Though spring might have sprung by early March, temperatures still hover around zero in Oslo, but that doesn’t mean the Norwegian capital isn’t perfect for a wrapped-up city break. March is one of the quietest and cheapest months of the year in this expensive city, meaning a five-star stay seems more reasonable while visiting the excellent museums, historic sites and cosy coffee shops. The wintry weather and brighter days are also suited to making the most of the city’s nearby forests, fjords and mountains, with skiing, hiking and scenic cruises on offer.
Four nights’ B&B, including flights from London Heathrow and 23kg hold luggage, costs £697pp with British Airways, departing on March 8. You’ll stay in the trendy Sommerro, a five-star hotel in a refurbished art deco building in the upmarket district of Frogner just behind the royal palace.
It’s a ten-minute walk from Nationaltheatret station, where the express train to the airport takes 20 minutes (£40 return; flytoget.no). The hotel has six restaurants and bars, including an all-day brasserie with nightly live jazz, a Japanese rooftop restaurant and a pintxos and wine bar. There’s a small cinema with weekly screenings, a large basement wellness area with an infrared sauna and Oslo’s first year-round rooftop pool and sauna. Plush rooms have oak parquet floors, hand-knotted rugs and art deco details, including cherry-stained ash wall panelling, vintage telephones and geometric tiling in bathrooms stocked with Byredo products.
There’s a tram stop outside to reach the harbour and the pedestrianised shopping area around Karl Johans gate. Frogner Park, with more than 200 sculptures by Gustav Vigeland, is nearby. Drop by the nearby Apent Bakeri for traditional Norwegian pastries and coffee (apentbakeri.no) and stroll 15 minutes to the National Museum to see works by Edvard Munch, including The Scream (£15; nasjonalmuseet.no).
Sommerro’s rooftop restaurant
The Nobel Peace Center is next door, with exhibitions inspired by previous winners (£14; nobelpeacecenter.org). The 13th-century Akershus Fortress (free; forsvarshistoriskmuseum.no) and the royal palace, with its daily changing of the guard (free; royalcourt.no), are both about ten minutes’ walk from the Nobel Peace Center.
If you want to experience the city from the water, two-hour guided boat tours leave twice a day from City Hall Pier 3 (from £40; nyc.no). Alternatively hop on Metro Line 1 to Frognerseteren (£3.50 one way; ruter.no) to join a 5.6km hiking trail past picturesque lakes, snow-dusted forests and rustic cabins serving steaming hot chocolate. If you would rather put on skis, head to Holmenkollen, also on Metro Line 1, which has cross-country trails, a ski museum with panoramic views over Oslo and a 69m-high ski jump used in the Winter Olympics (£15; holmenkollen.com).
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What you get for £697pp
• Return Heathrow-Oslo flights, departing on March 8
• 23kg hold luggage
• Four nights’ B&B at Sommerro (britishairways.com)
Other great trips to Oslo The £300 holiday
Scandic St Olavs Plass’s restaurant serves pub grub
All the main sights are within walking distance of the four-star Scandic St Olavs Plass, which is less than ten minutes’ walk from Karl Johans Gate, surrounded by restaurants and shops. The contemporary hotel within a listed building has comfortable rooms in neutral greys and creams with bold, theatre-inspired feature walls, a nod to the hotel’s own 344-seat theatre downstairs. There is also a gym and sauna plus a restaurant serving pub grub favourites and traditional Norwegian classics including shrimp sandwiches.
Details Four nights’ B&B from £281pp, including flights, departing on March 10 (thomascook.com)
The £3,750 holiday
The five-star Grand Hotel Oslo
If you’re keen to explore beyond Oslo — and have particularly deep pockets — this four-night tour offers a whizz round Norway’s highlights, including a cruise on the world’s second longest fjord at Sognefjord, a ride on the Voss gondola and a scenic railway trip from Oslo to Myrdal. You’ll stay at luxury hotels along the way, including one night in the capital’s five-star Grand Hotel Oslo and a final night in Bergen’s Home Hotel Havnekontoret in a harbourfront stone building in the Unesco-listed Bryggen district.
Details Four nights’ B&B from £3,750pp, including flights (departing in March), private transfers, rail travel and excursions (coxandkingstravel.com)