What to Do in Southern Norway?

A December 2003 trip to Kristiansand by PLU

Shopping DowntownMore Photos

Kristiansand is a large port town in southern Norway. It is easily reached by the Color Line Ferry from Denmark or by air from Copenhagen. With its bustling shopping areas, friendly citizens, and sleepy seaside, it's a great getaway.

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Shopping Downtown
One of the best attractions is just a short way outside of downtown: the Dyreparken, or zoo. It has a pirate town, many animals, a storybook town, pool, waterpark, and recreation area. This is a favorite of locals and visitors.

One good museum to visit is the Kristiansand Cannon Museum, which highlights the town’s defenses from the 1940s. There are many nice hiking and good views of the fjords.

The other good museum is the Vest-Agder County Museum. It is an open-air folk life museum open during the warmer months. It has old historic farm buildings and displays that highlight the local life in days past.

Quick Tips:

Here's a helpful website to plan your trip.

Best Way To Get Around:

The ferry trip from Hirtshals Denmark takes about four hours and allows you to either walk on or bring your car. Once off the ferry, it is just a short walk into downtown Kristiansand. Here you will find lots of interesting shops and small restaurants. Many people rent cars and the roads are easily navigable in nice weather. We were there in winter and some snow made our four-wheel drive essential. Also Norway prefers cars to have spiked winter tires for icy conditions. Here is the link for Color Line.

About the Writer

PLU
PLU
kitzingen, United States

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