Museum of the Viking Age: Closed - what to see instead

By: Chris ⎜ Last updated

22 February 2026

Viking Ship Museum Oslo

Currently CLOSED for renovation. Scheduled to reopen in 2027.

Museum of the Viking Age (previously the Viking Ship Museum) on Bygdøy preserves three of the best-known Viking Age burial ships excavated from the Oslofjord region: the Oseberg, Gokstad and Tune finds, together with thousands of accompanying grave goods that illuminate craft, ritual and seafaring in the 9th century. The original halls were built in stages from the 1920s to the 1950s to house those excavations, and the collection is part of the Museum of Cultural History at the University of Oslo.

The museum building is undergoing a major conservation and rebuilding programme and the ships have been moved into protective enclosures as part of a staged transfer into an expanded Museum of the Viking Age; a scheduled reopening is reported for 2027. While the site is being prepared for better climate control and new visitor platforms above the Oseberg ship, many related objects from the collections are available at the University of Oslo’s Historical Museum in the city centre. The Oseberg burial remains the most complete Viking ship assembly recovered, and the new galleries are being designed to preserve the fragile timber and textiles.

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https://www.vikingtidsmuseet.no/

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