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Anne Wallin Rødven, Convention Director, Visit Oslo
My favourite spots in Oslo:
Top three restaurants
Oslo’s new landmark, the Opera House, has created a new leisure time activity in Oslo – to walk on the roof. This is what people do at the Opera, whether they live here or visit the city. With its location on the fjord, like an iceberg you have a wonderful view. The Opera House has two restaurants well worth a visit after a strenuous exercise. The fine-dining restaurant Argent is about letting fresh ingredients and flavours mingle and unfold perfectly in a relaxed but elegant setting. The other restaurant at the Opera House is the informal brasserie Sanguine.
Theatercafeen - Exuberant and bustling, lively and unique. This “café” is an integrated part of Norwegian cultural history and an absolute must for every visitor to Oslo. This legendary Vienna-style café is featured on the New York Times list of the world's ten most famous cafés, and has indisputably been the city's most popular dining and meeting place for over 100 years. Located right in the city centre, next to the National Theatre and the main street, Theatercaféen has been the place to see and to be seen for generations. It was recently refurbished, and a bar was added.
The Café Christiania is located in the venerable Freemasons’ building, facing the Norwegian Parliament. Despite its somewhat austere neighbours, this is a lively meeting point in town, where the atmosphere is based on Norwegian culture from the first half of the last century. This is reflected in the interior, which features the largest collection in Norway of country store items from 1900 to the 1960s. Café Christiania is a perfect place for meeting up with friends or colleagues. Øl-bordet (the Beer Table) closest to the kitchen is a special attraction, serving 3, 5 and 7-course menus based on beer.
Top three bars
When the Radisson Blu Scandinavia Hotel opened in 1975, it was the tallest building in Oslo, and people lined up to get to the top floor bar – Summit on the 21st floor. Even today, this is a popular bar and hang-out in Oslo. Spanning the 21st floor with a spectacular 180 degree view of the city and the fjord, the striking Summit bar serves some of the best cocktails and drinks in the city. Challenge the bartenders for a special cocktail or order a classic favourite. Many visiting journalists have commented on the unusual features of the restrooms, so make sure to visit and have a look!
The Vulkan area on the Akerselva river just a stone's throw from Grünerløkka, is a new and innovative part of Oslo, already home to a number of cultural institutions and creative colleges. The area will include Oslo’s first food hall, and a new Scandic hotel opens in September 2011. But the first new tenant is the BAR Vulkan – a restaurant and bar already famous for its cocktails. It was quickly adopted by the young and cool, with its fantastic roof terrace overlooking the Aker River as well as the city, from a slightly different angle.
Emil & Samuel is a restaurant/bar/night club on the sixth floor of the department store “Steen & Strøm Magasin” in the city centre. The place has a great rooftop terrace, open year-round. The restaurant, which is open during the day, has a French brasserie concept, inspired by Nordic traditions, and serves small dishes and larger meals. After dark the cocktail bar, lounge and night club open for an adult crowd. On Saturdays, they have well known house dj´s. Together with their own dancers of ”VIVA performance couture” the atmosphere resembles that of clubs in far larger cities than Oslo.
Top three hotspots
Oslo is undergoing a tremendous change at the moment. Brand new – literally speaking - parts of the city being developed. One of them is Tjuvholmen (Thieves’ Islet), an extension of the popular Aker Brygge harbourside area, right on the Oslo fjord. In this very modern and exciting area, you find pubs, clubs and restaurants, among contemporary office buildings, hotels and flats. Next year in September, a new museum of contemporary art, designed by the famous Italian architect Renzo Piano, will be opened. Together with the existing Aker Brygge, it is already a “not to be missed” in Oslo.
Akerselva, the Aker River, runs right through the city and divides east from west. East of the river, you find Grünerløkka. It used to be the living area for the workers in the factories and mills along the river, but is today the most popular area to live for young people. Here you find quirky old shops and modern design boutiques alike, and lots and lots of bars, pubs and restaurants - here you find the cheapest beer in town. Along one of the streets, Thorvald Meyers Gate, 22 different places for food and drink are spread out over 1,3 km. Trams number 11, 12 and 13 go from downtown Oslo to Grünerløkka, and if you have a day pass or an Oslo Card, you can hop on and hop off the tram the whole evening.
Youngstorget (Young’s Square), located just a few steps off the main street of Oslo, was traditionally used as a market place for trade with agricultural produce, and has its name after one of the merchants - Jørgen Young. This also used to be the Trade Unions’ bastion. The square itself was used for political gatherings. Surrounding the square today are the head offices of the Norwegian Labour Party and of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions, as well as the Liberal Party. The Oslo Congress Centre is located here, and so are some of the hottest spots in Oslo – restaurants, bistros, clubs, cool hotels. In the building that housed the old Opera House, a new, local fish store ranks among the most popular places.
Photo of Oslo: F.W./VisitOslo
VisitOslo, the city's Visitors and Convention Bureau, provides free information on Oslo as a venue for meetings and conventions. In addition, the Bureau offers its experience and expertise through a wide range of services, all of which are free, like co-ordination of site inspection visits for organisers, advice on social programs, assistance in choosing suitable convention facilities and accommodation etc. www.visitoslo.com