Maison Oslo / Walks / Munch, in depth

Art history · 3 hours (Thursdays 3½) · English or French

Munch, in depth: two hours at MUNCH, and The Scream at dusk

MUNCH holds the largest Munch collection in the world, and most visitors rush through it. On summer evenings, from mid-June to mid-September, the museum lets independent guides lead small groups, and the building is at its calmest. We use every minute: the prints, the late colour, the experiments, the self-portraits, and the view from the top floor across the fjord to Ekeberg, where The Scream's sky was seen. On Thursdays we begin at the National Museum with the 1893 Scream itself.

Edvard Munch, The Scream, 1893
Photo: Edvard Munch · Public domain

Why you'll love it

  • Two full hours inside MUNCH with your own guide, which the museum only allows on summer evenings
  • The quiet hours: 18:00 to 21:00, when the building is at its calmest
  • Beyond The Scream: the prints, the late colour, the self-portraits and the experiments
  • On Thursdays, the 1893 Scream at the National Museum first
  • The top floor at the end: the fjord, the Opera and Ekeberg hill in the evening light
  • Headsets inside, so you hear every word without crowding

The route, minute by minute

Thursdays: Nasjonalmuseet → harbour → MUNCH (two hours) · Wed, Fri, Sat: MUNCH (two hours) → Opera roof · about 2.5 km, flat, mostly indoors

When: Summer evenings, 15 June–15 Sept: Thu 17:00 · Wed, Fri, Sat 18:00. Times below are for the first start of the day; later starts follow the same route. From 15 June to 15 September, Wednesday to Saturday from 18:00 to 21:00, MUNCH allows groups to bring their own guide; the rest of the year only the museum's guides may lead tours inside. On Thursdays we start at 17:00 at the National Museum (open until 20:00) with the 1893 Scream, then walk the harbour to MUNCH. On Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays we start at MUNCH at 18:00 and finish on the Opera roof, facing Ekeberg.

  1. Nasjonalmuseet: the 1893 Scream (Thursdays)

    Meeting point

    The Munch room: The Sick Child, Madonna, The Scream in tempera and crayon on cardboard, and the pencil line on its sky. The young Munch, and the teachers he left behind.

    Included: Museum ticket and headsets

  2. The harbour to Bjørvika

    2 km · 25 min

    Past City Hall, Akershus and the Opera. Across the water, Ekeberg hill: the road where Munch walked at sunset in 1892.

  3. MUNCH, two hours

    Arrival

    Munch after The Scream: the woodcuts and lithographs he printed again and again, the self-portraits from youth to old age, the late experiments with colour and the open air, and the works shown in the season's exhibitions. We choose the route on the day, around what is hanging.

    Included: Timed ticket and headsets

  4. The top floor, facing the fjord

    in the museum

    We end high above the harbour with a drink and the view Munch knew: the fjord, the islands and Ekeberg. On Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings we finish instead on the Opera roof, at dusk.

    Included: A drink

F

Your guide · Urban planner and founder of Maison Oslo · English · Français
Every walk is prepared with the makers, curators and sources behind each stop. Ask anything, in English or French.

Add-on

The pre-walk booklet

Route, timeline, glossary and reading list for this walk, to print at home or delivered printed to your hotel.

Preview the booklet

Good to know

Why only in summer?

MUNCH allows independent guides to lead groups only from 15 June to 15 September, Wednesday to Saturday, 18:00–21:00. The rest of the year, choose 'The Scandinavian painters', which includes The Scream at the National Museum.

Will we see The Scream?

On Thursdays, yes: the 1893 painting at the National Museum. MUNCH shows its own versions in rotation, so we plan around what is hanging.

Is it tiring?

No: most of it is indoors, with benches, and we walk slowly.

In French?

Yes. Every walk runs in English or French: choose when you book.

Read before you go

The MUNCH museum tower next to the Opera
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Is the Munch Museum worth it? An honest guide for 2026

MUNCH drew 775,000 visitors in 2025, but the building divides people and the museum faces cuts in 2026. Who should go, how long to spend, and what to see.
Edvard Munch, The Scream, 1893, National Museum, Oslo
Art history24 Sep 20263 min read

Where to see The Scream in Oslo (and why there is more than one)

The 1893 painted Scream hangs at the National Museum. MUNCH rotates its own versions. And the view that inspired it is a tram ride away. How to see all three, and when.