Oslo Walking Tour: 50 Free Video Stops

This Oslo walking tour links 10 sights and 50 short video stops narrated by Clarissa, from the marble roof of the Oslo Opera House to Vigeland Sculpture Park, Akershus Fortress, the Royal Palace, Holmenkollen and the museums of Bygdøy. The notes below group the stops into walkable routes and short rides, and add the timing, transport, etiquette and free-entry details that make the Norwegian capital easier to enjoy. For official events and visitor information, also check VisitOSLO, the official travel guide to Oslo.

Route 1, the harbour and the centre (stops 1, 3, 9 and 10). Start at the Oslo Opera House in Bjørvika, where the videos cover the white iceberg on the fjord, the walk up the marble roof, the oak wall in the foyer, the great hall and the She Lies sculpture in the water. Walk along the waterfront to Akershus Fortress for the castle, Christian IV and the walls, the Norwegian Resistance Museum and the ramparts. Then head inland to Oslo Cathedral and the old market square at Stortorget, and stroll up Karl Johans gate past the Storting, the student grove and the Grand Hotel.

Route 2, the palace and the parks (stops 4, 5 and 2). From the top of Karl Johans gate, climb to the Royal Palace for Karl Johan’s statue, the palace rooms, the Palace Park and the changing of the guard. Take a tram or walk about half an hour west to Frogner Park, the largest park in the city, with Frogner Manor and the Oslo Museum, the pond and the tree walks. Finish this part of the Oslo walking tour at the Vigeland Sculpture Park inside Frogner Park, with the bridge of bronze figures, the fountain, the Monolith and the Wheel of Life.

Route 3, art and the harbour west (stop 6). Walk from the City Hall area to the National Museum at Vestbanen, the largest art museum in the Nordic countries, where the videos cover The Scream and Edvard Munch, the painters of Norway, design, architecture and the old masters, and the glowing Light Hall on the roof. The harbourfront at Aker Brygge is right next door for a break by the water.

Route 4, Holmenkollen and Bygdøy (stops 7 and 8). Ride metro line 1 up to Holmenkollen for the ski jump, the Ski Museum and the view from the top of the jump over the city and the fjord. On another day, take the ferry from the City Hall pier in summer, or the bus all year, to Bygdøy, Oslo’s museum peninsula, for the Maritime Museum, the polar ship Fram, the Kon-Tiki raft and the open-air Norwegian Museum of Cultural History. If you only have one day, Routes 1 and 2 make the best free walking tour Oslo offers on foot.

For photos, the best free viewpoints on this Oslo walking tour are the top of the Opera House roof, looking over the fjord and the new Bjørvika skyline, the ramparts of Akershus Fortress, the Monolith plateau in Vigeland Park and the Palace hill looking down Karl Johans gate. On a clear day, the top of the Holmenkollen ski jump has the widest view of all.

A three-day Oslo walking tour works well as Route 1 on day one, Routes 2 and 3 on day two, and Holmenkollen in the morning with Bygdøy in the afternoon on day three. If it rains, move the National Museum, the Resistance Museum and Bygdøy’s indoor museums forward and save the parks and the Opera roof for a dry spell.

Late spring and summer are the best seasons for an Oslo walking tour, with very long days, outdoor cafés and swimming spots along the fjord; in June it barely gets dark. Autumn brings crisp air and colour to the parks. Winter is cold and dark, with short days, but snow on Holmenkollen and the city’s Christmas markets have their own charm, and the Holmenkollen Ski Festival draws big crowds every March.

Start early at the Opera House roof, before the crowds and when the light on the fjord is soft, and save Vigeland Park for the late afternoon or a long summer evening. The Royal Palace’s guided tours of the state rooms run only in summer, and many museums keep shorter winter hours, so check each official website for opening times before you plan each day of your Oslo walking tour.

Oslo’s metro, trams, buses and many local ferries share one ticket system run by Ruter, and you can buy tickets in the Ruter app. The Oslo Pass includes public transport and free entry to many museums, which can be good value if you plan several visits. The city centre is compact, so most of Route 1 is easy on foot. From Gardermoen Airport, the Flytoget express train and the cheaper regional trains run to Oslo Central Station, right beside the Opera House.

Card payments are accepted almost everywhere in Norway, and many places don’t take cash at all, so carry a card or phone that works abroad. Every stop on this Oslo walking tour has its own map link, so you can start wherever your hotel is and link the routes in any order.

Norwegians are friendly but value personal space and quiet, especially on public transport. A simple “hei” (hello) or “takk” (thank you) is appreciated, and almost everyone speaks excellent English. Inside Oslo Cathedral, speak quietly and avoid walking around during services. On the Opera roof, stay away from the edges and the water, and don’t climb on the sculptures in Vigeland Park. Tipping is not expected in Norway, though rounding up for good service is welcome.

Food is a highlight of any Oslo walking tour, although eating out is expensive. Try fresh seafood and fish soup at the harbour, open sandwiches for lunch, cinnamon buns and Norwegian waffles with brown cheese. Mathallen, the food hall at Vulkan by the Aker river, is a good place to try local produce. Supermarkets are the cheapest option for a picnic in Frogner Park, and tap water in Oslo is excellent, so refill a bottle instead of buying water.

Oslo is a very safe city for a walking tour, but take the usual care with bags in crowds around the Central Station and Karl Johans gate, especially at night. In winter, wear shoes with good grip, because pavements and the Opera roof can be icy. Watch out for e-scooters and cyclists on the pavements and in bike lanes. In an emergency, dial 112 for the police, 113 for an ambulance or 110 for the fire service.

Oslo is pricey, but many stops on this Oslo walking tour are free. The Opera House roof and foyer, Vigeland Sculpture Park, Frogner Park, the grounds of Akershus Fortress, the Palace Park, Karl Johans gate and Oslo Cathedral cost nothing to explore. The changing of the guard at the Royal Palace is free to watch, and walking along the fjord from the Opera House to Aker Brygge is a lovely free stroll.

Several stops charge. The National Museum, the castle and the Norwegian Resistance Museum at Akershus, the Royal Palace’s summer tours, the Holmenkollen ski jump and Ski Museum, and the museums on Bygdøy all need tickets, and Opera performances are ticketed. The Viking Ship Museum on Bygdøy has been closed for rebuilding as the new Museum of the Viking Age, so check whether it has reopened. Check each official website for current prices and opening times.

For an accessible Oslo walking tour, the Opera House is one of the best sights in the city: you can walk or roll up the gentle slope of the roof, and the foyer has lifts. The waterfront, Karl Johans gate and the main paths of Vigeland Park are wide and smooth. Akershus Fortress has cobbles and slopes, and Holmenkollen is hilly, though the metro and a lift help. Most trams, buses and metro stations are accessible; check Ruter’s accessibility information before your Oslo walking tour.

After this Oslo walking tour, carry on with more free walks in the Nordic countries: the Stockholm walking tour, a train ride east, the Copenhagen walking tour, reached by the overnight ferry, the Helsinki walking tour and the Tallinn walking tour across the Baltic. You can browse every city on the Free City Tours home page.