36 Hours in Oslo

A walk west along the harbor brings you to a massive gray box, one of those love/hate buildings whose June 2022 opening makes it Oslo’s newest major cultural institution. You’ll never get through the National Museum in one go — with some 6,500 objects, from ancient Greek sculpture to the Norwegian queen’s coronation gown, it is the Nordic region’s largest — so be strategic. The real sense of discovery awaits in the Norwegian collections. Works by Edvard Munch (including a self-portrait of the artist as an arrogant young man) and Christian Krohg’s social realism all pack an emotional wallop. But perhaps none so much as the Sami artist Máret Ánne Sara’s vivid piece of protest art, “Pile o’Sápmi” (tickets, 180 nok, or about $18).

A testament to Oslo’s improving food scene, Savage has been earning raves since it opened this fall. Tucked into an inner courtyard in the new Revier Hotel in the Kvadraturen neighborhood, the soothing dining room, all light wood and soft lighting, avoids the cold flash and hard edges of many of Oslo’s upscale places and keeps the spotlight on the food. Overseen by the executive chef Andrea Selvaggio, the tasting menu envelops Nordic ingredients like lumpfish roe and scallops in a world’s fair of flavors — standouts include an airy bit of brioche topped with a dollop of beef tartare and smoked eel béarnaise, and a langoustine, crisp-fried in the shape of a lobster claw, with a creamy haddock sauce made fiery with spicy nduja sausage (tasting menus, from 970 to 1,550 nok per person).

If the previous evening’s sauna left you craving more, it’s time to get hard core. The motley village of saunas at Sukkerbiten — each structure different from the rest — offers direct access to the still, gelid waters of the fjord. Book ahead; even when the water freezes into the dread “porridge ice,” there’s no shortage of locals looking for that shot of serotonin (from 175 nok).

Those same views — including vistas over the dramatically angled roof of the Opera House — help make the new main Deichman Bjørvika library a digital nomad’s fantasy. Open stacks and comfy seating invite perusing, and no one shushes you here. In fact, a cafe, communal tables and a children’s section with a “parking lane” for babies in strollers are positively convivial. A tiny, wood-paneled room that is part of a remarkable installation, “Future Library,” by Katie Patterson, crowns the top floor. Every year, a manuscript from an author is commissioned, with the stipulation that none will be read until a century has passed from the project’s 2014 inauguration. Manuscripts from Margaret Atwood and Karl Ove Knausgaard, among others, have already been tucked into drawers cut into the library’s curvaceous walls.

There aren’t scads of shops in Oslobukta, but the ones there all feature local designers and artisans. Holzweiler sells its own clean-lined designs, from slinky maxi dresses to puffer coats that manage to look sleek. Norwegian Rain specializes in lightweight, beautifully cut rain gear. Devold has been selling what the salesperson there called “the best quality wool in Norway” since the 19th century; besides skiwear, this is also a good place to invest in traditional Norwegian sweaters. Dapper features Scandinavian men’s wear brands and has its own cafe. The upscale butcher Annis Oslobukta stocks local cheeses, preserved fruits and vacuum-packed lutefisk, a gelatinous, lye-cured stockfish that is a Norwegian favorite.

Through the door of a pizza place in the St. Hanshaugen neighborhood, and up a staircase sits Oslo’s most idiosyncratic dining experience. With its red floral wallpaper and fringed overhead lamps, Bar Amour looks not unlike a fin-de-siècle bordello, but here other pleasures are on offer. With just two burners and a tiny grill tucked behind the bar, the “kitchen” turns out stellar dishes whose light treatment allows the extraordinary ingredients at their heart — plump oysters dotted with apple and black currant leaves; a plush tranche of wild salmon coddled in an herby butter sauce — to shine, especially when paired with the superb wines the sommelier Jonas Thommessen selects (tasting menu is 990 nok, not including drinks).

Esben Holmboe Bang, the chef behind Oslo’s acclaimed Maaemo restaurant, has something of an empire in the city, with outlets that include a pricey cocktail bar, an upscale French boîte and an all-day cafeteria. The Vandelay was his first expansion, and although it is open for casual lunches and dinners, it is perhaps most inviting at brunch, when the offerings include griddled pancakes, luscious ricotta and lavender honey on toast, and a pair of beautiful fried eggs with a sprinkling of what the menu accurately calls “really good cheese” (breakfast for two, 500 nok).

A 30-minute ride on the Holmenkollen tram brings you to the Nordmarka forest, filled with locals skiing and sledding. Cross-country skiing is a national birthright, but with more than 1,600 miles of cross-country trails, it’s possible to find silence among the snow-blanketed spruces. That is, until you head over to Korketrekkeren, the zippy tobogganing track. The run is free; toboggans can be rented nearby. Afterward, stop by Frognerseteren, a 19th-century wooden chalet, now a cozy cafe lined with portraits of severe-looking Scandinavians and Vikings marauding on skis. There’s coffee, cocoa and homemade sweets, including a daunting slab of apple and cream cake. With views of the fjord and the city, it’s a perfect place to watch that 3 p.m. sunset (coffee and cake for two, 200 nok).