David Nikel - Moon Oslo

Karl Johans gate

High season for tourism is June-August. This is the busiest time but also with the most diverse range of accommodations. July is the Norwegian holiday month, and bargains can be scored across Oslo.

A vastly underrated time is the spring. February-April, there is snow on the ground but the polar nights are long gone. Days are bright if crisp, and its the best time for skiing. The weather in May is usually pleasant, but be aware of the many public holidays, most notably Constitution Day on May 17, when services for tourists are limited.

September-November is the rainy season. The dreary months of November-January are best avoided. Although the streets are brightened by festive lights, services for travelers are limited during the Christmas and New Year period.

Visitors entering the country are allowed to stay for up to 90 days.

Although Norway is not part of the European Union, it is a participant in the Schengen Agreement, which allows passport-free travel between member countries. If arriving from a fellow Schengen country (which includes most, but not all, EU members), there are no passport checks, but the 90-day period applies to the entire Schengen Area.

For citizens of the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia and residents of the vast majority of European and Latin American countries, visas are not required to enter Norway at the time of writing.

Most travelers arrive in Norway by plane, and almost all long-haul international flights into Norway arrive in Oslo.

Oslo is compact and easy to explore on foot. The city has an extensive public transit system, including metro, tram, bus, train, and ferry services, collectively managed under the umbrella organization Ruter. The Ruter network extends out of Oslo and into the surrounding Akershus county.

Oslofjord destinations such as Drbak and Fredrikstad are easily accessible for day trips by car, bus, and/or train. Lillehammer is a little farther, a two-hour journey by car or train.

Twenty-first century Oslo is a city transformed. For decades, travelers would head straight for the mountains or the fjords, but today they linger in this cosmopolitan European capital with world-class architecture, art, and museums. Were it not for Norways stunning natural environment, three days in Oslo would satisfy most travelers. Thats because the city is intrinsically linked to nature, surrounded on all sides by forest and fjord. Spend an entire weekend break in Oslo or tag on this three-day itinerary to a longer tour and you will not leave disappointed.

Should the weather be good, consider replacing any of these choices with a day trip to Drbak, a delightful fishing village on the Oslofjord, or to Fredrikstad to wander the streets of one of northern Europes best-preserved fortified districts.

To conserve your budget, make the most of your hotels breakfast buffet and plan to eat light for lunch. Many hotels offer the opportunity to compose a packed lunch from the breakfast buffet (for an additional charge), or just grab some fruit and snacks from a supermarket.

A visit to the epic National Gallery affords the opportunity to see some of Edvard Munchs most famous works with none of the crowds you might expect. Take a leisurely lunch in one of the excellent waterside restaurants on the Aker Brygge wharf, or grab a quick bite from a coffee shop and head instead to the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art at the nearby Tjuvholmen development. In the afternoon, explore the buildings that inspired the castle in Disneys Frozen at Akershus Fortress, before completing your tour of the waterfront with a stroll on the roof of Oslo Opera House. The nearby Oslo Central Station and Jernbanetorget square offer several options for dinner.

Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art

Akershus Fortress

Day 2: The Great Outdoors

Oslos excellent public transit brings forest and fjord within reach of all budgets. Take the metro to the Frognerseteren mountain lodge, where you can enjoy a slice of cake and a piping hot cup of cocoa before a walk through the forest to the world-class ski jump at Holmenkollen. On your way back to the city, stop off at Majorstuen and walk the short distance to take in the lifes work of Gustav Vigeland at the remarkable