Holmestrand sits squeezed between a steep cliff face and the Oslofjord, giving it the nickname Byen under fjellet. It is a small town with a big industrial past: an aluminium smelter operated here for decades, and the story of that factory and its impact on the town is told at the local Aluminiummuseet.
The town has an unusual piece of railway history. The original Vestfoldbanen line from 1881 ran along the coast at the foot of the cliff, a beautiful but slow and landslide-prone stretch of single track. In 2016, the entire route through Holmestrand was replaced by the Holmestrandsporten, a 12.3 kilometre double-track tunnel blasted straight through Holmestrandfjellet. The new Holmestrand stasjon sits inside the mountain, 70 metres below the summit, with a lift shaft connecting it to the town above. The tunnel is designed for speeds up to 250 km/h, making it part of the high-speed upgrade of the Vestfoldbanen. The old tracks along the fjord are gone, and the train now passes through Holmestrand without ever seeing daylight.
For most travellers, Holmestrand is a quick stop rather than a destination. The old wooden town centre has some charm, and the views from the cliff above are worth the short climb. The nearby ironworks village of Eidsfoss, dating to the 1600s, is a pleasant detour for those interested in industrial heritage. The town also serves as a gateway to the island of Langøya, a former industrial waste site that has been transformed into a nature reserve with beaches and walking paths.
The town has an unusual piece of railway history. The original Vestfoldbanen line from 1881 ran along the coast at the foot of the cliff, a beautiful but slow and landslide-prone stretch of single track. In 2016, the entire route through Holmestrand was replaced by the Holmestrandsporten, a 12.3 kilometre double-track tunnel blasted straight through Holmestrandfjellet. The new Holmestrand stasjon sits inside the mountain, 70 metres below the summit, with a lift shaft connecting it to the town above. The tunnel is designed for speeds up to 250 km/h, making it part of the high-speed upgrade of the Vestfoldbanen. The old tracks along the fjord are gone, and the train now passes through Holmestrand without ever seeing daylight.
For most travellers, Holmestrand is a quick stop rather than a destination. The old wooden town centre has some charm, and the views from the cliff above are worth the short climb. The nearby ironworks village of Eidsfoss, dating to the 1600s, is a pleasant detour for those interested in industrial heritage. The town also serves as a gateway to the island of Langøya, a former industrial waste site that has been transformed into a nature reserve with beaches and walking paths.