Similar to though not nearly as interesting or lively as Barcelona's Las Ramblas (review:…read morehttps://bit.ly/3QJkBpS), this is the primary pedestrian-only artery of Oslo, completely unavoidable if you plan to see the major sights of the city. As it so happened, our hotel (Clarion Hotel: The Hub) was just a few steps from one end of this constantly crowded thoroughfare where the foot traffic poured in and out of the Oslo Central Station. With the other end at the Royal Palace a little more than a half-mile away, we noticed the route has two distinct personalities. The palace end was a wide path surrounded by well maintained park at the beginning. Then it transitioned to a more urban promenade with greenery on one side and upscale hotels and restaurants on the other. The vibe changed considerably at Egertorget Square where we saw the prominent Freia clock up close (photo: https://bit.ly/3RQJbG2). This stretch that leads to the train station was narrower, the bars were more raucous, the eateries were more fast-food options (e.g., McDonald's, MAX Burgers), and the merchandise in the stores looked more downscale. We saw only one lonely busker in the several walks we took up and down this street (photo) but most certainly a lot of drunks. RELATED - Exploring Norway? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: bit.ly/3PEL4Fe

Karl Johans gate is a pedestrian friendly shopping street in the center of Oslo. It was a really…read morebusy place during the couple days that we were recently in Oslo. And experiencing occasional rain only added to the discomfort. Gayle and I did stop for Ice Cream and I found a sought for accessory at Fjällräven (Swedish Backpack Brand) shop. None of the other businesses looked all that interesting, except for maybe the Indian Place (Jaipur) where we enjoyed a really nice dinner. Other than that, Karl Johans gate was basically a direct means to get from one place to the Royal Palace and back.

This is my 500th Yelp Review! A memorable and exemplary stay at The Grand Hotel is deserving of my…read more500th Yelp review! A little history: The Grand Hotel was opened in 1874 by Julius Fritzner. It has a rich history, hosting international guests, celebrities, and even Nobel Peace Prize winners. Location: Grand Hotel is located in the city center of Oslo, Norway. You are literally within walking distance of many great attractions, restaurants, and shopping just outside its front entrance! Walk over or take a short ride to visit major attractions like the Royal Palace, Parliament, and Aker Brygge. It was a bit chilly when we visited in late May, however, with the brisk walking and a warm jacket we kept ourselves warm and comfortable. Accommodations: The hotel interior is stunning and exquisite in its design and decor. The rooms are suite sized and luxurious for your stay. Restaurants we dined in: During our stay, we were fortunate to experience dinner at the iconic Palmen restaurant. Entering the restaurant, your eyes are drawn to the most beautiful chandelier (see picture). The luxurious decor and expansive dining room sets the ambience for the culinary experience we were about to enjoy. The Palmen Restaurant is a renowned restaurant. The restaurant's innovative and dedicated Chefs have created an exquisite continental menu with a Nordic twist. We all enjoyed our dinner here. The service was 5 stars throughout our dinner service for 40! Attentive to everyone's needs and wants. The second location is the Grand Café: A historic cafe serving a rich breakfast buffet in beautiful surroundings. A little history: In 1874 Grand Café opened its doors. Back then, Oslo was called Kristiania. This is where it all started. Location: The Grand Café is located on the ground floor of the hotel. The new Grand Café is open and welcoming to it's guests. The kitchen is open with access to the chefs who prepare food with ingredients mainly from the Nordic countries, and with inspiration from other parts of the world. The decorative ceilings of Lars Backer have been unveiled and recreated, the original Thonet chairs have been renovated and the three famous Krohg paintings have been preserved. (Information is from its website). The fresh local fruits, Nordic cuisine, fresh local breads and so much more is a Foodie breakfast experience that I highly recommend when visiting Oslo. Do not miss your once in a lifetime opportunity to taste a 5 star culinary experience of local and international cuisine! The best way to see the food offerings is via the pictures posted for the restaurant! There is so much more that The Grand Hotel has to offer you! Check out its website for more details. Stay here if you can during your visit to Oslo, Norway. The Grand Hotel Oslo is a 5-star establishment I could not include all the food pictures in this review! You will need to look through the Yelp pictures to see all the pictures I posted. https://grand.no/en/content/unique-location-in-oslo

What a grand hotel! My stay was better than I could imagine! The room is large and spacious and the…read morebest is the most comfortable bed I've slept on! The water pressure is excellent and all the storage to hang and fold clothes. The do need better hairdryers as they're old and not very powerful. The hotel is just so beautiful with an awesome rooftop and lobby bar (both have the same menu). We paid extra for the breakfast, and it was pretty solid- meats and cheeses, eggs, bacon, sausage, lox, fruit, yogurt, cereal, pastries- you name it! Overall a wonderful hotel in a perfect location! We would definitely come back!

We got personal guide tour to this amazing place. Located in central of the city and well known…read morefor the amazing mural and the annual Nobel ceremony celebration. Huge main floor and brick wall covered with events taken place here with informations. Quite a unique place to check out.

Oslo City Hall wasn't open most of this week due to local elections but we finally got inside on…read moreour last day. City Hall was an imposing building of brick. The long driveway up included covered walkways with mounted wooden carvings depicting scenes from Nordic mythology. Each scene included a bilingual explanation which was helpful to learn the context. Well worth the time to see these. Inside only the first floor was opened for visitors on the day of our visit. It was cavernous with much higher ceilings than I expected. The wall murals were spectacular. A small display on one of the offshoot halls contained some details about the annual Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. Downstairs were the WCs and cafeteria. At least free to entry versus some other Scandinavian city halls!

Stortinget is the Parliament Building in Oslo, Norway. It has been the seat of the Norwegian…read moreNational Assembly since 1866. That is all the history I know because we did not go on one of the free guided tours of this incredible structure. Bad timing cause there was no tour available during our short stay in Oslo. What I can say is that the building is impressive and beautiful on the outside. Great place to take photos! Don't forget your camera.

This is the Parliament of Norway Building. The Storting…read more(English: Great thing; Norwegian: Stortinget, literally "the great assembly") is the supreme legislature of Norway, located in Oslo. Since 5 March 1866, parliament has met in the Parliament of Norway Building at Karl Johans gate 22 in Oslo. The building was designed by the Swedish architect Emil Victor Langlet and is built in yellow brick with details and basement in light gray granite. Which is beautiful to photograph. It is a combination of several styles, including inspirations from France and Italy. There are tours which I have not done. A must visit.

Located just south of Gamle Aker kirke Damstredet consists of two streets featuring preserved homes…read morefrom the late 1700-1800s. Still inhabited amidst stone streets locals and tourists gather to snap pictures and explore while residents tend to gardens nearby full of produce and flowers.

We loved visiting this part of town! Its corky, beautiful and the locals were very friendly…read more We did have a hard time walking due to the slippery/icy floors... The city should provide more safety equipment (for the locals mostly!)

Great castle with great history details in it. There is a church, burial site, dining halls,…read moreevents halls, royals bedrooms, dungeons and among others. Worth checking out for sure. Stunning architecture and the details of woodwork in each room. Locate in the edge of the hill over looking the water and the city. They do have varies courtyard and quite nice too. Really enjoyed the visit here and learned something of Nordic history.

I actually just walked the outside of the castle. The grounds were gorgeous. There were various…read morefruit trees. Oranges and crab apples. The large crab apple tree planted in the center of the large lawn was so abundant that there were tons of over ripened ones that had fallen all over and littered the lawn. This caused a bunch of bees buzzing around them on the lawn. There are also a lot of tourists walking the outer grounds of the castle, stopping to pose next to the cannons. The views of the ocean and blue skies are noteworthy. It was worth the long walk from the hotel.

I didn't go inside, but just walking the grounds of the Royal Palace in Oslo felt like a mini royal…read moreexperience. The expansive lawns, beautiful landscaping, and impressive statues make it the perfect place to wander, snap photos, and soak in the regal vibes. It's surprisingly peaceful, too and perfect for a little break from the city buzz. Even just strolling around, you can imagine what it might be like to live in a palace (at least for a minute!). A must-see if you want a mix of history, architecture, and some excellent photo ops.

Palace offers tours in summer. I was unable to get an English tour so signed up for the Norwegian…read morelanguage tour because they said would be given written info in English. After going to the first room I realized the tour leader was saying WAY more than was in the paper. She was pointing out architectural details, paintings, furniture, etc in great deal and none of that was in the handout. When I mentioned to the tour guide that the paper version was not complete she said, "Oh, I didn't know that!" And when I asked about a specific painting she said she would have to ask a colleague but she never did. So that was pretty frustrating. Visual but no audio. The palace is gorgeous and very tasteful. No gaudiness or clutter. Thank God Trump doesn't live there. It was quite warm in July. The tour is 45 minutes long and about $20. You can see the guards do their thing. You cannot take photos inside and you go thru a metal detector. They have lockers. The palace gardens are free and excellent for walking around. There's a cute kid play area. The trees and flowers are wonderful. In conclusion I would only recommend the English tour if that's your language.