Asker
Municipality · Akershus
About Asker
Holmsbu's fjord-side village and Henrik Sørensen gallery on the Hurum peninsula, Oslofjord beaches and islands, and walks around lake Semsvannet.
What to do and where to stay in Asker
Places to stay are run locally, with no hotel or campsite chain behind them.
1Holmsbu villageSight
A small fjord village on the Hurum peninsula where painter Henrik Sørensen spent every summer from 1912, drawing an artists' colony; two beaches lie a few minutes apart.
Holmsbu, west coast of the Hurum peninsula · 2–4 h · May–September best
2Holmsbu Art Museum (Holmsbu Kunstmuseum)History & culture
Founded in 1973 by Henrik Sørensen's son to show the three Holmsbu painters, Sørensen, Thorvald Erichsen and Oluf Wold-Torne; owned by Asker since 2024.
Holmsbu · 1 h · Summer: 7 June–10 Aug Tue–Sun 12–16; then weekends to 28 Sept (2025)
3Holmsbu Church (the Artists' Church)History & culture
A plain white wooden church outside, but inside decorated by nearly 20 artists from the Holmsbu colony; summer guided tours and concerts.
Holmsbu · 30 min · Summer opening
4Polar ship Maud at TofteHistory & culture
Roald Amundsen's polar ship, launched at Vollen in 1917, lay about 80 years in Cambridge Bay in Arctic Canada before being brought home in 2018; she now lies at Tofte.
Sagene Båthavn, Tofte · 30 min · All year (outside view)
5Semsvannet and TveiterfossenHike
An easy lakeside walk in a landscape protected since 1992 with 420 plant species, ending at Tveiterfossen, a waterfall you can walk behind when the flow is low.
Sem / Tveiter, west of Asker centre · 1.5 h (5.4 km return) · April–October
6SkaugumsåsenViewpoint
A short steep climb ('raset') to a 348 m viewpoint over the Crown Prince's Skaugum estate, Oslo and Drøbaksundet, in woods with Norway's northernmost mistletoe.
Above Semsvannet, Vestmarka · About 2 h (2.2 km return, 182 m ascent) · April–November
7Rødtangen and the 'Nebba' fog bellLocal oddity
At the outer tip of the Hurum peninsula stands a 1903 clock tower whose fog bell 'Nebba' was restored by local volunteers; the rocks below are a popular swimming spot.
Rødtangen, south-west tip of Hurum · 30–60 min · Summer for swimming
8Dyssegrava – Stone Age dolmen at RødtangenHistory & culture
Visit Norway calls Dyssegrava Norway's only preserved Stone Age dolmen; Bronze Age burial cairns lie nearby, with information boards at the parking area.
Rødtangveien, Rødtangen (south of Holmsbu) · 30 min · All year
9Klokkarstua stone church (Murkirken)History & culture
A stone church from about 1150 at the end of an avenue of 53 lime trees, holding the burial chamber of naval hero Iver Huitfeldt from the Great Northern War.
Klokkarstua, Hurum · 30 min · Summer open church
10Verket–Svelvik ferryLocal oddity
Norway's shortest ferry route, 184 metres across the sound to Svelvik, still takes a few minutes because of the strong current; Verket is also a kiting spot.
Verket ferry quay, Hurum · 15 min · All year