Medieval fortress
Akershus Fortress
Oslo's medieval fortress above the fjord: Christian IV's castle, bastions, the Resistance Museum and the Royal Mausoleum.
Oslo, Norway
Oslo Audio Guide
Explore Oslo with 32 audio stops and researched, fact-checked narration. From the medieval fortress of Akershus to the Holmenkollen ski jump, every place explains how a fjord capital, once a fortified town and now a showcase of architecture, has been built up facing the water.
- ~7h of audio
- 7 routes · 32 audio stops
- Offline mode
- English and Spanish
- 7Landmarks
- 32Audios
- ~7hOf narration
Photo: bobrode2009, CC BY 2.0
7 audio guides in Oslo
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Contemporary architecture
Oslo Opera House
The Oslo Opera House: Snøhetta's marble roof that can be walked up to the fjord, the floating sculpture “She Lies” and the oak foyer.
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Sculpture park
Vigeland Park
Vigeland Park in Oslo: more than 200 bronze and granite sculptures by Gustav Vigeland, with the Angry Boy, the Fountain, the Monolith and the Wheel of Life.
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Norwegian monarchy
Royal Palace
What to see at the Royal Palace in Oslo: the statue of Carl Johan, the classicist facade, the changing of the guard and the open park at the top of Karl Johans gate.
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Art and architecture
Munch Museum
What to see at the Munch Museum in Oslo: the leaning Bjørvika tower, The Scream in its darkened room, The Sun and the legacy of almost 28,000 works.
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Polar exploration
Fram Museum
The Fram Museum in Oslo: Nansen and Amundsen's original polar ship, which can be walked through, and the Gjøa of the Northwest Passage.
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Nordic skiing
Holmenkollen Ski Jump
Oslo's ski jump rebuilt in steel in 2010, with the world's oldest ski museum and a viewing platform over the city and the fjord.
Oslo Audio Guide
What to see in Oslo with the EarGuide audio guide
Oslo concentrates a good part of its history along the fjord front. Akershus Fortress, begun by Håkon V in the 1290s, was never taken by a foreign enemy in battle; today it holds a Renaissance castle of Christian IV, the Royal Mausoleum and the memory of the 42 resistance members executed in 1945. In Bjørvika, Snøhetta's Opera House, opened in 2008, offers a Carrara marble roof of some 18,000 m² that can be walked down to the water, and a few steps away the MUNCH museum, opened in 2021, gathers nearly 28,000 works by Edvard Munch, with eight versions of The Scream. The Royal Palace, raised between 1824 and 1849 for Carl Johan, closes Karl Johans gate, and Vigeland Park displays more than two hundred sculptures by a single author, with the 14.12-metre Monolith and its 121 figures. On the Bygdøy peninsula, the Fram Museum keeps Nansen and Amundsen's polar ship whole, and above the city the Holmenkollen ski jump, in steel and rebuilt in 2010, shares its hill with the world's oldest ski museum.
With the EarGuide Oslo audio guide, every place reveals its history through narration researched and fact-checked against historical sources. Unlike a free walking tour or a conventional guided visit, you set the pace, the order and the stops. No groups, no timetables, no internet connection.
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No internet needed
Download the routes before you head out and explore without using data.
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Smart geolocation
The narration starts by itself when you reach the point of interest.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about the Oslo audio guide
How much does the Oslo audio guide cost?
The EarGuide app is free. The Oslo audio guide includes 7 independent routes with almost seven hours of narration spread across 7 sites and 32 audio stops, and it is found inside the app itself.
Do I need an internet connection to use the audio guide?
No. EarGuide works entirely offline. Download the routes over WiFi before you set out and you can use the audio guide with no connection and no data use throughout your visit. The map shows your GPS position in real time even without coverage.
What languages is the Oslo audio guide available in?
The Oslo audio guide is available in Spanish and English, with researched, fact-checked narration on the medieval fortress, the Norwegian monarchy, polar exploration and the contemporary architecture and art of the capital.
How long does the full tour take?
The audio guide brings together 7 independent routes with almost seven hours of narration in total, from 40 to 75 minutes per route. They can be spread over two days: one for Akershus Fortress, the Opera House, the Munch Museum and the Royal Palace, and another for Vigeland Park, the Fram Museum and the Holmenkollen ski jump.
Is the audio guide better than a free walking tour or a guided visit?
They are different experiences. The EarGuide audio guide lets you explore Oslo without timetables or groups, pause and resume whenever you like, and replay any explanation as often as you need. It suits independent travellers, families and anyone who prefers to understand the city at their own pace, with no prior knowledge of Norway.
Which landmarks and points of interest does it include?
The Oslo audio guide covers 7 main sites: Akershus Fortress, the Oslo Opera House, Vigeland Park, the Royal Palace, the Munch Museum, the Fram Museum and the Holmenkollen Ski Jump.
Can I do it all on foot?
Only in part. Akershus Fortress, the Opera House and the Munch Museum are little more than a kilometre from one another, and the Royal Palace is about two kilometres from the Munch, so the centre and Bjørvika can be covered on foot. Vigeland Park is about three and a half kilometres from the Opera House, and the Fram Museum, on the Bygdøy peninsula, about three kilometres. The Holmenkollen ski jump is some seven or eight kilometres from the centre, on a hill to the north, and requires public transport or a taxi.
Can I use a purchase in the other EarGuide apps or on another phone?
Yes. Purchases belong to your EarGuide account, not to one app or one phone. A city unlocked in the EarGuide app is also unlocked in that city's own app, and the other way round, on both iPhone and Android. Just sign in with the same account on the other device. The store's “restore purchases” button only covers the app the purchase was made in, so signing in is what carries it across.
Download the Oslo audio guide free
The Oslo audio guide is inside the EarGuide app, free and ready to use offline. Carry it in your pocket and explore the city at your own pace.
More destinations
More audio guides in Norway
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Ålesund
From the Art Nouveau town reborn out of the 1904 fire to a wooden lighthouse on the edge of the Atlantic. Explore Ålesund and its islands with audio guides.
