Floating saunas and open-air dips—how to spend a perfect day in Oslo

When it comes to Scandinavian cities, Oslo flies a little under the travel radar, with Stockholm (Sweden) and Copenhagen (Denmark) getting most of the attention. But those who make it to the Norwegian capital will find an underrated and unassuming city bursting with creativity and plentiful options for friluftsliv (outdoor living). There’s a thriving street-art scene as well as galleries housing classic works; there are cafes serving casual fusion dishes as well as harbourside restaurants serving boat-fresh seafood; and there are many ways to enjoy the long days of summer, from walks in sculpture parks to dips in the sea.

7am: Go for a swim

What could be a more Norwegian way to start the day than taking an open-air dip? The Sørenga Seawater Pool is fed with water from the Oslofjord and sits beside the newly redeveloped harbour promenade. It’s busy with swimmers even at this early hour.

9am: Have coffee & doughnuts

Waterfront cafe Talormade is the perfect place to warm up after a few laps, with fantastic coffee (beans are roasted on-site) and home-baked delicacies — the doughnuts are the speciality and the bagels, pies and croissants are all superb, too.

10am: Browse the Munch Museum

The highlight of Oslo’s waterfront redevelopment is the Munch Museum, opened in 2021 as a cathedral to Norway’s greatest painter, Edvard Munch. Be sure, of course, to gaze at his masterwork, The Scream — a tortured portrayal of existential angst — but also take the time to enjoy lesser-known works, like his peaceful, colourful paintings of the River Seine.

1pm: Have a traditional nordic lunch

Spor av Nord is a cosy restaurant a couple of blocks inland from the waterfront. With its mismatched furniture and china teacups, it feels like you’re dining in a rural Norwegian farmhouse. The menu is appropriately traditional, with Sámi reindeer stew, dried cod and flatbread with brown cheese on the menu.

3pm: Take a cruise

Make the most of Oslo’s enviable position with a cruise along the Oslofjord; there are regular departures from the pier beside the Opera House. Norway’s Best offers cruises that take in sights like medieval Akershus Fortress, the Dyna Lighthouse and the many islands that dot the fjord.

5pm: Relax in a sauna

Once you’re back, head to Salt, a floating ‘sauna village’ housed in tall A-frame wooden buildings. There are private and communal saunas and a designated silent sauna if you’re seeking peace and quiet. Conversely, the complex also hosts standup comedy and music performances, best enjoyed with a pre-dinner drink.

7pm: Enjoy seafood

Oslo’s oceanfront setting means seafood plays a starring role in its restaurants, and nowhere more so than at Fiskieriet, in the downtown Youngstorget neighbourhood. Highlights include sikrogn (whitefish roe), cod tongues and snowcrab with garlic butter. Warm up with an aperitif — aquavit is the local favourite — and leave room for the tonka brulee.

9pm: Finish with cocktails

Close by Fiskieriet is distillery and cocktail bar Himkok, a voguish space where exposed girders and pipework shelter large copper stills that hold aquavit, gin and vodka. These are combined to delicious effect with unusual ingredients in the house cocktails — try the sea buckthorn distillate with Cointreau and rhubarb wine.