Must-Visit Museums in Oslo
When in Oslo: Do not miss to visit the museums on the peninsula of Bygdoy: You can easily spend a whole day exploring them.
The museums offer various different exhibitions and something for every taste: architecture, cultural heritage and adventurous, arctic expeditions.
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Do not miss to visit the following three museums:
The Norsk Folkemuseum is a must-see when visiting Oslo. It is located at the peninsula of Bygdøy in Oslo. The Open-Air Museum exhibits about 160 historic buildings from all over Norway. Some of them were rebuilt and some of them are originals, which were disassembled, transported to Oslo.
When strolling through the museum you feel like visiting a small town in the Norwegian countryside. The narrow streets lead from farmer houses to colorful neighborhoods and small stores, which seem to be straight out of the 1950’s.
If you’re looking for the typical red and wooden house – you will find lots of them here!
The most famous building by far, is the Stave Church from Gol, dating all the way back to the 13th century. This church can’t be compared to western European churches and is definitely breathtaking.
Take your time to stroll around the complete museum. We spend about two hours here and did not get bored. I can also highly recommend to visit the museum in winter as it provides an even more “Norwegian” feeling, when walking through the architectural history.
How to plan a visit to Norsk Folkemuseum?
The museum is open to visitors all year round.
October 1st – April 30th: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
May 1st – September 30th: 10 a.m. 5 p.m.
Closed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, January 1st and May 17th.
How to get there?
The museum is located at the peninsula of Bygdøy in Oslo and can easily be reached by bus:
Take bus no. 30 with destination “Bygdøy” from downtown Oslo to stop at Folkemuseet. (Check schedules and where to buy tickets at ruter.no)
Tickets:
Ticket prices vary for weekdays and weekends. Check the Website for actual information on prices and special events: Website Norsk Folkemuseum
The Vikingskiphuset Museum is located at the peninsula of Bygdøy in Oslo. If you have watched “Vikings” or if you’re interested in this topic in general, the Vikingskiphuset Museum is your museum of choice. But also, if neither of it applies to you (which also was the case for me), you will still be impressed by this museum.
The Vikingskiphuset is a rather small museum and the exhibition focuses on some Vikingships, which are the best-preserved ones in the world. In sum, three huge Viking ships are exhibited in this museum: Oseberg, Gokstad and Tune.
The actual highlight is the modern movie projection “Vikingtiden lever”, which is displayed on the walls around the Gokstad ship.
The movie is played several times per hour and shows how Vikings lived and explored land and sea.
How to plan a visit to Vikingskiphuset Museum?
The museum is currently closed due to renovations and will reopen 2025/2026. According to the website, the whole museum will be rebuilt and extended. The three Viking ships will remain the main exhibitions object, but will be accompanied by more subjects in future.
The Frammuseum is all about the great Norwegian explorers like Amundsen and Nansen and their polar expeditions. The centerpiece of the museum is the polar ship Fram.
Visitors can go on board and take a look around in the cabins, cargo area and the engine room.
A highlight is the illusional installation at the walls around the Fram: they get transformed to a wild sea, with huge waves breaking down over the ship, followed by polar lights dancing above the visitors. The installation plays every few minutes and transfers the visitors right into the heart of a polar expedition – with all its wonderful and challenging aspects.
The second ship, which is displayed at the museum, is the Gjøa. The Gjøa was the first ship to cross the northwest passage under the guidance of Amundsen in 1906.
Around the two ships further information and timelines about different arctic expeditions are on display. A lot of love was put into this museum and you definitely should not miss it when visiting Oslo.
How to plan a visit to The Frammuseum?
The museum is open to visitors all year round:
January 1 to April 30: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
May 1 to May 31: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
June 1 to August 31: 10 a.m. -5 p.m.
September 1 to September 30: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
October 1 to December 31: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
How to get there?
The museum is located at the peninsula of Bygdøy in Oslo and can easily be reached by bus:
Take bus no. 30 with destination “Bygdøy” from downtown Oslo to stop at Folkemuseet. (Check schedules and where to buy tickets at ruter.no)
Tickets:
Ticket prices vary for weekdays and weekends. Check the Website for actual information on prices and special events: Website The Frammuseum
