Help: Oslo, Skagen, Copenhagen, Bruges

[Blue and Green]

These boards were tremendously helpful when planning our British Isles cruise 2 years ago. Now Mr. Blue and Mrs. Green are on the move again in Europe…this time a Scandinavian cruise out of Southampton. I’m finding the ports of call—Bruges, Copenhagen, Skagen, and Oslo—to be a little trickier to plan. Perhaps I’m not using the search function efficiently, but the information I’m finding seems a little thin. Any help with these ports would be appreciated.

Specifically, we tend to be interested in small group or private tours. We are not opposed to DIY, if the port is easy to navigate since Mr. Blue often uses a standard wheelchair as we travel.  We usually look for the easiest mode of transportation, with the least hassle (example taxis are the go-to in London, rather than trying to navigate the Tube with a wheelchair).

Looking at Bruges, it appears to be easy to DIY once you get to the city center. As far as I can tell, the ship’s bus drops passengers about a mile from the city center. Any recommendations for a private taxi/tour that would take us a little closer to the city center?

Again, information on any of the ports is welcome. Would love to read reviews from someone who has taken this cruise before, but having trouble finding any.

[hallasm]

I can comment on Skagen and Copenhagen - I have added two links to other useful threads.

Both ports are easy for DIY - in Copenhagen you can visit Royal Palace, Nyhavn, Tivoli Gardens and ‘my must’ is the Canal tour - Link to Things to do in Copenhagen

Skagen is a small fishing town - main attraction is the art museum and the Northern tip of Denmark named Grenen - link to thread Skagen Denmark question

 

 

[Reismicrobe]

I don't think you'll need a taxi in Bruges to take you from the Bargeplaats (where the bus will drop you). You're about a mile away from the market square (Grote Markt) but you are already in the center of town. Just enjoy strolling into the little streets (even with a wheelchair it would be easy) towards the Market Square. Bruges is a very little town, so you will have plenty of time to go everywhere you want. If you want some more information about Bruges, feel free to ask. I live there.

[kaisatsu]

Oslo is very much a DIY port. Labor costs are quite high, so hiring a private guide is quite expensive, and there are only a few tour companies, which mostly handle big-bus tours. Also, given the increasing limitations on public auto traffic, public transit is generally more efficient for getting around as a tourist.

 

It’s not a tremendously wheelchair-friendly city, but it can be managed. A lot of the transit infrastructure has been retrofitted with ramps (including for boarding buses). The T-bane (metro), buses, and the trams 17, 18 & 19 (some on the line 13) are all wheelchair accessible. The 11& 12 teams have a few steep steps at boarding.

 

The VisitOslo.com tourist website has an extensive list of the city’s attractions, and the Ruter.no transit website has a detailed trip planner to show you (and all the locals) how to get to a particular place. Most cruiseships dock at Akershuskaia, alongside the Akershus fortress, which is a 5-10 minute walk from the city hall (Rådhus), so that’s a good spot to get your bearings from (I think Ruter offers directions from “Råshuset (område)” which means “the city hall (area)”.

 

A few popular sights among visitors are:

Vigelands Park - sculpture park filled with works showing the  human form through all walks of life (FYI they are all nudes if you are sensitive to such things)

Vikingskipene (Viking ships) - Museum housing the well-preserved Viking burial ships and related archaeological artifacts 

Folkemuseet (Folk Museum) - open-air museum with historic buildings from across Norway, including an iconic wooden stave church

Fram Museum - home of the ship that took Roald Amundsen part of the way to the South Pole. Houses several interesting exhibits about Arctic and Antarctic exploration

Karl Johans gate - the city’s central street (much of which is pedestrianized) running from the central train station to the Royal palace, past the cathedral, parliament, university, and national theater.

[Blue and Green]

23 hours ago, Reismicrobe said:

I don't think you'll need a taxi in Bruges to take you from the Bargeplaats (where the bus will drop you). You're about a mile away from the market square (Grote Markt) but you are already in the center of town. Just enjoy strolling into the little streets (even with a wheelchair it would be easy) towards the Market Square. Bruges is a very little town, so you will have plenty of time to go everywhere you want. If you want some more information about Bruges, feel free to ask. I live there.

Thank you so much! I was wondering how easy or difficult the streets might be to walk. As long as there are not a lot of steep hills, I'm usually ok with pushing the wheelchair!

[Blue and Green]

Thank you all so much for the information. This is encouraging, and I will keep researching!

[Danish viking]

The Wonderful Copenhagen thread should also provide some useful information. 

[chubbypiggy]

I would like to DIY in Oslo.  Anyone have any suggestions on how I can get to the Vigeland Sculpture Park from the port?  Is it far from the port?

 

Thank you.

[kaisatsu]

38 minutes ago, chubbypiggy said:

I would like to DIY in Oslo.  Anyone have any suggestions on how I can get to the Vigeland Sculpture Park from the port?  Is it far from the port?

 

Thank you.

If you’re docking at the main Akershuskaia pier, you can take the tram #12 (towards Majorstuen) from the nearby Kontrasjkæret or Aker Brygge tram stops. The tram takes about 10 minutes and stops in front of the park gates (Vigelandsparken stop). Tickets and day passes can be purchased in advance from kiosks/convenience stores and then activated using the reader on board (there is a 7-11 behind the city hall that is fairly convenient to the cruise pier).

[chubbypiggy]

Thank you.

[UndcvrNana]

Is the Palace walkable from the cruise pier or do we need to take a tram?  I am with my Mother; 78 years old, but in good shape.

[kaisatsu]

12 hours ago, UndcvrNana said:

Is the Palace walkable from the cruise pier or do we need to take a tram?  I am with my Mother; 78 years old, but in good shape.

In Oslo or Copenhagen?

 

If Oslo, which ship and date? The Norwegian palace is 20-25 minutes walk from all three of the usual piers.

Edited May 9, 2019 by kaisatsu

[UndcvrNana]

Thank you!

 

[John Bull]

For Bruges, all buses drop at Bargeplein, on the edge of the city centre - they're not permitted in the narrow cobbled streets of the centre.

 

Now I might be out-of-date on this, but there has always been a small local bus that plies between the bus drop-off and Grotemarkt.

That bus drop-off is very busy with dozens of tourists' buses, so the little bus runs pretty frequently altho most folk walk to the centre - about 15 minutes. 

Fare €1 might be out-of-date. Any updates on that, Reismicrobe?

 

JB