The Sunday town Drøbak

Unlike most Norwegian cities and towns where the shops are closed on Sundays, the small charming coastal town of Drøbak comes to life every Sunday with its small boutiques and cafes. Here the shops are open every Sunday, all year around.

The people of Drøbak are never in a rush and certainly not on a Sunday. Do as the locals; buy a coffee, take a walk surrounded by old historic wooden houses, visit some of the small unique fashion and interior shops or go to a gallery opening. Life is good in Drøbak, especially on sundays!

The narrow streets from 17-1800 century provide the small town its special "southern Norwegian" feel. The center of the city is the meeting point and close to the centre you fin the idyllic "Badeparken - a place to take a swin.

Shopping on a Sunday

You are welcome to explore Drøbak at your own pace and that goes for our unique shops too. Whether it is high-end fashion from Norwegian designers, Drøbak-designed Kashmir wool or Scandinavian interior homeware.

Most of these unique shops are located along Niels Carlsensgate, Storgata and around the main square. In the summer season there are also many vendors on the main square selling everything from vintage records to antiques.

Arts and culture

Drøbak has throughout the ages charmed artists, bohemians and writers, including Hans Gude, Oda and Christian Krogh and Knut Hamsun. As an arts center, Drøbak has several galleries. Local artist Reidar Finsrud has two galleries outside the city center, at Bilitt and at Torkilstranda. He has also made the bronze sculpture of the three ”The Mermaids of Drøbak” in Drøbak boat harbor.

The Norwegian Cartoonist Gallery Avistegnernes Hus shows drawings with meaning, expression-based art and is a tribute to the newspaper cartoonist Fredrik Stabel. Drøbak kunstforening (Art Association) curates exhibitions in the historic bathing building Varmbadet at Badeparken, with a stunning fjord view. Oslofjorden Kunstsenter, Creative Gallery & Framework Workshop, Drøbak Kunstnerforum and Gallery Havstad are all worth a visit. May-Britt Kjeserud is another artist who has a gallery in the center, while Gallery Vera is on the way to Torkilstranda. In the center of Drøbak, the former Munich-based goldsmith Walter Hensel also has his own workshop called Gullsmed Atelieret, together with his Norwegian partner Marit Falch.

Family fun

Drøbak is also a great place to visit with your family. Follo museum is a child-friendly open-air museum at Seiersten, 15 minutes’ walk from the center of Drøbak. Here you can see old cultural-historical buildings from the local area. New this year «The Museum Mystery», is an experience for the whole family, with challenging riddles and puzzles to solve a mystery. They also have guided tours.

Follo museum is also very close to the community swimming complex Bølgen Bad, another family favorite. Just next to Bølgen you also find a Skate Park for the kids. Drøbak is home to the only aquarium in the eastern part of Norway – Drøbak Akvarium, located in the same building as the Tourism Information Center, is also open on Sundays. Here you will learn more about the rich wildlife of the Oslofjord and the kids will love meeting the Atlantic wolffish «Hugo» – the aquariums mascot.

In Drøbak you also find Tregaardens Christmas House and Santa's post office. The yellow wooden house in Drøbak square is the Nordic region’s only year-round Christmas house and a must-see attraction. In Drøbak harbor you will also find the Santa Claus traffic sign, right outside the Tourist Information Office.

Welcome to the idyllic small town of Drøbak!!

Member of Visit Greater Oslo