The Norwegian Museum of Travel and Tourism

Today, Norway ranks among the world's great travel destinations. The history of how this came to be is as much the story of the development of a national image, as it is one of tourism.

For centuries, Scandinavia had been seen as the periphery of Europe; rugged, remote and foreign. The painters, scholars, anglers and mountaineers that ventured north, discovered their paradise in the Norwegian nature. Much has changed since the days of these pioneers. However, the same experiences that beckoned them still draw contemporary travellers to Norway's landscape. The dramatic and astonishing scenery has not only been the backdrop for pastoral romanticism, but has also increasingly become a main attraction in itself.

At the Norwegian Museum of Travel and Tourism, we explore and convey the fascinating story from wilderness to World Heritage. The exhibitions at the museum provide a comprehensive overview of the development of travel and tourism in Norway, the roots of tourism in Balestrand, the historical artists' colonies of Europe and Balestrand, and the opportunity to visit an original dragon style building –  the former residence of the English painter Alfred Heaton Cooper.

Carved into the ancient Norwegian bedrock, the museum is spectacularly situated in a state of the art building. Short films pertaining to travel and Norway are shown in the auditorium throughout the day – our most popular by far being the dramatic documentary about the female Norwegian aviation pioneer Gidsken Jakobsen Coffee, tea, locally made beverages and homemade cakes, sandwiches and more are served in Vindreken Café. Enjoy the meal and the astonishing view of the Sognefjord!