Ryanair is an amazing thing. The combination of London’s access to the world and Ryanair’s established network has created the perfect storm for a traveler like me to exploit on an almost regular basis. That was definitely the case when we found £10 roundtrip tickets to Oslo, Norway. This, of course, presumed that we would take a 6am flight out and 9pm flight back, leaving me 12 hours to see as much of Oslo as I could in a single sitting. Here’s what I got up to in that time.

One of the most iconic sights in Oslo has to be the Holmenkollen Ski Jump. Ski jumping is one of those snow activities that still amaze me, and it started in Norway. In fact, the first ski jumping competition happened right in Oslo, and that’s why this location is especially special. You can do ski jumps here when the snow is slightly heavier (it wasn’t when I was there) or you could just head to the Ski Museum to see how skiing has evolved over time.  I got the Oslo Pass, which covers transportation and all museums in Oslo for a reasonable cost, so getting in here was a breeze. More spectacularly has to be the trip up the top of the Ski Jump, where you can get a pretty extensive view of Oslo, including the fjord. The Oslofjord is slightly less distinct than the fjords you see in pictures of Norway but it’s still a pretty good view. The Ski Jump is out of the way from the main city though and takes around 40 minutes to reach by public commute. I’d recommend starting your tour of Oslo here and making your way back towards the downtown area.

Another site to definitely check out in Oslo has to be the park area slightly west of the city. Called Frogner Park, this area is just a large expanse that has some pretty striking features for exploration. It’s a good place to take a walk and have some personal space. I can imagine that in the warmer seasons this place is packed but in the winter, it’s a pretty tame crowd. Within the larger park is the Vigeland Sculpture Park, where Gustav Vigeland‘s many sculptures lie. This is probably one of the cooler parts of Oslo as each sculpture is unique and worth walking around to look at. Fun Fact – Gustav Vigeland is also the guy who designed the Nobel Peace Prize trophy.

Oslo’s museums are actually worth visiting and exploring. Thankfully, most of them are concentrated in the Bygdøy area so you can easily take a bus there (or a ferry across the fjord in the warmer season) and then walk around. One of the cooler ones is the Norsk Folk Museum, which has an open-air setup of how old Norwegian villages or towns would have looked like. They have more rural setups including common market spaces and some houses with adorned interiors which is pretty cool. They also have an early industrial town where you can actually walk into the buildings and explore up and down. You could easily spend a couple of hours here.

My personal favorite museum had to be the Viking Ship Museum though. Using recovered Viking ships from ship funerals, this museum has a grandiose feel to it as you walk into the sights of these ships. The epic Viking museum in the background definitely helps too. The best part of the museum has to be the animated show that is projected across the hall at regular intervals showing how a Viking ship funeral is conducted. You feel immersed in the experience, especially with all that history around you.

Once you’re done with most of the exterior parts of Oslo, you can make your way back into the city and head for Aker Brygge. This is Oslo’s main pier and also its waterfront establishment for shops and restaurants. I found it to be one of my favorite waterfront views in Europe and especially at sunset, the view is stunning. You can even check out the Akerhus Fortress, which was built in medieval times, from the location.

If you continue heading south at the pier, you’ll reach another museum – the Astrup Fearnley Museum. The museum itself is pretty cool, holding Oslo’s contemporary art collections, including the permanent Damien Hirst exhibition. What’s even better in my opinion though, is the view of the sunset. You get a great view of the Oslofjord as the sun makes it way down and the museum looks like it was designed to frame the sunset.

From here, you can go back to the Old City, where Oslo’s 19th-century buildings such as the National Theatre, the Royal Palace, and the Parliament building are. They’re not extremely exciting but worth taking a look at to see how Norway’s architecture evolved over time.

One of the questions you may ask is “Why should I come to Oslo in the winter if most of your recommendations seem better done in the spring or summer?”, The Christmas Markets would be my answer. I’d say Oslo’s Christmas Markets are some of the prettier and more fun ones in Europe, with tons of good smells and sights. They also have reindeer at some locations if you want to try that while you’re here (yes, they eat them). Speaking of food, it’s time we talk about what to eat and drink in Oslo.

If you make your way up to any of the ski hills, I’d definitely recommend getting a Norwegian apple cake. I hadn’t heard about this before but almost every Norwegian tells me it’s a must to go up a hill, eat some cake with coffee and enjoy the views. That’s exactly what I did at the Holmenkollen Restaurant which knows how to do cozy atmospheres well. Their vanilla sauce goes on the delicious cake perfectly.

Norway is also one of the world’s biggest exporters of salmon. It’s almost a brand-name to have Norwegian salmon and so it only made sense to find somewhere to get fresh seafood. Fiskeriet Youngstorget is the right place to go where the fish market is the main attraction and the restaurant is the bonus. That’s how you know things are going to be good. Their fish and chips is supposedly their signature item but I personally went for their daily special to get some salmon in my belly. Their salmon pasta demonstrated their ability to do seafood well – it was fresh, well-seasoned and delicious. I strongly recommend this location.

Finally, we were able to squeeze in a cocktail at the highly recommended HIMKOK distillery. This location functions as a multi-floored speakeasy where the ground floor is especially well-known but normally filled up if you don’t come at the right time. They have themed floors in addition though, which are pretty cool too and very fun to hang around in. They’re known for distilling a lot of their own spirits and making taptails or cocktails from tapped spirits. Here you can try Norwegian aquavit, which is a local spirit. I really liked this location a lot.

Oslo was a pretty cool city to explore in 12 hours. If you were to plan a trip to Norway however, I’d recommend a longer trip so you can make your way up to the fjords and explore, especially in the spring or summer. I’d definitely have to find a way to do that in the future.

Here are my general tips for Oslo:

1. Safety is a given here. Norway has a pretty high standard of living and it’s city is not too much of a metropolis so you don’t have too much street crime.
2. Prices are high here. Be aware that Norway is not a cheap place to travel around in, even if you try to be conscious of it. 12 hours definitely gave me a good chance to limit my spending in this country.
3. Transportation is pretty comprehensive, especially with their well-spread public transportation network.
4. Locals here tend to be friendly enough, especially in the touristic parts of town, so definitely try to have a conversation with some of them if you have the time.

Let me know if I missed anything – I couldn’t have possibly seen everything in 12 hours!

Enjoy your next adventure!