Visiting southeast Norway this summer? Here’s a destination tip!

I've never actually had the idea to share this anywhere, but as a Norwegian I've had several visitors from abroad I've shown around my home area and every. single. one called this their highlight from the visit, and it wasn't even close to close!

There's a naval museum me and my friends used to visit almost every day growing up, we didn't think much of it because it was such a common thing, but this museum is one of Norway's oldest at 161 years old. And they've kept all the most impressive things sailors and other seafarers brought home from travels.

So in this museum you'll find anything from rare fish bones to ancient coins (we're talking thousands of years old, like ancient roman empire dinares) as well as a lot of history from Norwegian wars and conflicts. You'll be able to enter and explore a submarine (on land), a small attack vessel and a warship with a lovely café inside.

And the price of admission is half or less than most other museums.

I present to you "Marinemuseet Horten" (Horten naval museum)

It's on the west coast of the Oslofjord and about an hour drive south of Oslo. There's plenty to see and do in the area, so you can absolutely justify a day trip here if you want to check it out.

There's viking museums, viking graves (mounds where the higher ups were buried with their warships), "slottsfjellet" (castle mountain), more museums in the neighboring cities and 1000 year old churches like Våle kirke.

Hope you get the chance to see it and enjoy your visit!