Can help with Q for Oslo if someone needs it;)

[Norwaylady]

Hi, and good morning. Can you recommend a hotel close to the train station in a good safe area, please, that's not too high in price for May, please, for 2 nights, and easy access to get to airport by either taxi or public trains? We will be coming from Bergen by train into Oslo.

 

Thanks in advance for your assistance.

 

Liz

 

Hello

 

The fastet way to arrive to the airport from Oslo downtown is by train. And the train runs often, AirPort Express train is every 10min from Oslo S. The local train has one more stop, but the price is lower and it goes 4x by the hour. It only takes 4minutts more.

 

Hotels in the area of Oslo S is safe, Thon hotel Opera, Scandic Byporten, Comfort Hotel express central station and comfort hotel grand sentral is all located in the station. So you will walk dry feet to/from the train from Bergen and onward to the airport.

 

If you accept a short walk, scandic oslo city, radisson blu plaza and comfort hotel boersparken.

 

Since you are arriving from Bergen on a train, it will stop at Nasjonalteatret, the stop before Oslo S (final destination) Nasjonalteatret station have service from all lines, and are also in the city centre.

Some hotels you can walk easy to from the train: Hotel continental($), Hotel christiania teater, Best western karl johan hotell, grand hotel($)

 

You will be very safe in Oslo, the city centre is quite small compared to many other places.

Depending on what dates you are in Norway, remember that there are national day 17.may and 1 and 25.may is a public holiday.

[kaisatsu]

The fastet way to arrive to the airport from Oslo downtown is by train. And the train runs often, AirPort Express train is every 10min from Oslo S. The local train has one more stop, but the price is lower and it goes 4x by the hour. It only takes 4minutts more.

A few small corrections: The local train only runs 3 times each hour (at :24, :34, and :54 past the hour). On Saturdays (and in the early morning and late evening) the Flytoget airport express train only runs every 20 minutes. When it's on the 10-minute schedule, every other Flytoget makes the same extra stop in the middle as the local train.

[Northbay]

Thanks so very much for your most helpful information. It will come in handy in May.

Any holiday from May 22 to 25th?

Liz

[Northbay]

Just wondering what your thoughts are on the hotel Scandic Stolli, and whether it's very close to the train station.

 

Thanks in advance.

[namaste1223]

Hello!

You can take the ferry, DFDS. They sail daily from Copenhagen to Oslo. I leaves from CPH 16.30 and arrive the next day in Oslo 09.45. It is the same on the return. Keep in mind that this is a ferry and not a cruise ship;) Since it is summer season the price on the ferry can be hige. So an alternative can ble air. CPH-OSL is 60min and flights leave all day, 7days a week. So this is a very flexible choice.

If you should take the time to come to Norway, depends on your preferences. Have you been to Copenhagen before? It is much to see and do in Denmark in wider Copenhagen. Do you have something special you would like to see in Oslo?

Oslo during the summer i very nice and theres a lots of different things to do, it all hang on what you want and your preferences. So i can not say yes or no, it all depend on your taste....:)

 

If you are thinking about fjords and mountains, you have to go other places then Oslo.

Hope this give you something to think on, feel free to ask more if you wonder;)

 

Thank you so much for your quick reply! I guess I have more research to do based on your recommendations!

[Norwaylady]

Thanks so very much for your most helpful information. It will come in handy in May.

Any holiday from May 22 to 25th?

Liz

 

Hello

25.may is ascension day in Norway. So that means national holiday. So most stores are closed and train, buses and trams can drive on the sunday time-tabell. International flights runs as normal.

 

If someone wonders about national holidays in Norway 2017 or next year: https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/norway/

It tells if it is flag day, national holiday, clock change etc.

 

Scandic Sollie

It is located in a very nice area and it is close to the train station. If you take the right exit, you are only 100m away from the hotel.

The area is quiet, but still you are very close to all the attractions and restaurants. You are very close to the royal palace and garden, you are not to far from Vigelandsparken. If you are walkers, it is a nice walk up to the Vigelandpark or you can take the tram.

The view from the hotell is really nice if you have a room in the upper floors. Then you will see out in the Oslo fjord.

[kaisatsu]

Note that the Scandic Solli is near the Nationaltheatret train station, rather than Oslo S the central train station. (The station is served by the Flytoget airport express train every 20 minutes, and all of the regular NSB trains to the airport stop there.)

 

The metro lines stop at the far end of the station near the National Theater (about 10 minutes' walk from the hotel).

[DaBook]

If someone wonders about national holidays in Norway 2017 or next year: https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/norway/

It tells if it is flag day, national holiday, clock change etc.

 

Thank you for this link... What can we expect on August 19 Crown Princess Mette Marit's Day ?

[jonj]

What can we expect on Whit Sunday will anything be open? Our cruise will be in Oslo that day

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[PNW Traveler]

Thank you so much for your quick reply! I guess I have more research to do based on your recommendations!

 

namaste1223 -

 

We have taken the DFDS ferry Copenhagen to Oslo as part of a combination land/cruise vacation. We booked DFDS again for August 2017, flying into Oslo, touring for a few days, then the overnight ferry to Copenhagen and our Baltic cruise departure.

The overnight ferry is a large and comfortable ship, complete with stateroom choices, nice lounges and viewing decks, and a good restaurant. The route through the Oslo fjord is beautiful. DFDS docks near Langelinie in Copenhagen (closer to downtown.) The Oslo dock is within easy walking distance of downtown.

Tickets for DFDS can be booked online. We booked through AFerry, but there are other booking companies, including direct through DFDS. https://www.aferry.co.uk/

[Northbay]

Thank you so very much norwaylady and kaiatsu for your most helpful information. It has helped us immensely.

 

Liz

[namaste1223]

namaste1223 -

 

We have taken the DFDS ferry Copenhagen to Oslo as part of a combination land/cruise vacation. We booked DFDS again for August 2017, flying into Oslo, touring for a few days, then the overnight ferry to Copenhagen and our Baltic cruise departure.

The overnight ferry is a large and comfortable ship, complete with stateroom choices, nice lounges and viewing decks, and a good restaurant. The route through the Oslo fjord is beautiful. DFDS docks near Langelinie in Copenhagen (closer to downtown.) The Oslo dock is within easy walking distance of downtown.

Tickets for DFDS can be booked online. We booked through AFerry, but there are other booking companies, including direct through DFDS. https://www.aferry.co.uk/

 

PNW Traveler: Thank you so much for sharing your experience! Since you're doing it again this year, it sounds like you enjoyed your ferry experience. I was thinking that we'd miss out on any scenery there might be to see if we simply took a plane and your post seems to support this. It also sounds like the location of the docks on both ends makes it a fairly simple matter to use the ferry. I'm going to check into this option further.

Your advice is much appreciated!

[kaisatsu]

Thank you for this link... What can we expect on August 19 Crown Princess Mette Marit's Day ?

Pretty much business as usual!

 

What can we expect on Whit Sunday will anything be open? Our cruise will be in Oslo that day

It won't be significantly different from any other Sunday. Stores and offices will be closed. Restaurants and tourist sites will be open. If the weather is nice, lots of people will be out for a Sunday stroll, so there will be a few more people at places like Vigelands Park, the roof of the Opera, the Folk Museum, the Akerselva river walk, and Grünerløkka.

[PNW Traveler]

PNW Traveler: Thank you so much for sharing your experience! Since you're doing it again this year, it sounds like you enjoyed your ferry experience. I was thinking that we'd miss out on any scenery there might be to see if we simply took a plane and your post seems to support this. It also sounds like the location of the docks on both ends makes it a fairly simple matter to use the ferry. I'm going to check into this option further.

Your advice is much appreciated!

 

You're welcome! Enjoy your time in Oslo. :)

[kctwinmommy]

I'm going to have to think about what we want to do, so I can ask questions later. I didn't want to lost this thread though either. LOL! We'll have a pretty long day in Oslo this summer on our cruise (7:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.), so we have options. It's my husband, myself, and our teenage son. We know we want to do the Viking Museum and I was looking at the Royal Palace too. We weren't planning on doing any ship excursions, just seeing them on our own.

[ipoder]

Thanks for taking the time to help us first time visitors to Oslo. I have a question about the Munch Museum. I understand a new one is being built near the pier, but it probably will not be completed by June 2017. What is the best public transportation to take from the pier to the current Munch Museum?

Thanks

[mort&fran]

We will be continuing from Oslo to Bergen and then a Hurtigruten north-bound cruise. How readily are euros accepted in Oslo (and Bergen, etc.)?

Takk!

[kaisatsu]

Thanks for taking the time to help us first time visitors to Oslo. I have a question about the Munch Museum. I understand a new one is being built near the pier, but it probably will not be completed by June 2017. What is the best public transportation to take from the pier to the current Munch Museum?

Thanks

Definitely not going to be ready by June! They laid the first foundation stone in October, and it's scheduled to open in 2020.

 

The easiest way to get to the current museum is to take the T-bane (metro) to Tøyen. There are signs from the station pointing the way to the museum, which is very close to the station. Coming from the main cruise pier at Akershuskaia, the closest metro station is Nationaltheatret, a few blocks past the city hall. You can take any of the metro lines (they all stop at both stations) heading eastbound.

[kaisatsu]

We will be continuing from Oslo to Bergen and then a Hurtigruten north-bound cruise. How readily are euros accepted in Oslo (and Bergen, etc.)?

Takk!

Only in a few shops/stands targeted at tourists. You definitely wouldn't be able to get around much with only Euros. However, bank cards are very widely accepted and account for 95%+ of commercial transactions in Norway.

[Northbay]

Kaisatsu, thank you again and I am wondering if you can help answer my question, please.

 

If you were taking the train from Bergen to Oslo, which side of the train would you select for the best views? I've had a couple of different answers, and I do value your opinion. Have you done this train trip or are familiar with someone who has done it and can assist, please?

[dbsb3233]

Just coming back through to post a follow-up after our Aug-2016 cruise. Oslo was a wonderful port. Just wish we had more time. We did this one on our own (no tour) but it was one of those "whatever could go wrong" days where we kept losing time through the day. We bought Oslo Passes and used the train/tram/bus. It worked pretty well and was easy to figure out, but we kept getting to every bus/tram JUST as one had left so we kept losing that extra 10 minutes over and over.

 

But what really killed us was going to the Oslo Visitor Center at the train station. Upon leaving the ship in the morning, we walked around the point and over to the Opera House to take some pictures (which frankly wasn't as spectacular as I expected). Then walked the block or two to the train station where the Visitor Center is, buy Oslo Passes, and catch the train up to the ski jump. Well, I made the mistake of not checking ahead of time exactly where the Visitor Center was in the building. It's a big building with multiple side halls. We came in the wrong side then wandered for 25 minutes just trying to fine the Visitor Center, finally finding it from the outside entrance. Went in a took a number (I think we were #6 and they were serving #3). But that customer was asking question after question after question. And there was only 1 window open. Took 25 minutes just for that one guy to finish! More time passes serving the next 2 people and all of a sudden we look up and they're on #8. WTH?!? Turns out there's another counter on the other side near an inside entrance that we never knew about. Apparently they called our number from there (rather quietly) and we never heard it. We were not happy campers, and neither were some of the other people there. Of course, we get to that counter and complete our purchase of the passes in 60 seconds (always seems to work that way).

 

All total we lost an hour just going to the Visitor Center. Ugh. Half of it was my fault for not scoping out exactly which corner of the train station the visitor center was at. But I was WHOLLY unimpressed with the staff there. If you plan to go there, scope out the exact location in the building, and watch for employees by both entrances.

 

From there we took the train up the ski jump, which was great (no problems, other than barely missing the train back and having to wait for the next one). After returning we got off the train and walked the few blocks to the sculpture park, which was nice. Then took a tram to the crowded Viking Ship Museum (it was OK but not great), then a bus to the Kon Tiki Museum (better) for a fast visit, but ran out of time to do the Fram Museum next to it. Rushed over to the ferry dock to get back to our ship near the Akershus Fortress with about 10 minutes prior to all-aboard.

 

Still got to see quite a bit but would have loved to have that hour back we lost at the beginning so we could see the Fram Museum, walk the Studenterlunden, and pop into a souvenir shop or two. I'm pretty good at advance planning but I dropped the ball a little on this one.

[DesertSailors]

Just coming back through to post a follow-up after our Aug-2016 cruise. Oslo was a wonderful port. Just wish we had more time. We did this one on our own (no tour) but it was one of those "whatever could go wrong" days where we kept losing time through the day. We bought Oslo Passes and used the train/tram/bus. It worked pretty well and was easy to figure out, but we kept getting to every bus/tram JUST as one had left so we kept losing that extra 10 minutes over and over.

 

So sorry to hear about your experiences and delays, but glad you were able to see most of what you wanted. Since we are planning to see the city in a similar fashion, I am hoping you can guide us a bit. First question, did you see any will call areas for people that purchased the Oslo Passes online? I have seen others post that they can avoid lines with advanced purchase, but it almost sounds like everyone is in the same line at the TI.

 

It looks like the Hop On/Hop Off bus is only included on the 72 hour Oslo Pass. Did you take the train to the ski area and the HOHO bus to the museums? Or were there other city buses that you were able to get on?

 

We are even considering taking a taxi to the ski area and then a bus down to the museums, if we can figure out a streamlined way to do it with the Oslo Pass. Or if the Oslo Pass is even worth it...just not sure at this point.

 

Any guidance would be appreciated. Thanks!

[dbsb3233]

So sorry to hear about your experiences and delays, but glad you were able to see most of what you wanted. Since we are planning to see the city in a similar fashion, I am hoping you can guide us a bit. First question, did you see any will call areas for people that purchased the Oslo Passes online? I have seen others post that they can avoid lines with advanced purchase, but it almost sounds like everyone is in the same line at the TI.

 

It looks like the Hop On/Hop Off bus is only included on the 72 hour Oslo Pass. Did you take the train to the ski area and the HOHO bus to the museums? Or were there other city buses that you were able to get on?

 

We are even considering taking a taxi to the ski area and then a bus down to the museums, if we can figure out a streamlined way to do it with the Oslo Pass. Or if the Oslo Pass is even worth it...just not sure at this point.

 

Any guidance would be appreciated. Thanks!

So much depends on (1) how much advance planning you want to do map out where you want to do and which bus/train/tram stops you need to find and walk between, and (2) if you're comfortable doing a lot of walking. I just checked my Fitbit for that day and I walked 5 miles more than my normal daily avg of 5. Of course, much of that was at the venues themselves (the ski jump, the sculpture park, around museums), but there were quite a few 3-4 block walks to get to/from transit stops as well. Not saying it wasn't doable (we're 4 guys age 57-66), but it was still a pretty good workout for the day.

 

The ski jump was the biggest part of that though. The roads and paths around it are pretty steep walks, and there's a fair amount of walking involved. It was a little confusing figuring out which door to go in to take the elevator to the top, as there was a smaller shop that didn't open until 10am that we initially waited a few minutes to get in before realizing there's a bigger gift shop you go through for the elevator ride which was already open. You get tickets inside there and then there can be a pretty good line at the elevator. Ours wasn't too bad (maybe 25 minutes), but I suspect at peak times it could be much longer. Total time out of our day to take the train up and back and visit the ski jump was about 3 hours. I suppose you could take a taxi but it is a ways up there and the train takes you almost right to it (10 minute walk, albeit uphill). I would definitely use the train. That part worked pretty well for (despite our unlucky timing throughout the day to catch the next one). Plus the train ride is kind of pretty up and down the mountain. Part of the experience.

 

I didn't see a separate line at the Visitor Center just for picking up passes, and I don't really see any advantage to buying it online first if you have to pick it up there anyway. Once we got up to the counter, it was just a simple 1-minute purchase (I paid by credit card). Just be aware that there's manned counters by both entrances, and watch both sides. It's an "L" shape area with an outside entrance on one side and a mall entrance on the other (into the train station building, with lots of shops). You can find it from the inside but I'd recommend finding it from the outside, otherwise it's like blindly wandering a mall trying to find a specific store. If you walk to the train station building from the Opera House side as we did, don't go in that south entrance. Walk around the outside of the build (left side) and the Visitor Center is tucked in a little corner at the bottom of the 25 wide plaza steps. There are a few hotels in the area, and the website says many hotels sell the passes as well, so that might be an alternative if you just happen to walk by one. But if you're taking the train to the ski jump, you need to go to that train station anyway.

 

If you do as we did (go to the ski jump in the morning), on the return train you can get off at the Majorstuen stop, and walk 1/2 mile to the entrance to Vigeland sculpture park. That turned out to be better than I expected. After that we caught a tram to the Solli stop and hopped on the #30 bus to the museums (Viking Ship, Kon Tiki, Fram), and the ferry boat back to the ship area is right behind the Fram.

 

Even though the Viking Ship Museum is supposed to be the biggie, I might have actually skipped that one had I to do it all over again. It was OK, but not amazing, and it was by far the most crowded. Plus it's further from the Kon Tiki, Fram, and ferry that are all together at the bottom. You either have to get on/off the bus (and any delays that takes) or walk the 3/4 mile down to the bottom, making sure you walk the right road. If we did skip the Viking Ship Museum, I maght have just taken the tram from Vigeland back to the ship area and used the ferry back and forth to the Kon Tiki/Fram instead.

 

All of the above (the train to the ski jump, the tram, the #30 bus, and the ferry) are included on the Olso Pass. We did not use a HOHO bus. I'd have a plan all mapped out first though for where you want to go and how to get there. Or at least that's me anyway. I'm not one of those that can just "wing it" when we get there.

 

Hope that helps.

Edited April 9, 2017 by dbsb3233

[2forTravelin]

I was on the Visit Oslo dot com website and saw information about the Olso Pass app. If I understand correctly, I can buy the Olso Pass on the app, activate it using the app on the day I want to use it, and then just show the Pass on the phone to get into the attractions and ride public transportation.

Am I reading the information correctly? Has anyone used this app?

Cindy

[cknic]

I was on the Visit Oslo dot com website and saw information about the Olso Pass app. If I understand correctly, I can buy the Olso Pass on the app, activate it using the app on the day I want to use it, and then just show the Pass on the phone to get into the attractions and ride public transportation.

Am I reading the information correctly? Has anyone used this app?

Cindy

 

I was told the same thing by Visit Oslo when I asked about activation for seniors. I was concerned that proof of age would be required but that is not the case. "You can purchase the Oslo Pass 90 days before the day you want to activate it and then activate the pass in the app when you first want to use it---proof of age is only needed if stopped in a control." I have not used the app at this point because we won't be in Oslo until mid August.

Carolyn