Curated Recommendations
Tons of links to, and recommendations about, excursions, lodging, sights, museums, restaurants, buses, trains, gear, books, ferries and ships as we travel all the world’s seven continents. Nothing is on the list unless we personally recommend it. Ongoing updates. Select your preference below …
Olivia’s on Karl Jahan’s Gate
“In 2006, the first Olivia restaurant opened at Aker Brygge in Oslo. But our history goes back even further; until Anne Koppang, Gry Holm and Kristin Gjelseth, or "the three ladies" as we like to call them, wanted an Italian in the family - preferably an Aunt Olivia from Piedmont. And since neither of them had Italian family before, they found that the next best thing was to open an Italian restaurant... which later turned out to be exactly what they wanted in the first place: Italian family.
Since 2006, a lot of exciting things have happened in Olivia. We have opened several restaurants in Norway, Sweden and Finland. All our restaurants have distinctive touches and unique qualities, inspired by our favorite cities in Italy; Rome, Naples, Venice, Milan, Portofino, Florence, Palermo, Parma and Bologna. But no matter where you visit us, the experience should be the same: authentic Italian food in cozy surroundings, with candles and burning fireplaces. With attentive and knowledgeable waiters and chefs with one clear common vision: to serve the best pizza outside of Italy.”
Munch Museet
“- Edvard Munch is about not accepting conventional rules, about fighting against opposition, about never giving up. The building is there, it has a powerful presence, and it is part of the city. It says, ‘Okay, here I am. I hold the legacy of the most important artist in Norway’s history, and I gaze entranced at Oslo and the fjord because it is the city and its collective dreams that have built me.’
These words were spoken by Juan Herreros, founding partner of the Spanish architecture practice Estudio Herreros. Together with his partner Jens Richter he has designed MUNCH in Bjørvika. The foundation stone for the new museum was laid autumn 2016, after a long and heated debate on both design and location – not unlike that which preceded the building of the original museum at Toyen.
Viking Museum
“Here you will get to meet the Vikings and explore the Viking Age with all senses. The adventure ride brings you even closer to the world of the Vikings.
The ride, Ragnfrid’s Saga, takes you on an exciting adventure where you get to follow the Viking Harald on a journey through 10th century Europe. The story begins at Frösala farm, where Ragnfrid and Harald live together with their daughter Sigrid. Harald has wasted all of the family’s money and has to go out on a Viking Raid in order to win back their fortune and honor.”
Nobel Prize Museum
“The Nobel Prize shows that ideas can change the world. The courage, creativity and perseverance of the Nobel Laureates inspire us and give us hope for the future.
Based on the Nobel Prize’s unique combination of fields – natural sciences, literature and peace – we at Nobel Prize Museum invite you to exhibitions, school programmes, lectures and dialogues about the great issues of our time.
We are a small museum with vast content. With the help of videos, donated artifacts and in-depth guided tours you meet freedom fighters, writers and scientists who all contributed to the greatest benefit to humankind.
Swedish inventor and industrialist Alfred Nobel (1833-1896) had a clear vision about the prize he created. In his will, he wrote that he wanted to reward those who had “conferred the greatest benefit to humankind”. The Nobel Prize and the stories of the Nobel Laureates are the basis for a broad range of public outreach activities that show how we can learn from history in order to understand our present-day world and influence our future.”
Vasa Museet
“The Vasa Museum is one of Scandinavia's most visited museums. It is here that you will find in all its glory, the unique and well preserved warship Vasa from 1628, embellished with hundreds of wooden sculptures.
Around 1 million visitors every year enjoy the exhibitions in the museum, which describe the warship Vasa's history and life at the time; how, after 333 years at the bottom of Stockholm harbour, the ship was rediscovered and salvaged; and the research which is now underway to preserve Vasa. The Vasa Museum lies in the royal parkland, Djurgården, in Stockholm.
The Vasa Museum is a part of the agency the Swedish National Maritime and Transport Museums (SMTM), together with the National Maritime Museum and Vrak – Museum of Wrecks in Stockholm, the Naval Museum in Karlskrona and the Railway Museum in Gävle.
The agency's mission is to preserve and develop the maritime and transport history cultural heritage and to increase people's knowledge about it. The government decides which direction our work should take, and we receive our instructions and directives from the Ministry of Culture.”