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- Get lost in the living museum that is Gamlebyen. Settled in 1567, this star-shaped fortress town is the historic heart of Fredrikstad and one of the best-preserved of its kind in Scandinavia. The Old Town feels like a place where time stands still and looks much the same as it did centuries ago, with worn cobblestone streets and well-preserved buildings of brick and timber housing everything from shops and art galleries to museums and cafes, all with a sheen of storied history. The Fredrikstad Museum, Old Town Model Train Center, and Kongsten Fortress are must-visits.
- Leave the fortified walls and zigzagging moat of Gamlebyen behind for the more modern enclave of Fredrikstad. Accessible from the Old Town by the city’s free ferry, the opposite side of the Glomma River boasts an assortment of creative outlets, like the Litteraturhuset (or “House of Literature”) and Østfold Art Center, a collection of eye-catching churches, and a bustling riverwalk peppered with restaurants and watering holes.
- Journey outside of Fredrikstad to one of the region’s coastal getaways. Reachable by either ferry or boat, Hankø Island in the Oslofjord has been a popular recreational destination for locals and Norwegian royalty alike since the 1870s when sulphurous mud was discovered on the island, transforming it into a spa retreat hailed for its curative properties. The Hvaler Islands, named for their resemblance to a pod of whales (hval is Norwegian for “whale”), is an aquatic oasis for nature lovers. Not only does this archipelago tour the most sunny days annually in the country, but its multitudinous islands and skerries (more than 800 of them!) offer plentiful opportunities for hiking, sunbathing, kayaking, snorkeling, fresh seafood, and more. It is also home to Ytre Hvaler National Park. The first marine national park in Norway, around 95% of the park is actually underwater.
