Bygdø Royal Farm
On the southwest half of the peninsula lies the Bygdøy Royal Farm, a sprawling estate of fields and woodlands that has been in royal use for over 700 years. Also known as Bygdøy Kongsgård, this is the working farm and summer residence of Norway’s King and Queen.
The manor’s main house, an elegant early 18th-century mansion dating to 1733, served as a summer home for King Haakon VII, Queen Maud, and later King Olav V through the 20th century. After a period of little use, King Harald V resumed the tradition in 2007, and today the royal family enjoys private summers here.
While the house and its formal gardens are closed to the public (except on special occasions), much of the royal estate is open to visitors year-round. Locals treat it as a country park: you can wander the meadows and forests of the Kongsgård, often greeted by grazing sheep and cows in summertime pastures. Trails crisscross the Kongeskogen (“King’s Forest”), a protected deciduous woodland ideal for jogging, biking, or skiing in winter. Along the way you may encounter historic farm buildings, old ice cellars, and viewpoints by the water. The royal farm even has orchards and produces organic fruits, honey, and other goods (sometimes sold at a seasonal farm shop or market stalls in Oslo). Visiting Bygdøy Kongsgård offers a rare glimpse of a royal agricultural estate still in operation – a living link between Norway’s monarchy and its rural roots. It’s a peaceful place to picnic or stroll, with the stately manor house visible across its reflective pond, embodying centuries of Norwegian history.