Norway
Oslo - Great to Explore on Foot
STORY BY PAUL HUGHES, 2019
If you are planning a holiday in Norway’s capital Oslo I suggest that you get a good city tourist map and mark the attractions you want to see and the routes before you go, because almost all signs are in Danish only. We also found that items like food, clothes and gifts were usually more expensive than even in Europe.
Putting that aside, our visit to the impressive and pretty city of Oslo was well worthwhile. We were ashore for only a few hours during a cruise and even though the weather provided a fresh and overcast 18C, the entrance to the port and the cruise terminal offered picturesque shorelines and a few other vessels plying their way across the bay, although it did not seem as busy as many other ports.
The port sits below some sheer cliffs and a short climb leads to Akershus Fortress and Castle, offering great views over the city. We were most impressed by not only the city features and the helpful nature of people we met but particularly by the wide, clean and pedestrian-friendly streets that were not over crowded by the several thousand people enjoying their first impressions.
If you are planning a holiday in Norway’s capital Oslo I suggest that you get a good city tourist map and mark the attractions you want to see and the routes before you go, because almost all signs are in Danish only. We also found that items like food, clothes and gifts were usually more expensive than even in Europe.
Putting that aside, our visit to the impressive and pretty city of Oslo was well worthwhile. We were ashore for only a few hours during a cruise and even though the weather provided a fresh and overcast 18C, the entrance to the port and the cruise terminal offered picturesque shorelines and a few other vessels plying their way across the bay, although it did not seem as busy as many other ports.
The port sits below some sheer cliffs and a short climb leads to Akershus Fortress and Castle, offering great views over the city. We were most impressed by not only the city features and the helpful nature of people we met but particularly by the wide, clean and pedestrian-friendly streets that were not over crowded by the several thousand people enjoying their first impressions.
It was only a short walk along the pier to the main city centre and Karl Johan’s Gate (street), which stretches from the Central Station all the way to The Royal Palace. This is where we discovered spacious streets filled with rows of two-metre wide flower tubs bursting with color and offering comfortable seats around their rims. The streetscape was different. Although there was lots of construction and renovation works going on, with enclosed scaffolding dominating several areas, the four to six storey shops and offices didn’t seem to tower overhead, due to the wide streets and the lack of vehicles except the trams and buses. However there was still plenty of character in the buildings.
There were gardens and fountains everywhere and dozens of outdoor, gazebo-style coffee shops, bars and dining areas that added life and color to the city. Unlike many modern cities in warmer climates, we noticed that few shops featured display windows; rather, one needed to pass through often impressive and imposing entrances to explore inside.
There were gardens and fountains everywhere and dozens of outdoor, gazebo-style coffee shops, bars and dining areas that added life and color to the city. Unlike many modern cities in warmer climates, we noticed that few shops featured display windows; rather, one needed to pass through often impressive and imposing entrances to explore inside.
Hundreds make their way along the 1.2 kilometre Karl Johans Gate from the station to the palace without it feeling crowded.
We wandered about six kilometres around the city including the full length of Karl Johan’s Gate, which continued to reveal amazingly generous views. The relaxing streetscape seemed to disguise the distances we covered, as parks filled with impressive sculptures and statues encouraged one to pause and relax while exploring.
At the very top of the street was the Royal Palace, a dominant but less ornate structure from most palaces, but it was made much more impressive because it was perched above the cityscape and surrounded by 20 hectares or 50 acres of paved courtyards and gardens. We arrived in time to see the changing of the guard, which drew a crowd of several hundred people, but even then it was not overcrowded.
At the very top of the street was the Royal Palace, a dominant but less ornate structure from most palaces, but it was made much more impressive because it was perched above the cityscape and surrounded by 20 hectares or 50 acres of paved courtyards and gardens. We arrived in time to see the changing of the guard, which drew a crowd of several hundred people, but even then it was not overcrowded.
However, Oslo is much more than an old city - there are ongoing architectural projects that continue to maintain Oslo as a vibrant and leading city, including the Barcode redevelopment in central Oslo that has converted the former dock and industrial areas into a modern high-rise multi-purpose centre marketed as The Opera Quarter, just to name one new aspect of the constantly emerging city.
Then there is the Opera House, a spectacular building where one can climb the roof, which is something that thousands do for some spectacular photographs! Oslo is definitely a place where we could spend much more time in the future.
Then there is the Opera House, a spectacular building where one can climb the roof, which is something that thousands do for some spectacular photographs! Oslo is definitely a place where we could spend much more time in the future.