Accessibility in Tønsberg & Færder

Are you planning a trip to Tønsberg or Færder 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.

Slottsfjellet and the Slottsfjell Museum

The Slottsfjell Museum is located by Slottsfjell hill, in the centre of Tønsberg, Norway’s oldest town. The museum is a good starting point for understanding the area’s history and the medieval castle that once stood on the hill, where the height above the town was an important part of its defence. Here, visitors encounter medieval history, views and historic traces in the landscape.

The main museum is largely step-free, while Seterkafeen (café inspired by traditional Norwegian mountain farm culture), Vestfoldtunet (the open-air museum area) and Slottsfjell hill are in areas with more varied accessibility.

There is parking and accessible parking directly outside the main museum building, and from the parking area visitors can enter via 16 steps or a ramp.

Inside there is a lift, automatic door openers and ramps where needed, as well as a couple of small thresholds. There are benches along the way, portable folding stools, and an accessible toilet by the entrance. A full route inside the museum is about 500 metres.

From the museum building, a steep, paved and slightly uneven road leads about 100 metres uphill towards Seterkafeen and Vestfoldtunet, but it is possible to drive up to the parking area by Seterkafeen. From there, it is about 130 metres farther to Vestfoldtunet, on a firm dirt road with a thin gravel surface and a gentle incline.

Vestfoldtunet consists of older buildings and a compact outdoor area with grass and natural terrain, and the buildings have two to three steps at the entrances.

From Vestfoldtunet, there are 92 broad, low steps up towards the Slottsfjell hill ruins and the tower. From the top, it is about 100 metres farther along a gentle incline towards Slottsfjell tower. To enter the tower, visitors must first take 12 steps, and inside the tower there are 93 steps over three floors.

There is also an alternative step-free route up from town via the road named Danakleven, with about 400 metres to the tower on asphalt with a constant incline. The first 200 metres are quite steep, but there are benches along the way.

The Viking Ship and Tønsberg Harbourfront

On Tønsberg’s harbourfront, the Viking ship Saga Oseberg lies by the water. The ship is a full-scale replica of the Oseberg ship, and the area is close to restaurants, outdoor seating and the town centre. The area is known locally as Vikingodden and Brygga.

The harbourfront has step-free access across asphalt, wooden decking and wide pedestrian areas. From Quality Hotel Tønsberg at one end to DS Kysten, a historic steamship from 1909, at the other, the distance is about 500 metres.

Quality Hotel Tønsberg

Quality Hotel Tønsberg is located at the far end of the harbourfront, closest to the Viking ship. From the Oseberg parking garage, there is indoor access via lift, and it is possible to drive up to the hotel entrance with luggage. The main entrance has automatic doors, four steps and a ramp. There is also an accessible parking space here with three-hour parking.

The hotel has a lift, accessible rooms and accessible toilets, while reception and the restaurant are on the main level. The restaurant is divided between several rooms with good space between the tables, but the distance to the buffet varies.

From the main entrance, there is onward access through the main area and out to the harbourfront on the other side via automatic doors and a ramp, or five steps.

Kayaking in the archipelago

A kayak trip with Tine Raisbæk offers a different way to experience Vestfold, at a calmer pace, close to the water and with the chance to see the coast from a completely new perspective.

Tine is an experienced and solution-oriented instructor who focuses on giving visitors confidence on the water. She can organise trips in several parts of the region, adapted to skills, functional ability and the distance visitors want to paddle. Good dialogue with Tine in advance is therefore an important part of the planning.

In Tønsberg, the trip can start from a sheltered beach near the harbourfront, offering a beautiful experience of the town from the water. Visitors get into the kayak while it is still on land, before Tine pushes it out onto the water. It is necessary to have enough balance to sit steadily.

Although paddling mainly uses the upper body, it does not take much strength to get the kayak moving smoothly. With Tine, the paddling feels calm, safe and stable, with time for breaks, adjustments and small moments to simply enjoy the view from the water. Tine also offers self-service kayak rental in several places in Vestfold through Kajakkbox.

Skydiving with Skydive Tønsberg

When the aircraft door opens high above Vestfold, tandem skydiving becomes an intense experience of speed, wind and wide-open views, before everything suddenly falls quiet beneath the canopy.

The car park is directly outside the area, on firm gravel that changes to asphalt. From here, it is about 50 metres to the main building, where visitors register.

Access is via a couple of steps or a long, gentle ramp, and the doors can be a little heavy. Inside there is a cafeteria and a short step-free route to an accessible toilet, while the other toilets are in the neighbouring building, up three steps.

After registration, it is about 50 metres to the hangar, where visitors change into a jumpsuit, are fitted with a harness and goggles, and receive a briefing from the instructor. There are sofas, benches, chairs and storage lockers. From there, it is about 50 metres to the waiting area by the aircraft, with benches and shade, and around 15 metres farther to the aircraft itself. Access into the aircraft is via five steps. Assistance is available, including being lifted in, but this must be agreed before booking.

In the aircraft, visitors sit on the floor or on a narrow bench, between the instructor’s legs. The harness is tightened as the aircraft approaches jump altitude, about 12,500 feet, or roughly 4,000 metres. Once the aircraft reaches altitude, the visitor moves forward to the door with the instructor, sits on the edge and tips forward into freefall.

The freefall lasts around 45 seconds, with a strong sensation of wind and full control from the instructor, who quickly stabilises the fall so the visitor is lying face down with the view below. When the parachute opens, there is a short jolt before everything suddenly becomes completely quiet, almost as if standing still. The descent lasts around five minutes, with wide views and the chance to try steering the canopy.

Towards the end, the ground can feel as though it is approaching quickly, but the braking is effective and the landing is soft. As landing approaches, the visitor in front must lift their legs so the instructor is the one whose legs make contact with the ground. If this is not possible, it should be clarified before booking, so that suitable harness solutions can be considered. The landing area is about 100 metres from the main building. If visitors use mobility aids, these are ready at the landing area and are handed over by a member of staff.

Afterwards, visitors return to the hangar, take off the jumpsuit and harness, and are left with a very particular mix of relief, adrenaline and a sense of achievement.

The Worlds End & Færder National Park

Outside Tønsberg lies Færder National Park, with Verdens Ende, whose name translates as “World’s End”, as one of its best-known places to visit. Here the landscape opens towards the sea, with smooth coastal rocks, a small harbour and a wide horizon out towards Skagerrak.

From the main car park, where the accessible parking is closest, it is about 260 metres up a gentle asphalt slope to the step-free visitor centre. There are automatic door openers, toilets, an accessible toilet and a restaurant. When the barrier is open, it is also possible to drive in with an accessible parking permit.

From the car park, visitors can also follow the wide cultural trail, which runs about 250 metres on firm ground with a thin gravel surface. The trail starts by the toilet building, which has an accessible toilet, and continues to an open area below the visitor centre. From here there is a good overview of the area, but the route further down towards the promenade jetty, which also has an accessible toilet, is very steep.

To avoid the steep downhill section, visitors can move the car 450 metres from the car park to Fiskerihavnen (The Fishing Harbour). There is one accessible parking space there, and a step-free route continues onto the promenade area at the same level.

If the whole area is visited, including the route down to the promenade jetty, the total distance can quickly reach around 1.5 kilometres. Staying in the upper part of the site, near the visitor centre and restaurant, can shorten the visit to about 500 metres.

Havna Tjøme Hotel

Havna Tjøme Hotel has an idyllic location by the sea, with easy access to Færder National Park experiences, the marina and the coastal landscape at the outer edge of Vestfold.

The car park is about 250 metres from the step-free main entrance with automatic doors, but it is possible to drive up to the entrance to load and unload luggage. There is also a dedicated accessible parking space directly by the main door.

Reception, restaurant, terrace and marina are all located close together on the main level. From the shared areas there is step-free access out to the terrace and onwards towards the marina. The hotel has accessible rooms and accessible toilets.

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.