Step off the Flytoget airport express at Nationaltheatret station and the hotel entrance is 50 meters away. No taxi, no dragging luggage through slush. That alone puts the Continental in a different category from every other high-end hotel in Oslo.
This is a family-run place that's been open since 1900, and it feels like it, in a good way. The lobby corridors double as a gallery of original Edvard Munch lithographs. Downstairs, Theatercaféen is a Viennese-style grand café that's been pulling in locals for over a century. It's loud, theatrical, full of suits and scarves. Not a tourist trap.
The rooms are a different story. Entry-level singles and petite doubles clock in around 18 to 20 square meters. That's tight for what you're paying. The finishings are high quality, the beds are absurdly comfortable, and bathrooms come with proper toiletries, separate shower and tub. But the square footage is modest. You're paying for the address and the service, not the space.
Rooms facing Stortingsgata get street noise, especially on weekends. Request a room facing the inner courtyard if sleep matters more than the view. Dead silent back there.
No pool. No spa. The gym is fine, TechnoGym equipment, open 24 hours, but windowless. If you want a rooftop pool and a buzz, Sommerro is more for you. Also check you the Grand Hotel a stone throw away, featuring both a pool and a spa. The Continental is for people who'd rather drink coffee in classic surroundings than pose by an infinity edge.