Drammen: Street Art, Culture and Green Ways

Drammen combines cultural attractions with city routes, parks and forest loop trails. When planning your stay, you can choose different themes, such as art in public spaces, cultural history collections, or routes with clearly stated distances and elevation gains. Experiences also vary within the city, from a waterside promenade to a trail that runs outside the centre.

City Routes and Loop Trails

The Elvepromenaden runs through the centre of Drammen. There, you can walk by the water, cycle or exercise; green parks, seating sculptures, exercise equipment and rest areas add to the route. Bybrua and Ypsilon make it easy to get between Strømsø and Bragernes along the promenade on foot, by bicycle or with a stroller. If you want to combine a walk with breaks in green surroundings, Drammen Park also has large lawns, old trees, walking paths, a playground, a fountain and a music pavilion with a “Sansepark”.

For a short tour with steps, the year-round out-and-back route Honnørbrygga–Zik Zakken is one option: it is 2.0 kilometres long and climbs 61 metres via the Zik Zakken staircase. The 2.5-kilometre Kirkerunden is also open year-round. This loop trail passes Tangen kirke and has a historical focus. For these two routes, you can refer to the stated distance; the elevation gain is given for the route with the staircase.

Other tours are seasonal. The easy Nordbykollrunden is a 3.4-kilometre forest loop trail just outside the centre, with an elevation gain of 97 metres. Its season runs from March to November. The Strøtvet–Klopptjern loop trail passes through the forest via Klopptjern, is 2.1 kilometres long and has an elevation gain of 101 metres; its season runs from May to October. For a longer route, the year-round out-and-back route from Strømsø torg to Blekktjern starts in the city and ends at Blekktjern via Andedammen. The full route is 6.9 kilometres long.

Art and Cultural History

You can explore street art on two routes that are open year-round. The street art walk features large murals and colourful details on buildings. If you prefer to experience art in a gallery, Buskerud Kunstsenter is located at Grønland 60 in Union Scene, a ten-minute walk from Drammen station. The gallery offers an extensive exhibition programme and numerous art-related events.

Drammens Museum is based at Marienlyst; its museum buildings and park grounds are spread across several locations in the city. The museum’s cultural history collection includes objects, buildings and visual art from both earlier and more recent periods. The permanent exhibitions at Marienlyst include Nøstetangen glass, Baroque silver and Drammen faience from the 18th century. The open-air museum consists of 21 reconstructed old wooden houses, illustrating former farming practices and building traditions in Buskerud. Since the museum sites are spread out, it is worth including the themes you want to explore in your day plan in advance.

Other historical attractions include Strømsø bykirke, also known as Hellig Kors kirke, a wooden cruciform church built in 1667 in the early Baroque style, and Bragernes Kirke, which was inaugurated on 12 July 1871. During the summer season, guided tours in Norwegian, English or German are offered at Bragernes Kirke on Wednesdays from 13:00 to 14:00. A signposted Stone Age rock carving site can also be found on Skogerveien.

Parks, Views and More Attractions

In addition to its walking paths, Drammen Park has the largest playground in the city, as well as a skate and bike park for older children and teenagers. These facilities may be relevant to families choosing activities; be sure to note the age guidance for the skate and bike park.

Spiralen is a spiral-shaped tunnel through the mountain leading up to Spiraltoppen. It was built between 1953 and 1961; from the top of Spiralen, you can enjoy a view over Drammen. Following a modernisation, a light show was installed on each level of the tunnel. The views and the tunnel’s history of construction thus add another distinct focus to the city’s cultural and nature routes.

If you would like to include another place in your travel plans alongside Drammen, you can also explore Hemsedal.

For the wider travel overview: Buskerud.