Can help with Q for Oslo if someone needs it;)

Hello CC!

 

We are living in Oslo, Norway. So if someone has questions for Oslo and needs help whit planning feel free to ask. We ask you when we go somewhere new, so we can share from the homeport:cool:

 

Quicklinks for Oslo and some regional:)

 

TRAVEL GUIDES

 

Visit Norway-Official travel guide to Norway.

http://www.visitnorway.com

 

Visit Oslo-Official travel guide to Oslo

http://www.visitoslo.com

 

Oslo Pass-Touritscard that covers local transport and entry to more than 30 museums.

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

 

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Cruise piers

 

http://www.visitoslo.com/en/trade-media-cruise/cruise/the-port-of-oslo/cruise-piers-and-facilities/

 

If you don´t know were you will be docking or wondering if another cruise will dock at the same day.

Open the PDF and find your sailing in the list.

http://oslohavn.no/no/cruise/

 

 

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TRANSPORTTATION

 

Oslo Airport Gardermoen OSL-main airport for Norway.

https://avinor.no/flyplass/oslo/

 

NSB- Train in Norway. Local and regional trains.

https://www.nsb.no/en/frontpage

 

Ruter#-Local transportation Oslo and Akershus. Bus, Tram, Train, Metro and Boat

https://ruter.no/en/

 

SAS- Domestic and international flights. Together whit Widerøe they cover the small airports in Lofoten, Helgeland and Finnmark.

https://www.flysas.com

 

Widerøe- Domestic flights that covers small airports around Norway(Lofoten, Finnmark etc)

http://www.wideroe.no

 

Norwegian- Domestic and international flights. Do not cover the small airports in Norway. Low-cost carrier.

http://www.norwegian.com

 

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APPs

 

Ruter# There is 2 app´s. One for tickets and one for departure times.

 

Ruterbillett

This app is just for buing tickets to the local transportation in Oslo/Akershus.

 

Ruterbillett IPHONE. For bying tickets if you dont have OsloPass.

https://itunes.apple.com/no/app/ruterbillett/id581486486?ls=1&mt=8

Ruterbillett ANDROID. For bying tickets if you dont have OsloPass.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=no.ruter.mobile&hl=no

Ruterbillett WINDOWS. For bying tickets if you dont have OsloPass.

https://www.microsoft.com/nb-no/store/apps/ruterbillett/9nblggh0873c

 

RuterReise

This app is for departure times and for finding routes to destination.

RuterReise IPHONE

RuterReise ANDROID

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=no.ruter.reise

RuterReise WINDOWS

https://www.microsoft.com/nb-no/store/apps/ruterreise/9wzdncrdc89j

 

 

VisittOslo

http://www.visitoslo.com/en/oslo/apps/

Gives you offline map of Oslo, event calendar, museums, cafes etc. Can be used when dataroaming is off. IPHONE/ANDROID

 

OsloPass App

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

You can buy the pass at home and activate it on arrival in Oslo. No need to pick up cards. IPHONE/ANDROID

 

VisitNorway App

Gives you information about museums, hotels, nature walks, mountains, restaurants etc.

IPHONE

https://itunes.apple.com/app/id391468072?mt=8

ANDROID

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=makingwaves.in.vn.android.app&feature=search_result&hl=en

 

NorwayLights App

Northern lights (Aurelia Borealis) forecast.

IPHONE

https://itunes.apple.com/no/app/norway-lights/id717106363

ANDROID

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.visitnorway.norwaylights&hl=en

 

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Places of interest in Oslo, a small list of what you can do.....

 

The Royal House of Norway

Guidet tours in the castle during the summer season. Nice walk from the pier.

http://www.royalcourt.no

 

The Vigeland Museum

Offers guidet tours and you can walk free inn the park.

http://www.vigeland.museum.no/en

 

Norsk Folkemuseum

Here you will find old norwegian houses and a stav kirke. Open air museum.

http://norskfolkemuseum.no/en

 

The Viking Ship Museum

Viking ships

http://www.khm.uio.no/english/visit-us/viking-ship-museum/

 

Kon-Tiki

Thor Heyerdahls rafts and tours.

http://www.kon-tiki.no/en/

 

Opera

http://operaen.no/en/

 

Edvard Munch

Famous painter, Skrik

http://munchmuseet.no/en/

 

Astrup Fearnley

http://afmuseet.no/en/hjem

 

Ekebergparken

http://ekebergparken.com/en

 

The Ibsen Museum

http://norskfolkemuseum.no/en/Related-units/The-Ibsen-Museum/

 

Akershus Fortress

http://www.forsvarsbygg.no/festningene/Festningene/Akershus-festning/English/

 

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TIP

In Norway the salary is higer then in the US. So there is no need to give lots of tip. If you have a sit-down lunsj or dinner and you are very pleased then you leave some tip. But there is no need to tip 18%.

If you are on a guidet tour and your guide is super, feel free to give some tip but you dont have to tip according to price of the tour.

If you buy take-out coffee and pastery, no need to tip.

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Debit/Creditcards

Most places in Norway take cards (99%) All norwegians cards have pin+chip.

You must have pin-code to your card. Prefer to have pin and chip.

 

 

Hope this give you a quick introduction for Oslo and Norway. If you have questions, feel free to ask.

Hi there! Looking for "excursion" options for when we are in Oslo in October. We have 3 kids and 4 adults and are active. We like to have fun like more of the "local vibe". Also, is there a Fjords? We are there for a day and a half.

looking for suggestions for Oslo! We like OYO type of excursions

My recommendation would be to start with Vigelands Park in the morning, since it's open 24 hours, and the sun will be behind you as you enter (if it's early enough in the morning or late enough in the season), which can be good for photos.

 

Then head to the Bygdøy museums by taking the bus 20 (direction Skøyen) from Vigelands to Olav Kyrres plass and switching to the bus 30 (towards Bygdøy). Get down at the Folkmuseet stop and visit the open-air Norwegian Folk Museum. Spend a few hours exploring the grounds and checking out some of the exhibits inside the historic buildings. Be sure to visit the iconic wooden stave church on the grounds.

 

Then head around the corner (either catch a 30 bus if it's there or walk 5 minutes) to the Viking Ships. This is a fairly small museum but worth a visit, given the fame of the Gokstad burial ship.

 

Hop back on the bus 30 (or walk 15-20 minutes) down to Bygdøynes, home to the Kon-Tiki and Fram Museums. The Fram is well worth a visit for a look at polar exploration and the chance to explore inside the ship that carried Roald Amundsen part of the way to the South Pole. If you have an Oslo Pass and are not suffering from museum fatigue by this point (or if you're an avid Thor Heyerdahl fan), you can also pop into the Kon-Tiki Museum to learn more about his voyages.

 

The Oslo Pass covers the Bygdøy ferry, so you can catch it at the pier next to the museums and ride straight back to the city center.

 

If there's still time before closing, I would then recommend either the Nobel Peace Center (across the plaza from the ferry pier, closes at 6pm) for an interestingly high-tech presentation of the prize and its laureates, of the National Gallery (closes between 5 and 7pm depending on the day) with its collection of Norwegian painters, including a room of Edvard Munch and his famous The Scream. If it's close to 6pm, you can make a quick stop into the Rådhus (city hall) to see where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded and to enjoy the murals.

 

In the early evening, explore the grounds of Akershus Fortress for the history and the views over the harbor (and straight into the shoreside balcony cabins of your ship), and for modern architecture, take a stroll up onto the roof of the Oslo Opera house, which was designed to be an open public space for people to enjoy the Oslofjord views.

 

Head back west down the central street of Karl Johans gate, passing the Oslo Cathedral, Stortinget (parliament), Oslo University, and National Theater. Then head on to the Royal Palace, or turn left back down towards the harbor for an expensive waterfront drink (or a free stroll) around Aker Brygge and Tjuvholmen.

Thanks for the itinerary suggestions! We would really like to see the Fjords while we are there. Do you think this is possible? We get in at 2:30pm and leave at 6:00pm the next day. Any suggestions are appreciated! We are traveling with 7 people, three of which are kids

Alexandra & Jarle, Thank you for your kind post and offer of help in Oslo. We will be finishing a Regent cruise in Oslo in July and, unfortunately, will not be able to stay in Oslo, so will be going from the ship to the airport. We do have two extra hours and want to visit the Viking Ship Museum. We want to book a limo to meet us at the ship, take us to the museum, wait for us for an hour or so, then take us to the airport. We don't need a guide, just a driver who is reliable to watch our luggage and take us safely to the airport. Can you recommend a transport service?

Best regards, John and Helen

Alexandra & Jarle, Thank you for your kind post and offer of help in Oslo. We will be finishing a Regent cruise in Oslo in July and, unfortunately, will not be able to stay in Oslo, so will be going from the ship to the airport. We do have two extra hours and want to visit the Viking Ship Museum. We want to book a limo to meet us at the ship, take us to the museum, wait for us for an hour or so, then take us to the airport. We don't need a guide, just a driver who is reliable to watch our luggage and take us safely to the airport. Can you recommend a transport service?

 

Best regards, John and Helen

There are very few limos in Oslo as they're typically only used for weddings or parties. However, there are a few companies listed on the tourism website that offer town cars and possibly limos:

https://www.visitoslo.com/en/transport/in-oslo/taxi/?TLp=1224268&Lux-Limo

https://www.visitoslo.com/en/transport/in-oslo/taxi/?TLp=1216034&Nordic-Car-Service

We'll be in Oslo for a few days this June before flying over to Copenhagen for our cruise. Was wondering if you know how long the wait times generally are for the zipline at Holmenkollen (on a Monday morning)? Our schedule's pretty flexible, but it would be helpful for tentative planning to have an idea of how much of a chunk of time that will take.

Question for Norwaylady or Kaisatsu re public transport.

Despite all my reading, I am still unclear on how to get tickets for the tram to Vigeland park.

I do not have a smartphone, so cannot use the Ruter app.

I may walk either to or from Vigeland, depending on the weather, and I also qualify for a senior ticket.

Can I go into a store such as 7eleven, and just buy a single Zone 1 ticket for 18NOK, which I then validate on the tram? Or do I have to buy a card for 50NOK, which I cannot refund if I do not use it all?

Can I pay by credit card for the ticket or will I need cash?

Any advice gratefully received!

You can buy a single use or 24-hour ticket (cheaper than 3 single tickets) at a convenience store without needing to pay for a reusable travel card. The single use ticket is valid for 1 hour, starting whenever you first validate it, so if you knew you wanted to make two trips, you could buy both at the same time if you wanted (just be sure you only activate one during the first trip).

If you’re docking at the usual Akershuskai pier, there is a 7-11 right behind the city hall. And yes, you can use a credit card to buy a ticket in a shop.

Kaisatsu, thank you so much!

Just the information I needed! I missed the Sculpture Park on a previous visit, as we had a short stop, and it rained, and I am determined to get there this time.

This will make our visit so stress free, as I know now what to do in advance.

Thank you again

Any recommendations where to have coffee and those fantastic Norwegian cinnamon pastries?

Any recommendations where to have coffee and those fantastic Norwegian cinnamon pastries?

My favorite coffee shop at the moment is Steam in Østbanehallen (the old part of the central train station that has been turned into a small food hall). However, it's not particularly convenient unless you happen to be in that area.

There is a cafe in the park near the city museum (south of the pond, to the left before the bridge) but I think I've only stopped in once and don't really remember much about it. There is also a cafe near the entrance, but I've definitely never been in that one, since it's typically crowded with tourists.

My choice in that area would be the coffee shop at Kirkeveien 48 near the Frogner plass tram stop (~5 minutes walk from the park) or one of the bakeries near the Majorstuen T-bane station -- W.B.Samson in front of the station or Baker Hansen on the far side. From Majorstuen, you could make the return trip to the city center either by taking the tram 12 back the way you came, taking the tram 19 down to Nationaltheatret for a different view, or catching the T-bane (metro) one stop down to Nationaltheatret to save time (it's a 4-5 minute trip).

In the area around the Akershuskai port, there is a Kaffebreneriet facing the waterfront next to the city hall.

Yarn Shop suggestions? Will be spending the day in Oslo and would love to find a yarn shop with some Norwegian wool. Do you have any store suggestions? Many thanks!

Yarn Shop suggestions? Will be spending the day in Oslo and would love to find a yarn shop with some Norwegian wool. Do you have any store suggestions? Many thanks!

The most central are probably Strikkedilla in the Oslo City shopping center or Fru Kvist at Øvre Slottsgate 6 (I think Strikkedilla probably has a larger yarn stock since Fru Kvist sells finished pieces, but I’m not sure.)

If you’re headed out to Vigelands Park, Tjorven at Valkyriegata 17, across from the Majorstuen metro station, is another good choice.

The most central are probably Strikkedilla in the Oslo City shopping center or Fru Kvist at Øvre Slottsgate 6 (I think Strikkedilla probably has a larger yarn stock since Fru Kvist sells finished pieces, but I’m not sure.)

 

 

Thank you Kaisatsu for answering:halo::halo::halo:

We been away on a cruise down under. So hasn't been so much online for a while:cool:

This years list of expected cruises Oslo 2018

http://oslohavn.no/filestore/PDF/2018/Cruise/20180126Forventedecruiseanlp2018.pdf

The most central are probably Strikkedilla in the Oslo City shopping center or Fru Kvist at Øvre Slottsgate 6 (I think Strikkedilla probably has a larger yarn stock since Fru Kvist sells finished pieces, but I’m not sure.)

 

 

If you’re headed out to Vigelands Park, Tjorven at Valkyriegata 17, across from the Majorstuen metro station, is another good choice.

Thank you for your help Kaisatsu. Looking forward to our visit to Oslo.

Thanks for all the help with finding yarn shop suggestions. For those of you familiar with Oslo and since we will only be in port 9 hours 7 am to 4 pm on May 31st. Would it be feasible for us to see the Vigeland museum, the arts and crafts museum and the Viking ship museum - plus a quick lunch and some yarn shopping all in one day. Would prefer to do it on our own. Thanks!

Thanks for all the help with finding yarn shop suggestions. For those of you familiar with Oslo and since we will only be in port 9 hours 7 am to 4 pm on May 31st. Would it be feasible for us to see the Vigeland museum, the arts and crafts museum and the Viking ship museum - plus a quick lunch and some yarn shopping all in one day. Would prefer to do it on our own. Thanks!

I'm not sure what you mean by the "arts and crafts museum." If you're talking about the "Museum of Decorative Arts & Design" (Kunstindustrimuseet), it closed in 2016 and the exhibits will move to the new National Museum when it opens in 2020.

Have you been to Oslo before? I'm not sure that the Vigelands Museum is as interesting if you haven't visited the sculpture park. However, since the park is open 24 hours, you could visit the sculpture park in the morning before the museums open.

Neither the Vigelands Museum nor the Viking Ship museum are particularly large, so you shouldn't have a problem visiting both and still having time to do some shopping.

Norwaylady and Kaisatsu

Thanks for all this great info. We will be in Oslo on the National holiday May 17. I understand many things are closed. As that is our only full day in Oslo, wondering what we will be able to visit that day. It seems no tours run that day either. All suggestions greatly appreciated. We arrive the day before but won’t get into town till around 2 pm, so we won’t have much time. We are staying near the train station as we are doing the Nutshell to Bergen on 5/18. Thank you

Norwaylady and Kaisatsu

Thanks for all this great info. We will be in Oslo on the National holiday May 17. I understand many things are closed. As that is our only full day in Oslo, wondering what we will be able to visit that day. It seems no tours run that day either. All suggestions greatly appreciated. We arrive the day before but won’t get into town till around 2 pm, so we won’t have much time. We are staying near the train station as we are doing the Nutshell to Bergen on 5/18. Thank you

By 2pm the parade crowds should have thinned out so you should be able to get around downtown more easily. Note that some of the trams and buses might still be using alternate or disrupted routes.

It’s probably still worth a wander down Karl Johans gate since many people will likely still be out and about in binary (traditional dress).

Surprisingly, several of the museums are actually open on 17 May, so if there’s something you want to see, it’s worth looking up the website to check. You can find most of them linked from the listings on visitoslo.com Of course Vigelands Park is always open, as is the roof of the opera house.

Shops will be closed, but many restaurants will be open. However, many upscale restaurants only offer a special set holiday menu and require advance booking.

Kaisatsu

Thank you

I'm not sure what you mean by the "arts and crafts museum." If you're talking about the "Museum of Decorative Arts & Design" (Kunstindustrimuseet), it closed in 2016 and the exhibits will move to the new National Museum when it opens in 2020.

 

Have you been to Oslo before? I'm not sure that the Vigelands Museum is as interesting if you haven't visited the sculpture park. However, since the park is open 24 hours, you could visit the sculpture park in the morning before the museums open.

 

Neither the Vigelands Museum nor the Viking Ship museum are particularly large, so you shouldn't have a problem visiting both and still having time to do some shopping.

Thank you for your help we will plan on the sculpture park. The museum I was thinking about is the Norsk Folkemusuem. Sounds as if we will find much to see. Appreciate all your help.

We have a full day in Oslo 10 am- 11pm. WE are 2 couples and have never been here before. Looking for suggestions. Tour, private tour. on our own?? Thanks

We have a full day in Oslo 10 am- 11pm. WE are 2 couples and have never been here before. Looking for suggestions. Tour, private tour. on our own?? Thanks

walk to the ferry & go to the Viking ship museum there are a few places in the same area worth exploring

The fort is right at the dock so you could go there they have the Resistance Museum which was interesting

http://www.Visitoslo.com have lots of info on the Oslo pass

We are in town off ship 10-11pm

We would like to see folk museum; maybe city hall , Vigeland sculpture park, maybe kontiki Museum. Opera house roof. Askerhus Forrest. How’s best to travel to all these in 1 day. ? Are we over ambitious ?

Don’t really understand if we need a city pass or ferry tickets or bus pass

Can you suggest a step by step directions? Any other highlight we are missing ?

Thanks in advance

We are in town off ship 10-11pm

We would like to see folk museum; maybe city hall , Vigeland sculpture park, maybe kontiki Museum. Opera house roof. Askerhus Forrest. How’s best to travel to all these in 1 day. ? Are we over ambitious ?

 

 

Don’t really understand if we need a city pass or ferry tickets or bus pass

Can you suggest a step by step directions? Any other highlight we are missing ?

Thanks in advance

You are overly ambitious to begin with

Do you mean Askerhus Fortress??

If so just walk across the road from your ship

the Opera house basically the same a few minutes walk from the ship

You can walk to City hall about 15-20 min strolling

also the ferry to the Viking museum & others

you can decide if the Oslo pass works for you or not

we found it good value

https://www.visitoslo.com/en/transport/in-oslo/

There is also a HOHO bus at the dock