Norway’s great cultural history is best exemplified by the Vikings, a strong people whose presence can still be felt in the country today.
Here are a few of the best Viking museums and attractions you can visit today. From excavations of the best-preserved Viking ships and Longhouses to fully immersive real-life and even VR Viking experiences, there are many different incredible opportunities to experience the culture your way.
Beyond the amazing artifacts and relics from the past, many of these locations are built on the actual sites of Viking communities. Each attraction’s ability to evoke the Viking experience is also palpable, as they bring the sights, sounds, and even smells of the old Norse to life.
The Viking Ship Museum
The Viking Ship Museum houses the best-preserved Viking ships in the world. You can see three of the most meticulously reconstructed Viking ships right there in the museum, with accompanying video and information journeys into the Viking way of life.
The highlight is the Oseberg longship, the most preserved Viking longship and one of the finest Viking artifacts that have survived to the present day. It was excavated just outside Norway’s oldest city, Tønsberg in 1904 before being restored and put on display in its current location all the way back in 1926.
Tickets are NOK 120 (13 USD) for adults, NOK 90 for students (10 USD), and free for children. Currently, it is open Tuesday–Sunday, 10:00–17:00, and closed on Mondays. You can get more information about the museum and the exhibition on the official website.
VÍKINGR – Viking Age exhibition
The Viking Age exhibition showcases some of the best artifacts and relics we have from the Norweigian Viking age. The exhibit allows you to get immersed in Viking culture and their stories, catching a glimpse of their unique way of life from a thousand years ago.
Beyond just warrior artifacts, there’s also farming and domestic equipment on display, revealing multiple layers of Viking society before the standard narrative.
The Viking Age exhibition is on display at the Viking Ship Museum and has the same opening hours and prices.
https://www.khm.uio.no/english/visit-us/historical-museum/exhibitions/vikingr/index.html
Lofotr Viking Museum
The Lofotr Viking Museum is an immersive experience of the Viking way of life as it was lived over a thousand years ago. You’ll be able to take in the sights, smells, and even tastes of the Viking culture as it has been meticulously reconstructed by museum curators to provide the most authentic possible Viking experience.
Here, you’ll also be able to see a reconstruction of the largest Viking longhouse ever excavated.
Tickets vary from NOK 130-170 depending on age. There’s also a family pass for two adults and three kids for NOK 535.
Opening hours are listed on the site and are subject to change.
The Viking planet
The Viking Planet is a VR-experience Viking Museum in Oslo, Norway. You’ll be able to become completely immersed in the Viking way of life through a fully reconstructed Viking digital world.
You’ll get to be a part of a Viking ambush on the west coast of Norway and sail the open sea on a Viking ship, all virtually.
Adults are NOK 229 and kids under 12 are NOK 100. A group of 4 adults is NOK 795. You can book your tickets online to guarantee your slot.
They are open Mon-Sun 12 pm – 5 pm.
https://www.thevikingplanet.com/vr-viking-experience/
Midgard Viking Center
The Midgard Viking Center has a Viking hall, conference center, and festivities planned all year young. They also put on unique Viking exhibitions and events.
One current exhibit, the Dark clouds over Borre, shows how museum exhibits can be used and abused in history. Another, Mounds, halls and the sea looks at what the Vikings at Borre were buried with, and how this tells us about them. Their burial mounds by the sea were important parts of Viking society.
The Midgard Viking Center is great for scheduling a large group for a Viking experience altogether.
The Center and Hall are each open 11 am – 4 pm every day, just outside Olso.
https://vestfoldmuseene.no/en/midgard-viking-centre/
Vikingvalley
Vikingvalley is a fully immersive and interactive Viking experience with a recreated Viking town and Diner.
Viking Valley, Gudvangen lies in the heart of the Norwegian fjords and provides the background for the town of Njardarheimr, where Vikingvalley brings the real culture and history of the Viking age to life.
You can walk the streets of a living Viking town, populated by an international community of Viking enthusiasts.
The Viking Town is open every day from 10 am – 6 pm and the Viking Diner is open every day from 11 am – midnight.
https://www.uk.vikingvalley.no/
Honorable mentions
Museum of Archeology in Stavanger
The Museum of Archeology in Stavanger often has Viking exhibits and generally shows historical artifacts from Norway. They have a recreation of an iron age farm for fun with the whole family.
Oseberg Viking heritage
Follow the Vikings is a sailing experience on a replica Viking ship. You’ll get to row the ship yourself as you board for an authentic Viking experience on the water.
Closing remarks
Norway has a rich cultural history with the Vikings and so whether you are in Norway now or coming for a visit, taking the opportunity to visit some of these authentic Viking sites and experiences is worth the time.
The excavated Viking artifacts, ships, and longhouses especially are experiences you can find nowhere else in the world. There is so much rich history in these objects and places, taking a trip to one of the immersive experiences can only enhance your understanding of the Viking way of life in a multi-sensory experience.
Sources
https://www.khm.uio.no/english/visit-us/viking-ship-museum/
https://www.khm.uio.no/english/visit-us/historical-museum/exhibitions/vikingr/index.html
https://www.thevikingplanet.com/vr-viking-experience/
https://vestfoldmuseene.no/en/midgard-viking-centre/
https://www.uk.vikingvalley.no/
