Question about getting around Oslo

Hello! I have a list of things that I want to do when we're in port in Oslo, and I was wondering if anyone has some tips on how to get from place to place. We want to go to Vigeland Park (which I believe we can get to from the port with tram 12), the Fram Museum, the National Gallery and then the Akerhus Fortress. I know that there are trams, buses, and ferries available, but am not sure which one is best for each journey. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

The Fort is right at the dock so you can walk

You can walk to the town centre get the ferry across to the Fram museum, & several other museums there

Buy the Oslo pass at the port tourist building it is good on the trams & the ferry as well as admission to the sites

http://www.visitoslo.com/en/activities-and-attractions/oslo-pass/

Or get the HOHO bus at the port

Firstly get a good map --Amazon has one that is dual Oslo / Bergen and is very good. If you dock by the Akerhus fortress try to be among those who disembark first and head to the tourist information (TI) kiosk in the cruise terminal. There were only two assistants when we were there in June and it was very busy. At the TI purchase the Oslo Card --you get a discount when showing your cruise card and if you are over 67 (?). Then go to the ferry to get to Bgdoy where the museums are located --get off at the second stop for Fram and KonTiki, then take the local bus (you will have to find the number via research) to the Viking Museum and the Norwegian Folk Museum. Return via ferry to the harbor. We then had lunch on the ship. After lunch maybe take the tram to Vigeland or walk to the Town Hall (lovely inside) and maybe National Gallery for the Munch retrospective. We skipped Vigeland as we were very tired after walking over 8 miles visiting the museums, Town Hall and National gallery.

I believe it is the #30 bus it comes right by the museums

This is my blog about what we did in Oslo during our last cruise using public transportation.

http://emeraldprincessjuly6.blogspot.com/2013/07/day-2-oslo-norway.html

Please check this link so you know exactly where your ship is docking:

http://www.oslohavn.no/en/?template=cruise_list_en

If your ship is docking at SØNDRE Akershuskai CENTER, then the Akershus Castle is right across the street from your ship and your public transportation options are much easier.

If your ship is docking at FILIPSTAD CONTAINER CRANE WEST like ours, it is a long walk to the city center to catch public transportation.

Hello! I have a list of things that I want to do when we're in port in Oslo, and I was wondering if anyone has some tips on how to get from place to place. We want to go to Vigeland Park (which I believe we can get to from the port with tram 12), the Fram Museum, the National Gallery and then the Akerhus Fortress. I know that there are trams, buses, and ferries available, but am not sure which one is best for each journey. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

Assuming you're docking at Akershuskaia...

Buy an OsloPass at the cruise terminal, which will cover transit and museum admission.

Walk from port towards the red brick city hall directly in front of the ship. There is a tram stop called Rådhusplass. Catch the tram 12 towards Majorstuen and get down at Vigelandsparken.

After Vigeland's, catch the bus 20 in front of the gates, direction Skøyen. Get down 5 minutes later at Olav Kyrres plass and switch to the 30 towards Bygdøynes. Take that bus to Bygdøynes, which is right at the Fram Museum.

After the Fram, walk next door to the ferry pier and catch the ferry back to the Rådhusbrygge pier in front of city hall (the next stop).

The easiest way to get to the National Gallery is probably just to walk. Walk around city hall, and the road leading from the building (Roald Amundsens gate) will become Universitetsgata, and the National Gallery is in 3-4 blocks.

After the gallery, you can walk back to Akershus Fortress next to the cruise pier. There's an entrance to the ground near the Rådhusgata tram stop, where you caught the 12.

FYI - There's a pretty good route-finding tool on the transit website:

http://www.ruter.no

Assuming you're docking at Akershuskaia...

 

Buy an OsloPass at the cruise terminal, which will cover transit and museum admission.

 

Walk from port towards the red brick city hall directly in front of the ship. There is a tram stop called Rådhusplass. Catch the tram 12 towards Majorstuen and get down at Vigelandsparken.

 

After Vigeland's, catch the bus 20 in front of the gates, direction Skøyen. Get down 5 minutes later at Olav Kyrres plass and switch to the 30 towards Bygdøynes. Take that bus to Bygdøynes, which is right at the Fram Museum.

 

After the Fram, walk next door to the ferry pier and catch the ferry back to the Rådhusbrygge pier in front of city hall (the next stop).

 

The easiest way to get to the National Gallery is probably just to walk. Walk around city hall, and the road leading from the building (Roald Amundsens gate) will become Universitetsgata, and the National Gallery is in 3-4 blocks.

 

After the gallery, you can walk back to Akershus Fortress next to the cruise pier. There's an entrance to the ground near the Rådhusgata tram stop, where you caught the 12.

 

FYI - There's a pretty good route-finding tool on the transit website:

http://www.ruter.no

Thank you so much! This was very helpful. I'll be sure to pick up an OsloPass first thing.

Thanks for all the advice!

One last question, is there a way to avoid the lines at the tourist information and buy the oslo pass in advance? I tried looking at the visit norway website, but once I got to the booking the pass part of the website, it was half in Norwegian, half in English, and google chrome wouldn't translate it.

Thanks for all the advice!

 

One last question, is there a way to avoid the lines at the tourist information and buy the oslo pass in advance?

You can purchase it online here http://www.visitoslo.com/en/bookonline/oslopass/

But there is no advantage. You only get the voucher online. The voucher is NOT valid as an Oslo Pass, you still need to pick up the Oslo Pass at the Tourist Information Office. And you don't get the 20% discount.

Thanks for all the advice!

 

One last question, is there a way to avoid the lines at the tourist information and buy the oslo pass in advance? I tried looking at the visit norway website, but once I got to the booking the pass part of the website, it was half in Norwegian, half in English, and google chrome wouldn't translate it.

There's another TI office near City Hall at 5 Fridtjof Nansens plass. From the City Hall main entrance (the side not facing the water) just walk up the street and it's on the left. It's an easy walk if your ship docks at Akershus.

There's no age criteria for the 20% discount - just show your cruise card.

I found Oslo very easy to navigate. It's very compact.

There's another TI office near City Hall at 5 Fridtjof Nansens plass. From the City Hall main entrance (the side not facing the water) just walk up the street and it's on the left. It's an easy walk if your ship docks at Akershus.

 

There's no age criteria for the 20% discount - just show your cruise card.

 

I found Oslo very easy to navigate. It's very compact.

Agree! The Tourist Info office behind the city hall opens at 9am, so if the line at the cruise terminal is too long, it's a very convenient option.

What day of the week will you be there? If it's a Sunday, the National Gallery has free admission, so if you're sure that's all you want to see, it would actually be cheaper to just buy a 24-hour transit pass at a convenience store (e.g. the 7-11 behind the city hall) and buy the Fram ticket when you get there.

24-hour transit pass: 80 NOK

Fram museum: 80 NOK

National Gallery: 50 NOK (free on Sunday)

Total: 210 NOK (160 NOK on Sunday)

OsloPass: 216 NOK with 20% cruise discount (270 NOK full price)

However, the OsloPass is nice because if you have the time you can duck into other places that look interesting. For example, the Kon-Tiki is right across the street from the Fram, or you could hop off the bus 30 a few stops early to see the Viking Ships (I highly recommend this, since it's on your way, unique to Norway, and doesn't take too long). Then just hop back on the 30 (or walk) down to the Fram. Similarly, the Nobel Peace Center is right by the city hall pier if you have some extra time to kill later in the day (though you can always duck into city hall to see the murals and the location of the annual Nobel Peace Prize ceremony).

 

However, the OsloPass is nice because if you have the time you can duck into other places that look interesting. For example, the Kon-Tiki is right across the street from the Fram, or you could hop off the bus 30 a few stops early to see the Viking Ships (I highly recommend this, since it's on your way, unique to Norway, and doesn't take too long). Then just hop back on the 30 (or walk) down to the Fram. Similarly, the Nobel Peace Center is right by the city hall pier if you have some extra time to kill later in the day (though you can always duck into city hall to see the murals and the location of the annual Nobel Peace Prize ceremony).

I also went in the Resistance Museum at the Akershus Fortress. It was very well laid out and especially moving because it was built at the site where resistance fighters were executed during WWII.

I echo what kaisatsu advised for those who choose not to buy the Oslo Pass: at least buy the transportation day pass. We purchased ours at the ferry kiosk. In our case, we decided against The Oslo Card because we primarily wanted to do the Open Air Museum and stroll around the city (We spent over 3 hours at the Open Air Musuem. On Sundays they have a lot of activities, including folk dancing shows).

The day pass for transportation covers public ferries, trams, buses, the Metro, etc. If you only take 3 journeys, it's cheaper than paying point-to-point for itself. (FYI: you can take the Metro up to the Ski Jump area, Holmenkollen, with the pass. I was told by a rep at the Tourist Info that the view is great from there, even if you do not enter the Ski Jump site itself).

Tram 12 is good to get you around. They are doing some work on the route, so verify the route goes where you need it to (I believe there are 2 different final points on the line, but the earlier stops are the same). Look up Rick Steve's article on how to do a self-guided tour using this route. We were quite tired at the end of our day, but hopped the tram and enjoyed seeing other parts of the city.

Enjoy Oslo!