The history of Oslo goes back to around year 1000 AD. Since the Middle Ages Oslo has gone though great changes, even the name of the town has been changed a few times, before it became the city it is today.

One can easily be confused by the capital's different names through the years. The town was originally called Oslo. In the Middle Ages it was located on the east side of the Bjørvika inlet. After a dramatic fire in 1624, king Christian IV decided that the town be rebuilt in the area below the Akershus Fortress, and he changed its name to Christiania. From 1877 the name was spelled Kristiania, and in 1925 it was changed back to the original name, Oslo.

Shopping Malls, department stores, small boutiques, shopping streets with hundreds of small shops and retailers, charming antique shops, flea markets, suppliers of exclusive international brand names and local handicraft shops.

Pedestrian precinct with several chains like H&M and Benetton. Larger shopping malls and department stores in the area are Oslo City, Byporten, Glassmagasinet, Steen & Strøm, Paleet and Aker Brygge. At Grensen you will find a good selection of shoes, while Møllergata is the street where you can find furniture.

Oslo´s nightlife is anything but boring. There are countless bars, cafés and nightclubs to choose from and the atmosphere is friendly and inviting. Oslo's party animals quickly pick up new trends or make their own, and the places to go, to see and be seen, change from one week to the next.

Many live DS from all over the world help keep the action and mood going in the city's bars and nightclubs, and there are also a large number of places that offer live concerts, especially on weekends. Oslo also has a very reputable jazz scene.

Most bars and nightclubs in the centreare open until around 3 am. Many cafés and bars that serve food during the day, transform their image around nine-ten at night. They become more of a nightclub, serving drinks and have DJ's playing music, making it difficult to distinguish bars, cafés, pubs and restaurants from each other.

Restaurants

Norways chefs are among the best in the world, and Oslo's restaurants boast several of them. A total of five Oslo restaurants are entitled to advertise their prestigious Michelin Guide rating.

In general you can choose from good, old-fashioned rustic food, delicious dishes of fish, game, moose and reindeer or stimulating culinary dishes from every corner of the world. The produce come from Nature's own pantry - fresh and clean wildlife areas. These restaurants serve excellent, savoury dishes in every price category!