Viking Ship Museum

The Viking Ship Museum (Vikingskipshuset) on Oslo's Bygdøy peninsula displayed three extraordinary Viking burial ships from 1926 until it closed in 2021 for a major reconstruction. The site is being transformed into the Museum of the Viking Age (Vikingtidsmuseet) — a purpose-built, world-class facility expected to open in 2027. The new museum will be four times larger than the original building and display the ships alongside an expanded collection of Viking-age artefacts, jewellery, textiles and tools from across Scandinavia. If you are planning a visit to Oslo, check the official website for the current reopening date before making plans — the new museum is expected to be one of the great cultural openings in Scandinavia.

All three ships are genuine burial vessels used to inter high-status Vikings in the 9th century. The Oseberg ship — built around 820 AD and discovered in 1904 near Tønsberg — is the most ornately decorated vessel ever found, its prow carved with intricate interlaced animal patterns. The Gokstad ship (built around 895 AD, found 1880) is the most seaworthy of the three; a replica successfully crossed the Atlantic in 1893. The Tune ship, the oldest and most fragmented of the collection, was found in 1867 in Østfold. Together they represent the pinnacle of Viking-age shipbuilding and craftsmanship.