Oslo hotels

Oslo is a city that keeps evolving and one of its newest districts is Bjørvika, a former dock area now known as the Barcode district because of its cluster of high-rise buildings with pixelated facades. For staying right on the waterfront, close to the main station, I think The Clarion is the smartest option.

There’s no spa or pool, but it does have its own art collection thanks to a collaboration with the nearby Munch Museum, which opened in 2021. There’s an original Munch in the lobby, and a dedicated concierge who will devise art walks around the city.

In summer, I’d recommend a top-floor suite for the rooftop terrace with harbor vistas, but all the bedrooms have good views. I think it’s one of the best hotels in Oslo for those who want to have breakfast – the buffet one here is rightly famous – and hit the ground running.

Oslo feels more like a town than a city, which is part of its charm, so it’s not known for its high-rise skyline. But this 37-storey skyscraper is a rare exception – and sometimes you just want a hotel to lift you up for the views. I like the thrill of zooming up in the external glass elevator, watching the harbor gradually appear.

It’s not one for boutique hotel fans, though it does have some character – there’s a portrait of Oslo’s ‘patron saint’, Edvard Munch, in the marble-lined lobby and all the rooms have a stylish swivel armchair the color of Norwegian brown cheese (which you can try at breakfast).

Even better, there’s a large pool – a rarity for Oslo – and a sauna to unwind in. Head to the top-floor restaurant for lunch or cocktails. As this is one of the best hotels in Oslo for views, you need to make the most of them.

Much as I like the city’s angular modern architecture, I love historic spaces like the Bristol, one of the best hotels in Oslo for ambience. Set near the history museum, it was opened in 1920 by a former head waiter at the Grand Hotel, with its own jazz band and a Moorish-style dance restaurant.
That’s no longer there, though the original Deco decor and chandeliers remain in the Winter Garden & Library Bar.

It’s best visited for afternoon tea, when a pianist serenades guests (both Clinton and Gorbachev once tapped their toes here).

The hotel offers a warm hit of Edwardian-era nostalgia, with its period paintings in the grill room and antique walnut beds in signature rooms such as the Josephine Baker Suite. It has moved with the times, though: there are Bluetooth Bose speakers in the rooms, smash burgers on the menu and an impressive collection of gins in the bar.

Whenever I’m in Oslo, I always try to get out of the city for a walk – it’s a national pastime here. Oslo is small so it doesn’t take long to reach the countryside, but this timber-fronted hotel, just half an hour by train from the city, places you right in the hills.

It was built as a private house during World War I, but is now owned by the Danish-Norwegian Cooperation Fund. There’s a real focus on food here, with farm-to-fork ingredients (think honey, asparagus, wild herbs and elk) on the menus, and an extensive wine cellar.

It’s also got serious art credentials, with sculptures and paintings by respected Scandinavian artists. It’s one of the best hotels in Oslo for a weekend escape: the wood-paneled rooms have views over the trees, and there are lawns to play on, a decent-sized pool and hiking trails all around.

This hotel has been a fixture of Oslo society since it opened in the 19th century. It’s where Nobel Peace Prize winners stay during the awards each December – book into the Nobel Suite and you’ll sleep in the same bed as Barack Obama and Malala Yousafzai, though you may not get the same rapturous applause when you stand at the balcony.

It’s one of the best hotels in Oslo for its heritage, though it hasn’t stood still – as the neon artwork by Tracy Emin in the bar, inspired by ‘The Scream’, demonstrates.

It also houses one of my favorite places in town: the Palmen restaurant, lit by a Murano chandelier and with plenty of people-watching thanks to the photographs of past guests on the wall (also take a peek in the fern-fronded Grand Café for its wall-long painting ‘The Kristiana Bohemians’). A very special hotel.

If you want to get a snapshot of life in Oslo, book lunch at the Theatercaféen and settle into its golden glow. Sitting below the vaulted ceiling and watching waiters carry over plates of moules frites, it could be a painting of a 1920s Parisian brasserie.

With its collonaded exterior proudly facing out in the center of town, the Continental has been a rendezvous for locals since the early 20th century. It has evolved over the decades, with the redesign in 2014 still feeling fresh, but remains family-run, which I think helps give the hotel its particular atmosphere.

There’s a collection of Munch woodcuts and lithographs (look out for my favorite, ‘The Vampire’) in the lobby bar, along with works by contemporary artists. One of the best hotels in Oslo for its grandeur, it also knows how to have fun – check out the pizzas at the recently opened Casbar.

This is where I stay when I want to imagine being a 19th-century Norwegian writer living in my own apartment near the Royal Palace. Built in 1845 as a private villa, it’s the city’s oldest wooden building, once home to writer and feminist Camilla Collet – hence the name. More recently, it was bought by an Oslo family who sensitively renovated it before opening it as a hotel in 2015.

All seven rooms have been furnished with wallpapers, antiques and fabrics that complement the villa’s heritage. I’d recommend one of the suites, which all have writing desks – perhaps the one with the chaise longue.

Knitting it all together is Portuguese general manager Mario, a charming individual who loves the building. It’s one of the best hotels in Oslo for peace and quiet. Next door is a restaurant, Park 29, independently run but set in a similar villa.

I think this is one of the best hotels in Oslo for summer. There’s swimming to be had from the harbor lido outside, locals come for seafood plates at the rooftop café, and a lovely light pours through the high windows. In winter, you might feel a little cut off from the center of town.

The Thief occupies an islet in Tjuvholmen – the name refers to its notorious past when it housed a prison – next to the Astrup-Fearnley Museum. In some ways, the hotel feels like an extension of the art gallery, with bold paintings and sculptures all around (video art in the elevator; a crouching iron figure by the entrance).

Bedrooms have a palette of wooden floors, grays, oranges and smoky blues, and the spa is one of the best in town, with a hammam and pool. Meanwhile, the bar has some very creative cocktails. A contemporary classic.

A sibling to both The Thief and Amerikalinjen, this beautiful hotel has two main wow moments. The first is the bar and restaurant, which takes center stage in the former main hall of Oslo’s main electric company and is dominated by the original 1930s mural depicting the way electricity runs through our lives.

The second is the Art Deco swimming pool, which used to be the public baths and still has the original wooden changing cubicles. But you could also add the rooftop pool and sauna to the list.

Opened in 2023, I think this is Oslo’s best hotel for restaurants: along with the rooftop Norwegian-Japanese restaurant, you’ll also find really good Thai, Spanish tapas and a tea salon. I love the design details here, from the hand-knotted rugs to the intricate marquetry on the headboards. It’s a real passion project.

I think this is the best hotel in Oslo for its location, right on a central square opposite the station and close to the museums of the harborfront and the cool Grunerløkka district. The building was the former HQ of a shipping line that took Norwegians to a new life in the USA, and many of its original features have been kept, such as the carvings of sea gods above the entrance.

Meanwhile, the high-ceilinged rooms (furnished in deep-sea blues) have vintage cruise photographs on the walls. The ground floor is a free-flowing space that unfolds from bar to foliage-draped brasserie.

Since opening, it’s become a favorite hangout with locals, who come for bagels from the bakery, cocktails served by plaid-jacketed bartenders, and weekend brunch. I usually try to stay at a weekend when the basement jazz club is open and live bands take to the stage.