Norway’s capital keeps becoming more livable. The new center-right city council is expected to follow through on the green promises made by its center left predecessor, with a big bump in climate funding in its latest budget. Oslo has become the compact Scandinavian powerhouse.
As Europe’s 4th fastest growing capital city in the past decade, Oslo has used its resource and governance advantages to go on a journey towards a more mixed economy, a venue for culture and creativity, a green capital, and a hub for innovative startups. Along the way Oslo has started to gain a special role in the world as a city that leads, pioneers, and excites.
One of the world’s smartest cities
Oslo aims to be the first capital city in the world with an all-electric public transport system, and cars are making way for street furniture, outdoor cafes and cyclists. In the past 10 years, some 3,000 parking spaces have been replaced by 153km bike lanes. Oslo is rated as one of the world’s smartest cities — based on innovative policies in electric mobility, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, public transport modernization and road safety improvement.
Reducing pollution from cruise ships
More than three million cruise tourists visit Norway every year and make Norway Europe’s
fourth biggest cruise destination. There is now a plan to reduce pollution from cruise ships in Oslo’s inner-city harbor, which will be offered land-based electricity, allowing them to shut down engines while docked. Oslo has set a target to cut greenhouse gas emissions from its port by 85 percent by 2030, and in the longer term to make the port zero-emission.
Today, cruise traffic flows through four separate terminals: Filipstad, Søndre Akershuskai, Vippetangkaia and Revierkaia.
From 1 June 2023, Revierkaia became Oslo’s main cruise quay. The Port of Oslo is in the process of establishing shore power on the quay.
Filipstad is used for cruises until future urban development. The Port of Oslo is planning on shore power for cruise ships in 2025.
A new era of fine dining and drinking in Oslo
In recent years, there has been an excitement around restaurants and bars in the Norwegian capital. A new era fine dining and drinking in Oslo has come for you to enjoy. Independent bars and restaurants keep popping up and the choice of sensibly priced, high-quality meals is growing. But if you want to splash out, you can choose from 11 Michelin starred restaurants.
If you are In Oslo looking for some high-class food – paired with some amazing wine, here is the guide to the best Michelin starred restaurants with great wine lists in the Norwegian capital.
The Oslo Housing Market
Housing in Oslo, however, remains a challenge. Sandwiched between the fjord and forests, the city has little room to expand, though many developers have come up with innovative solutions, making use of the smallest footprints between existing buildings. The capital of Norway has an annual population growth of circa 2% and viewed in a Norwegian perspective, it is growing faster than any other city. The growth since the 1950s has made suburban Oslo a Klondike for architects.
Eiendom Norge expects an increase in housing prices in Norway next year. “Certain cities will see stronger development than the national one, and we believe that Oslo and Stavanger in particular will stand out. Here we expect house prices to rise by 6 and 7 per cent respectively”, says CEO of Eiendom Norge, Henning Lauridsen.
A Thriving start-up scene
Oslo’s startup community has skyrocketed in recent years. Many Oslo-born companies are scaling internationally, many thanks to support by the innovation ecosystem comprised of industry networks and clusters, incubators, accelerators, and R&D institutions.
Oslo has a thriving start-up scene, as well as long-established multinationals. While the country’s diverse economy and liberal immigration policies once made it easy for expats to move to Norway, immigration requirements have become tighter over time. Now it’s generally expats with specialist skills that are in demand. Free movement in EU countries is, however, a fundamental right guaranteed by European Treaties. Article 2 of the Schengen Agreement states that “internal borders may be crossed at any point without any checks on persons carried out.” Norway is an associated EU member, so this rule complies.
Communicating the capital’s undeniable appeal
VisitOSLO’s marketing department is responsible for marketing Oslo as a travel destination. The department’s overarching goal is to increase Oslo’s digital footprint and strengthen the city and the region as an attractive destination. The department runs the website visitoslo.com with inspiring and informative content such as thematic articles and suggestion lists for users that are planning a visit to the capital of Norway. Visitoslo.com has an event calendar that contains the city’s cultural events. The website is available in six languages.
A 19-minute train ride to Oslo Airport is a delight to travel through, with more than 120 direct flights to the rest of the world. However, the city still falls behind its Scandinavian competitors in terms of attracting talent. What Oslo needs to do now is figure out better ways in communicating its undeniable appeal.
We believe that Visit Oslo’s latest tourism campaign comes a long way in its hilarious take on life in the Capital of Norway, claiming “Never visit Oslo, Norway. Is it even a city?”
Oslo – The Compact Scandinavian Powerhouse, compiled by Tor Kjolberg
Feature image (on top): The Norwegian Opera House ©_VisitOSLO / Thomas-Johannessen