The Viking Ship Museum is a must-do, if you're ever in Oslo. Ticket prices for adults are 100 NOK…read more($12 USD) and entry is free for children. However, I recommend purchasing the Oslo Pass, since it grants you free admission to all museums and public transportation. There are about 6 museums located in this area of Bygdøy. The Oseberg Viking Ship and the Gokstad Viking Ship are impressive. There is also a visual presentation of viking history every 15 minutes. The museum has many viking artifacts. It's small. You can probably see the whole thing in about one hour or so. The gift shop is also the cheapest of all the museum gift shops. 4 stars. Wonderful museum.

The Viking Ship Museum is part of the Museum of Cultural History of the University of Oslo. With…read moreyour NOK 100 or $11.24 USD ticket purchase at the entrance door to the Viking Ship Museum you are also entitled to free admission to the History Museum of Oslo located on the University of Oslo campus. You can use Mastercard, Visa or the Oslo pass. Tickets can not be purchased online. The Fram, Norwegian Maritime and Kno-Tiki museums are nearby. Three Viking ships are displayed here. the Oseberg (820 AD), Gokstad (900 AD), Tune (910 AD). These were all excavated between 1854-1904. The Borre Mound cemetery was a major source of artifacts including skeletal remains, wood carvings, sledges, small boats, cart tools and household utensils. There are not as many artifacts as you might find in other museums but the Viking Ship Museum allows you to get up-close to the ships. Information is presented in both Norwegian and English and a QR code lets you download additional information. You can also download a free app at ITunes or Google Play. There is a museum brochure in 14 different languages as well. A film "The Viking Alive" is screen all day in a separate room and on the wall. The cafe serves light food and rinks during the summer. The gift shop has unique Viking era jewelry, souvenirs, games, toys and books. Toilets are in the basement.

I remember long ago learning about the Kon-Tiki when I was much younger and now finally got to see…read moreit in person while in Oslo. The museum was a short ferry ride on the Bygdoy ferry that departed from City Hall Pier 3. The ferry ride and museum admission were included in our Oslo Pass. Once inside the Kon Tiki balsa wood ship was to the left and the Ra II reed boat was to the right. The museum seemed a little older but overall presented the Kon Tiki expedition in an easy to follow manner with lots of interesting artifacts. It was also surprising to learn about the post sailing and the effort needed to bring the Kon Toki back to Norway which eventually led to the renovation and housing in this museum. Thor Heyerdahl also funded and led other expeditions and the Easter Island one was covered in detail while following a tunnel down below. The Ra II was housed in the final section of the museum. It was another proof of concept that worked out the second time with this reed boat. The expedition also collected details about the oil spills found on their journey and the resulting actions taken. While it's convenient to see this museum after the Fram or Maritime museums (located right across the parking lot from each other) one may want to split the visit so you don't get overloaded with seeing boats.

This museum packs a lot into a small space. Basically a museum built to commemorate the voyages of…read moreThor Heyerdoll, it preserved two of his boats the Kontiki and the raw two that made groundbreaking voyages using only the current for power. There were many fascinating things about life on board, and Thor hired all himself, as well as the wildlife they encountered on their voyages.

This is a beautiful Culture Centre (Arts Centre? Not sure of the direct translation) just outside…read morethe centre of Oslo. Even if you're traveling with small kids or fussy "meh, not really into art"-types, Henie Onstad is worth a visit. It's a beautiful site, and the drive from Oslo (we took a car, but local public transportation makes it accessible via bus) takes you along the water. Henie Onstad has an indoor structure with a gift shop and whatever exhibitions are on at the time (note: there is a cost for admission). There is also a lovely cafe serving a variety of options. When we were there most were opting for glasses of chilled wine on a balmy July afternoon, with outdoor seating overlooking the water. I can think of few locations better. The real star of the show, though, is the outside of Henie Onstad. It serves as a great public park space where kids and dogs and local Norwegians sit, and picnic, and sun themselves on the rocks. Because the site is on a point there are both public and more private spots to relax; in the case of the former there are two main swimming areas with great jumping spots to launch off of into the water. Spotted around the grounds are also many sculptures; some abstract, some less so, and it's a great time just walking around trying to pick out all of the art. No wifi, but free parking. Recommended visit. Yelp note: it seems like a destination spot for a lot of locals on a sunny day. Looking out over the marina remember to bring your bathing suit and maybe even a few sausages...the man next to us had a portable grill so you could get lucky and score a cheap meal AND a great swimming hole surrounded by art at no-cost (DREAMDATE).

Highlight of our Oslo trip hands down!…read more There are indoor and outdoor exhibitors, making this museum agreeable to whatever the weather has in mind for the day. While the indoor exhibits are fun and educational, my family and I found the outdoor displays especially interesting and fun. Tons of photo opps, and lots of places with shade if you're worried about sun exposure. Inside there are even legos and books (in Norwegian) for children. Be sure to look for: -Kong Oscar church (absolutely beautiful) -the horses! -staff dressed up in traditional Norwegian clothing Keep in mind: -outdoors has some inclines (not the most stroller friendly, but doable) Tip: bring a selfie stick to get some photos in front of some of the very tall outdoor displays!

This is a super cool museum that I would recommend you go when the weather is nice. I unfortunately…read morevisited while it was extremely cold and couldn't see the entire museum because a lot of it is outdoors. But from what I did see it has a lot of history and seeing historical buildings was super cool! The inside museums were cool too going through the history of attire, homes, jobs, etc. If you want to learn more about Norways history visit this museum!

Spread across two buildings the Astrup Fearnley Museet is a waterfront museum designed by Renzo…read morePiano that features several modern masters from various schools of thought. Whether one prefers neon or sculpture, shock-art or classic thinking the genre is likely represented. Located at the far end of Aker Brygge expect scenic views amidst quiet, while staff if pleasant and educated.

At the far end of the area called Aker Brygge, modern buildings, lots of restaurants lining the…read morewharf and at the end you will find Astrup Fearnley Museum. It's stunning architecture is mesmerizing. The museum is split into two thou creating one unit. The museum houses contemporary art work, most have a surrealist feel. It took us a few hours to explore every floor and look at all the art work. Some art work was questionable and horrifying. For me, many were disturbing and dark. Though there were some remarkable pieces such as the famous gold porcelain statue of Michael Jackson and his monkey Bubbles and most disturbing was Damien Hirst "Mother and Child" a cow and her calf split in the middle floating in formaldehyde. It's the first thing you see when you enter. Very spacious museum and you didn't feel confined at all. Adult price is $15.00 or 320 NOK. Free lockers are available which is a plus. There is a book store and cafe if you want to relax. There is also an outdoor space for sitting at the cafe which is lovely overlooking Oslo bay.

Excellent museum, be sure to stand on the ship during the Stormy seas for an almost 3D experience…read more The displays were very thorough and informative, I learned a lot about Arctic exploration. We spent 1 and a half hours here and certainly didn't read everything. Walk through the tunnel to the display of aviation history at the North Pole and take in the 5 minute simulation of the first flight to the North Pole, complete with vibrating seats.

Probably the best and most interesting museum in Oslo that we visited! It tells the story of the…read moreFram, which is a ship instrumental in both artic and antarctic exploration, detailing everything about the journeys, crew, impacts, and all related. The most impressive is that they have the actual ship in the museum, where you are able to go inside and see all the decks and the places where the crew would have been living in. There is also a separate connected building that similarly displays the Gjoa. This area is less traversed, but it was still a very interesting read! Would highly recommend trying to fit this into your schedule!