Welcome to Grimstad!
The town was established as a separate municipality on January 1, 1838.
The municipality is centered around a maritime center with a pier, surrounded by many small beautiful islands.
The population as of January 1, 2023 was just over 24,500 inhabitants.
Agder is the southernmost county in Norway.
Grimstad is the largest agricultural municipality in Southern Norway. The municipality also hosts several shipping and offshore related companies, has an active coastal fishing fleet and several international high-tech firms including IT and telecom companies.
The University of Agder (UiA) has around 14,000 students and 1,300 employees. The school was accredited with university status on September 1, 2007, becoming the seventh university in Norway. Grimstad is proud to be an attractive host for one of the two university campuses for UiA.
Photo: Peder Austrud
Stay and explore
Grimstad can be described by many names, 'City of Poets', 'Cycling City', 'University City', 'Maritime City' and 'Technology City'. All of these indicate that Grimstad has a lot to offer its population. There is a beautiful 25-kilometer coastline surrounding the town, with a number of islets and islands with sheltered beaches. There are also great walking, cycling and skiing opportunities and other activities to suit all ages.
It is also worth taking a look at the official websites of Visit Sørlandet and Visitnorway which are also updated in English. There is also a nice facebook group for 'new to Grimstad' although this is in Norwegian or the Grimstad International Group where most things are in English.
It is in our NATURE
The most typical and common outdoor activities among Norwegians are walks in nature or Sunday walks in the local area. In the winter season, cross-country skiing is mandatory.
To plan your trip, whether it is summer or winter, you can explore the website of DNT.no (The Norwegian Tourist Association). Here you can choose English, German or French language. DNT has 550 cabins across Norway, and a network of 22,000 km of marked hiking trails and around 7,000 km of ski trails.
The local DNT.no website is unfortunately only in Norwegian, but may still be worth a visit, you can find the website here. You can also meet physically at one of their offices in Kristiansand or Arendal, to get local advice and help. There is also a local facebook group for DNT south
Their office can be found here:
Gyldenløvesgate 2 B in the center of Kristiansand
Langbrygen 21 in Arendal city center
Grimstad Kulturhus
A cultural center where children and young people can study visual arts, performing arts and music. For more information, see here. The website is unfortunately only in Norwegian, but you can copy and paste the URL using google translate, the text will then be updated to an English version easier to read for international readers.
Other music experiences in Grimstad: https://www.klassiskisentrum.no
Follow the events on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/klassiskisentrum
Calendar of activities for Grimstad
A great place to get good ideas for events for both adults and children is through What's on Calendar for upcoming activities in Grimstad and the surrounding area.
Transportation
The closest airport to Grimstad is Kristiansand International Airport Kjevik which has direct flights to Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Malaga and Split.
Transportation from and to the airport, see Avinor
Local bus services can be found here AKT.no/English where you will be able to plan your journey and buy bus tickets.
To take a taxi, you can contact Arendal & Grimstad Taxi on 07000.
If you are traveling by train or bus outside Agder, you can plan your trip on Vy.
Other relevant information for those moving to Grimstad
Find waste collection day in Grimstad
Most households have four bins for waste and recycling. The bins will be collected according to the scheduled collection day for your address. To find the right collection day for you, enter your address in the text box here and you will get a full overview of which dates the different bins will be emptied. Unfortunately, these pages are only available in Norwegian. This recycling guide in English could be useful
Contact details of public stakeholders
Emergency numbers
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Ambulance: 113
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Police: 112
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Fire: 110
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Emergency services: 116 117
Police station
Grimstad police station, Agder police district
Arendalsveien 25, 4891 Grimstad
Telephone: 38 13 60 00
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Tax administration
The Tax Administration in Grimstad
Jon Lilletunsvei 1, 4879 Grimstad
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NAV (social support and benefits)
NAV Grimstad
Skolegaten 2, 4876 Grimstad
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