Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
On the islets of
Store
and
Lille Torungene
rise two grand lighthouses that have guided
ships into Arendal since 1844. They're visible from the coasts of both Hisøy and Tromøy.
Grimstad
Pop 19,500
Grimstad is at its most lovely in the pedestrianised streets that lie inland from the water-
front; these are some of the most atmospheric on the Skagerrak coast. Grimstad has a num-
ber of interesting calling cards: it was home to playwright Henrik Ibsen and has a good
museum; it is the sunniest spot in Norway, with an average of 266 hours of sunshine per
month in June and July; and the town also has an unmistakably young vibe, thanks to its
large student population.
Sights
Ibsenhuset Museum
MUSEUM
(
www.gbm.no
; Henrik Ibsens gate 14; adult/child Nkr80/free;
11am-4pm Mon-Sat, noon-4pm Sun
Jun-mid-Sep, closed mid-Sep-May)
Norway's favourite playwright, Henrik Ibsen, washed up in Grimstad in January 1844. The
house where he worked as a pharmacist's apprentice, and where he lived and first cultiv-
ated his interest in writing, has been converted into the Ibsenhuset Museum. It contains a
re-created pharmacy and many of the writer's belongings, and is one of southern Norway's
most interesting museums. The young staff here are wonderful, their tours full of fascinat-
ing detail and the odd spot of salacious gossip.
Grimstad Maritime Museum
MUSEUM
(Sjøfartsmuseet;
www.gbm.no
;
Hasseldalen; adult/child Nkr50/free;
11am-4pm Mon-Sat,
noon-5pm Sun Jul)
This spectacularly sited, but rarely open, museum in the office of the 1842 Hasseldalen
shipyard provides a glimpse into Grimstad's history during 'the days of the white sails'
when the town was one of the ship-building capitals of Europe.
