Planning a trip to Larvik

Getting There -- Chances are, you might arrive from Hirtshals in Denmark, as the Color Line(tel. 81-00-08-11; www.colorline.com) offers service between the two cities. The line runs one or two daily ferries, taking 3 hours, 45 minutes. Trains, often 20 a day, pull in from Oslo and arrive at the terminus on Storgata, also the site of the bus station. The trip takes 2 hours and costs NOK262 ($52/£26) one-way. If you set out heading south from Oslo along E18, you should pull into Larvik some 2 hours later. Visit www.nsb.no for information.

Visitor Information -- For information, go to the Larvik Tourist Office, Storgata 48 (tel. 33-13-91-00; www.visitlarvik.no), opposite the ferry terminal. It's open Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 4pm.

Getting Around -- Do as many of the locals do in summer and rent a bike from the tourist office. The Vestfold district is riddled with well-mapped-out trails for biking, stretching from one end of the province to the other end. Before setting out, purchase the map Sykkelkart Vestfold, available for NOK95 ($19/£9.50) from the tourist office.