Where to Stay in Oslo

The core between Oslo Central Station and the waterfront, taking in Karl Johans gate, the cathedral, the Opera House and Akershus Fortress. Most of the big museums and the fjord ferry piers are within a 20-minute walk, and the airport express leaves from the station.

Good to know: The blocks immediately east of the station around Gronland feel rougher at night than the rest of the centre, though the area is not dangerous. Hotel rooms here are small by Nordic standards and priced for business travellers, so weekends are often cheaper than weekdays.

A converted shipyard turned promenade of restaurants, bars and glass apartment blocks along the harbour, running into Tjuvholmen with its Renzo Piano museum, small city beach and sculpture park. The fjord ferries and island trips leave from right here.

Good to know: The most expensive dining in Oslo, and the restaurants along the boardwalk trade heavily on the view. Walk one street back for better value. Beautiful in summer light, exposed and windy in winter.

A former working-class district north-east of the centre, now Oslo's most enjoyable neighbourhood: coffee roasters, natural wine bars, vintage shops, the Mathallen food hall and the Akerselva river path running through it. Locals rather than tourists.

Good to know: About 15 to 20 minutes' walk or a short tram from the centre, so you trade a little sightseeing convenience for better prices and atmosphere. Fewer hotels and more apartments here. Weekend nights on Thorvald Meyers gate are lively and loud.

Oslo's smartest district: 19th-century apartment blocks, embassies, antique shops and the huge Vigeland Sculpture Park with its 200-plus figures. Quiet, green and safe, with the metro at Majorstuen putting you in the centre in minutes.

Good to know: Calm to the point of sleepy in the evening, with few bars and restaurants compared with Grunerlokka. Good for families and for a quieter trip; less good if you want to walk out of your hotel into the nightlife.

The redeveloped waterfront east of the centre, where the white marble Opera House lets you walk up its sloping roof, the tall Munch museum stands beside it, and the Barcode row of narrow high-rises holds new hotels. The Deichman library here is one of the best public buildings in Europe.

Good to know: Modern and a little sterile at street level, and it empties out in the evening compared with Sentrum. Excellent if the Munch museum, the Opera and contemporary architecture are the reason you came; it is also a short walk from the station.

Immediately east of the station, Gronland is Oslo's most multicultural district - Middle Eastern and South Asian grocers, cheap eats and the city's best value on both food and rooms. Toyen behind it has the Botanical Garden and the new Munch collection nearby.

Good to know: This is the area Oslo residents mean when they talk about the rough end of town, though by international standards it is tame. It can feel unwelcoming late at night around the metro. The trade-off is genuinely the lowest prices in an eye-wateringly expensive city.

Up in the hills above the city, reached by a metro line that climbs through pine forest, with the famous ski jump, a ski museum and hiking or cross-country trails straight from the station. The views over Oslo and the fjord are the best there are.

Good to know: You are 30 minutes from the centre by metro, so this only makes sense if the outdoors is your priority or you are here to ski. Very few restaurants. Lovely for a night or two at the end of a trip rather than as a base for sightseeing.