Nidaros Cathedral

Nidaros Cathedral tickets: which one to buy

Nidaros Cathedral stands in the centre of Trondheim, Norway, and a ticket is required for visitors, with separate tickets for the tower and the Archbishop's Palace Museum, which displays the Norwegian crown regalia. It is the northernmost medieval cathedral in the world and the national sanctuary of Norway, built over the grave of Saint Olav, the king who brought Christianity to the country. It is the traditional destination of the Saint Olav Ways, pilgrimage routes across Norway and Sweden.

Guided tours in English are offered in summer. Visitors often combine the cathedral with the old town bridge, the colourful wharf houses of Bakklandet, the Kristiansten Fortress and the Rockheim music museum. Trondheim is reached by plane, train or Hurtigruten coastal ship. The cathedral is active, and visiting pauses during services and concerts. A combined ticket covers the cathedral, the Archbishop's Palace and the crown regalia.

Visiting Nidaros Cathedral: what to see

King Olav Haraldsson was killed at the Battle of Stiklestad in 1030, and he was soon venerated as a saint; his body was buried where the cathedral now stands, and pilgrims came from across Northern Europe. The cathedral was built between about 1070 and 1300, in Romanesque and Gothic styles, influenced by English cathedrals. It was damaged by fires many times, and it was restored between 1869 and 2001 in a vast reconstruction project. The west front is its most famous feature: a screen covered with dozens of statues of kings, saints, apostles and biblical figures, most of them carved in the twentieth century. Inside, the cathedral has a tall nave, an octagon above Saint Olav's original grave, a large rose window and stained glass by Gabriel Kielland. The cathedral has been used for the coronations and blessings of Norwegian kings, including King Harald V and Queen Sonja in 1991.

The crypt holds medieval gravestones. The octagon, at the east end, is richly decorated with carved stone, and a silver shrine once held the saint's relics here before it was taken during the Reformation. The nave's columns and arches are made of soapstone and marble, giving the interior a grey-green tone. The rose window was completed in the twentieth century by Gabriel Kielland. The cathedral's organ, built by Joachim Wagner in the eighteenth century, has been restored. The tower's climb takes visitors up narrow stairs to views over the city and the river Nidelva. The Archbishop's Palace, beside the cathedral, is one of the oldest secular buildings in Scandinavia, and it holds a museum of the original sculptures from the west front. The cathedral's grounds include a cemetery with graves of notable Norwegians.

Nidaros Cathedral opening hours and the best time to go

The cathedral is open daily, with shorter hours on Sundays and during events. The Saint Olav Festival, Olavsfestdagene, held around 29 July, the anniversary of his death, is the high point of the year, with pilgrims, concerts and a medieval market. Summer is the best season in Trondheim, with long days. Winter is cold and dark, but the cathedral is atmospheric with candlelight. The tower is open in summer. Allow about an hour for the cathedral, and more for the tower and the crown regalia in the Archbishop's Palace. Tickets for the tower are limited, so buy them when you arrive at the cathedral in summer.