Explore the Christiansholm Fortress (Christiansholm Festning). King Cristian IV constructed this impressive citadel in the late 1600s in order to protect Kristiansand from enemy navies. The Christiansholm Fortress only saw action once during the Napoleonic Wars, when it helped fend off a British fleet in 1807.

Visit the Kristiansand Cathedral (Kristiansand Domkirke). Founded in 1885, features some of the finest Gothic Revival-style architecture in all of Norway. It is also one of the country’s largest cathedrals.

Travel to the Odderøya. An island located just off the coast, the Odderøya features the ruins of a massive naval base that operated from the 17th to the 20th centuries. Many historic bunkers, gun mounts, and ramparts still dot its verdant landscape.