Hotel Continental

In spite of the rich history of modernist Scandinavian design, there’s nothing terribly modern about Norwegian hotels. The best bet in Oslo is to forget about hipster hotels and live it up at the century-old Hotel Continental. It’s a grand hotel of the classic old style, family-owned since 1900, and though it’s no museum piece — rooms and public spaces have been subtly kept up to date — there’s no mistaking it for a “design hotel” either.

The location is unbeatable, close to the waterfront and closer still to the National Theatre, the Royal Palace and the high street shops on Karl Johans gate. Hotel Continental’s restaurants have been a fixture in central Oslo for a long time: two sidewalk cafés and the Viennese-style Theatercaféen are local favorites, and the breakfast buffet is not to be missed.

This is the sort of place whose bread and butter is buttoned-up executive travelers — the Economist-reading set — but it’s got enough personality to hold anyone’s attention, from the individually designed rooms, with their papered walls and tiled bathrooms, to the art collection in the salons off the lobby, featuring reproductions of lithographs and woodcuts by Edvard Munch (the originals are in a bank vault following the recent rash of Munch-thieving that’s swept the city).

How to get there:
The hotel is located in central Oslo, approximately 30 miles from Oslo Airport, Gardermoen (OSL). Taxis are available in the airport Arrivals hall. The drive takes about 50 minutes and costs around 700 kroner. As an alternative, take the Airport Express train to Oslo Central Station, then continue to Nationaltheatret Station, which is just 100 meters from the hotel. The train journey takes about half an hour and costs 170 kroner.