Why does no one ever talk about Oslo?
Overshadowed by Copenhagen and forsaken for Stockholm, Oslo may be the best mini- break destination you've never considered. Here's my complete 48-hour guide
The problem with Oslo is that every is too busy visiting Stockholm and Copenhagen to take much notice of it. This is everyone’s mistake. Mine included. Travel magazines don’t help much. Neither does the internet since no seems to write about the Norwegian capital. Ever. This shocked me when I decided to spend a little time there last month. Why was no one interested in Oslo, I asked my husband, who had been some years previous. He just shrugged.
This did not bode well for Oslo.
And so I arrived with very little expectation. (I was actually only visiting because I was transiting there on my way to the far western corner of the country.) But oh how wrong I was. First, Oslo is a food mecca. The restaurants are top notch. Order anything with fish (always order the fish soup) and you will never be disappointed. The people are wonderful too- a little shy, but helpful and smiley. It’s also surrounded by the sort of natural beauty I’ve never seen in a capital city before- soaring pines, crystal-clear waters, air so fresh your lungs feel like they’ve had a wash and rinse.
Sure, Oslo may not dazzle you in the way Copenhagen does. It’s probably not as pretty. There’s not as many windy cobbled streets filled with supermodels on bicycles, or places selling cinnamon buns. But then if you’re comparing Oslo with Copenhagen, you’re doing it all wrong.
Oslo is a more grown up city. There are big, wide streets; world class architecture, it’s also completely free of the Tik Tok and Instagram hordes that have ruined much of the rest of Europe’s capital cities. Oslo is gentle. Quiet. Very serene, especially if you can get there on a bright autumnal day when a boat will take you out into the fjord and you will slip past dozens of scarlet and amber hued houses perched on the edge of the water.
Second: it’s probably a city made for two to three days, which in my opinion is perfect. Given it’s just a two hour flight from the UK, this makes it a prime mini break option.
So anyway, Oslo. Go. Enjoy. And consider this your ultimate itinerary…
EAT
My husband came to Oslo a few years back and has been raving about this restaurant ever since. (Our favourite place to eat on earth is L’Enclume in the Lake District, and he said it was on a par with that.) So anyway I tried it out. It now has a fancy three Michelin stars since my husband last came, but the service is very earthy and charming and the chef, Mikael Svensson is nothing short of a genius. It’s dark and moody inside with beautiful concrete floors and an elegantly lit kitchen which sits in the middle of the entire restaurant. (Such fun to watch!) The food is quite simply out of this world. There were halibuts steaks with thick, intense sauces; little dainty tarts filed with custard and duck (insanely delicious). I had a sweet/savoury ice cream that tasted like the most fantastic raspberry ripple on earth but was in fact made from beetroot. I had a totally perfect evening here with a book, a glass of rhubarb juice and a few hours watching the chefs pirouette around the kitchen, whilst being fed one of the best meals of my life. If you can get a table then I urge you to so. Find them here.
Happy Ending
Just down the street from Kontrast are a few (much cheaper) options that are also very hip. Happy Ending is a small restaurant serving sharing plates of things like shawarma and lettuce cups loaded with minced lamb. It’s housed in a former ‘massage’ parlour so the vibe is pure hipster..in a good way. Find them here.
Mama Pizza
There are a couple of Mama Pizza in Oslo and all serve wonderful, soft doughy pizzas and have a very fun atmosphere. Find them here.
If you fancy something a little different then you can head to Oslo’s fish market which also happens to be right on the water. It’s worth a wander around to see how the locals shop, but there’s also a very good on-site restaurant where you can sit in or take out. Find them here.
STAY