Oslo

For nearly three centuries, Oslo answered to Christiania – a name the Danish crown imposed after fire destroyed the medieval city in 1624. Norwegians reclaimed Oslo only in 1925, and even then the capital had a quietly undecided quality.

The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded here each December; Edvard Munch painted The Scream watching a blood-red Oslo sunset; and Akershus Castle has guarded this fjord since the 1300s. The city that gave the world that image of existential dread ranks consistently among the happiest on earth. Oslo holds its contradictions lightly.

Karl Johans gate carries the tourist traffic, running from the Royal Palace to the waterfront. But the Akerselva – once a working river flanked by mills – now flows through Grünerløkka as the city's green artery. Friluftsliv – outdoor life as a democratic right – begins where the pavement ends.

VoiceMap's self-guided audio tours follow both: the waterfront walk past the angular Opera House to Akershus Fortress, and the river route through Grünerløkka. Plug in your earbuds. Oslo rewards the curious.