Landing at Oslo Gardermoen Airport in Oslo puts you at the center of a region, where nearby cities and scenery are close by. Oslo sits at the head of a fjord with forested hills behind it, so the outdoors starts at the tram stop. The city is modern, clean, and friendly, with a waterfront that has been rebuilt around museums, saunas, and places to swim.

Standout experiences around Oslo: - Walk up the sloping marble roof of the Opera House - See The Scream at the Munch Museum on the waterfront - Stroll among the 200 sculptures of Vigeland Park - Take the ferry to Bygdøy for the Fram and Kon-Tiki museums - Have a sauna and a fjord dip at the floating saunas near the Opera - Explore the cafes, vintage shops, and Mathallen food hall of Grünerløkka - Ride the metro to Holmenkollen and look down the ski jump - Hike or ski in the Nordmarka forest straight from the city - Try brown cheese on a waffle, a Norwegian habit worth adopting

Oslo is also the starting point for eastern Norway. Drøbak, a wooden harbor town on the fjord, is forty-five minutes south, and the fortified old town of Fredrikstad is about an hour further. Hamar and the Mjøsa lake are an hour north, with Lillehammer and its Olympic hills about two hours from the city. Eidsvoll, where Norway's constitution was signed, is just minutes from the airport. On 17 May the whole city dresses up in folk costume for Constitution Day, and in summer the fjord fills with swimmers and small boats. Oslo makes outdoor life look easy.