Europe >> Scandinavia >> Norway >> East Norway >> Vestfold >> Sandefjord

Culture and History

Sandefjord [1] is in Vestfold in Norway.

An International Small Town with an Exciting Historical Past

Sandefjord is a historical town which has become a modern town of culture with a dynamic business life. The history of Sandefjord has been formed by the Viking Age, the shipping industry and whaling in Arctic and Antarctic areas. Sandefjord has a history of pioneer spirit and creativity, daring and bravery.

The Vikings had their very first settlements in Vestfold. The Gokstad Viking Ship which dates from the year 900 was discovered in Sandefjord. Today one can find a replica of this famous ship down at the harbour. Like the Vikings, the urge to go abroad and explore foreign countries lead the first whalers to the Antarctic Ocean. The history of the whalers can be explored at the Whaling Museum and at the Museum's Wharf with a visit aboard the whale-catcher "Southern Actor.“

Sandefjord is also a well known and frequently visited vacation spot for Norwegians.

Travel to Sandefjord - Visa Requirements

Vestfold's international Torp Airport (TRF) has flights to some major and minor cities around Norway and Europe, including Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, London, Milan, Gothenburg, Marseille, Pisa, Liverpool, Newcastle, Glasgow, Nice, Alicante, Malaga, Milano and Stockholm. Sandefjord is located 10 km from TRF.

The Norwegian State Railway serves Sandefjord on the Oslo-Skien line (Vestfoldbanen).

Nor-Way Busexpress' line 182 goes through Sandefjord.

Tours and Getting around Sandefjord

Sandefjord tourist attractions and sightseeing

  • The Whaling Monument is Sandefjord's most famous attraction. It's a sculpture from 1960 showing whalers in action.
  • The Whaling Museum: Gives a very in detail history about whaling in Norway and around the world. It is very in depth, and goes in to great detail about how the whales are hunted and killed so it's not for the easily upset!
  • The whaling ship "The Southern Actor"

Sandefjord city tours

Sandefjord souvenirs and shopping

Sandefjord has a charming city centre, consisting of a mixture of old and modern buildings and a wide selection of shopping possibilities.

Sandefjord Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

Sandefjord has a good selection of restaurants and cafés. What is possibly one of Norway’s best gourmet restaurant outside Oslo, Solvold, is located here in a modern building near the harbour. Also located at the harbour is the fishmonger well known for the excellent quality of its goods and delicacies.

Sandefjord nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs

Sandefjord cheap and luxurious hotels, youth hostels and lodging

Get out


This page was last edited by Stefan Ertmann. Based on work by Lars Sondre Eriksen and Ryan Holliday, Wikitravel user(s) Rich banff, Vclaw and Janki and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. - Content on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 license

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