12 Local Spots in Oslo Tourists Don't Know About
12 landmarks with verified facts and stories
Aker Brygge
3 Stranden, Frogner, Oslo, 0250, Norway
For over a century, this waterfront built warships.
Akerselva River Walk
Sagene, Oslo, Norway
The Akerselva is the only industrial river in Europe that starts and finishes within the same capital city.
Damstredet
0175 Damstredet, Grünerløkka, Oslo, 0177, Norway
This 160-meter lane of painted wooden houses is the closest thing Oslo has to a time machine.
Grefsenkollen
100 Grefsenkollveien, Marka, Oslo, 0490, Norway
At 379 meters above sea level, Grefsenkollen offers what is arguably the best panoramic view of Oslo and the Oslofjord — the entire city laid out below like a relief map, with the fjord stretching south toward Denmark and the forested hills of Nordmarka rising behind you.
Grünerløkka & Birkelunden
Thorvald Meyers gate, Grünerløkka, Oslo, 0555, Norway
Before it was Oslo's coolest neighborhood, Grünerløkka was one of its poorest.
Grünerløkka Brygghus
30B Thorvald Meyers gate, Grünerløkka, Oslo, 0555, Norway
Norway's relationship with alcohol is famously complicated.
Karl Johans gate
Karl Johans gate, Sentrum, Oslo, 0159, Norway
This street connects three pillars of Norwegian governance in a single straight line: the Royal Palace at one end, the Parliament in the middle, and the Cathedral near the other.
Mathallen Oslo
5 Vulkan, Grünerløkka, Oslo, 0178, Norway
The building that now houses Oslo's best food hall used to produce steel bridges.
Oslo Street Food
Torggata 16, 0181 Oslo
The building used to be a swimming pool.
Sørenga & Medieval Oslo
4 Sørengkaia, Gamle Oslo, Oslo, 0194, Norway
The original city of Oslo is buried here.
St. Hanshaugen Park
33B Geitmyrsveien, St. Hanshaugen, Oslo, 0171, Norway
The name translates to "Midsummer Bonfire Hill," and that's exactly what it was.
Vulkan
Vulkan 5, 0178 Oslo
The neighborhood is named after Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and metalworking, because this stretch of the Akerselva river has been a foundry district since the Middle Ages.
Explore local life in Oslo
GPS-guided narration at every landmark. Tap a spot on the map, hear the story. Every fact verified.