4 Best Sights in Southern Norway, Norway

Restored to the way it looked in 1837, this museum is where playwright Herik Ibsen wrote his first play, Catilina. The museum also has a maritime exhibit and a section honoring Terje Vigen, a fictional folk hero who was the subject of a poem by Ibsen. 

From the 1890s to the 1960s, canning sardines and other fish products was Stavanger’s main industry. This fascinating museum, in a former canning factory located in scenic Old Stavanger, recounts what it was like to live here during that period. Occasionally the public can take part in the production process, sometimes tasting newly smoked brisling. After extensive renovations, they also changed the name and included the Norwegian Printing Museum.

Resembling a shiny offshore oil platform, the dynamic Norsk Oljemuseum is an absolute must-see. In 1969, oil was discovered off the coast of Norway, and the museum explains how oil forms, how it's found and produced, its many uses, and its impact on Norway. Interactive multimedia exhibitions accompany original artifacts, models, and films. A reconstructed offshore platform includes oil workers' living quarters complete with the sound of drilling and the smell of oil. There's also a climate change exhibition. There's even a small oil rig for children to explore. After the visit, stop by the museum restaurant, run by Kjeringholmen brasseri, and shop local products in the museum's great gift shop.