Oslo, Norway's Capital

Oslo, Such a small city considering it is the Capital City, this made it very easy to get around, I absolutely loved it and would love to go back. I travelled with my brother on this trip, and we stayed at the Grand Hotel Oslo, which has 283 rooms, including 54 modern suites. We stayed in a Superior twin with a view, the view was of the main street, Karl Johans Gate and gardens, which was lovely.

We had a good flight with SAS from Manchester direct to Oslo on arrival it is very easy to get the train from Oslo airport to either Oslo central or Nationaltheatret station which was slightly closer, I think it only took us about 7 minutes to walk from the station to hotel, it was an hour from collecting luggage at the airport to checking in at the hotel, I was really impressed with how easy and convenient the train was. But you do need to have an app to buy the tickets and wave the app at the barrier. Flytoget is the app for the quickest airport to city train, and anthe d Ruter app is for all other public transport, including trams and ferries. Although I have to say, Oslo is very easy to get around on foot, too.

When we arrived at the hotel, it was pouring down and the half marathon was taking place right outside, so rather than getting went and struggling to find a coffee shop we could get in (thereweres a lot of runners and supporters milling around the cit,y) we opted to use the Nespresso maker and watch the race from the comfort of our room.

Still raining at dinner, ner we thought we would see if we could get a table at Palmen restaurant right in the hotel lobby. We were lucky, we were seated very quickly and had an amazing two-course dinner.

Our first full day, I had booked us on a city tour which took in some of the major sites such as Holmenkollen Ski Museum & Tower, the ski jump (which is visible from most parts of the city), Vigeland Sculpture Park, our guide walked with us from the top of the park to the bottom explaining the sculptures as we went which was great and we were met at the gate by our coach to carry on the tour which we finished with a cruise on Oslo fjord.

The next day we went out on foot and walked the roof of the Norwegian National Opera & Ballet and visited the Munch museum, this was 220 NOK per adult, if you are under 25, then it is just 100 NOK and under 117 go free. It is worth knowing ahead that you can not take bags into the museum, but ey do have good-sized lockers to use with no charge. There is a Bistro on the 12th floor, which will have a spectacular view, as will the Cocktail bar on the top floor. We visited neither, but did have a great coffee and novelty scream cookie (which happened to be gluten-free) at the Munch deli and cafe on the ground floor.

After a morning of culture, we wandered back to the hotel via the main shopping street, picking up some souvenirs on the way.

Our final full day was spent with a morning on the Fjord, we used the Ruter app to purchase tickets for the ferry, getting off at the first stop, Hovedoya. Here we walked around the island, approximately 3 miles, seeing historical ruins as we went and making friends with the local sheep. Sadly, at the time we were there (23rd September), the only cafe on the island had already closed for the season. We hopped back on the ferry, rather than taking the first that came and heading straight back to Oslo we got the second which went round some of the other islands, we didn‘t get off as we had nothing for lunch and were worried these too may have no places to eat but it was nice to take in the scenery before heading back to Oslo to eat.

There are some lovely bars and restaurants around the port, so we grabbed a table and enjoyed lunch, people watching, before wandering around this area a bit more.

In the evening, we ate at the other hotel restaurant, Grand Cafe, and that too was fantastic, although I would say the service for us was better at Palmen, but that may have been a one-off; it wasn't bad, just a little slow.

I would say overall the hotel restaurants were fantastic, breakfast was good, lots of choice, including a separate gluten-free area and dairy-free milks to choose from.

The lobby bar was great for a pre or post-dinner cocktail. There is also a rooftop bar, which we unfortunately didn‘t get to visit, but I would imagine it has great views.

The Grand Hotel Oslo also has a spa, pool and a fitness room, which was a decent size and had everything you may need for a good workout.

I did like this hot, but for a 5-star traditional style hotel, it did not quite have the 5-star feel, somehow. Having said that, I would stay again, just don't expect biscuits or bottled water in your room or any little gifts at turn down.