Bergen
Located on the university campus, Bergen's sea-themed museum is worth a look for its collection of model ships, including a few Viking galleons. There are…
Must-see attractions in Norway
Bergen & the Southwestern Fjords
In Vedavågen, on the island's west coast, this striking museum explores the region's modern fishing industry and also has a saltwater aquarium. It's…
The Western Fjords
This modest, rather old-fashioned aquarium focuses on the saltwater inhabitants of the Sognefjord, with some 24 aquariums stocked with crustaceans, fish…
Svolvær
Housed in the town's old post office, Lofoten's little war-memorial museum recounts the islands' role in the drama of WWII, when the islands were occupied…
The Northern Fjords
Constructed in 1914, Kristiansund's monumental theatre, although rather austere from the outside, has an attractive art nouveau interior that's definitely…
Bergen & the Southwestern Fjords
For an all-encompassing overview of the Hardangervidda National Park, this excellent visitor centre should be your first port of call. Interactive…
The Coast
A 1730 brick structure immediately east of the harbour is home to maritime art and a number of impressive model ships. Colin Archer, the famous Norwegian…
Arctic Highway
About 30km south of Mosjøen and a 600m detour from the E6, the roaring 17m-high Laksforsen waterfall has leaping salmon in season. It makes a pleasant…
Ålesund
Built of solid stone in 1909, Ålesund's parish church has a strikingly wide chancel, every square inch covered in frescoes over the wide sweep of its…
Tromsø
Between 1949 and 1981, this historic seal-hunting ship killed (or 'brought home', as the literature euphemistically expresses it) nearly 100,000 seals. It…
Svolvær
The Lofoten Theme Gallery is very much the creation of one man, Geir Nøtnes, a keen photographer from a fishing background. It's devoted mainly to cod…
The Northern Fjords
An only-in-the-fjords extravaganza, bas-relief wood carvings fashioned by local carpenter Oddvin Parr illustrate the Peer Gynt legend, along with a 35…
Bergen & the Southwestern Fjords
Just 1km west of Norheimsund along Rv7, this 50m-high waterfall is a far cry from Norway's highest, but it does offer the chance to walk behind the water…
Bergen
An essential complement to the Hanseatic Museum, Schøtstuene is a reconstruction of one of the original assembly halls where the fraternity of Hanseatic…
Bergen & the Southwestern Fjords
This folk museum, near the Stalheim Hotel, has exhibits of traditional crafts and rustic objects as well as 30 log buildings laid out as a traditional…
Nordland
This place feels like a missed opportunity. A fairly run-of-the-mill cafe and the odd information panel are all you'll find at first glance. Ask, however,…
Bergen & the Southwestern Fjords
The burial site of Viking King Harald Fairhair, the first king of a unified Norway, is 1.5km north of Haugesund. The obelisk memorial, erected in 1872,…
Western Finnmark
Honningsvåg's Nordkapp Museum, next to the Hurtigruten dock, illustrates the impact of early visitors to the cape, the hard days in the immediate…
Tromsø
Domkirke, the Lutheran Church of Norway's cathedral, is one of Norway's largest wooden churches. Its opening hours are erratic, but you can take a photo…
The Northern Fjords
Serving as a WWII museum and memorial, this defensive fortification was erected by Nazi forces in 1940. Various armaments and a network of bunkers and…
The Far North
A bell in the porch of this early-19th-century octagonal church dates from 1698. The ingenious heating system, with wood stoves and hot-water pipes…
The Coast
Verkensgården has tools and implements from a local 17th-century sawmill and ironworks. There's also a permanent geological exhibition documenting the…
Southern Norway
In Porsgrunn, just south of Skien, is one of Norway's best-known and longest-running porcelain factories. You can book a tour to see artisans painting the…
Bergen
This stone church, with its Romanesque entrance and twin towers, dates from the early 12th century and is Bergen's oldest building. The interior features…
Bodø
This striking, austere structure, completed in 1956, has a soaring, freestanding tower and spire. Shaped like an inverted ship's hull, the walls of its…
Trøndelag
Namdal Museum has displays on local history, including the typical wooden sailing boats of the area, and is – hold on to your hat – 'Norway's only museum…
The Northern Fjords
The Norwegian Fjord Centre puts the Geiranger area into context, with exhibitions covering avalanches, floods, the building of early roads and the rise of…
Trondheim
The epicentre of town is Torvet, the central square (also spelt 'Torget') with its statue of King Olav Tryggvason atop a column that acts as a huge…
Narvik
This small but revealing museum illustrates the military campaigns fought hereabouts in the early years of WWII. The presentation may not be flash but it…
Stavanger
The empire-style Ledaal was constructed between 1799 and 1803 for wealthy merchant shipowner Gabriel Schanche Kielland. Recently restored, and featuring…
Oslo
Built in 1866, Norway's yellow-brick parliament building is one of Europe's more charming parliaments. If you find yourself really hooked on Norwegian…
Trondheim
Suitably close to the river, this small museum is dedicated to the city's maritime history. It's probably only of specialist interest, for those who like…
Trondheim
During excavations for the library on Kongens gate, archaeologists found the ruins of a 12th-century church, thought to be Olavskirken, now visible…
Svalbard
Ny Ålesund's neat little Mine Museum is in the old Tiedemann's Tabak (tobacco) shop. It recounts the coal-mining history of the area – it's a simple but…
The Coast
On the shore of Hellefjord, 3km from the centre, this museum consists of a 120-hectare estate with a country residence dating from 1803. There are gardens…
Narvik
In this cemetery, beside the E6 on the north side of town, are monuments to the French and Polish troops who fought alongside the Norwegians on land, and…
Bergen
Built in the 1560s by Bergen governor Erik Rosenkrantz, this tower was a residence and defence post. It also incorporates parts of the keep (1273) of King…
Central Norway
Behind Norsk Fjellmuseum, this museum is a collection of 19th-century farm buildings, several stabbur (elevated store houses), an old hut (it's claimed…
Bergen & the Southwestern Fjords
This stone church dates back to 1250 (although the tower was added in the 1880s) and has some fine stained-glass windows. It's surrounded by an…
Southern Norway
For displays of local and worldwide minerals, this well-run park is every rock collector's dream come true, with a wonderful world of colour and quartz,…
