Norsk Reiselivsmuseum
Norsk Reiselivsmuseum
4.5
11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
Closed
Tuesday
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Wednesday
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Thursday
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Friday
11:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Sunday
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
About
The Norwegian Museum of Travel and Tourism tells the story of the growth of Norwegian tourism, in which the beautiful scenery of the Norwegian landscape played a major part. This is reflected in the construction of the museum, which is cut into the bedrock of Balestrand, a town that was a major destination in the early days of tourism to Norway. In the late 1800s, European and international elites, like Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, came from far and wide to visit Balestrand. The museum commemorates the local history in a national perspective. The museum consists of three antiquarian buildings and a spectacular new building opened in 2016.
Duration: 1-2 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingWhat is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Top ways to experience nearby attractions
Are you currently on your trip?
Help us find experiences available for you.
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
8 within 3 miles
Attractions
11 within 6 miles
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
41 reviews
Excellent
29
Very good
7
Average
1
Poor
3
Terrible
1
Brian M
Harrow, UK55 contributions
Aug 2020
We visited this small museum and were greeted by Bendick who gave us a personal introduction to the museum (as the museum did not have many visitors at the time). He answered our questions very thoroughly and then left us to explore the museum on our own. The museum shows the history of Norwegian tourism which was very interesting.
Written September 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Guy and Kerri
Melbourne, Australia153 contributions
Jul 2024 • Couples
Fascinating museum which has been constructed with walls cut straight into the bedrock. We enjoyed the special exhibit and also the movies shown in the auditorium. Especially the one about Norway's pioneer aviatrix. It also has a hallways that leads to the Kviknes Hotel which is a major part of Balestrand's history. There are rooms available for the public to view and perhaps enjoy a drink in the terrace .
Written July 25, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NYTravelerBD
Westchester County, NY1,633 contributions
Jun 2017 • Family
We stopped by this museum with relatively low expectations on a rainy afternoon in Balestrand, and were not sure that we would be able to stay long if my 3.5 year old daughter quickly became bored. Museums are usually not her thing. But what a pleasant surprise. The museum has several "hands on" displays where my daughter could press buttons and choose different pictures, and boasted many colorful displays that certainly caught her eye. We also liked the 15 minute film about Norway's tourist roads, which had great photographs and images of the country's many highlights. The staff were also very friendly and helpful to us. This is an underrated gem in the heart of Balestrand. Check it out!
Written July 3, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SyrinxSounds
Victoria, Canada1,412 contributions
May 2016 • Couples
It's an interesting idea to have a museum about how people travel and the effect of travel on a location in an area that is a travel destination. There is not a lot to see here except collections of travel memorabilia. There are some old movies, silent films and the like, that are fun to see for those of us who like those kinds of things. Oddly, however, it feels more of a tourist centre than a museum about travel. There are some interesting questions posed and considered, but I'm not sure I was really ready to pay $15 (80 NOK) twice for two of us to experience this museum. We had been encouraged to visit owing to the fact that the construction of the building was done direct into the rock ... and indeed it was fascinating. Still, I felt a little like I was paying for a fancy TI, and with the day so gorgeous outside, I really wanted to hurry and get back to my own vacation on the fjords rather than observing someone else's in a museum.
Might be a good bad-weather day activity.
Might be a good bad-weather day activity.
Written May 27, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cynthia P
San Jose, CA2,218 contributions
Jul 2016 • Couples
You can access the museum from the Kvikne Hotel or the street entrance. It offers memorabilia of travel from about the last several decades. It also shows some old silent movies: fly fishing and the first Norwegian female pilot among others. There is a nice cafe attached to the museum.
The entrance price was 8 NOK which is overpriced for the quality of the museum. I wouldn't even call it a museum-just really a collection of travel artifacts (which some of us may still have around the house or use). If this was free or 1 or 2 dollars a person, perhaps worth a visit.
The entrance price was 8 NOK which is overpriced for the quality of the museum. I wouldn't even call it a museum-just really a collection of travel artifacts (which some of us may still have around the house or use). If this was free or 1 or 2 dollars a person, perhaps worth a visit.
Written August 4, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mary P
Portsmouth, UK54 contributions
May 2018 • Couples
OK I bet most tourists would give a museum dedicated to them a "go by". Too modern an idea...it will just be about souvenirs etc. Well this is an excellently planned and set out display really of the development of Balestrand as an artists destination into a tranquil and beautiful destination for visitors who come for the scenery. Don't miss the time lapse video of the museum being carved out of the bedrock...that must have caused months of chaos to the little township! Take your time to watch the videos, there are seats for you to perch on. Read the captions to the displays...it is fascinating. Go through the cafe to visit one of the Artists houses and read about the different phases of landscape painting. Then....Joy of Joy...sit in the peaceful cafe overlooking the quayside with a real pot of tea and a big cup and saucer. YaY!!! That was the only teapot I encountered in 8 days stay in Norway.
Written May 24, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Trevor J
Adelaide, Australia47 contributions
Sep 2017 • Couples
After 4 weeks visiting major museums in the Baltic and Nordic big cities this was certainly a change - and not for the worse.
I am amazed how a small town like Balestrand could have such a unique place.
Opened only last year it was carved out of solid rock which form a lot of the internal wall surfaces - amazing construction (watch the video in the museum).
It is a Tourist Museum which not only depicts the history and heritage of the area but exposes you to all the other wonderful scenic places that Norway has to offer. I am so keen to hire a car and travel the length of this fantastically scenic country.
I am amazed how a small town like Balestrand could have such a unique place.
Opened only last year it was carved out of solid rock which form a lot of the internal wall surfaces - amazing construction (watch the video in the museum).
It is a Tourist Museum which not only depicts the history and heritage of the area but exposes you to all the other wonderful scenic places that Norway has to offer. I am so keen to hire a car and travel the length of this fantastically scenic country.
Written September 26, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jamie K
Raleigh, NC503 contributions
Aug 2016 • Couples
On a lazy Sunday in Balestrand there wasn't much open but the tourism museum was, which is full of fun exhibits about why we travel, as well as the national lore behind the romanticism of their fjord country. There's a cafe up top, brief films in a cozy auditorium, cleanest bathrooms in the world, and all in all a nice break from the hectic pace of large museums.
Written September 12, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Meander610731
1 contribution
Sep 2019
This is a spectacular museum that you definitely should not miss. At the Norwegian Museum of Travel and Tourism you will experience a modern exhibition, cool architecture and beautiful buildings in natural surroundings. You will also find a café with great tasting cakes, and the best of all: The Museum’s very knowledgeable and young historian. The museum features the use of digital technology with user friendly video screens, images and movies. The Museum is also a great place to get an overview of Norway’s scenery and national tourist routes.
I will definitely be a returning guest.
Visitor from Oslo.
I will definitely be a returning guest.
Visitor from Oslo.
Written September 18, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cathy H
Lake District, Cumbria, England47 contributions
Aug 2019 • Friends
A brilliant place to while away a few hours out of the rain (and no need to go outside at all, if in Kvikne Hotel) or if it's too hot outside. Description of museum in other reviews and agree very interesting. Makes you want to visit all those other wonderful places in Norway.
Cafe has brilliant views of Sognefjord and good food. Synnøve, the multi-tasking cafe and museum manager, is the most helpful person we have come across in our world travels. Nothing was too much trouble in the kitchen, helpful introduction to museum, taking care of all her customers (deserves a whole lot more, but maybe was end of season in late August), making sandwiches and own cakes, and generally ensuring our days were special. We went to cafe 2 days for lunch and cake and on our last day she parcelled up 3 pieces of her special carrot cake to take on the ferry. Yum yum!
Another brilliant person was Bendik, the museum's historian, who took as much time as he could to tell us about the museum and also the whole of Norwegian history in a nutshell. Fascinating to listen to.
Both outstanding staff who should get tourism gold medals for customer service.
Cafe has brilliant views of Sognefjord and good food. Synnøve, the multi-tasking cafe and museum manager, is the most helpful person we have come across in our world travels. Nothing was too much trouble in the kitchen, helpful introduction to museum, taking care of all her customers (deserves a whole lot more, but maybe was end of season in late August), making sandwiches and own cakes, and generally ensuring our days were special. We went to cafe 2 days for lunch and cake and on our last day she parcelled up 3 pieces of her special carrot cake to take on the ferry. Yum yum!
Another brilliant person was Bendik, the museum's historian, who took as much time as he could to tell us about the museum and also the whole of Norwegian history in a nutshell. Fascinating to listen to.
Both outstanding staff who should get tourism gold medals for customer service.
Written August 26, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Showing results 1-1 of 1
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing