Hotel Continental, Oslo – four generations opposite the National Theatre

Opened in 1900 with 30 rooms and Theatercaféen, Oslo's grand hotel has been run by the same family since 1909 – and keeps a collection of Munch prints in its lobby bar.

In December 1900, shortly after the National Theatre opened across the street, Hotel Continental opened its doors on Stortingsgata in Oslo, with 30 rooms and a café on its lower floors. The café was Theatercaféen, and both are still there. So is the family that took over the lease in 1909: today the hotel is owned by Elisabeth C. Brochmann, the fourth generation to run it.

Hotel Continental now fills an entire city block in the centre of Oslo, with 151 rooms and suites. It has been a member of The Leading Hotels of the World since 1975, and in 2025 it was awarded one Michelin Key in the first Michelin hotel selection for Norway.

01Caroline and Christian Boman Hansen

The hotel was first owned by a brewery, Foss Bryggeri, and run by a succession of tenants, none of whom stayed long. In 1909 Caroline and Christian Boman Hansen took over the lease, and within three years they had bought the business. Christian died in 1915; Caroline carried on alone.

Their son Arne joined in 1927. During the occupation he fled to Sweden in 1942, and the authorities of the Nasjonal Samling regime confiscated the business and the family's assets. After the war the family returned, and from 1953 Arne's daughter Ellen Brochmann ran the hotel. Her daughter Elisabeth took over as director in 1985.

02Three stages, one city block

The hotel grew in three stages. In 1932 an extension towards Olav Vs gate, drawn by the architect Ole Øvergaard, added 76 rooms with private bathrooms, the lobby bar Dagligstuen and a banqueting wing, and the main entrance moved to Stortingsgata. Around 1960 an eight-storey building with 88 more rooms followed, and in 1995 a conference centre.

03Theatercaféen

Theatercaféen, opposite the National Theatre, has been part of the hotel since its first day. In 1949 the café was remodelled in a way that broke with its original character, and in 1971, at the wish of Ellen Brochmann, it was restored to its Art Nouveau appearance. A chambre séparée and a bar were added in 2010.

04Munch in the lobby bar

The hotel has a substantial art collection, and Dagligstuen, the lobby bar of 1932, holds a large collection of prints by Edvard Munch. According to Wikipedia, the gourmet restaurant Eik Annen Etage is run by the chef Ole Jonny Eikefjord in partnership with the investor Petter Stordalen.

05Central Oslo on foot

The National Theatre is across the street, Karl Johans gate and the Royal Palace a few minutes away, and the City Hall and the harbour at Aker Brygge lie just to the south. More of the world's great hotels are collected on metromode.co and in our list of the world's 100 best hotels, and Metro Mode's restaurant coverage is gathered under food and drink.

06Making the most of a stay

Book a table at Theatercaféen before or after a performance at the National Theatre, and take a drink in Dagligstuen among the Munch prints. The Royal Palace park is a short walk away for a morning stroll.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.