to modern apartments, parks and museums. In Tjuvholmen these include the new Astrup Fearnley Museum, and, behind the new Opera House in an area called Bjorvika, high-rise apartment blocks have been built. There’s a new waterfront and several new museums are under construction. In the centre around the main transport hubs, whole new residential and hotel districts have been created. Yet despite the changes, and increasing levels of immigration, there’s still an air of quiet sophistication and calm here, especially beside the water, where, if the weather is warm enough, anyone can jump in for a swim. In what is a very expensive city, many of the best things are free. The villagey feel of this capital city may be about to change, so go now.
A comfortable bed
The city's grand dame is the Grand Hotel (www.grand.no), an elegant, historic property dating from the 1800s. The Grand Cafe, its main restaurant, where Ibsen and countless other luminaries once dined, is particularly atmospheric and its central location is excellent; rates for double rooms start from Dh574, including breakfast and taxes. The nearby Hotel Continental (www.hotelcontinental.no) is also excellent, but its best available starting rate is higher, from about Kr1,995 (Dh910) per night, including taxes. In Tjuvholmen, The Thief (www.thethief.com), a modern, but plush design hotel with all the luxuries Gulf travellers expect, including a full-service, purpose-built spa with swimming pool, air-conditioning and an internationally-connected guest relations manager. Doubler room rates start from Kr2490 (Dh1,135), including taxes and breakfast.
Find your feet
Oslo's centre is close to the waterfront: from the Central Station, make your way along Karl Johans gate to the hulking mass of Oslo City Hall, with a grand interior that's covered in murals and open to the public. To the left along the waterfront you can see Akershus Castle, a collection of buildings dating from 1299. Walk the other way, past the Nobel Peace Center (www.nobelpeacecenter.org), to Tjuvholmen, where you can end your day in the cafe of the Astrup Fearnley Museum, overlooking Oslo Fjord either inside or outside. For more ideas and to plan visit www.visitoslo.com.
Meet the locals
Oslo has some great home-grown coffee shop chains, so you're never far from a gathering place. Grunerlokka, a green, trendy, low-rise and somewhat historic area north of the city centre, features many small one-off cafes, restaurants and shops, and has a youthful, slightly bohemian atmosphere. Stand there with a map and someone helpful will come up and give you their suggestions on where to go. Staff at the Astrup Fearnley Museum (www.afmuseet.no) are unusually well-informed and keen to talk to visitors (in perfect English) about the artists and the work on display. There are also guided tours. The collection, though it's got all the big names, doesn't feel earth-shattering.
Book a table
For innovation, location, atmosphere and value, it's hard to beat Tjuvholmen's Sjomagasin seafood restaurant (www.sjomagasinet.no/english), where a three-course lunch costs Kr355 (Dh160) per person. At the Grand Cafe (www.grand.no) the large pot of steamed Norwegian mussels with chilli, french fries and aioli is delicious and comes at a good deal of Kr215 (Dh98).
Shopper’s paradise
There are excellent shopping opportunities in Oslo, from independent stores to large malls, and it's a more relaxing experience here than in most other European cities. Unfortunately refinement comes with a price, so most travellers restrict themselves to small design trophies such as homewares, or to jewellery, crafts or local foods. House of Oslo (Ruseløkkveien 26, houseofoslo.no) features a wide range of Scandinavian-designed homewares. On Karl Johans Gate, Paleet (www.paleet.no/) is a newly opened mini-mall with a historic facade – there's a great bookshop and some attractive cafes downstairs.
Don’t miss
The view out across the fjord from the new Renzo Piano-designed Astrup Fearnley Museum is hard to beat, especially on a summer evening. If you have the time, take a boat cruise out around the fjord, or to the nearby island of Bygdoy for a visit to the Viking Ship Museum (www.khm.uio.no). For a great collection by Edward Munch, including various incarnations of The Scream, visit the National Gallery (www.nasjonalmuseet.no/en) or the Munch Museum (www.munch.museum.no).
What to avoid
Holidays here can be very expensive, so look for package deals bundling flights and accommodation. Emirates Holidays (www.emiratesholidays.com) can tailor-make a trip to Oslo, and it has an 8-night tour of Norway from Dh19,700 per person, including all flights, accommodation, taxes, internal transport and some meals.
Getting there
Return flights with Emirates (www.emirates.com) from Dubai to Oslo cost from Dh3,465, including taxes. The flight takes seven hours.