of these ports...which has best excursion?

[Texancruisers]

We will be doing the Norwegian Fjords in June/July this year. We only want to do a couple of excursions. Of these ports of call, which one or two would be the BEST for an excursion and what do you recommend we do? Which ports would be the best just to stroll around and enjoy the town? We really aren't interested in all day excursions. Thanks!!

 

Stavanger, Norway / Docked

 

Olden, Norway / Docked

 

Molde, Norway / Docked

 

Geiranger, Norway / Tendered

 

Alesund, Norway / Docked

 

Skjolden, Norway / Docked

 

Bergen, Norway / Docked

 

Oslo, Norway / Docked

[alexandra cruiser]

and also hope you read Terry from Ohio s blog...maybe he ll post it again here?

 

Oslo,,took HOHO bus to see all the sites we wanted and right at dock,,very easy..just google it to see .

 

Bergen,again took HOHO bus and saw it all,,easy and near dock,,again can google

 

Olden,,take excursion,,,small port near glaciers ,,but not much to see on own.We took ship tour of glaciers etc.

 

Geiranger,,take excursion,,to see all the fiords,glaciers,wonderful sites..went with ship there.

 

Stavanger,,,took HOHO bus again,,,right at dock.

 

Did get guidebooks and had ideas of what to see in ea. port.and also google tourism in ea/port.

 

Went last June,,and LOVED it...but a little cool and rainy,,so be prepard.

PS...some people love the HOHO bus,,other hate them and find own transport,,but for us,,,easy to see it all in short amount of time for reasonable price. Did look into private excursions or car rental in some places,but stuck with ship tours due to time constraints and not wanting to "miss the boat" ,,literally.:)

[Texancruisers]

and also hope you read Terry from Ohio s blog...maybe he ll post it again here?

 

Oslo,,took HOHO bus to see all the sites we wanted and right at dock,,very easy..just google it to see .

 

Bergen,again took HOHO bus and saw it all,,easy and near dock,,again can google

 

Olden,,take excursion,,,small port near glaciers ,,but not much to see on own.We took ship tour of glaciers etc.

 

Geiranger,,take excursion,,to see all the fiords,glaciers,wonderful sites..went with ship there.

 

Stavanger,,,took HOHO bus again,,,right at dock.

 

Did get guidebooks and had ideas of what to see in ea. port.and also google tourism in ea/port.

 

Went last June,,and LOVED it...but a little cool and rainy,,so be prepard.

PS...some people love the HOHO bus,,other hate them and find own transport,,but for us,,,easy to see it all in short amount of time for reasonable price. Did look into private excursions or car rental in some places,but stuck with ship tours due to time constraints and not wanting to "miss the boat" ,,literally.:)

 

We will definitely do a tour/excursion in Geiranger!! That is supposedly the most beautiful fjord!! We do want to see some of the surrounding country side while in Norway. We have decided for the most part on what we want to do, but really don't want to miss something SPECIAL!!!

[Texancruisers]

Bergen fish market looks interesting!!!

 

Right near the Hanseatic merchant warehouse area is the Bergen Fish Market with lots of options to buy food to eat on site or just watch, enjoying the “show” as people ask questions and buy the various fresh fish items.:

 

 

Thanks!! Terry in Ohio for the beautiful pictures!!

[marylizcat]

We are going to Bergen this summer and I was under the impression it was a place to walk around and to catch the funicular up the mountain if the weather is suitable. Do you really need a HOHO bus for this town? I thought it was small enough to walk it?

[Texancruisers]

We are going to Bergen this summer and I was under the impression it was a place to walk around and to catch the funicular up the mountain if the weather is suitable. Do you really need a HOHO bus for this town? I thought it was small enough to walk it?

 

That is our plan too. We will be on our own, maybe the funicular or fish market. However, I read some things on Trip Advisor that the fish market isn't all that great.

[gosport11]

Stavanger,you can walk the old town from the dock,also walk round the harbour,also walk into the town

Molde,you can walk up to the old village but its all up hill but well worth it

Bremen i would get to the venichular railway 1st thing to avoid the queues and do the fish market etc later,we also visted the Leporsy muesem and got a ticket for another 5 places and a free coffe,seeing as it was a nice day we walked down after the rail journey up

Oslo we walked up to the sculputer park and got lost walking back and walked miles but very pleasent,there is a large mall near the docks good for a coffe etc :):)

Notice no beer mentioned as a drink you would need a 2nd mortage to buy alchol ie £10 for a small beer :eek:

[alexandra cruiser]

We take them to get overall view of whole town,,that we can t walk to comfortably,,then stop off at sites we want to see.We determine this ahead of time and also cross of some and add others.

 

For the small fee it just save lots of walking and gets you to and from sites faster.Plus, I m awful with maps and public transport,always get lost.

 

PS.for instance,,in Bergin,,saw long lines at funicular in AM,,so chose to go later.In Stavanger ,,first pass on HOHO ,,saw oil museum closed at that time ,,saved a walk and just went back later. Oslo,,got to Vigelands Park,Folk Musuem,and then took break back at ship.Started out after lunch and rest to see rest of city ,,all inc.in price for 1 day.Very convenient for us. And NO,,,don t own any buses,,haha...:)

[TLCOhio]

We will be doing the Norwegian Fjords in June/July this year. We only want to do a couple of excursions. Of these ports of call, which one or two would be the BEST for an excursion and what do you recommend we do? Which ports would be the best just to stroll around and enjoy the town? We really aren't interested in all day excursions. Thanks!!

Stavanger, Norway / Docked

Olden, Norway / Docked

Molde, Norway / Docked

Geiranger, Norway / Tendered

Alesund, Norway / Docked

Skjolden, Norway / Docked

Bergen, Norway / Docked

Oslo, Norway / Docked

 

alexandra cruiser: also hope you read Terry from Ohio s blog...maybe he ll post it again here?

 

Appreciate the super nice "plug" and mention by alexandra cruiser. You can connect to those postings and pictures from the link noted below. In July 2010' date=' we did Geiranger, Alesund and Bergen, plus seeing Oslo in July 2008 during a great Baltics/Russia cruise.

 

For [b']Geiranger, going "up country"[/b] is the best option, based on our personal experiences. In this small port, you are probably going to have use a ship tour. Not always cheap, but what you will see and experience is "priceless" and worth it!!! Just getting off of the ship and walking around in Geiranger would be fairly limited. See what's unique and special there by getting up, up and AWAY from this drop-off point.

 

At Alesund, we rented a car and went to Runde Island, did a ferry ride, saw lots of coast sights, plus the great overview of this scenic town in its spectacular location. Alesund's architecture is characterized by its turrets, spires, medieval-romantic frontages and other whimsical touches that give this town its distinctive style. It is like something from a fairytale. On the night of January 23, 1904, the town, built largely of wood, was totally destroyed at night by gale-aided flames. Only one person died, but more than 10,000 people were left without shelter. Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm vacationed nearby and sent four warships with materials to build temporary shelters. The town was rebuilt in stone, brick and mortar in Jugendstil or Art Nouveau, the architectural style of the time. This design reflects a “romance with the past” and highlights Nordic mythology along its winding streets. To honor Wilhelm, one of the most frequented streets of the city is named after him. The town has an unusually consistent architecture, most of the buildings having been built between 1904 and 1907.

 

Then, there super wonderful and charming Bergen. Love that historic city!! My live/blog has lots of pictures and details for all that we did and experienced there. See more below.

 

We visited Oslo and loved its great art options, including seeing two of Munch's "The Scream", plus super Vigeland Park with its wide variety of outdoor sculptures in a wonderful setting that is a highlight for Oslo. Its admission is free and the views and art are "priceless". It is open 24/7 so hours are not an issue at this beautiful park. Oslo’s City Hall is interesting and the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded here annually in early December. On the inside are a wide variety of art and design items.

 

Reactions and questions on these four towns?

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 68,410 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

This picture shows the main, historic fortress next to where many cruise ships dock in Oslo. The fortress construction started around the late 1290’s. The very interesting Norwegian Resistance museum can be visited there. Norwegian Royalty have been buried in the Royal Mausoleum in the castle. A portion of this fortress was replicated at the Norway pavilion at Disney’s Epcot Center.:

 

 

 

You go on these Norway Coast cruises for the spectacular fjords. From the journey to Flam, Gudvangen and Sognerfjord, here is one picture giving you a sampling of the skies and views for these beautiful internal coastlines of the fjords.

 

 

 

This is the dramatic overview of Alesund from the Aksla vantage point. This spot allows a nearly 360-degree view of this setting for this island city and the surrounding mountains and islands. It is at a 597’ height overlooking the five islands making up the scenic town.:

 

 

 

Here’s a close look at these historic Bergen Hanseatic merchant warehouse building fronts, people taking pictures, etc. :

 

 

 

This picture shows the Bergen Floibanen funicular railway coming up the steep hill with the harbor, fish market, etc. in the background of this charming Norway coastal town with so much great history and architecture. On the top, somewhat right, the Silver Cloud and Costa ships can be seen in the harbor.

 

 

 

Next to the Videseter Hotel on our way to Geiranger, we saw this spectacular waterfall at this scenic high mountain elevation location. You can see how small is the hotel/dining building at the top to the right of waterfall to give an idea on the massive scale for this natural wonder.:

 

[ship101]

We were on the Brilliance on May 12, Alesund and Bergen are nice to walk. The Panorama Tour in Geiranger was excellent, the best points of view of the most beautiful fjords. When back, go to the chocolate boutique on the small pedestrian way, fjordnaer Geirander Sjokolade, the young owner makes delicious and innovative chocolate. Brunost made with a popular norwegian cheese is addictive.

Our excursion in Olden was too long, I willl not recommend.

We truly enjoyed this cruise even if weather was not always cooperating. Beautiful scenery and people.

[ship101]

We are going to Bergen this summer and I was under the impression it was a place to walk around and to catch the funicular up the mountain if the weather is suitable. Do you really need a HOHO bus for this town? I thought it was small enough to walk it?

Bergen is easy to walk, the funicular easy to find. About ten minutes from where we docked with the Brilliance. I don't remember having seen Hop ON OFF but we were there on May 17, National Day. The fish market was closed for the big day, but again very easy to go to from the ship.