By: Chris ⎜ Last updated
The hotel is located very centrally in Oslo. Stortinget metro is three minutes away, Nationaltheateret Metro and Train station, where the Airport Express stops, less than ten. For sightseeing on foot, the Royal Palace, Aker Brygge, the National Museum, and the Opera House are all fairly easy walks. You can stay here without needing a bus or tram ticket if all you want to do is experience Oslo and see the central attractions.
A heritage hotel
Bristol has been in operation for more than a century. It's technically part of the Thon Hotels group, but nothing about being inside the building indicates that it is a chain hotel. The lobby has the weight of an old European grand hotel with wood-panelled corridors and original chandeliers. The most recent renovation updated the rooms without gutting the period character, so you get all the modern comforts alongside antique-style furnishings.
The rooms are quite variable in standard though. Some rooms are freshly renovated, but a few are still slightly dated and won't match the lobby and Library Bar downstairs. Make sure you get a recently updated room when you book.
Be aware that the street can be a bit noisy. Rear or courtyard-facing rooms are significantly quieter, which is even more important during summer when you might have to open the window for ventilation as the air conditioning is not top notch.
Bristol is heavy and old-fashioned. The people who will love this hotel, will do so because of the character. There is no Scandinavian minimalism here.
Breakfast
The breakfast buffet is amongst the best hotel breakfasts in central Oslo. The waiter serves coffee at your table, the spread is huge, the hot dishes rotate, and everything seems to run smoothly even when the hotel is full. Just make sure it's included in the room rate.
The Library Bar
Head to the Library Bar for the live piano music twice a day. With leather armchairs and low lighting, the Vinterhaven (Winter Garden) is a place where locals also go. An atmospheric place for a pre dinner drink.
Bristol Grill occupies a separate room with oak panelling and a sort of English-club feel. The menu is seasonal Norwegian. It's a solid hotel restaurant, but not somewhere you would go just for the food. Don't expect a Michelin ambition, however it's a solid option for a hotel meal.
Bristol Spa
The spa recently opened and occupies three floors in an adjacent building. It's Moroccan and Moorish inspired, with warm-toned archways and interior that seems out of place in Scandinavia. The pool on the third floor is surrounded by stone niches and mosaic tiles, and the lighting sets the mood.
Check out the hot-and-cold circuit. The snow room is refreshing after a hot sauna session, and the rainwalk shower on the third floor, where tropical-temperature water falls onto natural stones that massages the soles of your feet, is unlike any other spa in Oslo.
Note that the spa entry is not included in the standard room rate.
Luxury alternatives
Hotel Continental is the nearest competitor, one block away, with the same heritage positioning. It has been family-owned for four generations, and really prides itself on exceptional service. Continental's Theatercaféen is a better restaurant than the Bristol Grill. It´s a proper Oslo institution, where you need to book ahead because locals are also heading here, especially on weekends.
Sommerro is a brand new hotel and is for people who want the heritage-building story with a more contemporary twist. The hotel is art deco inspired with a full spa and a rooftop pool. The clientele is younger and more design-conscious than at Bristol and Continental.
Amerikalinjen, near Oslo S, has the same heritage architecture, and like Sommerro is a fairly new hotel. The interior is design-forward and New York-influenced. The jazz bar has more energy than Bristol's quiet Library Bar on most nights.
The Thief is the opposite of Bristol in almost every way. It's a modern glass-and-granite building on the waterfront at Tjuvholmen, with a curated contemporary art collection on the walls, fjord views from the rooms, and free entry to the Astrup Fearnley Museum next door. What you get here is a more contemporary experience, a rooftop bar with harbour views and a waterfront setting.
What to do nearby
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