Oslo — Emma Baumhofer

Oslo was my unexpected favorite city of 2018! I had viewed it as a potentially interesting but probably expensive stopover on our way to the Lofoten Islands but I ended up completely falling in love with the architecture and lifestyle. It was in our favor that we had unusually warm weather and near 24-hour sun during our visit, even when it rained the city had a tropical humidity. I didn’t find Oslo much pricier than Switzerland but sunny weather lends itself to budget travel. We picnicked by the harbor swimming spots, happy houred on the opera house roof, cruised on the island ferries and soaked in the incredible modern architecture. I left Oslo wanting more.