Oslo cruise-- limited hours--how to see the most?

Our ship docks in Oslo Wednesday, August 16 and departs at noon the next day. The timing is not good and I am having difficulty figuring out how to see what and when. Thankfully we were in the City for a day on a previous cruise and visited the Vigeland Park.

This time we wanted to take the ferry to see the Folk Museum and the Viking Ship Museum but the schedules I am seeing don't fit our timeframe. The ferry runs from 8:55am to 6:40pm those days but it looks like the museums aren't open early or late.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

The Edvard Munch museum and gallery is spectacular

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During the summer, the Folk Museum is open from 10-18, and the Viking Ships from 9-18. Since the Folk Museum requires a lot more time, and the Viking Ships open earlier, I would plan to visit the Folk Museum as soon as you arrive the first afternoon. If you disembark as close to the 4pm arrival, it still won't give you a lot of time, but you should be able to see a bit. Heading to the Viking ships the next morning at 9 will give you plenty of time to see the museum (45-60 minutes is generally enough) and get back in plenty of time.

I would skip the ferry over, since it requires a 10-minute walk to the museums. Instead, catch the Bus #30 towards Bygdøy from the stop in front of the city hall. It will drop you right in front of either of the two museums and runs every 10 minutes.

During the summer, the Folk Museum is open from 10-18, and the Viking Ships from 9-18. Since the Folk Museum requires a lot more time, and the Viking Ships open earlier, I would plan to visit the Folk Museum as soon as you arrive the first afternoon. If you disembark as close to the 4pm arrival, it still won't give you a lot of time, but you should be able to see a bit. Heading to the Viking ships the next morning at 9 will give you plenty of time to see the museum (45-60 minutes is generally enough) and get back in plenty of time.

 

I would skip the ferry over, since it requires a 10-minute walk to the museums. Instead, catch the Bus #30 towards Bygdøy from the stop in front of the city hall. It will drop you right in front of either of the two museums and runs every 10 minutes.

My thanks to Lawhouse and you for your help. Can you tell me how much the bus will be and do we need the exact amount?

Can you tell me how much the bus will be and do we need the exact amount?

Single-trip tickets cost 33 NOK each if purchased in advance or 55 NOK if purchased on board. (Seniors 67+ pay half price: 17 NOK in advance, 28 NOK on board)

If you're planning to make more than 2 trips, it can make sense to buy a 24-hour pass, which costs 90 NOK (45 NOK for seniors 67+).

Tickets purchased on board must be paid for in cash using notes of 200 NOK or less, but it doesn't need to be exact change. Advanced-purchase tickets and passes can be purchased at convenience stores using cash or bank card (for example, at the 7-11 behind the city hall).

Thank you!

I would skip the ferry over, since it requires a 10-minute walk to the museums. Instead, catch the Bus #30 towards Bygdøy from the stop in front of the city hall. It will drop you right in front of either of the two museums and runs every 10 minutes.

About how long does the Bus # 30 take to reach the Museums from City Hall?

Do they also run every 10 minutes on Saturday during August?

How long is the Ferry Ride?

If we were to take the Bus # 30 back from the museums... where would the best place to get off and catch the Tram # 12 to Vigeland Sculpture Park? THANK YOU!!

About how long does the Bus # 30 take to reach the Museums from City Hall?

Do they also run every 10 minutes on Saturday during August?

How long is the Ferry Ride?

If we were to take the Bus # 30 back from the museums... where would the best place to get off and catch the Tram # 12 to Vigeland Sculpture Park? THANK YOU!!

The ferry runs every 20 minutes, and it takes about 15 minutes to reach the first stop (~10 minutes's walk to the Viking Ship and Folk Museums) and another 5 minutes to reach the second stop (at the Kon-Tiki and Fram Museums). It's 15 minutes from the second stop back to the city hall.

http://www.marmuseum.no/filestore/Dokumentarkiv/Dokumenter/FerrytomuseumsatBygdyOSLO20152.pdf

The Saturday schedule for the bus #30 from the city hall bus stop:

8:09 - 9:09, every 30 minutes

9:36 - 11:36, every 15 minutes

11:36 - 19:06, every 10 minutes

19:06 - 21:06, every 15 minutes

21:29 - 00:09, every 20 minutes

It takes about 13 minutes to reach the Folk Museum, 1 additional minute to the Viking Ships, and 3 more minutes to the Kon-Tiki & Fram.

If it's at the beginning of August, there's a chance that it may still be operating on the July summer-holiday schedule. I can't recall exactly how the #30 is affected by summer routes, but it may be reduced to a 15-minute interval.

To get from the Bygd?y museums to Vigelands Park, take the bus #30 to Olav Kyres plass, and then switch to the bus #20, which also stops outside the park.

https://goo.gl/maps/71CrKTFUt1o

Otherwise you'd need to head all the way back to Solli plass to catch the tram #12.

https://goo.gl/maps/jYCbAY6Abru

It's definitely shorter to stick to the buses and just take the tram back down to the port.

Kaisatsu- thanks for the clear information.

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Kaisatsu , Very Clear and So Helpful!!

Would the closest spot to buy 1 day bus pass be 7-Eleven behind City Hall Fridtof Nansens plass?

THANK YOU!!

Great info! Thanks for the good advice. Looking forward to seeing Oslo and Norway.

Kaisatsu , Very Clear and So Helpful!!

Would the closest spot to buy 1 day bus pass be 7-Eleven behind City Hall Fridtof Nansens plass?

THANK YOU!!

You can check your scheduled docking location using the PDF file posted at http://oslohavn.no/no/cruise/

In the "Kaiplass" column, SAK (Søndre Akershuskai) and VIP (Vippetangen) are the main piers alongside Akershus Fortress.

REV (Revierkaia) is on the opposite side of the peninsula, so the closest option there would probably be the Narvesen inside Havenelageret at Langkaia 1: https://goo.gl/maps/kuM2MGDbxX72

If you happen to be docking at FIL (Filipstad), then your choices are much more limited. I don't really know of anything closer than Aker Brygge.

If you're docking alongside Akershus Fortress, right in front of the city hall, then yes, I believe that is the closest sales point..

Yes - we are at SAK (Søndre Akershuskai). So we will Bus/Tram to the Museums, Vigeland and Downtown / Akershus Fortress.

THANK YOU!!

Single-trip tickets cost 33 NOK each if purchased in advance or 55 NOK if purchased on board. (Seniors 67+ pay half price: 17 NOK in advance, 28 NOK on board)

 

If you're planning to make more than 2 trips, it can make sense to buy a 24-hour pass, which costs 90 NOK (45 NOK for seniors 67+).

 

Tickets purchased on board must be paid for in cash using notes of 200 NOK or less, but it doesn't need to be exact change. Advanced-purchase tickets and passes can be purchased at convenience stores using cash or bank card (for example, at the 7-11 behind the city hall).

Hi again, I'm back to planning our stay in port August 16/17 and will use your suggestions for sure to make the best use of NCL's timeframe. We will exit the ship as soon as allowed and take the bus to visit the Folk Museum first. The next morning we will go back and take in the Fram and Viking Museums before the ship leaves at noon.

The price of the 24 hour Oslo Pass looks to be just slightly more than purchasing bus and entry fees separately and we can buy that before we leave home, activating it when we arrive. It seems to me this will save us time too. Do you agree? The website says the pass is activated upon first use but for seniors, must we actually go somewhere to have it done (providing proof of age)?

I believe we will dock next to the Castle, what do you suggest to be the quickest plan to activation--or buying bus tickets, find bus #30 and get to the Museum? Does closing time (18:00) mean that everyone must exit by then and how late do the buses run?

On another note--any suggestions for a restaurant near the ship for dinner that evening?

Thanks.

Hi again, I'm back to planning our stay in port August 16/17 and will use your suggestions for sure to make the best use of NCL's timeframe. We will exit the ship as soon as allowed and take the bus to visit the Folk Museum first. The next morning we will go back and take in the Fram and Viking Museums before the ship leaves at noon.

 

The price of the 24 hour Oslo Pass looks to be just slightly more than purchasing bus and entry fees separately and we can buy that before we leave home, activating it when we arrive. It seems to me this will save us time too. Do you agree? The website says the pass is activated upon first use but for seniors, must we actually go somewhere to have it done (providing proof of age)?

 

I believe we will dock next to the Castle, what do you suggest to be the quickest plan to activation--or buying bus tickets, find bus #30 and get to the Museum?

According to the website, if you buy the OsloPass online, you still need to pick it up at the Visitor Center by the train station once you arrive in Oslo:

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

If you were to buy it once you get there, I believe people have been able to buy the Oslo Pass at the cruise pier, but I don't know for certain. Otherwise, the closest sales points are Båtservice Sightseeing (at the pier in front of city hall) and the Nobel Peace Center. You could contact them to find out if they would have the senior passes available (the Oslo Pass site also says "some sales points only sell the Oslo Pass during the summer and that they may not have all types of cards available. Please contact the sales points directly to confirm...the availability of the cards"). Both have email addresses listed on the VisitOslo.com website.

Alternatively, you could try the smartphone app version:

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

If you don't have internet access on the ship to activate and update the pass, I believe there's free WiFi at the Kaffebrenneriet coffee shop by the pier (https://goo.gl/maps/FryicjTXKjy). (If not, there is at Fragrance of the Heart behind city hall or People and Coffee a block east).

If you'll have internet access, the app would probably be fastest if it works! Otherwise, I think either picking up a 24-hour OsloPass at the pier (if it's available and there's not a huge queue) or buying the transit pass from the 7-11 behind the city hall would probably be the quickest options.

Does closing time (18:00) mean that everyone must exit by then and how late do the buses run?

I'm pretty sure that 18:00 is probably the time that people need to leave. The only time I've been there at closing was during the evening Christmas market, and from what I recall, things were clearly closing up, but it was a bit relaxed as people headed to the exit.

The bus runs until around midnight.

On another note--any suggestions for a restaurant near the ship for dinner that evening?

Amundsen Bryggeri (amundsenbryggeri.no) is one of Olso's early microbreweries and serves a lot of their own beer and other Norwegian craft beers. In terms of food, it's fairly typical brewpub fare.

Café Skansen (cafeskansen.no) and Celsius (kafecelsius.no) are both mid-range restaurants in historic buildings on Christiania Torv (the center of the rebuilt city after the 1624 fire), near the entrance to Akershus fortress.

Gamle Raadhus (gamleraadhus.no) is an upscale Norwegian restaurant in the old city hall building.

There is also a wide variety of restaurants nearby at Aker Brygge.

According to the website, if you buy the OsloPass online, you still need to pick it up at the Visitor Center by the train station once you arrive in Oslo:

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

If you were to buy it once you get there, I believe people have been able to buy the Oslo Pass at the cruise pier, but I don't know for certain. Otherwise, the closest sales points are Båtservice Sightseeing (at the pier in front of city hall) and the Nobel Peace Center. You could contact them to find out if they would have the senior passes available (the Oslo Pass site also says "some sales points only sell the Oslo Pass during the summer and that they may not have all types of cards available. Please contact the sales points directly to confirm...the availability of the cards"). Both have email addresses listed on the VisitOslo.com website.

 

Alternatively, you could try the smartphone app version:

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

If you don't have internet access on the ship to activate and update the pass, I believe there's free WiFi at the Kaffebrenneriet coffee shop by the pier (https://goo.gl/maps/FryicjTXKjy). (If not, there is at Fragrance of the Heart behind city hall or People and Coffee a block east).

 

If you'll have internet access, the app would probably be fastest if it works! Otherwise, I think either picking up a 24-hour OsloPass at the pier (if it's available and there's not a huge queue) or buying the transit pass from the 7-11 behind the city hall would probably be the quickest options.

Thank you for all your help!

For some reason the emails I sent to the VisitOslo addresses were returned but I was able to message them via FB. The response was "you activate the passes in the app when you first want to use them, and only need proof of age if stopped in a control. That will work just fine". So now we know:) We can go directly to the bus and go to the Folk Museum.

We have a one day port stop in Oslo. Ship arrives at 7AM. Leaves at 5PM. We are 4 seniors and are thinking the Oslo Pass would be a good investment, but only if we can get enough to see. and want to use the public transportation rather than taxis. We are interested in the following...Viking Ship Museum, Vigeland Park, Munch Museum, possibly Folk Museum and Fram Museum. We would also like to see the Opera House. Is the Magic Ice Bar interesting to see?

Can you help plan out the best route to get to these places and then back to the ship by 4:00.

We have a one day port stop in Oslo. Ship arrives at 7AM. Leaves at 5PM. We are 4 seniors and are thinking the Oslo Pass would be a good investment, but only if we can get enough to see. and want to use the public transportation rather than taxis. We are interested in the following...Viking Ship Museum, Vigeland Park, Munch Museum, possibly Folk Museum and Fram Museum. We would also like to see the Opera House. Is the Magic Ice Bar interesting to see?

Can you help plan out the best route to get to these places and then back to the ship by 4:00.

That's a lot. And it covers most of the city. The Viking ships and Folk Museum are next door to each other and a 5-minute bus ride from the Fram. All three are on the Bygdøy peninsula in the southwest. Vigelands Park is in the northwest. The Munch Museum is in the east. The opera and Ice Bar are both central.

In a single day, I will take visitors to Vigelands Park in the morning, and the three Bygdøy museums in the late morning to early afternoon. And that's without the challenge of catching a ship on time!

With a 7am arrival, most things won't be open yet, so your best bets are Vigelands Park and the opera house (if you're just planning to see the exterior and climb the roof for the views).

Beyond that, it depends on what you most want to see. Without knowing priorities, I think the best use of time is to head to Bygdøy, since you can minimize the travel time and see as many of the museums as you have time for.

I would start with the opera house, which is about 20 minutes walk to the other side of the Akershus peninsula (follow the road away from city hall, and it will loop back on the other side with a nice approach from across the harbor). It only takes around 20 minutes to see the exterior and the walk up the roof. Then you can cross the street to the central station and take a westbound metro to Majorstuen. From there it's a 15-minute walk west down Kirkeveien to Vigelands Park. Enjoy the park, then catch the 20 bus towards Skøyen from in front of the main gate. Change to the 30 towards Bygdøy at Olav Kyrres plass and get down at the Folkmuseet stop in front of the Folk Museum. Hopefully by this time it's 10am, and they're open (If not, stay on the bus one more stop and visit the Viking Ships first). The Folk Museum is quite spread out and can easily fill a few hours. Just be sure to visit the wooden stave church. The Viking Ship museum is pretty much next door to the Folk Museum, so it's just a few minutes' walk. There's a cafe at the Folk Museum and a few places in the area but not much, so I recommend picking up lunch at a bakery or Deli de Luca earlier in the day and bringing it with you. There are some picnic tables outside the viking ship museum, so this typically ends up being the lunch stop (either before or after). Hop back on the 30 bus to head down to the Bygdøynes stop in front of the Fram Museum. After the Fram, you can catch the ferry from the pier outside and ride it back to city hall (in front of the Akershuskai pier, and about 10 minutes' walk).