Oslo

Hard to pick just one favorite thing, but with two full days you can see and do a lot in Oslo. Oslo transit is great and you may want to consider an Oslo Card. My starting point would be just walking about following Karl Johansgate from the Oslo S to the palace then wondering over to the Aker Brygge, returning past the City Hall (Radhaus) continuing to the Arkershus fortress.

Take the T-bane to Holmenkollen, visit the Ski Museum (included in the Oslo Card), and check out the sights from the top of the ski jump tower. Note that the lift only goes partway to the top. You should stop at the Vigland park on the way to or from Holmenkollen.

You can/should spend a good part of a day on Bygdoy seeing the Vikings Ship, Folk, Fram and Kon-Tiki museums. I'm partial to the Fram polar museum (read about Fridtjof Nansen before visiting) and enjoyed walking around the Folk outdoor museum. Take the boat from the pier near City Hall to the Bygdoy peninsula and return by either boat or bus. Boat doesn't run during the winter. Again all covered by the Oslo Card.

Michele,

all of my time in Norway was in Oslo so far.

what i enjoyed the most was:

• Frogner Park especially the sculptures. Not your average type or what I'm use to seeing or have studied. really nice break from the norm.
• bygdoy and the outdoor cultural museum.
  

I'm sure there were a several more too.

happy trails.

Frogner park was probably my favorite stop. Not just for the statues or landscaping, but for the people (and dog) watching. Go on a clear warm day and just enjoy being there.

I also enjoyed a similar type of ambience along Stranden, which is a promenade by the Rådhusplassen filled with restaurants and bars.

I probably would have enjoyed the open air folk museum a little more, but about half the buildings were closed on the day I visited. Still, it's interesting to see how poor one of the planet's most wealthy countries used to be little more than a century ago.

Frogner Park and the folk museum were my favorites. If I was saying one thing not to miss in Oslo, it would probably be Frogner Park (with the Vigeland sculptures) because it is pretty unique, but the many of places the previous posters have listed are things I also enjoyed.

Frogner Park is great for the sculptures, a must see. The Folk Museum and the Viking Ships are definitely worth a stop as well. I can't recommend the Viking Ships enough, and just an hour (or even 30 minutes) is enough to take it all in. If you're into art, check out the Munch Museum.

I would like to add to Edgar's remarks about the Fram : There are two fine books by the English author Roland Huntford that will enrich a visit to the Fram Museum , one is an extensive biography of Nansen and the other ( One of my favorite books , from 1980 ) , entitled : " The Last Place on Earth " . This is the story of the 1910 race to the South Pole between Roald Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott . Amundsen made the voyage in the Fram with Nansen's assent , and this part of the tale is heart rending in and of itself . Also , berthed next to the Fram is the Gjoa , the diminuitive vessel with which Amundsen conquered the Northwest passage in 1906 . Huntford's account of the Antarctic voyage caused quite an uproar in 1980 since it restored numerous deletions and alterations in Scott's journals made by the British Admiralty in order to enable them to lionize Scott after the tragic demise of the entire British polar party .

Fridtjof Nansen was an amazing person - scientist, arctic explorer and humanitarian awarded a Nobel Peace Prize. (Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo's Rådhus, city hall building). Wikipedia's article on Nansen is a good summary of his accomplishments including spending over a year on the ice after leaving the Fram in an attempt to reach the North Pole on foot with Johansen.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fridtjof_Nansen

A good read of Nansen's attempt to reach the North Pole and the role of the Fram is Nansen's book "Farthest North" still in print:
http://www.amazon.com/Farthest-North-Modern-Library-Exploration/dp/0375754725/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1399853010&sr=1-2&keywords=farthest+north

Another good read is Nansen's earlier but successful first crossing of Greenland:
http://www.amazon.com/First-Crossing-Greenland-Classic-Reprint/dp/B0094YVHR8/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1399853109&sr=1-10&keywords=nansen+fridtjof

Everyone's ideas thus far are wonderful; I'd add a stop at the opera house- you can walk on the roof. Hard to explain, but you'll see what I mean! It's a beautiful building!

Folk museum is my absolute favorite. Best right before christmas, but wonderful the rest of the year as well.
The opera building is also quite unique!

Thank you everyone! We leave 2 weeks from today and we are getting excited. The Oslo card is going to work really well for us. For those who have purchased...did you purchase it before leaving, or when you arrived in Oslo?

The Oslo Card is easily purchased in Oslo from the tourist office (including the one in the train station), so there's no need to buy it ahead.

Thank you Harold! We will do that. It is quite the deal for the time we will be there. And my in laws being seniors, it is an even better deal.

If you buy a 24 hour Oslo Card, you can buy a 24 hour transit pass for your other day in Oslo. You should be able to buy the transit pass at the Oslo S. Tickets purchased on the bus are up charged. Remember to validate.
https://ruter.no/en/tickets/oslo_and_akershus/

We were in Oslo earlier this week. We were gifted with 3 Oslo passes by a couple leaving the city early. Lovely gift and saved us a ton. We had to buy one and were able to purchase at the hotel. We walked everywhere. Loved walking the city, walking to the top of the opera house, Akurhus fortress, Frogner park. The fram and kon tiki and the Viking museums were stifling hot. And we were there in the morning. Loved the outdoor folk museum. There was a strong police presence due to a terrorist threat and the city hall and palace were closed.

I have very brief stay in Oslo but took time to visit the Resistance Museum which is located at the Akershus Fortress. The museum was a great choice as it thoroughly profiled Norway's experience in the Second World War. However, a very pleasant surprise came after I lef the the museum and went around to the back of the museum which overlooks the Oslo Fjord. The view of Oslo and the Oslo Fjord was breathtaking. The enitre Akershus Fortress is a worthwhile stop.

the advice looks good