Nærøya: The island of the Gods

Your guide will be waiting for you as you step off the ship. Dressed in a Viking costume, they will take you to the Coastal Museum of Norveg, from where it’s a 15-minute boat ride to the island. Named after the Norse sea god Njord, Nærøya was a powerful center even in pre-Christian times and is often mentioned in the Icelandic sagas. 

As Norway was Christianized, Nærøya continued to hold its position as a religious, political, economic, and administrative epicenter of Ytre Namdal between the 12th and 17th centuries, with Nærøykirka serving as the region’s county church and the heart of social and religious life, drawing communities together.   

On this tour you will be an authentic pioneer, visiting a privately own island where a family farms the land in the company of their sheep and dogs, by the shadows of a medieval church with its stories and ghosts of past times. You’ll enjoy a guided tour of the church itself, discovering traces of those who once built it, as well as making the short walk to the baptismal fountain – another site of importance on the island, full of magic and myths from ancient times.