Help: Bruges, Oslo, Copenhagen, Skagen

[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. I've also posted in the Northern Europe thread.

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 out of Southampton before, but having trouble finding any.

[LHT28]

I would  do some research the port & what you want to see & do there

Oslo & Copenhagen  have HOHO  that come to the port

Visitoslo.com   visitcopenhagan.com

Skagan had a free shuttle to town which is very walkable  for shops/restaurants etc  if you want tp go further afield  look at  private or ship's tours

[Turtles06]

OP: there's a ton of information on Copenhagen in the Northern Europe sub-forum.  In fact, there's a poster named Danish Viking who lives there and regularly posts info and replies to questions about the city on threads he has started, the most recent being "Wonderful Copenhagen 2019 edition"  here:

 

We spent three days in Copenhagen in August.  It's a very DIY city.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[John Bull]

I've only recently figured out how to use the search facility on this new CC format....................

 

1. Go to the Northern Europe forum.

    https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/forum/116-northern-europe-amp-baltic-sea/   

    As Turtles says, that's the best forum for these ports.

 

2 Top right of that forum click in the search box & type the name of a port.

 

3. In the drop-down that appears under the search box, click on "this forum" to replace "everywhere"

 

4. Click on the spyglass motif in the search box.

 

That will bring up all posts on that forum which mention that port.

 

I've made a start for you with Bruges

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/search/?q=Bruges&type=forums_topic&nodes=116

 

JB 

 

 

[TMS9539]

I've been looking into Bruges for a transatlantic we are taking in the spring.  Here's the options I've found:

 

1. Take a tram to the train station and then take the train to Bruges, where it's then a 20 minute walk to the center.  The trains run only once an hour.  Tom's Port guide does not recommend this because of the time involved.

2. Book a private taxi to pick you up and take you to Bruges, then return for you at a specific time.  I emailed one of the taxi companies and the cost is 110 euros round trip.  They said you are dropped at the market squares.

3. There is a shuttle bus service that leaves every half hour and costs 20 euros.  It's called cruise express.  You can google and find reviews on Tripadvisor.  You can also book on Viator - it's probably the same company since Viator is a middleman, but I don't know that for sure.  It will also be a 15-20 minute walk to the center.

4.  Pay the money for a cruise ship excursion.  That will also involve walking from the bus parking to the center.

 

I haven't decided which option to take yet - probably either #2 or #3.  I am also going to reserve a walking tour for us.  There seem to be several to choose from.  I don't want to take the walking tour with 50 of my fellow passengers so will book that separately from the cruise line.  After the walking tour we will have lunch, do a canal cruise, and poke around a bit before heading back to the ship. 

 

[kctwinmommy]

We went to two of those places on our N. European cruise last summer. I wrote up our days in Oslo & Bruges in my review. It should be in my signature, so that may help. On a side note, Bruges is my favorite new city! Loved it!

[TW6cruiser]

Bruges: We were here on a River cruise so it was a different format. We had a walking tour included and then did time on our own. It was easy to walk around. We also paid for and took on our own a canal tour boat ride which was not very long and it was very scenic to see a lot from the water.  If you appreciate art, a must see in Bruges is the Madonna and Child statue in the Church of our Lady (the only work by Michelangelo that left Italy during his lifetime; also featured in the book/movie "The Monuments Men").  

 

Oslo: We did a ship tour here that went to Vigeland Park. It is an amazing sculpture park.  I'd recommend a tour here.  We did a ship tour, and friends of ours took buses and went on their own. At dinner we were talking about all we saw and we had learned so much more from a tour than they did just looking at it on their own. 

 

Copenhagen: easy to get around on your own to walk to see the town (maybe also Tivoli gardens depending upon time) it is also neat to see the changing of the guard at the Palace. 

I know you asked about tours so I am not really answering your questions, but these were highlights of these cities for us. 

[BarbinMich]

We've been to Oslo and Copenhagen multiple times, spending several pre- or post-cruise days in Copenhagen, which we love.  Did the HOHO in Oslo, which worked out well.  A small group of us went together and would get off at a stop and then work our way over to another site enjoying the downtown, e.g., and then riding HOHO to Frognard Park, etc.  Copenhagen has HOHO canal boats, I think, as well as buses, but I think we've only done a canal boat tour where one doesn't get off, just floats by the sites.  Although we haven't taken any, there are also walking tours offered in Copenhagen (don't know about Oslo).  A side note:  if you like to read mysteries, I recommend Jo Nesbo's books featuring Det. Harry Hole of Oslo--they're not for the "weak stomach"!  In one book he had a case that took him over to Bergen on Norway's west coast, which we've also visited.

[John Bull]

On 12/19/2018 at 5:28 PM, TMS9539 said:

I've been looking into Bruges for a transatlantic we are taking in the spring.  Here's the options I've found:

 

1. Take a tram to the train station and then take the train to Bruges, where it's then a 20 minute walk to the center.  The trains run only once an hour.  Tom's Port guide does not recommend this because of the time involved.

2. Book a private taxi to pick you up and take you to Bruges, then return for you at a specific time.  I emailed one of the taxi companies and the cost is 110 euros round trip.  They said you are dropped at the market squares.

3. There is a shuttle bus service that leaves every half hour and costs 20 euros.  It's called cruise express.  You can google and find reviews on Tripadvisor.  You can also book on Viator - it's probably the same company since Viator is a middleman, but I don't know that for sure.  It will also be a 15-20 minute walk to the center.

4.  Pay the money for a cruise ship excursion.  That will also involve walking from the bus parking to the center.

 

I haven't decided which option to take yet - probably either #2 or #3.  I am also going to reserve a walking tour for us.  There seem to be several to choose from.  I don't want to take the walking tour with 50 of my fellow passengers so will book that separately from the cruise line.  After the walking tour we will have lunch, do a canal cruise, and poke around a bit before heading back to the ship. 

 

 

1. As advised in Tom's guide, although it's the cheapest option, the train is a poor choice.

Yes, the train runs only hourly. You catch it at Blankenberge, about 3 miles from your ship.

More importantly because you're relying on the kusttram or a ship's shuttle (most ships provide payable shuttle buses) to get to the station at Blankenberge you don't have any real control over what time you get to the station. If you're lucky you'll have a two-minute wait for a train , if unlucky it'll be a 58-minute wait. 

Yes, then a pleasant-enough and level 15 - 20 minute walk from Bruges station to the centre (the Grotemarkt)

 

2. A taxi is the best option. Pre-booking is advised though the cost (€50 each way) is about the same as taxis hailed on the pier. €50 e/w is expensive, but some carry up to 8 passengers - so see if you can fix up sharers via your RollCall, or once you're board, or even on the quayside.

Whereas buses aren't allowed in the cobbled city centre there's no such restriction on taxis & vans, so you can ask to be dropped wherever you like - Grotemarkt is favourite. Fix up with the driver a time to return you to the ship.

 

3. The shuttlebus has only been operating for a couple of years, so I don't know much about it.

But yes it's the same one as advertised by Viator.

There are pros & cons with using a middleman like Viator.

Those buses have the same limitation in Bruges as ship-sponsored "Bruges on your own", see below.

 

4. Ship's tour.

Because buses aren't allowed in the centre they drop you at the bus stands alongside Minnewater. From there you walk across the "little red bridge" , through Minnewater Park & some side-streets to the centre. 15 - 20 mins.

If you have walking difficulties you might prefer to take the little local bus from the bus stands to the centre. About €1.

 

If choosing between 3 & 4, check whether these are "shuttles" in the true sense (you head back whenever you want) or are more like "on-your-own" transfers ( those on your bus are given a specific time for the return). I've never used either for Bruges, so I don't know those answers.

 

JB 

  

 

 

Edited December 27, 2018 by John Bull

[tartanexile81]

You don't have to book the shuttle bus to Bruges via Viator. We booked it on their own website www.cruise-express.be/en and t worked very well indeed. You get the port bus a couple of minutes to the gate then the bus stop is 100 yards along the right. It says every 20 minutes but on busy days it seems to set off as soon as it is full. It is very reliable and we found the drivers very helpful 

 

The road surface is quite uneven but whether you do a ship's tour or DIY, its the same!!!  We found a self-guided walking tour on- line which was great and we also did a canal cruise which added to our enjoyment of this lovely town. We stopped off for lunch overlooking the canal so all in all a delightful day

[John Bull]

19 hours ago, tartanexile81 said:

You don't have to book the shuttle bus to Bruges via Viator. We booked it on their own website www.cruise-express.be/en and t worked very well indeed. You get the port bus a couple of minutes to the gate then the bus stop is 100 yards along the right. It says every 20 minutes but on busy days it seems to set off as soon as it is full. It is very reliable and we found the drivers very helpful 

 

 

Hi Exile,

Perhaps you can clear up one query in my post.

Can you take any shuttle bus back to the ship, or does your departure time dictate what time you're assigned for the return trip?

 

Happy Hogmanay

 

JB 

[kctwinmommy]

I can say when we were there, it was just a simple shuttle bus. We paid I think 20 Euros/person for a R/T ticket. It dropped us off near the train station, so like John Bull said, it's like a 15-20 minute walk to the center. Although we wanted to see things along the walk anyway (the Michelangelo sculpture in the cathedral for one). And then when we were done, we walked back to the train station and grabbed one of the shuttle buses with our ticket. They sat for about 15 minutes waiting for any others, then we went back, they dropped us right next to our ship. Oh, and we were able to take the shuttle right after we got off the ship, so we got into town before everyone else!
 

Bruges is totally one of those cities that's completely easy to walk! We did a ton of things there without any cruise help. I loved it!

[tartanexile81]

2 hours ago, John Bull said:

 

Hi Exile,

Perhaps you can clear up one query in my post.

Can you take any shuttle bus back to the ship, or does your departure time dictate what time you're assigned for the return trip?

 

Happy Hogmanay

 

JB 

 

No you can just turn up at the coach park and take the next bus back. That's why we like it: we're not early starters but don't want to get back late to the ship either. Really flexible.