Grimstad is a small coastal town on Norway's southern shore, known for its tightly packed white wooden houses that tumble down toward a sheltered harbour. It was here that the young Henrik Ibsen worked as a pharmacist's apprentice in the 1840s and wrote his first play — the Ibsenhuset Museum preserves the pharmacy exactly as it was. The town has a strong literary identity, hosting an annual short story festival and maintaining a quiet cultural confidence that belies its size.
In summer, Grimstad comes alive as a sailing destination. Raet National Park — a 607-square-kilometre protected coastal area established in 2016 — spreads through the offshore archipelago, offering dozens of small islands to explore by boat or kayak. The harbour is the social hub: ice cream, boats, and white painted wood in every direction. The Grimstad Bymuseum covers the town's days as a busy merchant port. It is a gentler, less touristy alternative to the bigger resort towns along the Skagerrak coast.