Oslo City Centre: Self-Guided Walking Tour
Oslo is the perfect city for walking. The city is compact; it’s easy to get from one side to the other in less than half an hour. I find Oslo one of the most interesting cities in Norway to wander.
When I hear people talk about Oslo, they often mention that it’s a lot more modern than they’d expect. That’s certainly true; it doesn’t have the historic wooden buildings you find in Bergen or Trondheim, and neither does it have the beautifully decorated buildings you find in Stockholm and Copenhagen. Maybe that’s why many choose to skip extensively exploring Oslo. Most just go to the museums and then leave.
I think there’s a lot to be discovered in Oslo by walking. In my previous self-guided walk for Oslo, which focused on the old town Christiania, I found so many hidden treasures of the old city.
This walk, however, is definitely the beaten path. Focusing primarily on Karl Johans Gate, the main pedestrian street, you’ll feel the crowds and tourists here. However, rather than focus on shops and eateries, here I’ve tried to pull out and find the historic buildings that can be found in this part of the city.
Here’s my self-guided walk for Oslo city centre.
In this article...
Oslo Travel Guide
You can find a detailed overview of Oslo, including practical, historic and travel information on our dedicated travel guide page.
Downloadable Version of This Guide
We offer downloadable versions of our self-guided walks on our online store.
Online Guide
- Information about points of interest
- Images of each point of interest
- Historic overview of the neighbourhood
- Directions between points
- Historic photos
- Information about facilities along the way
Downloadable Guide
- Information about points of interest
- Images of each point of interest
- Historic overview of the region & towns
- Directions between points
- Historic photos
- Facilities including supermarkets, toilets, petrol, hotels, cafes, restaurants with addresses.
Start: Oslo Opera House
This walk begins outside one of the most famous buildings in Oslo: the opera house. The Oslo Opera House opened in 2008 and quickly won awards for its architectural beauty. The building is covered in white granite and white Italian marble, while the interior is primarily in oak to bring warmth to the space.
The building is designed so you can walk up the roof.
It is possible to take a guided tour inside the opera house, and I highly recommend it.
Behind the opera house you’ll see the new Munch Museum peaking out.
Deichman Library
This is Oslo’s brand-new library: it opened in October 2020. The library brand, Deichman, is actually the oldest public library in Norway. The name comes from businessman and collector Carl Deichman, who gave his private collection of books for public use in Oslo. The first Deichman library opened in 1785.
The decision to build a new library building came in 2001, but it took some time to find the location and decide on the building style. The old Deichman building is close to where the 2011 terrorist attack happened.
Oslo Central Station
We are now at Oslo Central Station. The station is built on the site of the older Oslo East Station. In total, there are 19 tracks with connections to all over Norway as well as Sweden.
The first railway in Norway was the Hovedbanen between Oslo and Eidsvoll. A temporary station was built in Oslo while pans were made to design a better building. The population in Oslo was growing quick (it doubled to 150,000 between 1875 and 1890), so a large building was needed. The older part of the station that you see is part of this expansion and is the old Oslo East Station. Today the older part of the building is called Østbanehallen (East Railway Hall) and is a food hall and shopping mall.
Palehaven
The name of this square you see in front of the station is Palehaven or ‘Christian Frederiks Plass’. This name connects to the older city of Oslo, Christiania (covered on a separate walking tour). Christian Frederik was the Danish-Norwegian crown prince who attempted to become the independent King of Norway after the end of the Danish Union in 1814. However, Norway was promised to Sweden, so the country became part of the Swedish Union instead.
The garden originally belonged to the Palace, the country’s first royal residence in recent times, and Christian Frederick was the first king to live here. The garden was laid out in the 18th century and the old Palace building was completed in 1848. The garden was known for its large collection of crops, but very little of it remains today. Few pictures of it exist.
You can view old photos of it here: https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pal%C3%A9et
The Tiger Statue
The Tiger of Oslo is a famous monument outside the Central Station. In the 19th century Oslo earned the nickname ‘The Tiger City’ from a poem called Sidste Sang by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, which describes a fight between a horse and a tiger. The horse represented the safe countryside, while the tiger represents the dangerous city. For many Norwegians travelling into the capital from the country, Oslo must’ve felt like a loud, strong, and potentially dangerous place!
The statue was gifted to Oslo for their 1000-year anniversary in 2000.
Behind Central Station (not visible from here) is the high immigrant neighbourhood called Grønland. It has lots of great restaurants with cuisines from all over the world. However, Grønland has also been the subject of debate due to its almost ghetto-like status. The existence of Grønland divides public opinion; some love the diversity, while others don’t like how crime-ridden it has become.
Amerikalinjen Building
The building you see here is the old Norwegian America Line Headquarters. This was a Norwegian liner company founded in 1910 to operate ships between Norway and the USA. The company was established to assist in the mass emigration to the United States, operating between Norway and New York. Eventually the company also had ships going from Norway to Canada. After World War II, the company was primarily involved in cruise traffic but was eventually sold off into other companies and no longer exists today.
The building has been transformed into a high-end boutique hotel called Amerikalinjen.
Karl Johans Gate
Karl Johan gate is the main boulevard that links Central Station with the Royal Palace. It is named after the French General Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, who took the Swedish name Karl Johan during the Napoleonic Wars. He became the Crown Prince of Sweden in 1810 and then was the King of Sweden and Norway between 1818 and 1848.
The street is a combination of several older streets.
The eastern section, where we are now, was part of the old city of Christiania, while the wider western section was built during the 1840s as an avenue connecting the Royal Palace to the rest of the city.
Most of the buildings on this end of the street are from the late 19th century.
The street today is a little touristy, but there are some historic places along the street.
As you enter Karl Johans Gate, one of the first shops you see to your right is Helly Hansen, the famous Norwegian outdoor wear brand.
The Bazaars
The Baazars were built in 1840-1859 in a neo-Romantic style. Before the bazaars were constructed, this is where the butchers would have their stalls. However, in the mid-19th century there was increasing demand to improve the hygiene conditions of the area. So it was decided to build 24 brick stalls. It was later expanded. At the beginning of the 20th century, there was a plan put forward to tear down the bazaars and build the Oslo Stock Exchange here. Eventually the plans were rejected, but this sparked one of the city’s earliest debates about demolition or preservation.
Today you’ll find lots of restaurants and cafes in the bazaars. There are still some markets here.
Oslo Fire Station
The old Oslo fire station was built in the 1850s in a neo-Romanesque style and was planned to fit into the bazaars. It was the city’s first fire station; yes, it took that long to get a permanent fire station! The tower was used for drying hoses and also operated as a fire watch tower. However, it was too low so they used the Cathedral tower instead. The station was manned 24 hours a day until 1902, and Oslo’s main fire station was completed in 1939, making this one obsolete.
Oslo Cathedral
Oslo Cathedral is the main church for Oslo. It was built in 1697 (but rebuilt between 1848 and 1850) after the second church (in Christiania) burnt down. The cathedral is used by the Norwegian royal family and the Norwegian government for public events.
Be sure to look on the corner of the church. Here you’ll see a stone from Oslo’s first cathedral; over 1000 years old. Unfortunately the cathedral no longer stands, but its ruins can be seen at Gamle Oslo (self-guided walk coming soon). If you look further up the tower, you’ll see small square windows. This is where the fire brigade had their watch.
The stained glass windows in the choir are by Emanuel Vigeland (brother to famous sculptor Gustav Vigeland).
Outside the cathedral is a memorial for the victims of the 2011 terrorist attack.
The cathedral is open during the day and is free to visit.
Stortorvet
In the 17th century, when Oslo’s city wall was located here, this big square was where the farmers entered and sold their goods. Stortorvet was officially inaugurated in 1736 and was the main town market until 1869.
Across the street is the restaurant Stortorvets Gjestgiveri. The building is from the 18th century and used to be an inn where travellers would rest before entering the city of Christiania. The street in front is called Grensen, which means ‘the border’. It’s where the old city wall used to be.
Today it’s famous as a flower and produce market.
The statue is of the Danish-Norwegian King Christian IV, who ruled Norway around 1600. He named the city after himself: Christiania.
Egertorget
This marks the point where the old and new sections of Karl Johans gate meet; you will notice there’s an almost bend in the road. Egertorget grew in the mid-19th century as a residential area after the two streets were connected.
Here you’ll see the large Freia neon sign from 1911. This is Norway’s chocolate brand. Norwegians link of Freia as a ‘little piece of Norway’. There is a Freia shop along Karl Johans gate.
Norwegian Parliament
Norway’s Parliament building is from 1866 and almost seems to counter the Royal Palace at the other end of Karl Johans gate. If the flag is flying, parliament is in session. Today the king is a figurehead, and Norway is run by a unicameral parliament and prime minister.
The name of the Parliament in Norwegian is Stortinget, an Old Norse word.
It’s possible to take a guided tour of the parliament
Grand Hotel & Cafe
On the other side of Karl Johans Gate is the Grand Hotel, where the Nobel Peace Prize winner stays every year. Grand Hotel was established in 1874, but has undergone several renovations since then. The current appearance is from around 1915.
You can view old photos of Grand Hotel here.
Grand Café is an equally historic café and for many years this is where Oslo’s intellectual and creative elite would meet, perhaps most famously Henrik Ibsen. Inside the café is a mural showing all the regulars of Grand Café.
Eidsvolls Plass
The large park in front of the Parliament is called Eidsvolls Plass. ‘Eidsvoll’ refers to the town north of Oslo where the Constitution was written in 1814.
The western part is nicknamed Spikersuppa by the locals after Christiania Spigerverk paid for a refurbishment in 1956. The area was originally a marsh area until the 1840s, when it was laid out in connection with the establishment of Karl Johans gate.
On this stretch of Karl Johans gate you’ll see several beautiful buildings. These were built up in the mid-19th century as a place for the wealthy to live. Today they have been joined together and are a shopping mall.
There are statues of many important Norwegians in the park, including Christian Frederik (the Danish crown prince who tried to be Norwegian King), Johan Sverdrup and Carl Joachim Hambro.
Every Christmas they close the park and turn it into a Christmas Market.
Close to the parliament you’ll see three public toilets painted to look like the French flag. This is a work of art called Liberte. On the roof are the slogans from the French Revolution: Liberty, Equality and Brotherhood. Inside the toilets, speakers play audio recordings of Franklin Roosevelt, Charles de Gaulle, and King Haakon VII.
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo is the first university building in Norway, dating from 1854.
The paving of the square dates from 1931. The cobblestone pattern is characterised by neoclassicism, just like the University buildings.
During World War II, the square was used for parades and propaganda events by the Nazis.
In the square is a statue of Professor Anton Martin Schweigaard, a lawyer, economist and politician who was a professor at the University for almost 30 years. He was elected to the Storting for almost 30 years and is described as one of the most important political and intellectual figures in Norway during the 19th century.
Royal Palace
Straight ahead we can see the Royal Palace. This Neoclassical building was completed in 1849 and is the residence of the Norwegian Royal Family. It is possible to visit inside with a guided tour.
National Theatre
The earliest theatre in Oslo is the Christiania Theatre, which was founded in 1829. However, the theatre we see today had its first performance in 1899. The theatre was a private institution until 1929, when the government started providing it with financial support.
The theatre is often considered the home for the plays of Henrik Ibsen.
Statues of Norway’s most famous playwrights – Ibsen and Bjørnsen – are outside the theatre.
Underneath the theatre is one of the major train stations in Oslo: The National Theatre station. From here you can take the train or metro all over the city, and the buses from here go to Bygdøy.
Oslo City Hall
Construction for Oslo City Hall began in the 1930s. At the time, the dark brick was considered very on trend. However, the city hall construction was delayed during World War II, and by the time the city hall opened int he 1950s, it was considered a little old-fashioned. Today, the appearance of the building does divide opinion. Some say it looks like a block of brown cheese!
Inside the city hall is a completely different feel. Leading artists designed different rooms, including Edvard Munch, and I highly recommend taking the time to walk around inside (free to do).
If you circle the inner part of the city hall (outside), you’ll seen wooden motifs representing the Old Norse sagas. Descriptions explain their meaning in English.
The city hall is where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded every year.
Oslo Harbour
The Oslo Harbour is a new development that forms part of the ‘Fjord City’ urban renewal project. Before this, it was a busy highway.
Facing the water, if you look to the right you’ll see the Nobel Peace Centre and the National Museum. The waterfront buildings form Aker Brygge, an area with very hip bars and restaurants. At the end of Tjuvholmen, an art district with some of the most expensive apartments in Oslo.
To the left, you’ll see Akershus Fortress.
End of the Walk
If you want to continue your walk, Turn left and follow the main road. You’ll end up at Christiania Square, where you can begin our Christiania walking tour. Or you can visit Akershus Fortress and do our Akershus walking tour.
Oslo Travel Guide
You can find a detailed overview of Oslo, including practical, historic and travel information on our dedicated travel guide page.