Vikings in Oslo: Viking Planet and What Is Open While the Viking Ship Museum Is Closed

You cannot see the Oseberg and Gokstad ships in Oslo right now. The former Viking Ship Museum on Bygdøy is closed while the Museum of the Viking Age is built. The museum’s own website says it plans to reopen in November 2027 and adds that this can still change. Until then, the closest thing to a Viking day out in Oslo is Viking Planet, a digital museum in the city centre, plus real objects at the Historical Museum.

The status of the Viking Ship Museum

According to the museum, the ships and the fragile Oseberg sleds have been moved into the new building, where they are monitored closely, and more than 5,000 objects still have to be moved. The old museum building will become the entrance part of the new complex. The reopening date has moved before, which is why the museum itself calls November 2027 a plan rather than a promise.

One thing to watch: the Viking Planet booking page says the old museum “will reopen as the Museum of the Viking Age in 2026”. The museum’s own page now gives November 2027 as the plan. Trust the museum, and check its site again before you build a trip around the date.

Viking Planet: what you get

The Viking Planet entry ticket costs €27.03, has 4.3 out of 5 and 843 reviews. The page gives the duration as 2 hours and the address as Fridtjof Nansens plass 4, and offers the content in 12 languages. It lists:

• a 12-minute VR film, “The Ambush”, in which you join a Viking raid on the Norwegian west coast;
• “The Helmet”, a 270-degree cinema, with a film that starts every 15 minutes;
• a hologram theatre with life-sized figures based on archaeological evidence;
• a digital walk-through of the Viking Ship Museum, with the Oseberg and Gokstad ships and 3D files of objects from its collection;
• a 3D gallery, Viking timelines, the Viking Windows on shipbuilding and Old Norse mythology, a selfie station and the documentary “Norvegr”, which also starts every 15 minutes.

To play the VR game FERÐ you need the “Combination ticket” option or a separate 20-minute VR game session at €26.08. That page also lists museum entrance at Viking Planet among what it includes, so compare the two before you buy both. The game session lists a minimum age of 12 and is listed as not suitable for children under 12, so it is not an option for younger children, whatever the rest of the family does. For the age rules of the rest of the museum, ask the operator before you book.

The page carries a wheelchair-accessible label but gives no detail. If you need step-free access, ask the operator which parts you can reach.

Real Viking objects

The Museum of the Viking Age points visitors to its sister museum in the city centre, the Historical Museum, where Viking Age objects are shown in the exhibitions VÌKINGR and Miðgarðr. Opening hours and tickets are on the museum’s own website. Viking Planet shows digital copies and films; the Historical Museum shows original objects, and the two work well together.

A Viking story in the forest

Viking Tales, Trails & Tastes is a guided forest hike in the Grefsen area just outside the city centre, developed with a Viking history expert. It costs €150.79. The guide tells stories from Norse mythology and Norwegian folklore along the way, with a stop at Trollvann lake for trail snacks and a hot drink and a climb to a viewpoint over Oslo and the fjord, before the walk returns through the forest to the start. The listing gives the duration as 4 hours, while the description calls it a three-hour hike, so check the times on the booking page. It starts at Akebakkeskogen 86B, away from the centre, and is listed as not suitable for children under 12. It is a storytelling walk, not a visit to Viking sites.

The three options at a glance

Option	What it is	Length	Starts at	Price
Viking Planet entry ticket	Digital Viking museum with films, holograms and 3D objects	2 hours	Fridtjof Nansens plass 4	€27.03
VR game session at Viking Planet	The Viking VR game FERÐ, minimum age 12	20 minutes	Viking Planet	€26.08
Viking Tales, Trails & Tastes	Guided forest hike with Norse stories	4 hours listed	Akebakkeskogen 86B	€150.79

Our recommendation

For most visitors, the Viking Planet entry ticket is the practical choice while the ships are away: it takes about two hours and works in any weather. Add the Historical Museum if you want original objects. If you came for the ships themselves, plan the visit for after the new museum has opened, and look at the Bygdøy museums by ferry for what is open on the peninsula in the meantime. Other tickets and museums are on the tickets and museums page.