Porsgrunn - municipality in Vestfold and Telemark county, Norway

Porsgrunn is a town in the county of Telemark in Norway with a population of 35,000 (2010). The larger town of Skien is nearby and the combined urban area has a population of 87,000. Porsgrunn is a well known industrial town, and industries here include Porsgrunds Porselænsfabrik, a porcelain factory established in 1885.

Get in

By train

From Oslo Central Station it's about 3 hours. Trains often terminate at Larvik, and the last leg to Porsgrunn is then serviced by bus.

By bus

Nor-way Bussexpress and the slightly cheaper, but less frequent Konkurrenten operate buses between Oslo and Porsgrunn.

By plane

Skien Geiteryggen Airport (IATA: SKE) is served by daily flights from Bergen, Stavanger and Molde, and three times per week from Stockholm, Sweden. There are frequent buses between Skien and Porsgrunn, and the taxi ride should not be too expensive either (relative to Norwegian prices).

Sandefjord Airport (IATA: TRF), Torp serviced by Ryanair, KLM, Widerøe and others, is also a good option to travel to Porsgrunn. There is a bus (Telemarkekspressen) and train connection and it takes about 90 minutes to get to the city centre.

Get around

There is a well-functioning bus system that can take you to all parts of the municipality. Recommended trips include going to nearby dense wooden house city Brevik or going to a lovely old captain's villa called Mule Varde. In summer, you can swim in the Eidangerfjord and go for a stroll in the 100-year-old park.

See

• Porsgrunds Porcelænsfabrik, a porcelain factory established in 1885. The factory has a riverside café, a shop and a factory outlet where you can buy high quality porcelain at low prices. The factory is open for tours Monday to Friday 10:00, 11:00 and 13:00. Always preorder your tour on + 47 35 56 21 00 , or e-mail: fabrikkutsalget@porsgrund.com. The factory also included Gallery Porsgrunn with art exhibitions.
• Porsgrunn Bymuseum is the town museum. It's close to the Down Town shopping mall. Here you will find many interiors and exhibits from the Porsgrunn's 500-year-history as a growing town with trade and industry. The museum has a near complete collection of all products manufactured by the porcelain factory.
• Porsgrunn sjøfartsmuseum, also close to the Down Town shopping mall. The city has a long and proud history as a harbour and shipping town, and once was one of Norway's most important such. A lot of tall ships belonged to the city. This museum contains many objects from this period, including models of ships, as well as the fully restored tugboat Hans Martin, built in concrete using a special technique developed in Porsgrunn.

Do

The city. Take a walk along the river where you can visit numerous small shops, restaurants and cafés.

Porsgrunn International Theatre Festival (PIT) is a week-long festival with lots of indoor and outdoor theatres, arranged in June every year. The festival is arranged by the local Grenland Friteater. The festival is varied, with The Street of Fools where you can stop by and watch for free or give the artists a dime, go to the festival cafe, Kafe K, and have a conversation or go to concerts, or you can visit the many performances for all tastes. Late and early. For young and old. Indoors and out. Check out the festival here.

Buy

Porsgrunn has a long cosy shopping street with lots of small cafés and shops. If you prefer shop indoors, you can go to the shopping mall Down Town, located south in the city, by the bridge. The porcelain factory across the bridge has two factory outlets, where it is possible to buy expensive or cheap porcelain.

Eat

As with most medium sized Norwegian cities, there is no abundance of restaurants in Porsgrunn. There is decent Chinese cuisine available, Italian and pizza restaurants. But up along the river you can find small high quality restaurants, like Friisebrygga Mat & Vin (dead link: January 2023) (a nice place to meet and talk to locals) or the slightly more exclusive Michel Seylmagers restaurant, located by the City Hall staircase.

Drink

There are numerous bars up along the main street. You can drink beer and enjoy one of Norway's numerous copies of an Irish pub at The Dubliner, the cultural alibi Kafe K or the calmness of Café Osebro, where you can dine down by the river in a cosy garden - everything is cosy in Porsgrunn - as the local saying goes. Porsgrunn is a traditional tall ship and trading community, and you can still meet some former seamen at Sailors pub. If you want to catch up with the local alternative community, try out the brown pub Karjolen loacated on the ground floor of Folkets hus, the building of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions.

Sleep

Porsgrunn is not abundant with hotels, and there are more options available at the nearby Skien.

• Hotel Vic, Skolegata 1, +47 35 56 98 00. The largest hotel, central location.

Connect

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