Norsk Folkemuseum
Norsk Folkemuseum
4.5
Historic Sites • Amusement & Theme Parks • History Museums
Read more
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Norsk Folkemuseum shows how people lived in Norway from 1500 to the present through its collections from around the country. Among the highlights are the Stave Church from Gol, dating from 1200 and an apartment building with homes from the 20th Century. 160 historic buildings in the big Open-Air Museum represent different regions in Norway, different time periods, as well as differences between town and country, and social classes. Indoor exhibits present Norwegian heritage. The museum has a comprehensive activity program and is open all year.
Suggested duration
2-3 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view










What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Top ways to experience Norsk Folkemuseum and nearby attractions
The area
Address
Best nearby
Restaurants
1,207 within 5 kms
Attractions
497 within 10 kms
See what other travellers are saying
- Mark gBrandon, United Kingdom119 contributionsOne of a few museums that must be visitedPromised myslef a visit to here come rain snow or shine, fortunately even in February this time,it was shine! As with most Oslo museums, very easy to use public transport to get to, a bus stops right outside. As you are riding past you realise this is a museum that will take a while to explore, all in the open air, examples of Norwegian living from nearly a 1000 years ago to almost present day. The Stave Church is impressive, I am not religious but can appreciate this building inside and out. To me the most interesting part is the 50's-70's apartment building as it brings back memories even to someone from the UK (the 70's anyway . . . i'm not that old!) Everything written is in English as well as Norwegian. Some of the buildings have so much craft put into them, ok some are a bit repetitive but I think this place wants to preserve as much as possible. Make sure you wear comfy shoes, there is a lot of walking but not to much with hills. A shame more buildings could not be accessed but glad to have visited.Visited February 2020Written 22 February 2020
- ozzie5melbourne473 contributionsInterestingIt is so good that these buildings have Been preserved. You’ll spend around 2 hours+ at this outdoor museum so a rain free day is required. Some buildings are just to be viewed, some you can go inside and some you can look inside. Don’t miss the stave church and we also really enjoyed the apartment building and the old town.Visited February 2020Written 24 February 2020
- Monika K.Ozarow Mazowiecki, Poland93 contributionsUnique Norsk FolkemuseumIt was founded on December 19, 1894, it has 155 buildings, located on 140 thousand. m². The museum has exhibits from Norwegian villages and cities, mainly from the period from the 17th to the 19th century, but there are older objects, such as the stave church Gol stavkirke, which was built around 1212. It consists of two main parts: The open air museum and Exhibitions. Personally, I recommend the open air museum, which enchanted me tremendously. Lots of beautiful wooden houses that you can enter and see their furnishings. The stave church is breathtaking. You can feel like in the old days. The guide are in almost each building and tell a story of the family member inhabiting this house in a very interesting and accessible way. It is certainly a very fun way to learn about fabulous Norway and its people and the culture. Definitely must see when you are in Oslo. A good place to spend time with children.Visited June 2019Written 20 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Contribute
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
3,872 reviews
Excellent
2,319
Very good
1,166
Average
310
Poor
60
Terrible
17
Nigel T
Leicester, UK62 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
One of the highlights of a recent visit to Oslo. If you want to see how people have lived over the centuries this is a great place to come. Loads to see, an excellent cafe and all reasonably priced. Once the new Viking Museum moves to the site this will be a very full day's visit but even more worthwhile. As a further bonus the boat trip across to Bydgoy and the local scenery are fabulous. Highly recommended.
Written 13 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gav_jo
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK512 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
Great outdoor museum for all ages. Easy to access with bus 30 from city centre. Stave Church is a highlight but lots more besides. Easy to spend at least 2.5 hours discovering buildings from many areas of Norway and periods of history. Cafe and shop great too.
Written 5 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RicherTrips
Monterrey, Mexico4,017 contributions
Jul 2023 • Couples
This ethnographic museum is an open air collection of old wooden houses, stables and shops, attended by local hosts dressed in traditional costumes.
160 buildings from different parts of the country are scattered in a large park. Some of the houses are closed, some you can peek inside and a few are open to come in. If you find a host in one, ask him the story of the building; they’re well informed and speak excellent English.
160 buildings from different parts of the country are scattered in a large park. Some of the houses are closed, some you can peek inside and a few are open to come in. If you find a host in one, ask him the story of the building; they’re well informed and speak excellent English.
Written 28 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chexz
Heathmont, Australia99 contributions
Jul 2023 • Friends
Fascinating insight into the lives people must have led back then. Great place, buildings beautiful particularly the church, and the grounds huge. Even better than I had expected it to be.
Written 24 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RYC88
Centreville, VA1,265 contributions
Jul 2023 • Couples
We had no idea you could spend an entire day here. We thought it was just an open air museum with historic Norwegian homes, but there is almost a city in the complex and several museums, so there is a ton to see and do. The guided tour is just a quick overview of the old area, where the homes are from 1100, etc., but it gives you a good sense of what you will see on your own. Not only is there a huge area of these ancient buildings, there is a whole cityscape with an apartment building full of rooms furnished in styles from the 1800's through today. Then, there are all the shops and trades where there are costumed interpreters to answer your questions. There are several museums, all filled with interesting artifacts and beautiful displays. Every time we thought we had seen the last area, we turned to find another place we hadn't been. Every age would enjoy this place, as there is so much history for the adults, but plenty of kid-friendly activities and lessons for the younger ones. We thoroughly enjoyed our time here and felt it was one of the best museums we've ever been to because of the scope and breadth of information.
Written 22 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Europelover2014
Chicago, IL3,267 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
As the title suggests, we spent an entire day at the Folk Museum. I hadn't realized that in addition to the historic buildings, there were buildings with museum-style exhibitions of artifacts arranged chronologically and by subject, for example, religion in Norway. These buildings were excellent and well worth our time, but might be skipped in favor of exploring the buildings if time is limited.
There were also free guided intro tours in English and demonstrations of Norwegian dance and song. Very fine English spoken by all participatns.
Now for the buildings! We didn't realize how much time we would need to "see it all" in the level of detail we like. Our circuit began with the buildings leading to the Stave Church, then we wound around, finally ending in the apartment block and "urban" area. If your time is limited, do take the advice included on the map distributed with your ticket. This highlights several routes including the quick highlights or different routes for those with more time. In retrospect, we found the urban areas and apartment more varied than some of the farmhouses and we wish we had left a bit more time and energy to fully appreciate these.
My only "complaint" was that many of the farmhouses lacked the type of story or context that we have seen at similar living history museums. For example, the open air museum in Molfsee, Germany included booklets with histories of previous owners and acquisition and details of how buildings were brought from original location to the museum. This made the buildings come alive a bit more as you could picture the families or usage of the buildings through the years. Similarly, Frilandsmeet outside Copenhagen or Funen Village in Odense, Denmark have placards indicating how many lived in the home at a given point in time and additionally are furnished with artifacts from the era giving a picture of what the house might have looked like at the year indicated. Most of the farmhouses and buildings in the Norse FolkMuseum are bare.
If anyone is arranging an itinerary and wondering what to include for Bygdøy, we also visited the 3 "ship" museums - Fram, Kontiki, and Maritime on a separate day. Personally, If I had to choose between a day of "ships" or the Folk Museum, I would go with the Folk Museum, but I'm glad we didn't have to make this choice! Fram and Kontiki are also unique to Oslo opportunities.
There were also free guided intro tours in English and demonstrations of Norwegian dance and song. Very fine English spoken by all participatns.
Now for the buildings! We didn't realize how much time we would need to "see it all" in the level of detail we like. Our circuit began with the buildings leading to the Stave Church, then we wound around, finally ending in the apartment block and "urban" area. If your time is limited, do take the advice included on the map distributed with your ticket. This highlights several routes including the quick highlights or different routes for those with more time. In retrospect, we found the urban areas and apartment more varied than some of the farmhouses and we wish we had left a bit more time and energy to fully appreciate these.
My only "complaint" was that many of the farmhouses lacked the type of story or context that we have seen at similar living history museums. For example, the open air museum in Molfsee, Germany included booklets with histories of previous owners and acquisition and details of how buildings were brought from original location to the museum. This made the buildings come alive a bit more as you could picture the families or usage of the buildings through the years. Similarly, Frilandsmeet outside Copenhagen or Funen Village in Odense, Denmark have placards indicating how many lived in the home at a given point in time and additionally are furnished with artifacts from the era giving a picture of what the house might have looked like at the year indicated. Most of the farmhouses and buildings in the Norse FolkMuseum are bare.
If anyone is arranging an itinerary and wondering what to include for Bygdøy, we also visited the 3 "ship" museums - Fram, Kontiki, and Maritime on a separate day. Personally, If I had to choose between a day of "ships" or the Folk Museum, I would go with the Folk Museum, but I'm glad we didn't have to make this choice! Fram and Kontiki are also unique to Oslo opportunities.
Written 22 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Maggie_NHam
Nottingham, UK293 contributions
Jun 2023
This place is huge. I did it on the same day as I went to the 3 Bygdoy museums. Big mistake, it needs a separate visit. And a separate ticket. Google suggested it was a 20 minutes walk. It's not. It took me about 45 minutes, up a twisty road, somewhat uphill, but on an unseasonably hot June day.
Fabulous, vastly interesting museums, ideally 3 - 4 hours including the Open Air Museum.
There's a big building, Timescape, covering 1600 - 1914 with rooms, costumes and artefacts from all eras. So much to see.
I was fascinated by the Hatters area, photos from 1888 workshop for example, in the building next to the flat where I was staying.
The Open Air Museum has log cabins, I think dating from 1500s, the Stave Church from an earlier period. You could go inside some of the log cabins and gauge the size of the rooms that the whole family lived in.
The Finnmark houses were fascinating, from the 1950s. Information regarding The Three Peoples from Northern Norway: The Sami, The Northern Norwegian hunters, The Kven, originating from Sweden and Russia.
Also info on German occupation, and its impact. Seems that conditions were so harsh that many prisoners of war died here.
Just so much to see. I could easily re-visit this.
Fabulous, vastly interesting museums, ideally 3 - 4 hours including the Open Air Museum.
There's a big building, Timescape, covering 1600 - 1914 with rooms, costumes and artefacts from all eras. So much to see.
I was fascinated by the Hatters area, photos from 1888 workshop for example, in the building next to the flat where I was staying.
The Open Air Museum has log cabins, I think dating from 1500s, the Stave Church from an earlier period. You could go inside some of the log cabins and gauge the size of the rooms that the whole family lived in.
The Finnmark houses were fascinating, from the 1950s. Information regarding The Three Peoples from Northern Norway: The Sami, The Northern Norwegian hunters, The Kven, originating from Sweden and Russia.
Also info on German occupation, and its impact. Seems that conditions were so harsh that many prisoners of war died here.
Just so much to see. I could easily re-visit this.
Written 18 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AandE_G
Marion, IL589 contributions
Jul 2023 • Couples
The Cultural History museum is a large outdoor museum with examples of buildings throughout Norwegian history. It is mostly farm buildings, but they have a stave church that was reconstructed in the 1800s. I’d give this place 5 stars if the stave church was more original and not a reconstruction. It was a nice walk.
Written 13 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JimRiesterer
Edina, MN4,682 contributions
Jul 2023 • Couples
For those interested in the rural life and history of Norway, this large collection of historical farm buildings, houses and shops provides some insight into the life of people in the past centuries. The large park is separated into different regions of the country with buildings relocated from those area arranged here.
It’s easy to reach by bus or you can take the museum ferry boat ($6 each way) then walk 10 minutes to the museum. We took an early boat and arrive shortly after the 10 am opening time. We spent about 2 hours wandering around, talking with costumed guides, watching cultural exhibitions and peeking into buildings.
One of the highlights was the stave church as well as the sod-roofed houses.
It’s easy to reach by bus or you can take the museum ferry boat ($6 each way) then walk 10 minutes to the museum. We took an early boat and arrive shortly after the 10 am opening time. We spent about 2 hours wandering around, talking with costumed guides, watching cultural exhibitions and peeking into buildings.
One of the highlights was the stave church as well as the sod-roofed houses.
Written 10 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
GreggWanderer
Cork, Ireland120 contributions
Jul 2023 • Couples
I was a reluctant visitor to this museum but was proven wrong. It is well worth a visit, particularly the Stave Church. The exhibitions are also good. My only disappointment was that the exhibition of Norwegian church art of the Reformation was locked.
Written 5 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Christine J
Jakarta, Indonesia37 contributions
If i stay at hotel around Oslo Visitor Center near Oslo Central Sta. How to go to the Norsk Folkemuseum? Is there any bus or train available from the Oslo central Sta to Norsk Folkemuseum ?
katvg
Alexandria, VA74 contributions
It's easy to get there by the ferry, you can catch it near the town hall and then it's about a 10 minute walk from the ferry stop to the folk museum. If you have a full day you can then walk from the folk museum to the viking ship museum and the Fram or Kon-Tiki museums where there is another ferry stop to return to the city center. The ferry information is online.
Apie
Maarssen, The Netherlands1 contribution
Is it allowed to take your dog?
Marcus Vinicius Migliorança
Gramado, RS27 contributions
"Dogs have to be leashed and are welcome to the museum grounds and Open-Air Museum - outdoors. They can not enter in buildings and exhibitions. "
Text from: norskfolkemuseum.no/en/hours-fees-directions
Работает ли этот музей и другие музеи Осло с 1 по 7 января 2019 года?
Nikita B
Moscow, Russia33,481 contributions
ЗахОдите на сайты музеев, там вся информация есть. Уверен, что 1-го не работает.
Christine55416
Minneapolis, MN89 contributions
Are there benches to sit and rest? Am thinking about taking my elderly mother but am worried about all the walking and if she'll be able to tolerate walking and have places to sit and rest
DeepInTheWoodsMike
Winchester, TN150 contributions
There are benches however there is also a lot of walking required to see the exhibits. In addition, there are a couple of fairly steep hills to climb (to see the Stave Church). It is well worth the time but substantial walking is required.
Ani50
Mumbai3 contributions
hi,
what are the timings for the norwegian open air museum in oslo.
how far from the radisson blu scandinavia hotel.
thnx
Faithfultraveler
Halifax, Canada1,152 contributions
The Norwegian Museum of Cultural History is approximately 12 minutes (5.6kms) from that hotel. It's open May 15 - September 14: Every day 10:00 - 18:00 and September 15 - May 14: Weekdays 11:00 - 15:00, Sat and Sun 11:00 - 16:00.
dv6605
dv66051231 contributions
How much time should we allow to visit the Museum of Cultural History, the Viking Ship Museum, Fram Polar Ship museum and the Kon- Tiki museum?
Thanks.
F0x23
London, UK16 contributions
Viking Museum - 30min
Fram Polar - 1h30min / 2h
Norwegian Museum of Cultural History - 2h / 4h
Take one day for all three with travel and food breaks in the middle
dv6605
dv66051231 contributions
How long was the bus ride from downtown (city hall) to the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History? Or how long is the ferry?
Also, Trip adviser says says it is open from 11-4. Isn't it always open - an open air museum?
Please advise.
Thanks!
willowMelbourne
Melbourne, Australia152 contributions
My memory is that it was about a 20 minute bus ride.
It is open air, but fenced and with specific entry and exit, therefore it is not open at all times, just outdoors.
miletogo
San Diego, CA17 contributions
Does the cultural history museum have descriptive brochures in English so we can understand what we are seeing?
clemandjaz
Reading, UK39 contributions
Every exhibit is described in both Norwegian and English both here and at all the other Oslo museums we visited. The explanations of what you are seeing and their social contexts are all excellent.
Recently viewed
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listingNORSK FOLKEMUSEUM: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Frequently Asked Questions about Norsk Folkemuseum
- Norsk Folkemuseum is open:
- Sun - Sat 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
- We recommend booking Norsk Folkemuseum tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 7 Norsk Folkemuseum tours on Tripadvisor
- According to Tripadvisor travellers, these are the best ways to experience Norsk Folkemuseum:
- Oslo Combo Tour: Grand City Tour and Oslo Fjord Cruise (From S$177.53)
- Oslo Discovery Tour (From S$125.64)
- 8 hours Full-Day Exclusive Oslo Tailormade Guided Limo Tour - Best Cruise Shore! (From S$954.80)
- City Sightseeing Oslo Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour (From S$48.89)
- Oslo Self-Guided Audio Tour (From S$6.70)
- Hotels near Norsk Folkemuseum:
- (1.46 km) Clarion Collection Hotel Gabelshus
- (2.76 km) Hotel Continental Oslo
- (1.47 km) Scandic Sjolyst
- (1.93 km) The Thief
- (3.18 km) Thon Hotel Rosenkrantz Oslo
- Restaurants near Norsk Folkemuseum:
- (0.06 km) Arkadia & Torgkafeen
- (0.41 km) Cafe hjemme hos svigers
- (0.29 km) Kongsgården Gartneriet kafé
- (0.53 km) Lanternen Restaurant
- (1.44 km) hos Thea




















































































