Fredrikstad Old Town (Gamlebyen)
A 17th-century fortified town, still ringed by its ramparts and moats, and still lived in. A small free ferry links Gamlebyen with the centre across the Glomma river.
All guides › Østfold · What's on
Østfold: what to see, where to go
In the south-east, between the Oslofjord and the Swedish border: fortified towns and an island-dotted coast.
Information checked on 10 October 2026.
Worth seeing
Fredriksten Fortress, Halden
Above Halden, near the Swedish border. King Charles XII of Sweden was killed here in 1718 while besieging it. The grounds are freely accessible, with views over the town and the Iddefjord.
Ytre Hvaler National Park
The country's first marine national park (2009), 354 km² of archipelago at the mouth of the Oslofjord, facing Sweden's Kosterhavet park: coral reefs, smooth rocks and flower-rich coastal meadows. Visitor centre at Storesand, near Skjærhalden; the outer islands are reached by boat.
The Halden Canal and Brekke locks
An inland waterway with three lock sites (Brekke, Strømsfoss, Ørje). At Brekke, four stacked chambers lift boats 26.6 m: Northern Europe's highest lock staircase. Boat trips in summer.
Borgarsyssel Museum, Sarpsborg
An open-air museum founded in 1921 near the Sarpsfossen waterfall, on the site of the medieval town of Borg: ruins of St Nicholas church (c. 1115), some twenty old buildings and Olavs Hall, opened in 2016 for Sarpsborg's millennium.
Photos
- Fredrikstad Old Town (Gamlebyen) — Szilas, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Fredriksten Fortress, Halden — Geir Hval (www.MacWhale.eu), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped)
- Ytre Hvaler National Park — Aase Richter, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped)
- The Halden Canal and Brekke locks — Espen Franck-Nielsen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Borgarsyssel Museum, Sarpsborg — Kvikk, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped)