Bergen
Viking fans will feel right at home at this impressive ceremonial hall, built by King Håkon Håkonsson in 1247–61 and completed for his son's wedding and…
Must-see attractions in Norway
The Western Fjords
A catch-all museum covering the whole of Sogn og Fjordane county, this museum explores the coast in all its varied forms. It's spread over several…
Southern Norway
Author, playwright and so-called 'Father of Modern Drama' Henrik Ibsen was born in Skien on 20 March 1828. In 1835 the family fell on hard times and moved…
The Far North
Outside, this little museum has a fully fledged traditional Sami settlement, complete with an early home, temporary dwellings, and outbuildings such as…
Central Norway
One of Norway's newest national parks, Breheimen opened in 2009 and covers 1691 sq km. It's wedged between the Jotunheimen and Jostedalsbreen national…
Southern Norway
Set in a smelter dating from 1844 (the old furnaces survive in the basement), this museum tells Kongsberg's story with relics, models and mineral displays…
Bergen & the Southwestern Fjords
The 350 Viking burial mounds found here make this the largest Iron Age site in western Norway, dating from AD 400 to 1000. The tourist office can point…
Central Norway
These wild marshes are home to an astonishing array of bird life. Approximately 87 species nest in the area and 162 species in total have been observed…
Stavanger
Dragging kids round a museum can be a tough proposition, but this is one place that's designed specifically with them in mind. It traces the changing…
Oslo
Within the Akershus Fortress complex the Norwegian Resistance Museum stands adjacent to a memorial for resistance fighters executed on this spot during…
The Northern Fjords
From Dombås, the E136 and rail line drop in parallel northwest down to Romsdalen (you might have a sense of déjà vu if you’ve seen Harry Potter and the…
Southern Norway
Norse sagas mention the 13th-century fortress of Isegran, an islet in the Glomma that became a further line of defence against Sweden in the mid-17th…
Aker Brygge & Bygdøy
Like the Astrup Fearnley Museet that it surrounds, this sculpture park was designed by Renzo Piano and is also dedicated to international contemporary art…
The Coast
Rising above the cape is the evocative Lindesnes Fyr, a classic lighthouse. In two of the buildings you'll pass as you climb to the cape, there are…
Trondheim
There's been a bridge here since 1681, connecting the city with the Kristiansten Fort and guarded at each end by a watch-house (although only one now…
Central Norway
This delightful Norman-style stave church, in the centre of town on a rise by the water, is one of Norway's finest. Still the functioning local church, it…
Central Norway
For a gritty insight into Røros' mining past, head 13km north of Røros to this centuries-old mine, where ore has been extracted since the 1650s. Tours…
Southern Norway
Around 9km northwest of Valle, this farm has a unique three-storey storehouse dating to 1590, and an extraordinary collection of 15th-century painted…
Lofoten
The Lofoten Stockfish Museum is housed in a former fish warehouse. You'll be bowled over by Steinar Larsen, its enthusiastic, polyglot owner, who meets…
Vesterålen
The whale centre provides a perspective for whale-watchers, with displays on whale research, hunting and the life cycle of these gentle giants. Most…
Bergen
At the end of the Nordnes Peninsula, this aquarium makes a worthwhile trip, especially for families. There are around 60 individual aquaria here, housing…
Oslo
Emanual Vigeland, brother to the more famous Gustav, began construction on this large, vaulted space in 1926, with plans to make it a museum. The dimly…
Arctic Highway
The most accessible and most visited of the caves around Mo is 22km north of town. There's electric lighting (it's the only illuminated tourist cave in…
The Western Fjords
On the southern outskirts of the village stands this splendid stave church, Built in 1130, and Norway’s second oldest, it escaped demolition by a whisker…
Kristiansand
Strandpromenaden's hulking centrepiece is the distinctive Christiansholm Fortress. Built by royal decree between 1662 and 1672 to keep watch over the…
The Far North
At Mortensnes, on the E75, about 15km east of Varangerbotn, you can stroll towards the shore amid traces of early Sami culture. At the western end, past…
Bergen & the Southwestern Fjords
US light artist James Turrell is known for his fascination with light, and has created a series of 'skyspaces' around the world, which are geometrical…
The Western Fjords
Reached via a turn-off from the main road north from Fjærland, this small glacier creeps down the mountainside into an isolated valley. Trails lead from…
Southern Norway
This excellent Østfold county museum lies in the town of Sarpsborg (14km northeast of Fredrikstad). The open-air display contains 30 period buildings from…
The Far North
Protecting most of the interior of the Varanger Peninsula, this wild and windswept national park was shaped before the last Ice Age and is one of Norway's…
Bergen & the Southwestern Fjords
Under the direction of the Kunsthuset Kabuso, this permanent collection of the work of Ingebrigt Vik (1867–1927), one of Norway's best-loved sculptors, is…
Central Norway
Train spotters will have steam blowing out of their ears at the sight of this lovely railway museum, which brings together a fine collection of train…
The Far North
Exhibits at the Sami National Museum, also called the Sami Collection, include displays of colourful, traditional Sami clothing, tools and artefacts, and…
Central Norway
The excellent Olympic museum is at the Håkons Hall ice-hockey venue. On the ground floor there is a well-presented display covering the ancient Olympic…
Agder Natural History Museum & Botanic Gardens
Kristiansand
The winding paths through the established 50-hectare park at Gimle Estate lead through a botanic garden that also contains rocks, minerals, stuffed…
The Far North
The Sami Parliament was established in 1989 and meets four times annually. In 2000 it moved into a glorious new building, encased in mellow Siberian wood,…
Sofienberg, Grønland & Tøyen
Under the trees of Oslo's Botanical Garden, the university's serious-looking Natural History Museum comprises two different collections: the Zoological…
Central Norway
Step back into the past at this surprisingly fascinating folk museum, which has collected around 180 buildings from other parts of Norway, mostly from the…
Sofienberg, Grønland & Tøyen
Oslo's 6.5-hectare Botanical Garden – the oldest in Norway – has a beautiful woody arboretum, a sublime scent garden, a mini-mountain landscape and a…
Bodø
Recounting the short history of Bodø, this little gem of a museum has a cheerily entertaining and informative 25-minute film with English subtitles on the…
