Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Browsing
Oslo's pulse is best felt by strolling. Three good areas are along and
near the central Karl Johans Gate, which runs from the train station to
the palace (follow my self-guided walk); in the trendy harborside Aker
Brygge mall, a glass-and-chrome collection of sharp cafés, fine condos,
and polished produce stalls (really lively at night, trams #10 and #12 from
train station); and along Bogstadveien, a lively shopping street with no-
nonsense modern commerce, lots of locals, and no tourists (T-bane to Ma-
jorstuen and follow this street back toward the palace and tourist zone).
While most tourists never get out of the harbor/Karl Johans Gate dis-
trict, the real, down-to-earth Oslo is better seen elsewhere, in places such
as Bogstadveien. The bohemian, artsy Grünerløkka district, described on
• Walk to the...
Harbor:
A decade ago, you would have dodged several lanes of busy
traffic to get to Oslo's harborfront. But today, most cars cross underneath the
city in tunnels. In addition, the city has made its town center relatively quiet
and pedestrian-friendly by levying a traffic-discouraging 27-kr toll for every
car entering town. (This system, like a similar one in London, subsidizes pub-
lic transit and the city's infrastructure.)
At the water's edge, find the shiny metal plaque (just left of center) listing
the contents of a sealed time capsule planted in 2000 out in the harbor in the
little Kavringen lighthouse straight ahead (to be opened in 1,000 years). Go to
the end of the stubby pier (on the right). This is the ceremonial “enter the city”
point for momentous occasions. One such instance was in 1905, when Nor-
way gained its independence from Sweden and a Danish prince sailed in from
Copenhagen to become the first modern king of Norway. Another milestone
event occurred at the end of World War II, when the king returned to Norway
after the country was liberated from the Nazis.
