Ferries from Dronningen

Dronningen is the first Bygdøy landing, and choosing between it and Bygdøynes three minutes further on decides which half of the peninsula's museums you walk to first. 27 sailings connect the two.

The crossing

Dronningen to Bygdøynes takes about 3 minutes, with 27 sailings and 54 across the landing in both directions, operated by Bygdøyfergen. Boats reach both from Rådhusbrygge 3 in front of Oslo City Hall.

What is at this end

Dronningen serves the northern side of the peninsula: the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History with its open-air collection of relocated timber buildings and the Gol stave church, and the Viking Ship Museum site.

Opening arrangements at the Viking Ship Museum have changed during its rebuilding. Check current status rather than assuming.

And at the other

Bygdøynes, three minutes on, holds the Fram — Nansen and Amundsen's polar ship, preserved whole inside a building constructed around it — the Kon-Tiki raft, and the Norwegian Maritime Museum.

The Fram is the strongest wooden ship ever built and went further north and further south than any other vessel of its era. Standing on its deck indoors is a genuinely odd experience.

⚠ Doing both on foot

The walk between the landings takes about 20 minutes through parkland and past some of the most expensive housing in Norway. Most people take the boat to one end and walk back to the other, which works — but only if the museums' closing times and the last sailing line up.

The alternative

Bus 30 from central Oslo runs to Bygdøy all year and is covered by a standard Ruter ticket. In winter, when the boats stop, it is the only option.