OSLO

BAKERIES, COFFEE, ICE CREAM, JUICE & TEA
●Arpent Bakeri – 87 Maridalsveien; 011-47-22-049-667; apentbakeri.no; best bread in town; several other locations.
●Fuglen – 2 Universitetsgata; 011-47-22-200-880; fuglen.no; stylish coffee shop; opened in 1960s and nothing much changed since then.
●Tim Wendelboe – 1 Grunersgate; 011-47-40-004-062; timwendelboe.no; coffee pilgrimage site.



BARS & NIGHTCLUBS
●Fuglen – 2 Universitetsgata; 011-47-22-200-880; fuglen.no; stylish coffee shop; opened in 1960s and nothing much changed since then; Thurs-Sat nights, becomes speakeasy-style bar with cocktails.
●Lekter’n – Stranden 3 (Akker Brygge); 011-47-22-830-060; barge-like.
●Onkel Donald – Universitetsgata 26; 011-47-23-356-310; onkeldonald.no; open-air café opposite National Theater.
●No. 19 Bar – 23 Møllergata (Youngstorget); 011-47-48-020-625; no-19.no; near former jail; attentive service & dim lighting, pleasant place to savor concoction like Violet Hands, made with Throndhjems Aquavit, Martini Rosato, Grand Marnier, Campari & flambée of rosemary and Ardbeg Uigeadail whiskey; expensive.
●Parkteatret – 11 Olaf Ryes Plass; 011-47-22-356-300; parkteatret.no; former cinema, now music club with great bar.
●Villa – 23-25 Mollergata; 011-47-93-255-745; thevilla.no; popular, sweaty house club in hipster burger joint’s basement.



HOTELS
●Hotel Continental – 24-26 Stortingsgaten; 011-47-22-824-000; hotelcontinental.no; as stately as Grand with Munch lithographs.
●First Hotel Grims Grenka – 5 Kongens Gate; 011-47-23-107-200; firsthotels.com/en; modern, sleek hotel in city center, right next to National Museum of Architecture.
●Grand Hotel – 31 Karl Johans Gate; 011-47-23-212-000; grand.no; open since 1874; where Nobel laureates stay.
●Thief – 1 Landgangen (Tjuvholmen); 011-47-24-004-000; thethief.com/en; designer-friendly boutique hotel; 120 rooms in downtown, near waterfront; name rooted in 18^th Century Oslo history, when criminals brought to island hotel now on, Tjuvholmen (“Thief Island,” now recognized as peninsula); just steps from car-free streets, art galleries, bars, cafes, restaurants, and eclectic shops; next door to Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, designed by Renzo Piano; hotel decorated with original art carefully chosen by curator Sune Nordgren; each room has flat-screen television, free WiFi, down duvets and pillows by Høie, custom-made blankets from L&J (Røros Tweed), wool slippers designed by Runa Clocke, bathrobes fashioned by Maggie Wonka, Nespresso machine, Geneva sound system for iPod docking station, and in-room refrigerator stocked with “best of” refreshments; spacious bathrooms feature corian sink basins and rain-showers; rooftop terrace wine bar and brasserie-style restaurant specializing in Norwegian fare; beach is just 100 meters away.
●Thon Hotel Opera – 5 Christian Frederiksplass; 011-47-24-103-000; thonhotels.com; part of popular, mid-range Norwegian change.



RESTAURANTS
●Engebret Café – 1 Bankplassen; 011-47-22-822-525; engebret-café.no; quietly elegant restaurant in low-slung, 17^th Century building; outdoor seating when weather nice.
●Lofoten Fiskerestaurant – 75 Stranden; 011-47-22-830-808; lofoten-fiskerestaurant.no; snag outdoor table for lunch; try baked sea pike with lemon risotto.
●Maaemo – 15b Schweigaards Gate; 011-47-91-994-805; maaemo.no; Oslo’s answer to Noma; 2 Michelin stars.
●Onkel Donald – 26 Universitetsgata; 011-47-23-356-310; onkeldonald.no; open-air café opposite National Theater.
●Oscarsgate – 63 Inngang Pilestredet; 011-47-22-465-906; restaurantoscarsgate.no; French-Scandinavian fusion; 1 Michelin star.
●Smalhans – Waldemar Thranes Gate 10; 011-47-22-696-000; smalhans.no; laid-back eatery with eclectic decor, exposed bricks & long bar, for burgers, salads & small plates.
●Solsiden – 34 Sondre Akershus Kai; 011-47-22-333-630; solsiden.no; dinner only, May to September; seafood; great fjord views.
●Villa – 23-25 Mollergata; 011-47-93-255-745; thevilla.no; popular, sweaty house club in hipster burger joint’s basement.
●Ylajali – 2 St. Olavs Plass; 011-47-22-206-486; ylajali.no; French; named after Knut Hamsun novel character (Hunger).



SERVICES
●Boat Trips – 3 Radhusbrygge; 011-47-23-356-890; boatsightseeing.com; tours fjord.
●Ziniry – 6 Johannes Bruns (Oslo); 011-47-41-82-3150 or 011-47-9952-2990; ziniry.com; tours; excels at getting visitors deep into scenery.



SHOPPING
●Illums Bolighus – 36 Ruseløkkveien, House of Oslo; 011-47-22-015-510; illumsbolighus.dk; homewares.
●Kitch’n – 3 Stranden; 011-47-22-834-520; stylish Scandinavian housewares.



SIGHTS & SITES
●Aker Brygge – 3 Stranden; 011-47-22-832-680; lively, waterfront development.
●Akershus Castle – Akershus festning; 011-47-23-093-553; akershusfestning.no; guided tours May through August.
●Birkelunden Flea Market – Birkelunden Park (Grunerlokka); guidepal.com/oslo/shopping/birkelunden-flea-market; Sundays 12-8, or sundown.
●Ethnographic Museum (Museum of History) – 2 Frederiks Gate; 011-47-22-859-912; khm.uio.no/besok-oss/historisk-museum.
●Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art – 2 Strandpromenaden; 011-47-22-936-060; afmuseet.no; privately owned Contemporary Art gallery; main focus is American appropriation artists from 1980s, currently developing towards international contemporary art scene, with artists like Jeff Koons, Richard Prince, Cindy Sherman, Matthew Barney, Tom Sachs, Doug Aitken, Olafur Eliasson, and Cai Guo-Qiang; 2 new buildings by Renzo Piano.
●Ibsen Museum – 26 Henrik Ibsen’s Gate; 011-47-22-123-550; norskfolkemuseum.no.
●Islands – Gressholmen, Hovedoya, and Langoyene; visitoslo.com/en/product/?TLp=163651; take ferry from Vippetangen to these islands for swimming.
●Karl Johans Gate – Oslo’s main drag.
●Kon-Tiki Museum – 36 Bygdøynesveien (Bygdøy); 011-47-23-086-767; kon-tiki.no.
●Munch Museum – Tøyengata; 011-47-23-493-500; munch.museum.no.
●National Gallery – 2 Universitetsgata; 011-47-21-982-000; nationalmuseum.no; make sure to see “Scream.”
●National Museum of Architecture – 3 Bankplassen; 011-47-21-982-000; nasjonalmuseet.no; main building, designed by Christian Heinrich Grosch (1801-1865) completed in 1830 as Norges Bank division office; adapted & extended by Sverre Fehn (1924-2009), awarded Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1997; building juxtaposes classicism & modernist architecture; collection includes drawings and photographic material, in addition to models and other objects.
●Nobel Museum – 2 Stortorget (Gamla Stan); 011-47-232-506; nobel.se/nobelmuseet.
●Nobel Peace Center – 1 Brynjulf Bulls Plass, City Hall Square; 011-47-48-301-000; nobelpeacecenter.org.
●Nordmarka – outside Oslo; visitoslo.com/en/articles/nordmarka-forest; mostly forested region that makes up Oslo’s northern part; forests are popular sites for hiking and skiing; several lakes; cozy, quaint cabins where you can hole up.
●Norwegian Museum of Cultural History – 10 Museumsveien (Bygdøy); 011-47-22-123-700; norskfolkemuseum.no/en; large open air museum.
●Oslo Opera House – 1 Kirsten Flagstad Plass; 011-47-21-422-100; operaen.no; think of as cultural institution and jungle gym made from Italian marble.
●Oslo University Great Hall – 47 Karl Johans Gate; 011-47-22-859-555 or 011-47-22-859-530; uio.no/om/kultur/kunst/aulaen; 11 large scale canvas paintings by Edvard Munch, painted in oil between 1909-1916, and constitutes only room decoration by artist preserved in original context.
●Oslo Vinterpark Ski Trails – 64 Tryvannsveien; 011-47-40-462-700; oslovinterpark.no; 20 minutes from downtown Oslo; 14 runs & 7 ski-lifts, including 2 4-seat chairlifts.
●Rakni’s Mound – Akershus (take E6 north to Jessheim (Trondheimsvegen) exit, exit and then follow Road #178 (Gardermoen road), left on to Krokfoss Road after 3-4 kms, park by Hovin School, follow farm track to Ljøgodt (private road); 011-47-22-055-612; akershus.kulturnett.no/Historie/Raknehaugen; 77 ms in diameter and more than 15 ms high; largest barrow in Northern Europe; during Roman Iron Age and Migration Period, several small kingdoms developed in Scandinavia, as reflected in this particular area’s name, Romerike (from Norse raumaricii, meaning “Rauma people’s Kingdom”); landscape around mound has had historical strategic importance; riding-track from Nannestad meets with ancient road between Lake Mjøsa and Oslo Fjord in area; ancient road towards farm of Haug is among finest examples known of hollow road in Romerike area.
●Royal Palace – 1 Henrik Ibsen Vei; 011-47-22-048-700; kongehuset.no; Norwegian royal family’s residence.
●Vigeland Sculpture Park – 32 Nobelsgata; 011-47-23-493-700; covers 80 acres; 212 sculptures; Gustav Vigeland designed architectural setting and grounds’ layout; sculptures placed on an 850 meter long axis divided into 5 main units: Main Entrance; Bridge (with children’s playground); Fountain; Monolith Plateau; and Wheel of Life; sculptures in bronze and granite and several wrought iron gates.
●Viking Ship Museum – 35 Aveny; 011-47-22-135-280; khm.uio.no.

TRIPS & TRAINS
●Oslo to Bergen – “Bergen Railway”; 011-472-315-1515; nsb.no; from Oslo, scenic, 7-hour journey ascends to mountain resort towns (Geilo, Gol, and Nesbyen) and across vast Hardanger plateau on way to charming port city, Bergen.