souvenirs Archives

Tregaarden´s Christmas House

Did you know that all mail addressed to Santa Claus, Norway ends up in Drøbak? Letters to Babbo Natale, Hoteiosho, Papai Noel, Viejo Pascuero, Dun Che Lao Ren, Père Noël, Father Christmas, Weihnachtsmann or Pai Natal, wishing for anything from material gifts to a better world – all find their way to this tiny cozy little village, only 30 minutes south of Oslo.

In January 1988, Eva and Willy Johansen opened Tregaardens Christmas house, located on the main square of Drøbak. The media was rife with news about this great new building devoted to spark the Christmas spirit all year around.

Today it´s open year around and you can find all kinds of Christmas decorations, some also designed by Eva her self.

In this yellow wooden house you also find Santa’s Post Office, over the years the norwegian Santa Claus has received approximately 500 000 letters to his address, 1440 Drøbak.

Here, both young and old get the opportunity to post their own Christmas letter, stamped with an official Santa Claus mark.

”Christmas is not a trend, it is a tradition” says Eva Johansen. Throughout the years, she has maintained the job opening, reading and answering letters.

In walking distance from the square, you find Drøbak’s harbor where you can snap a picture in front of the famous Santa Sign outside the Tourist Office.

Drøbak is also a great place to go christmas shopping, eat traditional norwegian christmas food or just wander around through the cozy streets with characteristic wooden houses.

The little town of Drøbak offers a Christmas atmosphere all year round, but embraces the spirit full on as the season builds up towards the holidays.

Member of Visit Greater Oslo

Tregaardens Christmas House

Did you know that all mail addressed to Santa Claus, Norway ends up in Drøbak? Letters to Babbo Natale, Hoteiosho, Papai Noel, Viejo Pascuero, Dun Che Lao Ren, Père Noël, Father Christmas, Weihnachtsmann or Pai Natal, wishing for anything from material gifts to a better world – all find their way to this tiny cozy little village, only 30 minutes south of Oslo.

Today it´s open year around and you can find all kinds of Christmas decorations, some also designed by Eva her self.

In this yellow wooden house you also find Santa’s Post Office, over the years the norwegian Santa Claus has received approximately 500 000 letters to his address, 1440 Drøbak.

Here, both young and old get the opportunity to post their own Christmas letter, stamped with an official Santa Claus mark.

”Christmas is not a trend, it is a tradition” says Eva Johansen. Throughout the years, she has maintained the job opening, reading and answering letters.

In walking distance from the square, you find Drøbak’s harbor where you can snap a picture in front of the famous Santa Sign outside the Tourist Office.

Drøbak is also a great place to go christmas shopping, eat traditional norwegian christmas food or just wander around through the cozy streets with characteristic wooden houses.

The little town of Drøbak offers a Christmas atmosphere all year round, but embraces the spirit full on as the season builds up towards the holidays.

Member of Visit Greater Oslo

Bærums Verk

Handelsstedet Bærums Verk has roughly 50 shops, artisans, workshops, galleries and eateries.

Verksgata, which consists of old houses for labourers from the 18th century, is open seven days a week all year round. Here you can find the artisan workshop of the smith, glass blowers, silversmiths, art galleries, eateries including pizza and pancakes, chocholate shop, delicatessen with local produce and other unique shops. The shopping mall in the old factory hosts a large selection of interior shops and chic clothes for the whole family.

Bærums Verk is a lovely place to visit for a day excursion and shopping. Walk along the river among the sculptures and the wooden houses, enjoy a good meal in one of the restaurants and cafes or visit the artisans in their atelier.

The beautiful sculpture park at Bærums Verk include 28 sculptures made by renowned Norwegian artists – a collection that expands with a new sculpture every year. Open 24/7 to the public.

Handelsstedet Bærums Verk’s opening hours can be found on Facebook and on www.baerumsverk.no

Bærums Verk is siutuated along the pilgrim path and is a gateway for recreational routes in Bærum.

Easy access to Bærums Verk by direct bus 150 from Oslo city centre, or bus 210 from Sandvika. Public transport schedule: ruter.no

Members of Visit Greater Oslo

Vikingskipet

One of the largest ice-skating arenas in the world

Hamar Olympiahall – Vikingskipet is a modern multi-purpose arena with an architecture reminiscent of our Viking Ship heritage. It was built for the 1994 Winter Olympics, and has status as a national arena. This means that it can be used for international championships. Today, the bustling arena is used for speed-skating, bandy, and figure-skating training and competitions, and it also plays host to a wide range of small and large trade fairs, corporate events, exhibitions, banquets, and concerts. When used as a concert venue, Vikingskipet offers a 20 000-people capacity. It enjoys a beautiful location in Åkersvika, on the banks of Mjøsa, not far from Hamar town centre.

Spectacular architecture

Shaped like an upside-down Viking Ship, the arena showcases Norwegian architecture and building design using laminated wood lattice girders with a max. beam span of 96 metres and with 4-metre struts. The architects are Biong & Biong Arkitektfirma and Niels Torp Arkitekter, and the arena measures 250 metres at is longest and 110 metres at its widest. It has a max. floor-to-ceiling height of 36 metres, a total area of 22 000 sq. m, a 10 000 sq. m ice rink, a 30 000 sq. m roof surface, and a volume of 350 000 cubic metres.

Test your ice-skating skills

When the arena’s ice rink is in place, ice skating in Vikingskipet is open to everyone. Skates are available for hire, and there is also a shop selling ice-skating equipment.