Viking Ship Museum — Attraction in Oslo

The Viking Ship Museum – A Journey Back to the Viking Age

The Viking Ship Museum, located on Bygdøy in Oslo, is one of Norway’s most iconic museums and a must-visit for tourists and history enthusiasts. It houses some of the world’s best-preserved Viking ships: the Oseberg, Gokstad, and Tune ships, all discovered in burial mounds and dating back to the 9th century. These impressive vessels provide a unique glimpse into Viking craftsmanship, technology, and culture.

The Oseberg ship, the most famous, is richly decorated and was used as a burial ship for two high-ranking women. The Gokstad ship represents a more robust construction used for travel and warfare. In addition to the ships, visitors can explore a collection of authentic artifacts such as beds, sleds, carts, tools, and textiles – all found within the ship burials.

The museum is part of the Museum of Cultural History at the University of Oslo and presents Viking history in an engaging and accessible way. The Viking Ship Museum is currently closed for renovation and transformation into the new Museum of the Viking Age, scheduled to reopen in 2027. While the ships and objects are not currently on display, the future museum promises an enhanced experience with digital technology and interactive exhibitions.

A visit to this site offers a deeper understanding of Norway’s proud heritage – and shows why the legacy of the Vikings continues to...

On our last day in Norway we got to go to this museum and I'm so glad! Plenty of parking (paid, of course) right behind the museum. As soon as you walk in you're faced with your first viking burial ship and it's pretty amazing! The museum has 3 burial ships, 1 even was for women. Everything was very well labeled so much that I felt like a got a decent education in where these ships came from, who and what they would've contained and some of the history. It was really fascinating and made me want to do some research on it when I got home. Besides the ships there are artifacts that were found in the ships, a really cool movie about the ships that is projected on a wall by one of the ships and other audio learning areas. Even though there were plenty of people there I was lucky to get some pictures without many people in them. There's a little food stall in front of the museum and since we were hungry, it was a chilly day and our last in Norway, we had to get our last waffle with brown cheese, hot chocolate and of course, ice cream with...

The Viking Ship Museum has three large viking ships -or what's left of them- and for the price (€10) is probably not worth the time. Aside form the ships there's a couple of remainings found in burial places such as and mainly limited to horses and sleighs, but there are actually no weapons or jewelery, since these graves were raided in the viking era. In addition, one of the ships is wrecked and you get a short video next to it (every 15 mins) showing some of the traditions vikings followed when burying important people. If you really are into viking history give it a go, otherwise be aware of the facts stated above since there are many other options available through Norway. I read other people's reviews before coming here and have to admit, even when a fan of viking history, I felt a little bit disappointed after the experience, specially in comparison to what other parts of Norway offer regarding to vikings. This museum can be seen...