Oslo is all about innovation, with local designers influencing interiors, fashion and architecture the world over. Pick up a treasure at homewares and accessories store Norway Designs and, if you’re a fan of authentic mid-century design, have coffee or a cocktail at vintage shop/cafe/bar Fuglen. Everything you see, including the furniture you’re sitting on, is for sale!

Those Norwegian creatives are a clever lot, as you’ll discover on a wander around the National Gallery (Edvard Munch’s The Scream is a highlight) or a stroll through the sculptures at Vigeland Park. More than 200 sculptures by Gustav Vigeland are permanently on display. Oslo is also known for its incredible architecture. Walk the route between Tjuvholmen and Vulkan to take in some of the city’s best. Photo: VisitOSLO/Thomas Johannessen

The views alone make visiting the museum under Holmenkollen Ski Jump worthwhile, but you’ll also leave an expert on the history of skiing, polar explorations and the latest ski and snowboard technology. Photo: VisitOSLO/Thomas Johannessen

Once you’ve admired Oslo’s harbourside Opera House from the outside and marvelled at the city and fjord views from the rooftop, why not book in to see an opera or ballet? Street-level windows allow passersby to watch rehearsals and workshops in action and guided tours in English are available.

You don’t need to leave Oslo for skiing, sledding, snowboarding and snowball fights. Oslo Winter Park has 18 slopes and 11 lifts within a half hour’s drive from the city centre. The season runs from November/December until the end of Easter and gear hire and lessons are available on site. Photo: Stene Larsen©OsloVinterpark

In the warmer months, pack a picnic and head for Oslo Summer Park, where 12 treetop climbing trails of varying difficulty await. You’ll clamber over obstacles, zipline between trees and freefall for 13 metres before landing softly. Hiking and biking is also popular in the forests in and around Oslo. Photo: Stene Larsen©Oslo Summer Park