OSLO IS ONE OF EUROPE’S SMALLEST CAPITALS, with a population of only 672,000. Its Scandinavian latitude means long, dark winters and many cold nights. Summers are short and sweet, the time to get outside and enjoy the spectacular scenery.

Citizens take their ecology seriously, as evidenced by an extensive recycling program and the cleanest roadways you’ll find anywhere. Visitors are in awe of its pristine fjords named by National Geographic as “the best unspoiled travel destination in the world.” During those long winters, people have their favorite places to entertain friends and clients or just hang out and relax, regardless of the weather.

If you prefer to combine some shopping with a taste of Norwegian nightlife (some bars don’t serve until 9 p.m.), a good place to start in central Oslo is the main pedestrian street, Karl Johan, with its designer shops, upscale bars and restaurants. Or stay warm in the downtown shopping malls: Paleet, Eger and Steen & Strøm. Then venture to Hegdehaugsveien, another great street for shopping.

For evening cultural offerings, check on the performances at the Oslo Opera House on the waterfront. Or stroll the Aker Brygge and Tjuvholmen seaside areas and meet some locals relaxing after work. Oslo’s main jazz venue is Victoria, where there’s always live music.

Not many years ago, if you walked into an Oslo pub for a beer, you got one choice. Now one pub alone, Schouss Brewpub, offers a rotation of 60. For something unique, the Underwater Pub takes you into a sunken ship between sets of, yes, opera! (Bring your own food.)

Good music and Latin cocktails draw customers to Perla, a cozy neighborhood bar. For the dance crowd, rave away at The Villa, a techno club. Sample the fare at a Japanese pub, Izakaya, which features a great selection of saké paired with traditional plates, or try Aku-Aku, a tiki bar in the center of the Løkka area.

For LGBTQ visitors, this capital prides itself on a warm welcome for everyone, but of particular note is the London Pub, downtown, an institution in Oslo since the 1970s.