Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Modern Tønsberg is a 104-sq.-km (40-sq.-mile) town with some 32,000 res-
idents. It consists of a historic area filled with old clapboard-sided houses, and a
commercial center with a marketplace. Foodies around the world seek out the
Jarlsberg cheese, which is made here.
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE By Train
Trains depart for Tønsberg from Oslo's main
railway station (
&
81-50-08-88
) at intervals of between 60 and 90 minutes
from 6am to 11:30pm every day, requiring a travel time of about 90 minutes
and a fare of 168NOK ($24) each way. The railway station is in the town cen-
ter. For information and schedules, call
&
33-35-02-00
or visit www.nsb.no.
By Bus
There is no NOR bus service from Oslo.
By Car
Take Route 18 south from Oslo via Drammen.
VISITOR INFORMATION
Tønsberg
Tourist Information
is at Nedre
Langgate 36B, N-3100 Tønsberg (
&
33-35-45-20
). It's open in July daily 10am
to 5:30pm, and from August to June, Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4pm. A lit-
tle tourist kiosk on the island of Tjøme provides information in July daily from
11am to 5pm. Also visit www.visitnorway.com/tonsberg for information.
SEEING THE SIGHTS
Slottsfjellet,
a huge hill fortress near the train station, is touted as “the Acropo-
lis of Norway.” It has only some meager ruins, and most people visit for the view
from the 1888 lookout tower,
Slottsfjelltårnet
(
&
33-31-18-72
), rising 17m
(56 ft.) tall. It's open May 15 to June 25, Monday to Friday from 10am to 3pm;
June 26 to August 20 daily from 11am to 6pm; August 21 to September 15, Sat-
urday and Sunday from noon to 5pm; September 16 to September 29, Saturday
and Sunday from noon to 3pm. Admission is 20NOK ($2.85) for adults,
10NOK ($1.40) for children.
Nordbyen
is the old, scenic part of town, with well-preserved houses.
Hau-
gar
cemetery, at Møllebakken, is in the center of town. It contains the Viking
graves of King Harald's sons, Olav and Sigrød.
Sem Church,
Hageveien 32 (
&
33-36-93-99
), the oldest church in Vestfold,
was built of stone in the Romanesque style around 1100. It's open Thursday and
Friday from 10am to noon; but inquire at the vestry if it's not open during these
hours. Admission is free.
Another attraction is
Fjerdingen,
a street of charming restored houses near
the mountain farmstead. Tønsberg was also a Hanseatic town during the Mid-
dle Ages, and some houses have been redone in typical Hanseatic style—wooden
buildings constructed along the wharfs as warehouses to receive goods from fel-
low Hanseatic League members.
Haugar Vestfold Kunstmuseum
Tønsberg's art museum lies in the cen-
ter of town in a building from 1918. (Nearby are two Viking grave sites, said to
hold the bodies of Olaf and Sigrød, sons of the king, Harald Hårfagre.) The col-
lection consists of some 130 pieces of art. One wing of the museum is devoted
to the paintings of Odd Nerdrum, an internationally famous figurative painter
known as “the Rembrandt of Norway.” Some of his best-known works include
Man Imitating Cloud, Woman with Doorknob,
and
Hermaphrodite.
Gråbrødragate 17.
&
33-30-76-70.
Admission 45NOK ($6.40). June-Aug Mon-Fri 11am-5pm; Sept-May
Tues-Fri 11am-4pm; Sat-Sun noon-5pm year-round.
