Accessibility in Horten & Åsgårdstrand

Are you planning a trip to Horten or Åsgårdstrand and need information about accessibility?

Accessibility consultant Adele Heidenreich has surveyed several locations in Vestfold to make it easier to plan your visit if you use a wheelchair, a walking frame, other mobility aids or have reduced mobility.

Karljohansvern and the Royal Norwegian Navy Museum

Karljohansvern in Horten brings together naval history, old buildings and several museum experiences in one area. The Royal Norwegian Navy Museum gives a wide-ranging insight into Norway’s naval defence history, with exhibitions ranging from models and vessels to broader historical narratives.

From the car park, it is about 120 metres to the Royal Norwegian Navy Museum, across asphalt within Karljohansvern. It is possible to park outside the museum with an accessible parking permit if the museum is contacted in advance. The entrance is step-free, and ticket sales, café, shop and toilets are all located on the ground floor.

The exhibitions are on the first floor. Access is either via 20 steep steps, or by lift in Preus Museum. To use the lift, visitors must first go to the Royal Norwegian Navy Museum, as it has to be unlocked by staff. From there to Preus Museum, the route is about 80 metres outdoors and step-free, and the lift comes up roughly in the middle of the exhibition.

The exhibition area itself is level and step-free, except for two small rooms. The museum is long and has a large collection, with generous space in the exhibition areas. A full route through all parts of the museum is just over one kilometre. There are some chairs along the way, and the museum also has a wheelchair available to borrow.

Midgard Viking Centre and the Borre Mounds

Midgard Viking Center and the Borre Mounds are located just outside Horten, in one of Vestfold’s most distinctive historic landscapes. History is presented through exhibitions, artefacts and outdoor areas, while the burial mounds of Borre Park rise as large, soft shapes in the landscape below the museum.

The car park is only a few metres from the museum entrance, with accessible parking spaces closest to the building. The entrance is step-free and has an automatic door opener. Ticket sales, café, museum shop and accessible toilets are all located by the entrance, and the entire museum building is step-free. A route through the museum is just under 500 metres.

The Borre Mounds are about 100 metres from the museum entrance. It is possible to drive the car down to the gate leading into the area via a narrow asphalt road. The burial mounds are in Borre Park, a large green area with firm surfaces and a thin layer of gravel on the main paths. Away from the main paths, the surface is grass and smaller trails. The two largest burial mounds are closest to the entrance and are already easy to see from the parking area by the gate.

The Viking Hall is about 500 metres from the museum building. With an accessible parking permit, visitors can move the car and use one of the two accessible parking spaces by the building. Otherwise, access is either across the field or via the asphalt road.

Together, the area around the hall and the hall itself cover about 350 metres. At the entrance to the area there is a section of coarse wood chips, but large parts of the site have wooden walkways. Access into the hall is step-free, and the floor inside is level. Beside the hall there is also a toilet building with an accessible toilet, but the threshold is slightly high.

Munch’s House in Åsgårdstrand

Munch’s summerhouse is located in Åsgårdstrand, a small coastal town with white-painted houses, narrow streets and a strong connection to Edvard Munch. The town slopes down towards the sea, and the summer home offers a close look at the artist’s life and work, with the home, studio and garden all forming part of the visit.

Public parking directly outside Munch’s home is limited. The house itself is on one level, and together the studio, house and garden make up a visit of about 150 metres, with a slight incline.

The entrance to the house is either via four steps inside the grounds, or from the parking side, where staff can put threshold ramps in place. As in many historic buildings, there are several thresholds, some narrow doors and slightly uneven floors inside the house. The studio is accessed by two steps.

The second Munch visitor area is located in the Town Hall Quarter (Rådhuskvartalet), about 450 metres from Munch’s House. Parts of the area have cobblestones with minor unevenness, and parking is located below the building. From there, visitors can either take 14 steps and a short gravel path, or follow the pavement along the side of the building. This route is step-free and paved, but includes about 60 metres along a fairly steep uphill street.

In the main building, film and interactive installations bring both floors and walls to life. The entrance has either three steps or a gentle ramp, and the building has a lift to the accessible toilet on the first floor. The museum shop is in the same area, but has three steps in, followed by four steps up to the shop. Alternatively, there is a gentle ramp at the back, reached across a short section of cobblestones.

Treehouse Cabins in the Oslofjord

Tretopphytter Oslofjord is located between Holmestrand and Horten, with accommodation high among the trees and views of the Oslofjord. The stillness, the view, the colourful small birds, the squirrels and the sounds of owls and pigeons are all part of the experience.

The Owl Nest (Ugleredet) is built among the treetops, but the terrain means visitors can drive right up and park beside a 12-metre bridge leading directly into the cabin. The entrance has a wide door and low threshold, with step-free access and extra-wide doors onwards to the bedroom on the main level and the bathroom.

There is generous floor space throughout the main level. The bathroom has an incinerating toilet without support rails, but there are sturdy wall-mounted handles. Some of the kitchen equipment is stored high because of the available storage space, so it may be useful to clarify placement of equipment in advance. The remaining sleeping spaces are on a mezzanine, reached by a steep wooden staircase.

Grand Hotel Åsgårdstrand

As an alternative, Grand Hotel Åsgårdstrand has a beautiful location by the water. The hotel has parking close to both the front and back of the building, directly by step-free entrances. Indoors, there is a lift to the shared facilities, accessible toilets and accessible rooms, and the restaurant has tables close to the buffet.

This trip was carried out by car and on crutches, to see how the experiences work in practice and to make it easier to plan visits from home based on individual needs. This applies whether visitors use a wheelchair or other mobility aids, are older, or have other forms of reduced mobility. Clear information makes it easier to plan and experience Vestfold with greater predictability and confidence.