Other attractions Archives

Drøbak Aquarium

Welcome to Drøbak Aquarium

Drøbak Aquarium gives you an up-close look at the rich wildlife of the Oslofjord. Inside the aquarium, you’ll find 50 aquariums, 2 large tanks, and a touch pool with various types of sea creatures.

The aquarium showcases many exciting species. Among others, you’ll get up close to the fearsome grin of Hugo the wolffish. You'll find everything from adorable scallops to ghostly tadpole cods. Some of the tanks even have sharks! We also display various echinoderms and starfish in their dazzling colors.

In June 2025, Drøbak Aquarium will also open a brand-new freshwater section.

Magnor Glassworks

Magnor Glassworks is one of Norway's best-known glassworks
The glassworks has existed for over 120 years, and still produces all its products by hand. Here you can find works by a number of designers and artisans, experience concerts, visit the factory outlet and blow your own glass.

Magnor Glassworks was founded as early as 1896 in the deep border forests on the Norwegian side, Magnor, just 3 km from the Swedish border (and 12 miles from Oslo). The large forests were to provide fuel for the heat-sucking smelting furnaces. Several generations of skilled designers and glass workers have shaped Magnor Glassverk's history. More than 120 years of tradition and experience in handmade glass have come in handy and provided valuable knowledge and experience.

Development does not stand still even as the years pass, but much remains the same when molten sand is magically transformed into sparkling glass.

Tours
The tour starts with history and facts. Then further into glass production to see what we make today, we also follow the glass's cooling and grinding process. There are also options for dining.

Prices:
• Tour approx. 40 min. incl. coffee and waffle, NOK 150 per person
• Tour approx. 40 minutes, NOK 100 per person

Discounted items in the Factory outlet
In "Glasshytta" (the glass cabin), you will find Magnor Glasswork's own factory outlet with a large selection of products! Here you will find great gifts for all occasions, tastefully displayed in bright and pleasant premises. In addition to our entire range in crystal, we also produce our own items that are only sold at Magnor.

In the Factory Sale, you can buy our goods with a 30 – 70% discount on the recommended retail price. This discount applies to the assortment that is second sorting or same sort, this means goods that may have small defects such as air bubbles or the like.

Here you can also buy products that cannot be found elsewhere, these are often products where blowers and designers have tested their new ideas.

Coastal gems along the Oslofjord west coast

Throughout history, the west side of Oslo has attracted artists, bathers and Christiania's nobility to gather in the small towns during the summer months. No wonder the area today has 6 of Norway's Blue Flag beaches in addition to top hikes with stunning views and plenty of unspoilt nature.

A road trip through Bærum and Asker and Hurumlandet, takes you through various eras via charming summer gems such as Vollen, Sætre and Holmsbu. The area is best experienced by car but is also very popular to explore from the bike seat or by leisure boat. There is also a scheduled boat between Aker Brygge and Drøbak / Son with stops along the coast.

From industry and shipbuilding to small town charm
You can get close to Oslo and the region's cultural highlights by staying at Fornebu with sea views and bathing opportunities right outside your door. At Scandic Fornebu everything is ready for a lovely dinner, a game of shuffleboard in the bar. Explore the Fornebu peninsula with its art installations, exciting architecture, Nansenparken and magnificent coastal nature. Art lovers should also visit the Henie Onstad Art Center or Sjøholmen near Sandvika before the tour continues.

Take a tour of the old ironworks at Bærums Verk for a gallery tour and shopping, today a shopping center with over 40 shops and restaurants. The place is idyllically situated along the river Lomma. The sculpture park shows the country's foremost collection of Norwegian sculptors. Fill up the basket of delicacies for the drive from Smelters Mathus and crafts from the unique shops.

A stop in Vollen offers a whole day of experiences; unique shops with jewelery design and fashion, delicious Mediterranean lunch by the water at Vito´s or the taste of Greece at Elea. A popular activity is renting Jet Ski in the marina for a ride to the coastal pearl Konglungen and Middagsbukta, followed by sauna and sea bath at Varm in Vollen. On the other side of the bay, the Oslofjord Museum has changing exhibitions that tell about life on the fjord and boat building traditions. The Polar ship Maud was built here and is now for storage in Tofte, further south on the Hurum Peninsula.
In pleasant Filtvedt there is real danger of staying here in the beautiful white bay with a view to the lighthouse ……. but new experiences are worth the detachment.

World-class geology
You get the feeling of being in Southern Norway all the way along the long coast with small coves and beaches, maritime walks and white seahouses. Explore the unique geology where you see fossils of snails and squid in the stone urns in Slemmestad. The outfield is full of mushrooms throughout the fall, small undisturbed lakes for a dip are nice hiking destinations and you really get away from the hectic everyday life.

The painter town of Holmsbu
Rødangen and Holmsbu were early favorites among the elite of artists, known for their beautiful light. Here the coast is at some of its most beautiful where the fjord opens, the seals colonies reside on the islets and the many nature reserves manage wildlife and plant life. Rent a nice cabin and stay near this coastal pearl that oozes of life from Easter to the autumn holidays, but is well worth a year-round visit. Spend the evening with fine dining at one of the city's restaurants and cafes, listening to live music in the backyard or on the hotel's terrace before the small talk continues into the late morning.

When the morning light comes on, why not start the day in the robes before exploring the area either by renting a canoe, cycling or discovering the galleries for which the place is so famous. The hotel serves a good breakfast with sea views. Just below the hotel there is the possibility to rent the floating sauna and combine the sea bath, togetherness and sauna.

Royal scenery and farm visits
There is something soothing about the presence of the animals, sweaters knit from the finest alpaca wool and to touch the soft fur. Enjoy a day at Bergvang Gård, get close to the beautiful alpacas and ride into the forest on horseback. The Icelandic horse is fun to ride, it is small and strong. The tours take place in the beautiful area at Semsvann in Asker, in the backyard of the Crown Prince´s residence.

Wellbeeing and togetherness
Visit Holmen Fjordhotell to get care of stiff muscles and quality time. Enjoy the afternoon in the hotel's SPA with pool, steam room and jaccuzi. The evening should end with a delicious sea view meal, wine from the house's beautiful wine cellar and a game of shuffleboard.

** Have a good trip**

Rødtangen Bedehus

The prayer house at Rødtangen is a memorial from a time when religious activity was central among most people.

In Hurum, the "free church", i.e. congregations outside the Church of Norway, was strong in the 1800s and 1900s. The proportion of inhabitants who were members of other churches was at the top of the country, in the Holmsbu area it applied to almost one in three inhabitants. The free evangelical congregations gathered many, but even the Mormons (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) came to Holmsbu and baptized people in the Drammensfjord. One of their leaders was fined by the Supreme Court for harmful activities after cutting a hole in the ice to carry out the baptism of five new members in February.

At first, religious meetings often took place in homes, but as the congregations grew, so did the need for separate meeting rooms. The first to be built was the prayer house in Holmsbu, then came the prayer house at Rødtangen in 1909. The local women's association was behind it, and this prayer house had a Lutheran profile, but with freer forms of meeting than the church's services. Sunday school and collections for missionary work were also held here, and much of the activity took place on weekdays, when the churches were closed anyway. It says something about the commitment that the prayer house was built in a place with such a small crowd. Rødtangen was at its highest in 1930 with 148 inhabitants, today there are about 40 permanent residents here.

Today, most of this business has been closed down, and the houses of worship have been sold as private homes or for other purposes. Like the prayer house at Rødtangen, which is now a community house for the entire population, owned by the Rødtangen permanent residents' association. With art exhibitions and cultural activities, this has also become a cultural center that attracts tourists and visitors who do not parish to Rødtangen.The same applies to the village's oldest prayer house, in Holmsbu, which is privately owned and lent out for events and exhibitions under the name "bdhuset".

The Norwegian Armed Forces Aircraft Collection.

Visit this unique collection of close to 40 historic aircrafts ranging from Norway’s first of 1912 vintage to jet fighters that flew at more than twice the speed of sound.

The museum, located at south-west Gardermoen, unravels the fascinating story of Norwegian military airpower in times of peace and war.

Experience the pioneering era, dramatic years of war, the tension of the Cold War and a technical progress without parallel. Also to be seen are theme displays entertaining and educational to all age groups.

In between you can relax in the museum’s café or visit the gift shop. There is also a separate play area for children. And why not try out the cockpit of a real jet fighter for that experience so seldom available to other than ‘the chosen few’?

For opening hours and more information see www.flysam.no

Ample free parking. Welcome!

Member of Visit Greater Oslo

Løkkehaven and Løkke bridge

Here you will find small buildings from old Sandvika, with galleries, small shops, crafts and cafes. The place has its origins from the former Harreschous Hotel and Løkke Restaurant from 1927. Today, this building is owned and operated by the Bærum Red Cross. In the park is a chess sculpture, created by artist Sverre Hoel. The statue is also equipped with a chess board on which games can be played.

The place is also known for its annual Hjertefred charity event that is held around All Saints’ Day. The park also features the historic Løkke bridge, which is a cast iron bridge from 1829, built by Bærum’s Iron Works. The bridge was for a long time part of Drammensveien, and later Ringeriksveien. The bridge is famous thanks to French painter Claude Monet, who visited Sandvika in the winter of 1895. Løkke bridge and Kolsåstoppen were his favourite subjects during his stay here. Løkke bridge traverses the Sandvikselven at Løkkehaven.

Lower Ramme – Villa Munch

Edvard Munch bought the property Nedre Ramme as a 47-year-old in 1910 and owned it all his life until his death in 1944. Munch spent a lot of time abroad in the period 1890-1909. After many years of an unhealthy lifestyle, he entered Dr. Jacobsen's clinic in Copenhagen in 1908. In 1909, a competition was announced to decorate the University's banquet hall. Munch probably had the competition for the Hall Decorations in mind when he returned to Norway that same year. He found the first motifs at Skrubben in Kragerø, while at Ramme the artist found the motifs for Forskerne and Alma Mater. They both show a mother with an infant in her arms, with several children playing and exploring around her. Alma Mater, like History and the Sun, became one of three main fields for the Aula decorations. The Alma Mater motif was one of those that Munch rehearsed and worked on the most. His latest version is from 1940. At Nedre Ramme, Munch had a large outdoor studio set up, as well as a printing press on the second floor of the building.

At Ramme, Munch sought proximity to nature, animals, sunlight and the sea. Surrounded by the sea and the forest, together with his animals and helpers, he created beautiful works with motifs of bathers and sun worshippers, people and animals in rural settings. In several of the motifs, you can easily recognize the area's rocky and coastal landscape in a vitalist style. The area and the models were rendered with the artist's modern and bold brushstrokes and sure lines. The motifs became lush, full of life and colour. Then he also wrote himself that he had found the most beautiful property along the Kristiania fjord.

"In Munch's footsteps"
The Framework Foundation for Art, Culture and Nature, together with the Sparebank Foundation and Vestby Municipality, has created a cultural trail on the property, where you can discover Munch's motifs placed in the natural landscape where they belong. You can walk this when you want on your own, and be inspired by the site-specific art on a total of 11 signs along the paths. There is a main information sign up in the forest behind Villa Munch, and the cultural trail ends at Rammelabben with the statue of "Solveig with the apple". It was created by the artist Peter Linde.

Villa Munch
The house was fully renovated in 2023 and can be rented out in its entirety. There are four double rooms with attached bathrooms, several living rooms and kitchens. To see the house indoors, you can book a tour with one of Ramme's tour guides. In Munch's living rooms, they scratched their way to the original color of the walls, and the characteristic yellow color can be found again in three of his self-portraits from his time at Ramme. The house is decorated with copies of his famous Hvitsten works. Munch's fruit and vegetable garden has been recreated, and a small French culture garden has been created that links the property to Havlystparken.

Tekst and content in cooperation with Camilla Augusta Søhol, Rammestiftelsen

Malmskrivergården farm

Malmskrivergården features Sandvika’s oldest preserved buildings, from around 1640.
Malmskrivergården is a small farm that belonged to Bærums Verk and constitutes the oldest preserved settlement in Sandvika. The farm was listed in 1979.

Iron production at Bærums Verk started in 1604 under King Christian IV, who wanted to make Denmark-Norway self-sufficient in iron. In the first years, the ironworks used ore found in the local area, but from 1640 the ore came from Southern Norway by sailing ships during the ice-free time of the year. Ore and iron were unloaded and loaded on the beach below Malmskrivergården. The first ore printer was the German Jon Hagedorn. Here he lived and kept track of unloading, storing and transporting the iron ore up to Bærum Ironworks. This was also a small farm with a farmhouse, a brewery house with a baking oven and a combined barn with a barn building.

The barn is made of slag stone from the blast furnace at Bærums Verk. On the wall hangs a stove plate from the 1700s with Anna Krefting's initials on it (Verkseier på Bærums Verk). From Sandvika, the ore was transported via Vøyen or Evje on sleds with wooden wagons. In the 1700s, they began to shoe the runners with iron, which made them more durable.

In 1835, Sandvika had 127 inhabitants in 27 households. Lime and ore transport employed most people.

Source: Bæ rumhistorie.no and Bærum Municipality

The Carl Dørnberger house

Several of Dørnebergers art have been purchased by the National Gallery and he had many famous artists in his circle, including Edvard Munch and Axel Gallén, who both painted portraits of him.

Dørnberger is known to the locals at least as much for his eccentric behaviour. He always wore a distinctive Hamburg hat, he had three legs and carried two pistols in his belt, which he called "Kitty" and "Kitty's brother". He was keen to keep his shooting skills up to par so he aimed for cat tails which resulted in Son having a large population of tailless cats. One of the daughter's suitors was also shot, and Dørnerberger was charged but acquitted by the Court of Appeal because he allegedly shot to castrate him, not to kill. In the house there are bullet holes in many rooms and on the exterior walls.

While sitting on the train once, he stuck a knife through his trouser deep into his wooden leg. Both women and children in the compartment fainted.

Dørnberghuset is a special building, where the oldest part is from around 1680, and later built on in 1700 and 1900. The house is made of timber and half-timbering with original windows made of curved glass.

Ljan Mansion Hvervenbukta

The farms originally belonged to clerical institutions such as the Oslo Bishopric and Hovedøya Monastery, before they were sold and divided. Over time, Ljan was divided into several farms, including Øvre Ljan, Nedre Ljan and Stubljan, all of which had different owners and roles in the area. Stubljan, which was located at Hvervenbukta, became part of the larger Ljans estate and became known for its main building built by Peder Holter, which unfortunately burned down in 1913

At Hvervenbukta there was a magnificent estate – Stubljan (also called Ljan). The farm was mentioned as early as 1308, and after being divided into Øvre, Nedre and Stubljan, it was united under the main farm in the 17th century. In 1765, wealthy man Peder Holter bought the property and built a magnificent main building and a Baroque garden overlooking the bay.

The “manor house” became a gathering place with 32 rooms, a magnificent entrance hall, a crystal hall, a porcelain room and a steady stream of guests – including royalty such as Oscar II, King Haakon and Queen Maud. In the rococo pavilion that still stands by the beach, guests were welcomed with tea and wine when they arrived by sea from Christiania.

In January 1913, the main house burned down as a result of a fire after a damp Christmas celebration – and all that remains today are the remains of the walls and a memorial stone bearing the names of the former owners. Employees saved much of the contents – which today can be found in various places such as museums and private estates.

The area also houses the two Portnerboligene (1898) at Gamle Mossevei – the two charming houses that were used by property guards are now used by artists.

Helleberget, the gardener's residence down by the beach, is today a café known as "Anne på landet". The house dates from the 18th century and housed the gardener family who maintained the baroque garden.

Mrs. Johanne Ingier, ranked among Norway's most beautiful women, took over the estate after she was widowed in 1900. Under her leadership, Ljansgodset flourished until the fire. The estate's wealth came from the forest and the river. Timber was sawn and exported via the harbor at Hvervenbukta, especially to Denmark and the Netherlands. This was an important source of income, and many local families found work here.