Who needs a guidebook when you have a street-smart local guiding you away from the tourist crowds to hidden gems of the capital, like the weird but wonderful Mini Bottle Gallery? Pass an array of venues to the rockers on your way to tiny street Torgotta in the heart of the city, lined with pastel-colored buildings and teeming with pedestrians and cyclists heading to their favorite cafés — your host knows just the spot to try later. Pass by the medieval Akershus Fortress as you make your way to the port for a look at trendy foodie haven Vippa Oslo, perched on the edge of the lapping fjord. Next, dart away to urban burro Tøyen, where art doesn't only hang in galleries but is plastered on everything from streets and buildings to nooks in hidden alleyways.