Vestfold (fylke), Norway — Towns & Travel Guide

What is Vestfold known for?

Vestfold is known as the home of Norway's oldest city, the seat of Tønsberg, set on the western side of the Oslofjord in the Østlandet region. The county is the smallest in mainland Norway by area, a compact stretch of fjord shore that fronts open water to the east. It borders Buskerud to the north and Telemark to the west, holding the southern part of the country between them.

A small county with a long history.

Where is Vestfold?

Vestfold occupies the western shore of the Oslofjord in south-eastern Norway, a low coastal county in the Østlandet region that faces open water to the east. The fjord defines it. The county lies on the seaward side of the great inlet that runs up toward Oslo, its shoreline of bays and harbours giving way inland to the gentle farmland and wooded ridges that climb away from the water toward the higher country of the interior.

Small in area, long on coast. It is the smallest county in mainland Norway. Vestfold borders Buskerud to the north and Telemark to the west, wedged into the southern part of the country between those two larger neighbours.

Tønsberg, the seat and Norway's oldest city, sits on the fjord shore near the heart of the county. The land tilts from the water of the Oslofjord up into farm and forest behind. Fjord in front, fields and woods behind: that is the shape of Vestfold.

What is Vestfold like?

Vestfold carries the memory of Norway's beginnings. The culture of the county is bound to Tønsberg, the country's oldest city, a fjord-side seat whose long settlement on the western shore of the Oslofjord gives Vestfold a depth of history that belies its small size in the Østlandet region. Old town, old county.

Life here turns toward the water. The county's communities grew along the fjord shore, looking out across the Oslofjord toward the sea routes that have linked this corner of the country for centuries. Tønsberg keeps the oldest civic traditions, anchoring the cultural life of a county that sits between Buskerud and Telemark in the southern part of Norway.

Between an ancient seat and a working fjord coast, Vestfold holds a quiet Østlandet character all its own.

What is the history of Vestfold?

Vestfold took its present form in 2024. The county was re-established that year on the western shore of the Oslofjord, restoring a historic name to the southern part of Norway. Its roots run far deeper.

Tønsberg, the seat, is the oldest city in the country, a settlement on the fjord shore whose origins reach back to the founding age of Norwegian towns. The modern county binds that ancient seat to the fjord-side communities between Buskerud and Telemark.

What is the climate of Vestfold?

Vestfold has a mild coastal climate by Norwegian standards. The western shore of the Oslofjord around Tønsberg enjoys comparatively warm, bright summers and gentler winters than the interior, tempered by the water that fronts the whole county in the Østlandet region. The fjord softens the seasons.

Inland toward the Buskerud and Telemark borders the country turns colder and snowier away from the moderating fjord. Rain arrives with the autumn off the Oslofjord.

How do you get to Vestfold?

Tønsberg is the main gateway. The seat sits on the rail and road lines that run south down the western shore of the Oslofjord from the Oslo area into the southern part of Norway. Roads carry on south through the county.

Travellers arriving from the north pass the Buskerud border on the way in, while routes west cross toward Telemark. Most visitors reach Vestfold through its fjord-side seat.