Midgard Viking Centre

Borre holds the largest concentration of monumental burial mounds in Scandinavia: seven large mounds and around thirty smaller ones in a park by the shore, built between the sixth and tenth centuries and associated with the Ynglings, the dynasty from which later Norwegian kings claimed descent. A ship burial found here in 1852 gave its name to the Borre style of Viking ornament. The Midgard Historical Centre beside the park interprets the site, and in 2013 a full-size reconstruction of a chieftain's hall, the Gildehall, was built based on postholes found nearby, timber-framed with carved decoration, used for feasts and events. The mound park itself is free, open and used as a public park.

What you actually see

• The mound field - seven large and around thirty smaller burial mounds.
• The Gildehall - a reconstructed chieftain's hall with carved decoration.
• The museum - interpretation of the mounds and the Borre ornament style.
• The shore park - open coastal parkland around the monuments.

When to go

May to September for the fullest opening, events and hall access; the mound park is free and open year-round, and autumn light on the grass mounds is good. Winter closes most of the indoor programme.

Honest expectations

The Gildehall is a modern reconstruction based on limited evidence, and it is used for private events, which closes it to visitors on some days. The mounds are grass hills, impressive in scale but with nothing to enter. Museum hours are seasonal.

Nearby

Horten and the Moss ferry are close; the Oseberg mound and Tonsberg lie south.