Holmenkollen Ski Museum & Jump Tower

The lift to the top of the jump tower is the real draw for most visitors. The elevator runs up the inside of the jump's steel structure, emerging at a platform 60 metres above the landing hill — which is itself on a ridge already high above Oslo. The combined effect is a view that takes in the entire city, the Oslofjord, and on clear days the mountains far to the north. The sensation at the top of the tower — looking straight down the jump ramp at the landing hill below — provides visceral appreciation of what ski jumpers actually experience.

The museum and jump are popular year-round, but the most memorable time to visit is during the Holmenkollen ski festival in early March, when 50,000 spectators line the hillside for the jumping competition and cross-country races. The atmosphere — Norwegian flags, brass bands, children on skis, and the extraordinary sight of athletes flying 130 metres through winter air — is unlike any other sporting event in Europe.

Take T-bane Line 1 from the city centre (direction Frognerseteren) to Holmenkollen station — a 20-minute journey that itself offers good views as the line rises above the city. The museum entrance is a short walk from the station. The Oslo Pass covers admission to both the museum and the lift.