Oslo in Winter: 5 Places You Can't Miss

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Oslo in winter? – Who would plan to visit one of the coldest cites in Europe in December? I admit, while planning a family getaway in December, I had my concerns about Norway. On one side, it was one of a few European capitals we haven’t seen yet, but on the other side – you don’t want a random snowfall to ruin your sightseeing plans…

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Oslo in winter

Despite my initial weather concerns, Oslo has managed to surprise me a lot. Not only was the weather fine, but there were plenty of things to do and see. And what’s even more important, in comparison with many other European cities, Oslo was not crowded at all. I also felt like people were extremely friendly, even friendlier than in the neighboring Sweden or Iceland. I liked Norway so much, that this trip has definitely placed on my travel bucket list another visit in summer, to travel more around the country and to explore the fjords.

Anyway, if you are considering to visit Oslo off the summer season – it might not be a bad idea at all. Maybe, we were lucky with the weather… However, I’ve been to Germany, Switzerland and Czech Republic around the same dates and it felt twice colder.

Let’s check the best 5 places to have a look at if visiting Oslo in winter.

1.Oslo City Center and Opera House

#Oslo in winter? - Who would plan to visit one of the coldest cites in #Europe in December? I admit, while planning a family getaway in December, I had my concerns about #Norway. Check these top #places you can't miss in Oslo! — *Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art*

I loved the modern architecture of the Oslo city center, at some point you feel as if you’d traveled through time and landed in a future. It´s all about minimalism, shapes and forms… Although, the famous Opera House was not exactly in the heart of the Oslo city (a 20-30 mins walk for us is “nearby the city center”) it should definitely be a part of your sightseeing round.

2.Viking Ship Museum

Who haven’t heard of the Viking ships and their unique structure?! – Besides, museums are the easiest ones to plan if visiting Oslo in winter. The weather conditions are not so important here. Viking Ship Museum has some impressive ships from the times of the Vikings. The fans of the Vikings TV series would love it, for sure.

3.Frogner Park

This park should look amazing in summer, but the unique sculptures made it interesting even in the off-season.

4.Norwegian Museum of Cultural History

Norwegian Museum of Cultural History was my favorite part of the trip. Again, I felt like we travelled in time. But this time it was backwards though. The museum’s main attraction, Gol Stave Church, was from around 1200. The rest of the buildings looked very real and it was so interesting to see how Norwegians lived on these lands centuries ago. There were no actors or activities in the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History when we visited, and yet I loved the place.

5. Nobel Peace Center

Nobel Peace Center is another must stop if visiting Oslo in winter. It is a great place to learn more about people who tried to change our political situation for the best. War, peace, conflict resolution, word progress, social problems, diplomacy… I only wish this knowledge would be used by our governments more often. So many war conflicts keep arising every year, I wonder if there will be a Nobel Peace Prize (as well as people who deserve it) in 20 years.