Oslo

[Scissorhill]

Scissorhill......We are in Oslo from 7 am to 2 pm on a Tuesday (Star Princess). This leaves only 6 or so hours for touring Oslo and we are wondering if the Pass would be appropriate for this time of the day. When do some of these attractions open? If they don't open until 9 am this only leaves about 4 & 1/2 hours of tour time in which to use the pass. I suppose we could go to the Vigeland sculpture park first as it open at that hour.

 

Thanks....axel26

 

The Vigeland sculpture park are free and are open 24/7. I dont think you need The VisitOslo card. Bye a day ticet (10$) for all busses, metro and tram. Try out the Outdoor museeum (15$) and the Viking ships close to it.

[Miss Jolly]

Hello Scissorhill. As you seem to be our resident expert for Oslo, I think it is time for me to ask for your advice. Our family of 4 (2 young teens aged 13 and 15) will be in Oslo on Monday August 20 8:00am-5:00pm. My husband is keen to see the Kontiki, Fram and Viking Musueums.Vigeland Gardens, the Folksmuseum and Akershus Castle also look inviting. Of course we would also like to just have a general look around to get a good feel of Oslo and maybe shop. Do you think that we are best to get the Oslo Pass or not? Do you think the HOHO bus is a better option for us? In what sequence do you feel that we should visit these places in order to get the best out of Oslo? Do you have any other advice for us please? We are certainly looking forward to our visit to Oslo. Thank you for your help.

Jennie

[ollienbertsmum]

Thanks for all the information scissorhill. I am going to print out your advice and use to plan my day in Oslo.

 

I am so looking forward to visiting the Baltic region.

[alle]

We were hoping ScissorHill might be able to give us more information about the Oslo Summer Festival. During our cruise, we'll be in Oslo on the 10th of June which seems to right in the middle of the Oslo Summer Festival. I had a number of views of this.

 

First, I wondered if it might be a good way to really soak in the Oslo culture or is it more the same as any festival in any town? Also, will it involve lots of people in the city center and on public transportation so that it might be hard to get to the various sights using public transportation? The site that I've found for the Oslo summer festival seems to be only in Norwegian, so I'm also wondering if there is some place where I can find a list of what might be going on during the festival?

 

Thanks so much for your help!

 

Leann

[Scissorhill]

We were hoping ScissorHill might be able to give us more information about the Oslo Summer Festival. During our cruise, we'll be in Oslo on the 10th of June which seems to right in the middle of the Oslo Summer Festival. I had a number of views of this.

 

First, I wondered if it might be a good way to really soak in the Oslo culture or is it more the same as any festival in any town? Also, will it involve lots of people in the city center and on public transportation so that it might be hard to get to the various sights using public transportation? The site that I've found for the Oslo summer festival seems to be only in Norwegian, so I'm also wondering if there is some place where I can find a list of what might be going on during the festival?

 

Thanks so much for your help!

 

Leann

 

Oslo Summer Festival is a annual festival and it is a great time to be in the city to be a part of an exciting program of music, theater, comedy and dance performances. It is more like the same as any festival in any town. Oslo its a small town and you will not have any problem with public transportation during the festival.

A lively market on Oslo’s main shopping street – Karl Johan adds to the carnival atmosphere. Most venues are within walking distance of the harbor.

[Miss Jolly]

Hello Scissorhill. As you seem to be our resident expert for Oslo, I think it is time for me to ask for your advice. Our family of 4 (2 young teens aged 13 and 15) will be in Oslo on Monday August 20 8:00am-5:00pm. My husband is keen to see the Kontiki, Fram and Viking Musueums.Vigeland Gardens, the Folksmuseum and Akershus Castle also look inviting. Of course we would also like to just have a general look around to get a good feel of Oslo and maybe shop. Do you think that we are best to get the Oslo Pass or not? Do you think the HOHO bus is a better option for us? In what sequence do you feel that we should visit these places in order to get the best out of Oslo? Do you have any other advice for us please? We are certainly looking forward to our visit to Oslo. Thank you for your help.

Jennie

Hello Scissorhill,

May I please ask you again for help with the above situation? Thank you.

Jennie

[Lovincruisin1321]

Start with the boat trip from City hall "Rådhusbrygge3" rute nr 91 to "Dronningen". 10 min walk up Huk Aven. to the Out-door museum and the Viking Ship. Take the buss nr 30 to "Bygdøynes" were you can see Kon-Tiki and Fram. Take the boat from "Bygdøyses " back to City hall.

 

Then take the tram to "Frognerparken" tram nr 12 towards "Majorstuen" to Vigelandsparken.

 

Don`t forget to take a walk at Aker brygge and "Karl Johans gate" for dining and shopping.

 

Oslo its not so big so you have plenty of time.

See the Oslo map

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=oslo&layer=&ie=UTF8&z=13&ll=59.911234,10.724888&spn=0.043891,0.11673&om=1

 

 

If you like sport you have to see Holmenkollen ski jump with a fantastic view on a sunny day and the Fotballmuseeum at Ullevaal Stadium.

Scissorhill, Thanks for the recommendations. Do you have any recommendations on good restaurants and shopping? Is there anything that Oslo is know for that I should buy? I would love to bring back something that is representative of that area.

[sailaway5]

Scissorhill: Are there any lighthouses in the Oslo vicinity? Especially interested in ones you can tour. Thank you again for all your hints. I have made a note of all of your suggestions!

[timespliters]

Hi Scissorhill, on the map link you gave wher does the cruise ship dock?

thanks

[Miss Jolly]

Hello Scissorhill. As you seem to be our resident expert for Oslo, I think it is time for me to ask for your advice. Our family of 4 (2 young teens aged 13 and 15) will be in Oslo on Monday August 20 8:00am-5:00pm. My husband is keen to see the Kontiki, Fram and Viking Musueums.Vigeland Gardens, the Folksmuseum and Akershus Castle also look inviting. Of course we would also like to just have a general look around to get a good feel of Oslo and maybe shop. Do you think that we are best to get the Oslo Pass or not? Do you think the HOHO bus is a better option for us? In what sequence do you feel that we should visit these places in order to get the best out of Oslo? Do you have any other advice for us please? We are certainly looking forward to our visit to Oslo. Thank you for your help.

Jennie

 

Just wondering if Scissorhill is out there. I am finetuning the plan for our upcoming cruise and would certainly appreciate your opinions on the above questions as I would like to make the most of our visit to Oslo but am becoming overwhelmed with the options.

Thank you

Jennie

[FinelyRetired]

Scissorhill: We will be in Oslo from 9 to 6 on a Sunday, July 22. I have purchased the Oslo Card to try and maximize our visit. We would like to see the Viking Ship, Kon-Tiki, Fram & Out-door museum with the Stave Church. I would also like to go to Frogner Park. In the afternoon, we plan on wandering around town, shopping and exploring. Is all of this possible?

 

What would be the best way to organize our time to see these sights. What should we see first? Any suggestions for down town sights? I really am anxious to visit Norway as my ancestors came from here in the late 1800's. Any help or hints would be much appreciated.

 

sailaway5:

 

This was an excellent question to which I don't believe you ever received an answer!?!! I have the same question.

 

How did you do vis a vis the organization of time/order of visits?

 

Any other thoughts/advice from recent cruisers?

 

Thanks

[sailaway5]

sailaway5:

 

This was an excellent question to which I don't believe you ever received an answer!?!! I have the same question.

 

How did you do vis a vis the organization of time/order of visits?

 

Any other thoughts/advice from recent cruisers?

 

Thanks

 

FinelyRetired: We sailed on the Prinsendam last July and utilized the Oslo card. We picked up the card at the nearby TI office.We ordered it ahead of time, although, I don't believe you need to order it first. It did cover admittance to all of the museums we wanted to see along with the ferry and buses. The Frogner park was free (but we did not have time to get there). We got off the ship as soon as it was cleared, picked up our Oslo cards and walked over to where the ferry takes you to the Bygdoynes Island. This is where the Viking Ship Museum, Outdoor Folk Museum, KonTiki and Fram museums are located. Our first stop when we got off of the ferry was the Viking Ship Museum. This was quite a walk (slight uphill grade) to the museum - about 15 minutes. We were there before the ship tours so it was not crowded at all. As the Folk Museum was nearby (about a block), we decided to go there next. This is a large park like area with original buildings with grass roofs throughout the park. Many nice exhibits with people dressed in original folk costumes and showing you what life was like in times gone by. There was a stave church (built in year 1200) which we went into. We could enter most all of the buildings, and sampled lefse (flatbread) being baked in cast iron over an open fire. Really enjoyed wandering around this area and wished we had more time to see all of the activities going on.

 

Next we decided to walk to the Fram and KonTiki museums (they were next to each other), but at least a mile away (down hill). Later, we realized we could of taken the bus from the Outdoor museum to the KonTiki which would have saved us a little time. The walk was very nice, however, quiet streets, nice homes, lots of trees.

 

The Fram was a highlight for my DH. You could actually go on this ship and see everything. We also spent alot of time here and at the KonTiki as it was so interesting.

 

We did not have time to see the statues at Frogner Park. We had enough time to take the ferry back to town (from the Fram Museum). We walked into town, sat at an outdoor restaurant, had a local beer/wine and people watched for awhile. Then leisurely walked thru the town to the ship about 5:00 pm. Since we were on our own, we did take our time in all of the museums and I am glad we did. I did realize "you can't see everything"; but enjoy what you can see. Pick out your "must sees" and have fun. All of the Baltic ports are wonderful!!!!

[BabySis]

It`s nice to read about my home town here:).

If you have any special request, maby i can ansewer.

Scissorhill, how kind of you to offer. I LOVE this cruisecritic board! There will be 4 of us visiting your beautiful country in July 2008 aboard the Crown Princess. We do so want to experience local life. Where do you go for a weekend holiday? We would like to tour the countryside and stay away from the high tourist areas. Any information you can provide, would be appreciated. If you are ever in Oklahoma, I promise share with you our most local attractions!! dinahsue@dinahfuller.com

[timespliters]

Would have been nice if Scissorhill came on more often as I have been and back now and had a great time on the Jewel of the Seas

 

and for St Pete I used Alla Ushakova <info@alla-tour.com and our group had the best time of our life with so much to see and so short of time

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

[MAKEM]

Buy the Oslo Pass! It’s so much better and cheaper than any tour of town. You can buy the Oslo Pass at a discount in the cruise ship terminal. With the exchange it was only about $47 for two. The Oslo Pass gives you access to all museums and transportation and Oslo is a very easy city to navigate. We went to the Vigeland Gardens, the Folksmuseum, the Kon Tiki museum and Akershus Castle. If we did them all separately it would’ve been much more with transporation.

 

They give you a guide that has a small map in the back and a list of everything the Pass covers. Also, every Norwegian we encountered spoke impeccable English so don’t worry if you need to ask for help.

 

After buying our passes we walked along the water for about 8 minutes to the tram stop. Our first stop was the Vigeland Sculpture Gardens.

 

Take the #12 tram (In the direction AWAY from the ship)to Vigelandsparken. I’m not one to be blown away by such things, but I really enjoyed the sculptures. They are all in one center section and really interesting. We would have stayed longer to really examine each one... or at least our favorites, but it was raining and we decided to move on.

 

Walk back out the front to where you got off the tram and walk back one stop to Frogner plass and look for the bus stop (as opposed to the tram stop). It's just across the street. You need to take the #20 bus for two stops and then switch to the #30 bus. It’s really not hard. The #30 will take you right to the Folksmuseum.

 

Again, I wasn’t over thrilled with the thought of visiting this museum, but it turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip. The Stave Church is a must. We really enjoyed it.

 

Then you can walk down the street just a little further and visit the Viking Ship museum. Again, totally fascinating.

 

We got back on the #30 and took it to the end where the Kon Tiki and Fram Museums are located (only about 4-5 minutes away) We did the Kon Tiki, skipped the Fram and walked to the pier behind the museums. A ferry (included) took us across the water back to where we caught our first tram. From there we walked over to Akershus Castle. I thought I had read that it wasn’t included on the Oslo Pass, but it IS included. Unfortunately, it was closed for a wedding that afternoon so we didn’t get to go. We wandered around town looking for an internet café... Finally found it... but it was closed on Saturday. BUT we’re very glad we walked around town. All the locals we out at their outdoor cafes, driniking and having a great time.

 

I wasn’t that excited about Oslo, but it made it onto our, “must visit for a longer time,” list.

 

There are about 20 other items included on the Oslo Pass, but we just didn't have time to do them all. I wish we had gotten out earlier, but we more than got our money's worth. (Especially compared to the ship excursion prices).

 

There is a ferry runs across the bay from pier no 3 every 30mins,15/45 past the hr.3 euros,free if you return in the hr.

 

This takes you to the tall ships, 10 min journey,worth the trip,then Kontiki museum,which does not open until 10 AM

 

But still return trip can easily be done before mid-day

[FinelyRetired]

FinelyRetired: We sailed on the Prinsendam last July and utilized the Oslo card. We picked up the card at the nearby TI office.We ordered it ahead of time, although, I don't believe you need to order it first. It did cover admittance to all of the museums we wanted to see along with the ferry and buses. The Frogner park was free (but we did not have time to get there). We got off the ship as soon as it was cleared, picked up our Oslo cards and walked over to where the ferry takes you to the Bygdoynes Island. This is where the Viking Ship Museum, Outdoor Folk Museum, KonTiki and Fram museums are located. Our first stop when we got off of the ferry was the Viking Ship Museum. This was quite a walk (slight uphill grade) to the museum - about 15 minutes. We were there before the ship tours so it was not crowded at all. As the Folk Museum was nearby (about a block), we decided to go there next. This is a large park like area with original buildings with grass roofs throughout the park. Many nice exhibits with people dressed in original folk costumes and showing you what life was like in times gone by. There was a stave church (built in year 1200) which we went into. We could enter most all of the buildings, and sampled lefse (flatbread) being baked in cast iron over an open fire. Really enjoyed wandering around this area and wished we had more time to see all of the activities going on.

 

Next we decided to walk to the Fram and KonTiki museums (they were next to each other), but at least a mile away (down hill). Later, we realized we could of taken the bus from the Outdoor museum to the KonTiki which would have saved us a little time. The walk was very nice, however, quiet streets, nice homes, lots of trees.

 

The Fram was a highlight for my DH. You could actually go on this ship and see everything. We also spent alot of time here and at the KonTiki as it was so interesting.

 

We did not have time to see the statues at Frogner Park. We had enough time to take the ferry back to town (from the Fram Museum). We walked into town, sat at an outdoor restaurant, had a local beer/wine and people watched for awhile. Then leisurely walked thru the town to the ship about 5:00 pm. Since we were on our own, we did take our time in all of the museums and I am glad we did. I did realize "you can't see everything"; but enjoy what you can see. Pick out your "must sees" and have fun. All of the Baltic ports are wonderful!!!!

 

 

 

Thanks sailaway5!

 

I have ordered the Oslo card.

 

Martha

[sailaway5]

Thanks sailaway5!

 

I have ordered the Oslo card.

 

Martha

 

Martha - you won't be sorry. We wish we were able to do this one again (maybe someday). Oslo was definitely a highlight. Have fun.

 

Carol