Natural History Museum at the University of Oslo Museum

Address: Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Tøyen, Oslo, Norway

Website: https://www.nhm.uio.no

Hours: Tue-Sun 11:00am-4:00pm, closed Mondays (check website for seasonal changes)

Admission: Adult ~NOK 120 (~$11), concessions available; under-18s often free (check website)

The Natural History Museum at the University of Oslo is the university’s natural history institution located in the Tøyen neighborhood of Oslo. It combines the city’s Botanical Garden with the university’s zoological and geological/paleontological collections.

The complex includes a large outdoor Botanical Garden with living collections and an arboretum, indoor zoological displays of mounted animals and skeletons, and geological and paleontological exhibits showing regional fossils and mineral specimens. The garden and outdoor areas are especially active in late spring and summer and provide educational plantings alongside the indoor exhibits.

The Botanical Garden was established in 1814 and the university collections developed through the 19th and 20th centuries as teaching and research collections. The current museum arrangement brings the garden together with the zoological and geological collections under the University of Oslo’s Natural History Museum umbrella.

The museum sits in the Tøyen neighborhood of Oslo, adjacent to the Botanical Garden and accessible from central Oslo by public transport.

• Seasonal highlights: Best time to visit the outdoor displays and living collections is late spring and summer when the Botanical Garden is in bloom.
• Access: Accessible by public transport from central Oslo via the Tøyen metro station, with on-site gardens and museum buildings adjacent to each other.

What to See#

• Botanical Garden: Located on the university campus in the Tøyen neighborhood, established as a living collection in 1814 and now forming part of the museum complex.
• Zoological Museum: Houses mounted specimens, taxidermy displays and skeletal collections used for public exhibits and research, with specimens collected since the 19th century.
• Geological and Paleontological Collections: Contains mineralogical, geological and paleontological exhibits including regional fossils and rock collections used for teaching and display.

From Oslo city center, take the Tøyen tram (Tram line 17) or bus lines that stop at Tøyen. The museum is a short walk from Tøyen metro station (line 5). From Oslo Central Station, the tram ride is about 10-15 minutes.

• Buy timed-entry tickets for weekend visits to avoid queues in the specimen halls.
• Allow an hour for the botanical garden outdoors if visiting between April and September.
• The geological displays include an impressive meteorite collection-ask staff where the largest specimens are displayed.