Many of us think of Viking explorers whenever we hear of Norway or Scandinavia. If you have a day in Oslo, there are opportunities to learn about Norwegian explorers on the Bygdøy Peninsula south of Oslo. It can be easily reached by commuter ferry or bus. The Peninsula is home to four museums that are dedicated to Norwegian explorers of ancient times and the last century. A half-day shore excursion or trip to the Bygdøy will allow you about an hour at each museum since they are all very closely located.

The ferry or the bus will take you near each of the museums.

Viking Ship Museum
Three amazing Viking burial ships dating from the 9th century are inside this museum. They were found buried on farms bordering the Oslofjord during the late 1800's and early 1900's. The ships were extremely well preserved by the blue clay surrounding them. The 64-foot Oseberg is the most spectacular and served as a burial ship for a Viking queen and her servant. The Gokstad is also well preserved, but the Tune was never restored. The museum also contains many Viking artifacts.

Kon-Tiki Museum
The Kon-Tiki Museum is a tribute to the 20th century explorer Thor Heyerdahl. This museum contains his famous balsa wood raft ship the Kon Tiki that he and a small crew sailed 4300 miles from Peru to Polynesia in 1947. They caught fish using ancient techniques and captured rainwater to drink. The voyage of the Kon Tiki was told in a prize-winning book and documentary movie. By making this voyage, Heyerdahl proved that explorers could have crossed the Pacific during ancient times.

Heyerdahl's other exploration ship the Ra II is also inside the museum. He sailed the Ra II, a ship made of papyrus, from Africa to the Caribbean in 1970. The museum also includes artifacts from Easter Island and other souvenirs from Heyerdahl's voyages.

Polar Ship Fram
This large Polar ship is open for tours by visitors. The Fram was used by Fridtjof Nansen to sail across the Arctic in 1893-1896, and by the famed Roald Amundsen in some of his explorations. This museum had a lot of interesting information about some of the explorers such as Nansen and Amundsen who are renowned in their homeland. The stories of hardships endured in exploring the Antarctic were especially riveting to me.

Norwegian Maritime Museum
The Norwegian Maritime Museum focuses on Norway's important role as a coastal and maritime nation. It features movies and exhibitions on the 2,000 years of development of watercraft.

Each of these museums were extremely educational for us. If you have a day in Oslo, a trip to the Bygdøy to learn about explorers of old is certainly a great way to expand your own knowledge of Norway.