Oslo’s revitalized waterfront shines with modern architectural drama. The National Opera house beckons visitors to stroll across its sloping marble roof. Brooding masterpieces evoke contemplation inside the angular Munch Museum. Electric tour boats glide across the azure water of the Oslofjord.

 

Yet just steps from the harbor stands a quieter landmark, a century-old building with a tile roof that links Norway and North America.

 

Thousands of emigrants once began their transatlantic journeys here, departing from the headquarters of the Norwegian America Line. Clutching luggage and hope, families boarded steamships in the early 1900s that would reshape generations.

 

Today, the building houses one of Oslo’s most distinctive boutique hotels: Amerikalinjen. Its careful restoration blends maritime history with contemporary Scandinavian style. Awarded a Michelin Key in 2025, the hotel has evolved into a welcoming base for exploring Norway’s vibrant capital and, in my case, connecting with family roots.

 

I discovered the hotel on a recent trip to Oslo to meet distant cousins and learn more about the homeland of my great-grandmother, Sina Nielson Thompson. She crossed the Atlantic by sailing ship in 1869 in more harrowing conditions. Walking through the hotel, I felt closer to her story—and to those of others who followed.

 

To read the full story, please click on this link to FoodWineTravel Magazine.

 

To learn more about my visit to Norway, please read about my Norwegian cruise with Havila Voyages in Travel Weekly and in SheBuysTravel.