A short journey west of the city, this contemporary art museum with fjord views was opened in 1968 by art collectors Niels Onstad and Sonja Henie (who was also a national figure skater and film star). Its permanent collection includes works by Picasso, Matisse, and Joseph Beuys, while a summer event series sees performance art and music take over its scenic grounds.

Villa Stenersen, one of Norway’s foremost examples of modernist architecture, was designed by Arne Korsmo for the financier and art collector Rolf E. Stenersen. Completed in 1939, this International Style residence is characterized by its material palette of polished concrete, steel, and glass. From May through October, free guided tours are available on Sunday afternoons (no advanced booking required) and private tours are available throughout the week for a fee.

This vast green expanse to the west of the city features more than 200 works by Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland. Among his offbeat depictions of the human condition are “The Fountain”—a series of statues representing different stages of human life—and the 56-foot-tall “Monolith” at the heart of the park.

The focal point of the Tjuvholmen redevelopment, this Renzo Piano-designed contemporary art museum was completed in 2013 and has a spectacular setting, jutting out into the fjord. While the museum is worth a visit for its striking curved form alone, its permanent collection also includes big-hitters like Francis Bacon, Jeff Koons, and David Hockney, alongside Norwegian favorites including abstract expressionist Olav Christopher Jenssen.

Thanks to its two imposing towers, Oslo’s red-brick city hall is among the city’s most recognizable landmarks. Designed by architects Arnstein Arneberg and Magnus Poulsson and completed in 1950, the building is adorned with works by local sculptors on the exterior. Meanwhile, its oak- and marble-clad interior has sufficient splendor for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony held here each December.

This three-tiered shopping center on Karl Johans gate was remodeled in 2014, adding a much-needed sense of dynamism to Oslo’s retail scene. Look out for one of Oslo’s first concept stores, bringing together outerwear experts Norwegian Rain, local menswear label T Michael, and a worthy selection of 20th-century vintage homeware by Modern Tribute.

While its location on a busy central thoroughfare might seem uninspiring, Fuglen’s vintage interiors are anything but. Showcasing the best of midcentury Nordic design, all the 1950s and 1960s pieces found throughout this charismatic cafe and cocktail bar are available to buy. Those converted by Fuglen’s coffee blend can also visit its roastery on the fringes of the Old Town.

Just a short walk from the Oslo Opera house, SALT is a mixed-use space that combines several Norwegian passions. Across a series of striking triangular structures based on traditional stockfish drying racks, visitors will find saunas, exhibition spaces, and food stalls; to boot, the outdoor seating is the prime spot to take in the fjord’s comings and goings.

A recent addition to Oslo’s growing roster of design hotels, Amerikalinjen opened in early 2019 in the former headquarters of cruise ship company Norwegian America Line. Original colors and Neo-Baroque details illuminate the building’s heritage, while elegant rooms are fitted out with midcentury pieces. A buzzy lineup of bars and eateries mean it’s rapidly becoming a destination for locals and visitors alike.

Make time to explore the Akerselva River, which winds through former industrial areas now firmly at the heart of the city’s creative scene. While in the past decade the Grünerløkka district has shifted from up-and-coming to fully gentrified, among its graffiti-tagged warehouses is a riverside cluster of vibrant bars, galleries, cafes, and street-food trucks that remain as popular as ever. Music venue Blå sits at its heart, with gigs, DJ sets, and alfresco ping-pong drawing crowds until late.

A major source of national pride, Oslo’s striking, Snøhetta-designed opera house rises up from the waters like a glacier at the head of the city’s fjord. Intended to connect land and sea, the white granite and marble building slopes gently upward, giving visitors the chance to scale the roof and embrace its commanding harbor views.

Follow the Akerselva River up from central Oslo and you’ll reach a gallery that has done plenty to fly the flag for Norwegian art. Since founder and art historian Eivind Furnesvik set up shop in the former motorcycle repair shop in 2005, the Standard has grown to represent a coterie of emerging and mid-career artists from Scandinavia and beyond.

Set in the hills above Oslo, the serene Ekebergparken was originally intended to provide the city’s poorer eastern districts with outdoor space. It’s since evolved into a world-class sculpture park with pieces by the likes of Louis Bourgeois, Auguste Rodin, and Salvador Dalí, plus spectacular lookout points (including the very view that inspired Edvard Munch’s The Scream) and a restored 1930s modernist restaurant with the perfect terrace for watching the sunset over the fjord.

This sophisticated store in Grünerløkka is the brainchild of Oslo-based stylists Alessandro D’Orazio and Jannicke Kråkvik. The pared-back space serves as a studio store for Danish design brand Frama and also showcases a Scandinavian-focused selection of homeware, furniture, and craft pieces by local artists.

Next year is a landmark moment for one of Oslo’s favorite sons, Edvard Munch. While the world’s largest collection of the expressionist pioneer’s work—including paintings, prints, and drawings—currently sits in a modest gallery in the Tøyen district, 2020 will see the museum take up residence in a monolithic new space on Oslo’s waterfront.