Tailormade tour Southern Norway Explorer Norway

Arrive Oslo and take the fast train from the airport to the city centre and spend two nights in Oslo.

The capital of Norway, Oslo, sits on the country’s southern coast at the head of the Oslofjord. Explore the national museums located in the Bygdøy Peninsula: the Fram Museum, the Norwegian Folk Museum, the Norwegian Maritim Museum, the Viking Museum and the Kon-Tiki Museum. The Fram Museum displays the strongest wooden ship ever built which still holds the record for sailing farthest south and the farthest north. The Norwegian Folk Museum is an open-air attraction showcasing the diverse wooden architecture and history of the country and its traditions. For a further insight into the history of Oslo in particular, visit Akershus Castle and Fortress. Completed during the 1300s, this mediaeval castle’s strategic location at the end of the headland enabled it to withstand every siege throughout the ages. At the castle is also the poignant Norwegian Resistance Museum. Oslo is also known for its green spaces, the most famous of which is Frogner Park, home to Vigeland Sculpture Park. This features more than 200 sculptures in bronze, granite and iron and is one of Norway’s top tourist attractions. Housed in some beautiful gardens of its own, the Royal Palace is the official seat of the Norwegian King and Queen.

Today, collect your hire-car and head south through the verdant farmland with forest-clad hills in the distance, catching glimpses of water of the Oslofjord. Off the main coastal road there are interesting diversions to follow, perhaps to Tonsberg, rich in maritime history, a former Viking settlement and the place where a farmer discovered the Oseberg Viking ship. Sandefjord. Perhaps build in a lunch stop here on a quayside bistro for smørbrød or crab, or visit Sandefjord, once a whaling centre, now with whaling museum. Near Horten there is the Midgard Viking Centre near the Borre burial mounds. Along this part of the coast there are many beaches, of sand and pebbles. Your overnight is in Larvik, at the heart of an area known for its beaches, smooth seaside rocks, and archipelago, perfect for swimming, kayaking and coastal walks. Mølen is a famous pebble beach. Larvik also has several unique attributes:  Thor Heyerdahl was born here, it is home to the Bøkeskogen, the northernmost beech tree forest in the world and home of the Farriskilden, Norway’s only natural mineral water spring. The climate is amongst the mildest in Norway. There is plenty to do: visit the Kaupang Viking Age village, try salmon fishing and freshwater fishing in the Lake Goksjø nearby and explore the 17c Manor House, wooden structure with well-preserved baroque interiors. Larvik Maritime Museum housed in the town’s oldest brick building.

This is a day of the Sørlandet coastal route, with inlets, fishing villages and their striking white weatherboard houses, rolling hills behind and a calm, picturesque aura. The drive can be undertaken in about 3-4 hours, but you must build in time to stop off along the way. Recommended places to stop include: Kragerø, Risør and Arendal. Kragerø from its sheltered position in the fjord is surrounded by over 490 islands and skerries. The archipelago is home to animal and bird life, sand and pebble beaches, the ‘Coastal Cathedral’ on the island Skåtøy, a fortress from WWII and traces of ancient mining. The unique light of this region combined with the traditional charm of the architecture have attracted many artists over the years. Edvard Munch was one such artist who lived at Skrubben in Kragerø from 1909 to 1915. Inspired by the area and its people, he painted “The Sun” and “History”. A Munch walk can be enjoyed through the town. Further south is Risør, nestling fjordside, with plentiful white, wooden houses and boats moored in the sheltered Halliday. Here you can sign up for a historic walk with a traditional watchman. Risør not only has its white houses, it is also known for its boat building, celebrated every August in its annual wooden boat festival. Before reaching Grimstad, you should visit Arendal, a bustling, historic town with an attractive waterfront, located along with its archipelago in the marine national park Raet. From Arendal, it’s a drive of about 25 minutes to Grimstad. If time runs out on this day, it’s easy enough to drive back to Arendal from your base in Grimstad.

Two days to relax in this picturesque port on Norway’s south coast. Mixture of cultural activities, sports (land and water), and exploring the nearby coastal towns, perhaps with a trip into Kristiansand at this time. Grimstad is on the Skaggerak coast, on the Groosefjorden. It is an historic and charming town, with cobbled streets, narrow lanes and traditional wooden houses, painted white and other colours. It is a town with close literary associations; both Henrik Ibsen and Knut Hamsun lived here. There is an Ibsen museum containing the room in the pharmacy in which he wrote his first play. There is also a maritime museum and the Homborsund lighthouse nearby. The five hills surrounding the town can be hiked as can the forests around the town. Between here and Kristiansand the coast is renowned for its charming holiday resorts such as Lillesand. From here you can take boat trips to Blindleia, a 7-mile-long series of inlets. Just to the north of Grimstad is the award-winning Nøgne Ø brewery, Norway’s leading producer of craft beer and ranked amongst the world’s 100 best breweries.

Today you continue your coastal drive south, perhaps stopping at Lillesand if you haven’t already visited and then at Kristiansand. Kristiansand is the capital of Sørlandet and was founded by Christian IV in 1641. It is now the fifth largest town in Norway and a delightful combination of ancient and modern. Posebyen is the old town, also composed of traditional, white-painted houses, now housing an interesting array of shops. On the waterfront is the Bystranda, urban beach, with its white sand and fringed by palm trees and heated outdoor swimming pool. At Odderøya, a former naval base, is the new Kilden theatre and music hall with the Kunstsilo (art silo) innovative art and culture centre next door. Here you’ll find three permanent collections, including the world’s largest collection of Nordic modernist art. Next place to visit en route today is Mandal, which lies at Norway’s southernmost point. This is a quaint, historic town which is home to the Vigeland house and a fishing history exhibition. Nearby is Lindesnes with its lighthouse built in 1915 on the site of Norway’s first ever lighthouse from 1655. Just outside the town centre is Sjøsanden, one of Norway’s most famous beaches, at 800 metres in length and sheltered from the wind. The beach is located in the Furulanden nature park with an extensive network of walking paths. From Mandal it’s drive of about an hour to your next stop at Farsund. 

You have two whole days to relax here at Farsund on the Lista peninsula. Farsund is an old pirate town but today known for its expanses of beach that stretch from the Lista lighthouse to Lomesanden, perfect for long walks, surfing and kiting. The wetlands around the Lista lighthouse are a favourite haunt for birds. This area feels quieter and very natural and yet there are many places of interest for exploring including the Flekkefjord museum, the Hågåsen coastal fort battery, Hervoll mill, and the Rafoss waterfall. There are activities on the water too: boat trips, fishing and water sports.

Today continue along the coast heading north. Stop to visit Egersund, in Rogaland county, on the Jaeren coast and this coastline’s only natural harbour. This is Norway’s largest fishing harbour but still contains many quaint traditional white wooden houses that perch on the rocks that surround the wharves. Stroll along Strandgaten where you find many fine examples of the traditional houses. Also, in Egersund and well-worth a visit is Haugen, the medieval town where homes, workshops, barns and stables existed side by side. An interesting route is provided by the city’s cultural trail. For over one hundred years Egersund was home to a ceramic factory, and its history is told in the Fayancemuseum today. The Jaeren coast which you continue to follow north contains Norway’s longest sand beaches, now part of a landscape conservation scheme. Tonight, you either stay on the coast at Solstranden or in the centre of Stavanger.

Whether staying in Stavanger or nearby, a visit to the city is a must. Stavanger today is Norway’s fourth-largest city, a magnet for foodies and home to an historic and attractive old town (Gamle Stavanger). The city’s cathedral was constructed about 1125, and it continued as little more than a fishing town for centuries. This changed in the 1960s when oil was discovered off the coast and Stavanger became known as the Energy Capital of Norway. Here the vast beaches of the Jaeren coast meet the fjords. There is a great deal to explore both in the city with its old town, museums (the Maritime Museum, the Norsk Oljemuseum and the Norsk canning museum), Viking House and charming architecture and nearby where you can get a real flavour for the majesty of the fjords with perhaps a fjord cruise and hike to Preikestolen, along the Lysefjhord or join a guided hike to Månafossen waterfall. Four miles out of the city is the Sverd I fjell, a sculpture commemorating the historic Battle of Hafrsfjord. 

Today is a drive of about five hours either following a southern route inland (forests and lakes) or taking a northern route (fjords and more mountain vistas). You should choose the overnight based on the time of your flight on the final day, as Vrådal to Oslo airport takes about 3.5 hrs and Rysstad to Oslo airport takes about 5 hrs. Driving on the northern route from Stavanger to both Rysstad and Vrådal you can take, in the summer months, the Suleskardveien, the highest road connection in southwest Norway. From the fjords near Stavanger in the west, the road winds through the mountain region of Agder and Telemark (this road is closed from 1 November until about 21 May).

You have a day to relax in one of these two scenically attractive and interesting locations. Rysstad is a village in the Setesdal valley, an area where old folk traditions have been kept alive and where the Setesdalbunad local costume is found in everyday life. The valley is known for its silver work that was established over a hundred years ago. Workshops exist still today and can be visited in Evje, Rysstad and Valle. Visit the Setesdal museum and learn about the local traditions. If you stay at Vrådal, you can explore the Telemark canal that is connected to the town by Lake Nisser. The area abounds in lakes, forests and hiking routes. Swimming in the lake is possible until late summer. In the area is the West Telemark Museum, and the Norwegian Ski Museum in Morgedal. Kviteseid has some pretty shops and cafes and is a good starting point for boat cruises on the historic Telemark Canal. Vrådal is the place to try your hand at canoeing on Lake Nisser or enjoying a spot of fishing.

Continue driving through Telemark today. You pass Heddal with its 13th century Stave Church and if time permits, stop in Kongsberg, about 80 kms west of Oslo, with its silver mines and Norwegian mining museum. At Vestfossen, just off the main road, is the Fossesholm Mansion, which is a museum today that showcases the history of this estate and its 18th century interiors. Reach the airport and return your hire-car in time for your flight home.