Kragerø is a village of 5,400 people (2022) on the southern coast of Norway in Telemark. The place where Edvard Munch found peace and relaxation offers forests, fjords and islands.

Understand

Kragerø is a port town on the Skagerak coast, which is mainly characterized by fishing and tourism. The town has a tremendous number of vacation rentals in the area and is one of the more upscale destinations on the entire south coast.

Its special features are the narrow streets and the numerous wooden houses, some of which were built directly onto the rocks. The colour of the houses — they are mostly painted white — is the reason why Kragerø, together with Risør, Flekkefjord, Lillesand and Lyngør, is included among the so-called "white towns" on the Skagerak Coast.

The population of Kragerø quadruples during its summer months because of tourism. Edvard Munch fell in love with Kragerø in his time, and called it "The Pearl of the Coastal Towns".

• 1 Tourist Information Kragerø, Torvgata 1, ☏ +47 35 98 23 88, post@visitkragero.no. 

Get in

• By bus: Express buses from Oslo or Kristiansand stop at Tangen, where you can switch to local buses that take you into Kragerø.
• By car: From either Oslo or Kristiansand, take E18 and get off at exit 55 or 56.
• By bike: The North Sea Coast Cycle Route runs through Kragerø, which corresponds to Norwegian Cycle Route 1 here on the south coast.
• On foot: Like the cycle path, the Northseatrail or Kyststien passes through Kragerø on its way along the Norwegian south coast.
• By plane: The nearest airport is in Torp near Sandefjord, about 90 km away. Norway's main airport, Oslo Airport Gardermoen, is around 250 km away.
• By train: The nearest train station is in Neslandsvatn, about 25 km away. Here you can connect to trains from Oslo (approx. 2 hr 45 min) and from Kristiansand (approx. 2 hours).

Get around

By foot

The core of Kragerø is small enough to be comfortably traversed by foot, and it is recommended to do so.

By ferry

Large parts of the Kragerø archipelago are only accessible by boat. There are ferry lines that can take you to Skåtøy, Stabbestad, Tåtøy, Gumøy and Jongfruland.

See

Take in the view from the Steinmann viewpoint, a 10- to 15-minute walk from the centre.

Kragerø church

• 1 Kragerø kirke, Kragerø kyrkje (Kragerø church). Built in 1870.  
• Kragerø Town Hall. It was built as a mansion for the Biørn family in 1867. 

Do

• Archipelago sightseeing boat tour, Lovisenbergveien 20, ☏ +47 35985700, post@kragerosportell.no. Krager Sportell has several sightseeing boats that are suitable for a trip out into the archipelago. (updated Aug 2023)