Norwegian Aviation Museum

Lonely Planet review

The Norwegian Aviation Museum is huge fun to ramble around if you have even a passing interest in flight and aviation history. Allow at least half a day to roam its 10,000 sq m. If you're flying into Bodø for real, you'll see that, from above, the striking modern grey and smoked glass main museum building has the shape of an aeroplane propeller.

Exhibits include a complete control tower and hands-on demonstrations. The affiliated Norwegian Air Force Museum has plenty of examples of historic military and civilian aircraft from the Tiger Moth to the U2 spy plane (the ill-fated US plane that was shot down over the Soviet Union in 1960, creating a major diplomatic incident, was en route from Peshawar in Pakistan to Bodø). Children and kids at heart will thrill and shudder at the small simulator, which, for an extra charge, takes you on some pretty harrowing virtual flights, including a piloting a fighter jet.