Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
filet of halibut won us over. During the day, classical or jazz music plays in the
adjoining Café del Mar.
Nedre Langgate 32.
&
33-00-49-80.
Reservations recommended. Main courses 70NOK-180NOK
($9.95-$26) at lunch, 210NOK-290NOK ($30-$41) at dinner. AE, DC, MC, V. Daily noon-3:30am.
8 Sandefjord
125km (78 miles) S of Oslo; 24km (15 miles) S of Tønsberg
In the Middle Ages, this historic town was one of the most famous stamping
grounds of the Vikings. Its natural harbor along a 9.8km (6-mile) fjord made it
the whaling capital of the world at one time. A monument remains at the harbor
to the once prosperous whaling industry, which made Sandefjord the richest city
in Norway. Today it has built up the third-largest merchant fleet in Norway.
This old port still has a bit of 19th-century charm and character. Considering
its rich history, it should have more. But much of the old was torn down to make
way for modern developments.
You can afford to skip most of the town and concentrate on the waterfront, a
breezy section of green parks and beautifully maintained gardens. If the day is
sunny, what we like to do is rent a bike (inquire at the tourist office), make a
picnic basket with some seafood from the “fishtraders” who hang out by the har-
bor, and set off along the coast for an adventure. You might also poke about in
the little stores and shops, ducking into one of the cozy harborfront cafes for a
warming coffee, and stroll along, admiring the many sculptures that dot the
waterfront.
Sandefjord attracts summer visitors seeking boating fun in its archipelago and
on its many beaches. It is alleged that the archipelago is studded with 115
“islands,” but most of these are mere rocky outcroppings—not real islands at all.
We asked a longtime local boatman which island was his favorite among dozens
of possibilities. “The one that gets the most sun on any given day,” he said.
“After a long cold winter, we in Norway want sun. So we stop our boats off at
the hottest rock and take a little sunbath, often in just our underwear if that.”
Locals call the town “Bathing City” (
Badebyen
in Norwegian). Yachties from
Oslo also fill up the harbor in summer after having sailed through the skerries,
or rocky islets.
On a summer day we always like to stroll along its waterfront, enjoying the
fresh salt air and the beautiful parks and gardens. You'll see a magnificent com-
pound of buildings constructed in 1899 in the dragon motif so popular in Nor-
way. The baths were closed in 1940 at the beginning of the Nazi occupation and
the site today is the civic center.
ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE
The country's second-busiest international airport is
Sandefjord Airport Torp
(
&
33-42-70-00
). Some budget airlines such as
Good Jet and Ryanair use this smaller airport rather than the one in Oslo. In
addition to its air link, there is one daily
ferry connection
to Ströstad, Sweden,
taking 2
1
⁄
2
hours. For schedules and information, call
Color Line,
Tollbugata 5
(
&
81-00-08-11;
www.colorline.no).
From Oslo there are several
express trains
reaching Sandefjord in 2 hours.
For information and schedules, call
&
81-50-08-88
or visit www.nsb.no. Fre-
quent
buses
also run between Oslo and Sandefjord daily, and there are also good
bus connections between Tønsberg and Sandefjord. Visit www.nor-way.no for
information.
