kaisatsu

It depends quite a lot on which day and which ship, since the 2024 Oslo cruise port schedule shows calls in August split between Revierkaia in the city center, and Filipstadkaia, west of downtown. The bus service to Filipstadveien, near the latter, varies significantly depending on the time of day and day of the week. Without knowing which pier you will be starting and ending with, I can only recommend a route between the two. If you’re starting mid-day, I’d do the museums first, so you have plenty of time before they close. Probably worth grabbing an early lunch beforehand as there isn’t much in the area. The museums are both located at the Bygdøynes bus stop, served by #30. However, this stop is only served by buses traveling in one direction, and you need the other. You could walk 10-15 minutes to the Frederiksborg stop and pick up a 30 headed in the Nydalen direction. If you want to minimize walking, just take the 30 in the Bygdøy direction from outside the museums, and ride it to the third stop (Bygdøhus) which is served in both directions. There you can cross the street and catch the next bus one going towards Nydalen. Once you’re on a 30 towards Nydalen, ride it ~8 minutes to Olav Kyrres plass, where you need to switch to the 20 (direction Galgeberg). This bus will stop right outside Vigelands Park (at the aptly named Vigelandsparken stop). It sounds a bit complicated because of having to switch directions on the 30, but it’s pretty straightforward. Ruter tickets are valid for an hour and include unlimited transfers during that time.

October is a bit hit or miss weather-wise, but it’s not uncommon to have more days of sun compared to dreary November. The temperatures will be cooler but above freezing, so potential for rain rather than snow. If you take the Flåmsbana up to Myrdal, there’s a possibility of some flurries as the temperature are much colder up on the plateau. Expect most of the seasonal tourist infrastructure to be long closed. If you’re looking for independent tours, start early as options will be very limited. the equinox is at the end of September, so nights will be starting to get longer. Plenty of darkness, but if you’re not heading north of Ålesund, you’ll need a particularly strong display to spot them that far south in Norway.

How do you know that it won’t be sunny this May?

I haven’t done the Preikestolen hike since before the tunnel opened, when the timing was always extremely dependent on the ferry schedule (which made it hard to fit into a port day). As mentioned above, as long as you can get to/from the trailhead, the rest is pretty straightforward. Hike up. Hike back. It’s definitely not a hike to do if it’s foggy, as the conditions would be dangerous and there will be little view to reward you at the end. The trail was improved significantly about fifteen years ago, so it can be done in rugged trainers or light hiking shoes and doesn’t require boots. But like any trail in Norway, the expectation is that you use good judgement and follow the mountain rules.

Depends on your priorities. I think Oslo is a great embarkation port, especially for the Baltics, because the port is tight downtown and there is plenty to do for a few days before or after. If you have limited time and a fjord focus, I’d choose an embarkation port that only has one sailing day to the west coast. These are typically Southampton, Rotterdam, or Copenhagen. Sometimes you’ll find Oslo, but often those itineraries include an extra port stop somewhere en route like Århus (okay) or Kristiansand (meh).

It is a reenactment. The Viking age ended around the 11th century, and since the term actually refers to the job, international law now prohibits raiding other countries. If your question is about whether the staff lives on site in period style, no, they go home after work. The site is located in Gudvangen, which is at the end of the UNESCO-listed Nærøyfjord, which is too narrow for all but the smallest cruise ships to reach. If they offer a tour that arrives or departs the location by boat, that would be a great addition. It’s quite astonishing how steep and narrow the hills are on either side!

Norwegian fjord itineraries tend to fall into two categories: those that only visit the southern coast to focus on the fjord region, and longer cruises that continue up to the northern coast and the Arctic Norwegian port cities. Either of these will serve your needs, but avoid the Arctic-only itineraries that only visit the north coast (often paired with Iceland, Scotland, etc). I’d also skip itineraries that squeeze in Oslo, as it fits better into a Baltic cruise and wastes a lot of time sailing around the southern tip of the country. I would aim for a trip with two of your three fjord ports plus Bergen. And while it’s not a dealbreaker, I give preference to Geiranger if possible, because the sail-in/out is just stunning.

The forum does contain plenty of port info on the Arctic and other non-fjord ports. You just have to search a little more. Trondheim and Ålesund are both small cities that are pleasant to walk around. Trondheim has a famous cathedral and a historic Bryggen row colorful wooden waterfront warehouses. Ålesund is known for its art deco architecture downtown. A search in the forum for either should return several results. You can also check out Trondheim’s official tourism websites: https://visittrondheim.no/en/ The popular draw in Honningsvåg is Nordkapp, a symbolic point representing the northernmost point in continental Europe. This is a fair way from the city, but there are independent tour companies operating the trip alongside the cruise excursion. Searching for Nordkapp or “North Cape” may net more info, since Honningsvåg is often misspelled. Bodø is less visited, and I don’t feel like there’s much to see wandering around town. That could be my bias, since northerners who move south tend to paint a dreary picture of most of the smaller northern Norwegian cities. It is apparently the 2024 European Capital of Culture, so maybe I shouldn’t sell it short! They too have a tourism site to give you some ideas: https://visitbodo.com/en/ The Saltstraumen maelstrom might be the most famous site in the area, but our visit on the coastal ferry wasn’t timed right to make the trip. Harstad is far less visited, but it does show up in some trip reports from other Arctic cruises. They also have a tourism website: https://en.visitharstad.com/ I’ll leave the Scottish ports for someone with more expertise!

The UNESCO-listed fjords are dramatic from both perspectives. From the water, the fjord walls are towering above you on either side. From the hills, you have the broader panorama. In Flåm, you'd need to head somewhere like the Stegastein viewpoint to get the view from above, because the valley curves behind a hill, and the fjord itself is only visible from the closest part of town. In Geiranger, the town spreads up the hill, so the farther up hill you go, the farther you can see. Until you reach the clouds, if it's an overcast day. Although Mt. Dalsnibba has limited seasonal opening and frequent cloud cover, there are several popular viewing points that are low enough to provide a great view even when the clouds are low. Flydalsjuvet is a popular lower choice, and there are a few overlooks that you can hike to if you're willing to spend an hour on a steady uphill trail. I've done an expedition cruise to the fjords in northeast Greenland, and I wouldn't compare the fjord sailing there to that of Norway. Greenland is known for having the world's largest fjord (Scoresbysund), but sailing through that area is very different from the Norwegian coast. Some of the big draws of the Greenland fjord system are the reduced vegetation, which makes the phenomenal geology easily observable, and the incredible icebergs that calve from the glaciers. Norwegian fjords by contrast are much greener and more vegetated, and since the glaciers that created them are long gone, the tongues of the fjords end in small towns instead, built in the valleys that were left behind. While the larger fjords, like the outer parts of Sognefjord, are pretty enough, they're more similar to fjord landscapes found elsewhere, and the most dramatic and unique scenery comes from the narrow fjords like Nærøyfjord (literally narrow fjord) and Geirangerfjord.

The weather can vary wildly from day to day and from year to year. Norway's national day is 17 May, so I can recall the weather on that date for several recent years. There have been some when the temperature has been up around 20°C and people were out in short sleeves. There was also a year that it snowed. Usually it lands somewhere in between. The key to packing is layers. You'll definitely need a jacket, and I'd strongly recommend something waterproof to deal with potential windy rainy weather. Additionally, a strong wind will drastically reduce the perceived temperature, and being out on deck comes with an artificial breeze due to the moving ship. As some of the ports have long scenic sail-in/sail-out, that windproof outer layer can be very nice to have. You can skip a thick warm coat, even if the temperature drops to freezing, by layering a warm mid-layer under the outer shell. Think something like a mid- to heavy-weight fleece or a warm sweater. Pairing that thick mid-layer with a windproof/waterproof outer jacket (even if it's completely unlined) nets essentially the same result as a winter coat. If you plan to be out on deck a lot, bring along a hat, scarf or neck gaiter, and gloves. But also be sure that you have some pieces that will work in warm weather if you end up with temperatures above 20°C!

Since you put “crowds” in quotes, I assume you mean “seeing other people more than once an hour on the trail.” If you’re arriving on a weekend, you will likely not have any popular trail to yourself. Hiking is extremely popular for many (most?) Norwegians and is a common weekend activity. If the weather is nice, much more so, since there’s a passion to get out and enjoy it. We did around an hour of hiking (roundtrip) from the cable car on a sunny week day, and we did see around a dozen other people. Since it’s above the treeline, you can easily see humans at a distance, so maybe not the wholly isolated experience you’re looking for.

• More frequent service • Early & late trains • Much less crowded during commuting rush hour • More seating, since there are no non-airport passengers • Designated luggage space • Travel guarantee (if the trains stop running, they will put you in a taxi until bus service can be arranged) The last one is the biggest advantage, especially when headed to the airport. Both options will organize bus replacements, but with Vy you have to wait until they’re in place, which can take an hour or more. We usually just wait to buy tickets until we see that the Vy train is running normally. _______ A short history of how we ended up with two services: This is probably more information than you really cared to know! 😂 But I find it interesting how it ended up this way. The train route and complicated tunnel were built specifically for the airport, and until the late 00s or early 10s, the local trains still used the surface route, which took 50 minutes (compared to the 25 it takes today). When the use of the tunnel was expanded and the old rolling stock used by the main rail service was replaced, the difference in the two was significantly reduced. But it was only available twice an hour until the third hourly train was added in the early 10s. By that point, it was so normal yo take the Flytoget that many locals didn’t even know there was another viable option. And while both prices have risen with inflation, the Vy trains are priced by the local Oslo transit regions. Since Gardermoen is within the greater Oslo network, it’s priced accordingly and costs the same as a ticket for a 4-zone bus journey.

The Norwegian Krone in particular is extremely weak at the moment. I agree that restaurant prices didn’t seem significantly lower the times I’ve been back to the US the last few years. And alcohol prices seem to have gone up, so $8-15 for a beer seems a lot mor common Stateside than it used to be. The price of clothing, home goods, and especially labor is still a bargain though!

Is there a particular reason to do Brosmetinden? It’s a long drive there and back, considering there are some great hikes closer to the city that wouldn’t require a car. For example, if you take the cable car up, you can hike further up the mountain for some gorgeous panoramic landscapes. If you do need a car, Avis & Budget have a location downtown at Strandskillet 5, and Hertz has a self-service point near the Hurtigruten ferry terminal.

Yes. The Flytoget has luggage racks at each door, and the Vy trains have several open spaces (for standing room, wheelchairs, luggage, etc) with food down seats. The Flytoget is designed specifically for handling airport traffic, but I don’t think it’s worth the significantly higher price. We only use it if there’s a really long wait for the Vy train or we’re traveling too early/late for the Vy trains to be running.

I was wondering about this. The two documents I had rejected (bank statement, roundtrip airline ticket) were both PDF files. The website listed PDF as an accepted format, but I was wondering if that was what was "wrong" with them, since they contain all of the required information.

VFS is based in India & Dubai, so it's probably not that big an issue. Mine got QC-rejected on Christmas Day.

I'm flying down for a few weeks for a family event, and I just had mine rejected with a request to reupload my travel itinerary. I originally included the actual e-ticket document from the airline (including name, dates, flights, ticket and booking numbers, and even price). I think the employees at VFS either have some kind of target to quality control a certain percentage of applications, or they are supposed to be getting through a certain number and have realized it's easier to just reject them arbitrarily than to actually look at the documents. Current timeline: 6 Dec - signed up and started application 19 Dec - completed application and payment 25 Dec - QC hold (re-upload bank statement* and itinerary) 27 Dec - New documents uploaded * I originally uploaded the 30-day bank info on 6 Dec, so I guess fair enough that they wanted the latest two weeks. But the itinerary? I call BS.

saffy12 is correct. The IAATO regulations restrict landings to ships with <500 passengers, and no more than 100 can be ashore at once (even fewer at certain landing zones). There are more and more new builds in the 400-500 passenger range, and given the reduced number of landings possible, these trips are less popular than the smaller expedition ships. If you are extremely flexible, I have seen a few people score some amazing deals. I think one even managed under $3K per person. In general, $5K per person would be considered a really "good" deal. It's still a relatively small market, but even with increased traffic, the limited number of landing sites and the difficult logistics and operational requirements mean prices continue to go up.

I agree with hallasm. Any hotel close to Oslo S (central station) will be convenient for getting around. The main city center stretches out immediately west of the station hall, and there are plenty of hotels in the area just west of the station. Everything from the self-service CityBox on up, depending on your price limits. Download the Ruter app to buy local transit tickets. The app also includes route planning and real-time departure times.

If you’re looking for tours or organized activities, definitely book them in advance. There are a limited number of operators, so waiting until arrival may mean missing out. For smaller less-known activities, they may not even run on a day if no one has booked. If you’re looking to visit museums, cable cars, and other fixed sites, you should still do some research ahead of time. Some of the ports are a fair distance from the town center, and taxis are quite expensive (if even available).

I’d choose Leknes. The Lofoten Islands are beautiful (and were relatively unknown before Instagram 😢). It’s not any easy port to DIY since the tender pier is far from town, but there are several threads here about organizing car rental. Since there wasn’t a lot of DIY aí go at the time, we ended up doing a ship’s excursion (incredibly rare for us) to Å i Lofoten and Nusfjord, and I enjoyed it a lot. The drives are stunning. I’ve been through Djúpivogur on a land trip in Iceland, and while the scenery of the east coast is nice enough, there’s no way I would trade it for Lofoten. My only lasting memory of the town itself is that the Vínbúðin (government wine monopoly) was only open a few days a week! 😂 (We had stopped to try to find the local microbrew we’d tried with dinner the night before.) Scenic cruising on both itineraries will be limited to sail-in/sail-out, but I guess the sail-in to Leknes May be slightly longer. It’s not one of the incredibly long routes like you see in the long southern fjords. One more reason I’d choose the Leknes trip is that it’s later in the season. Up north, some of the tourist infrastructure doesn’t open until June, and with the extra week closer to the solstice, you’ll have more opportunities to experience the midnight sun. Since you’re sailing all the way up to Longyearbyen, you’ll have a few days of 24-hour sunlight, but it’s nice to have a longer window to hope for clear skies if you want to watch the above-horizon midnight dip.

If you prefer smaller ports, choose the Norway/Iceland cruise. Some of those ports are towns with only a few hundred residents. Stockholm, Copenhagen, Helsinki (and especially Berlin, if you choose to make the trip from Warnemünde) are all sizeable cities. While the Baltic ports are fantastic cruise destinations, “small” and “less traveled” they are certainly not! Setting aside the port size criteria, choose the first if you are interested in nature and scenery. Choose the second if you prefer museums and culture.

The west coast has variable and rainy weather year round. Expect slightly cooler temperatures than in peak summer, but it’s never guaranteed to be warm even in the peak of summer. The real caveats of May are that some mountain roads (e.g. Mt.Dalsnibba in Geiranger) may still be closed for the season, and some tourist infrastructure doesn’t start until June. On the flipside, you’ll have smaller tourist crowds (aside from your fellow passengers), and you’d be in Haugesund on the Norwegian national holiday, when many of the locals will be out celebrating in national dress.

The zipline ends after the steep section. The last section is mostly flat with a few gentle slopes, and more than half is on paved roads.