Drobak or Liseberg on December trip?

this is my first post (though I've been a lurker for a couple of years). I've searched the posts, but the search tool on my device often Returns 'page not found' and when I do get results from Google, they don't answer this question, so please no flaming me if you think otherwise :)

We (a couple) have just taken the plunge and booked on the P&O Christmas cruise (our first cruise) We love Christmas shops/markets, but don't want to do them to the exclusion of scenic tours.

In Gothenberg there's a trip which includes going to Liseberg, but only for an hour (despite the Liseberg website saying it opens at 1pm that day) which doesn't give long for wandering the atmosphere/shopping

There's also in Oslo a trip to Drobak, but looking online it seems there's only one Christmas shop. Is there anything else Christmassy about the place?

Just wondering whether one would be better than the other? Any opinions? :)

Thanks

I would skip the trip to Drøbak and stay in Oslo.

There is a small Christmas market in downtown Oslo during December that has a mix of local and imported products. The market typically includes a large Sami tent with products from the northern indigenous culture. It can be quite interesting.

It's also a nice time of year to walk along Karl Johans gate or Bogstadveien since there are Christmas lights hung above the streets (it's quite dark during the day in December). And the fountain between Stortinget (parliament) and the National Theatre becomes an ice rink in the winter (if the temperature is below freezing).

It's probably a bit early for snow, but if you happen to be there after a snowfall, I love to walk through Vigelands Park and take pictures of the snow piled up on the sculptures.

Depending on the date you're visiting, there is a much larger Christmas market at the Folk Museum (near the Viking Ship Museum) that has lots of handmade crafts at stalls scattered throughout the open-air museum. It's definitely one of my favorites for Christmas gifts and browsing. If it's open the day you're visiting, I would definitely recommend it as top choice.

Thanks for this really useful info on Oslo. The ship will be in port on the 22nd December, and we recently saw the website for the Viking ship museum, which looks amazing and a must see place. I'll have a look and see if the folk museum market will be on too. I'd love to find a few decorations and gifts which are totally different to the UK. What do you mean by downtown Oslo? As the Sami tent sounds as though it's worth a visit for its uniqueness.

Thanks again, I appreciate it :)

22 December is quite late in the season. In the past, the downtown market closed around the 21st or 22nd. The dates for this year haven't been decided yet, so you'd need to check back later in the year:

http://www.julemarked.no/www/nyheter-2013/38-demo-article-6.html

"Downtown" in this case means the very city center. The market takes place at Spikersuppa, between Nationaltheatret and Stortinget, just a few blocks north of the city hall:

https://www.google.no/maps/place/Spikersuppa/@59.9137141,10.7376171,18z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x46416e7d7825bf45:0xcb0c9019cbeccc9f?hl=en

The Folk Museum's Christmas market is much earlier in the month. It appears to be scheduled for 5-6 December this year:

http://www.norskfolkemuseum.no/no/opplevelser/Arrangementer/Arrangementer-regelmessige/Julemarked/