Norwegian Fjords - Cruise - Excursion Suggestions

[Norticprincess]

We are taking a Norwegian Fjords Cruise - I've been through CC, but most of the suggestions on the Port of Call board are geared towards the Baltic trips. I do have some suggestions from my roll call board. I was just wondering if anyone who has done these ports had excursion suggestions. I think we are pretty good for Copenhagen (we are there a few days before and after the cruise, with a side trip to Malmo Sweden). I think DH has narrowed down what he wants to do in Oslo and Bergen, it is the other three ports that are giving a bit of trouble. Though I wanted to try kayaking in Geiranger if I'm cleared for it.

The itinerary is as follows:

Copenhagen, Denmark; Fri
Oslo, Norway; Sat
Stavanger, Norway; Sun
Alesund, Norway; Mon
Geiranger, Norway; Tue
Bergen, Norway; Wed
Sea day; Thur
Copenhagen, Denmark Fri

TIA

[GilliC]

CC has a lot of posts, but you usually have to search for them, because the titles are often pretty vague. People lump all the fjords ports together, so try a forum search.

In the meantime...

I've done two fjord cruises, and I've visited a few of the cities for other reasons. And obviously I could write volumes about Oslo!

Oslo
How long are you in port? You can find out where you dock by checking the port authority schedule, and I've marked all the cruise piers (along with a bunch of other stuff) on a Google map. If you're at Akershuskai or Vippetangen, you'll be docked right downtown next to the fortress and in front of the Rådhus (city hall), which is very convenient.

What you do depends on your tastes, since there's about two days' of significant sights in Oslo. The highlights are:
Vigelands Sculpture Park - In exchange for studio space, Gustav Vigeland agreed to donate the rest of his work to the city, and the pieces are installed in the middle of Frogner Park. The sculptures celebrate the human form in all walks of life from childhood through old age.
Viking Ship Museum - A small museum houses the archaeological remains of three viking burial ships along with the artifacts recovered from the sites. The museum is dedicated only to these finds, and can easily be visited in under an hour.
Norwegian Folk Museum - An open-air museum celebrating Norwegian culture and history. There are buildings from all over Norway that have been relocated and/or rebuilt on the grounds, many of which contain displays or historical reenactors. In the summer (especially on weekends) there are demonstrations of crafts and activities, and the grounds are a pleasant place to explore in nice weather. The highlight is an iconic wooden stave church, and if you have an OsloPass to cover admission, it's worth popping in for a short visit just to see this. Visit lengths vary by weather and interest, but you can spend up to a few hours just wandering the grounds and reading the displays.
Fram Museum - This museum, dedicated to Arctic and Antarctic exploration, is home to the Fram exploration ship. Displays about past expeditions line the walls, and the ship is open to the public, so you can climb inside and imagine what it was like to spend a winter on board with the ship frozen in the ice. A lot of people find this museum unexpectedly enjoyable.
Kon-Tiki Museum - Dedicated to the Kon-Tiki and Thor Heyerdahl's other expeditions, this is a fascinating museum if you're interested in Heyerdahl's work and are willing to read all the material. However, on a busy port day it can easily lead to museum fatigue, and you won't get much from a quick walkthrough.
The Scream (and the National Gallery) - The National Gallery is home to a large collection of Norwegian artists (mostly Romanticism) and a handful of big international names, but the highlight is obviously Munch's world-famous painting. There are signs pointing the way directly to the room with his work, and the collection of his paintings makes a trip out to the Munch Museum unnecessary for all but the most dedicated Munch fans.
Akershus Fortress grounds - The grounds of the medieval fortress are pleasant to walk around, and the ramparts offer great views of the Oslofjord. If your ship is docked alongside, you'll also be able to see right onto everyone's balconies.
opera house - There are also great views from the roof of the opera house, and the novelty of being able to walk right up on top of it are amusingly unique.
City Hall - The interior of the city hall (where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded) is popular among CC members for its murals and artwork. Personally I've never been blown away, but I feel like I must be missing something given the number of raves.

My typical recommendation coming from the main piers near Akershus is to buy an Oslo Pass at the tourist information center at the pier and walk over to tram stop by the city hall. Catch the number 12 towards Majorstuen and get down at Vigelandsparken. Visit the sculpture park, and then catch the Bus 20 outside the gate towards Skøyen. A few stops later, get down at Olav Kyrres plass and switch to the Bus 30 towards Bygdøy. Get down at the Folk Museum for a visit, and then walk around the corner (or catch the bus 30 if it happens to be there) to the Viking Ships. Take the 30 on to Bygdøynes and visit the Fram Museum, and then catch the Ferry 91 from the pier next to the museum. It will take you across the harbor to the city hall. If you have time left, visit the city hall or explore the grounds of Akershus Fortress before walking back to the ship.

Oslo is a very easy city to navigate on your own, and if you want to do advance planning, the transit website is very helpful: ruter.no/en/

Stavanger
In Stavanger, your ship will dock right downtown in front of the historic waterfront or the old town (depending on if you're in the right or left berth - it fits two ships side by side). Walking the cobbled streets through the white wooden houses of the old town is pleasant, and you can peek inside the stone cathedral. On a nice day (not so common in Stavanger) there are lovely views from the top of the Valberg Guard Tower. The Petroleum Museum is surprisingly well-done and informative if you have any interest in the North Sea oil exploration, and some of the interactive safety and evacuation exhibits are kind of fun. The city center has a lot of shops and restaurants, but on a Sunday a lot of places will be closed.

You can also consider taking a small boat cruise on the Lysefjord if your ship doesn't have any scenic cruising scheduled in Stavanger. The boat cruise company is located very close to the cruise piers. Lysefjord is known to be rockier than the fjords farther north and it's home to the famous Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock). However, every account I've heard says that Preikestolen is underwhelming when seen from below. If you have a particularly long day in port and a high energy level, it's possible to hike up to Preikestolen. You can easily find the timings and details online to determine if it would fit in your schedule (and how risky it would be). The whole trip involves a ferry, a bus, and a few hours of hiking.

Alesund
I've actually never been to Ålesund, and it's never made it onto my must-visit list, so I have no suggestions.

Geiranger
Absolutely plan to be on deck for either the sail-in or sail-out as Geirangerfjord is often considered the most beautiful in Norway. Geiranger itself is tiny, so the scenery is the biggest draw. You can organize a kayaking or small boat excursion on the fjord, but since you get the sea-level view from the ship, I would recommend getting up high to see the fjord looking down. This is the iconic Norway fjord postcard view, and it really is beautiful. There are a few limited car rental and taxi services in Geiranger, or you can opt for a ship's tour.

Both times I've visited by cruise ship, I spent the morning hiking up to some of the overlooks. You can download a copy of the hiking map online, and the easiest route up is trail A to Vesterås Farm (the trail head is clearly marked and is just beyond the Hotel Union on the main road). It's a Norwegian Level 2, which would be moderate to strenuous according to the state park hiking maps back home. It's a steady uphill climb, and the trail is rocky in some places but well-marked and not particularly challenging. From Vesterås, it's an easy walk over to Vesteråsfjellet (trail B) and a slightly more difficult path up to Løsta (trail C). Both have a good view of the fjord and the ships below. I think I like Løsta slightly more, but Vesteråsfjellet has a nice fence and overlook area, while Løsta is out on an outcrop with minimal fencing (not good for a fear of heights). I've also done the hike up to (and behind) Storseter waterfall (trail D). I wasn't all that impressed, and most of the hike is mountain scenery rather than fjord scenery. Personally I would skip it, and consider walking over to Flydalsjuvet for the famous view. It looks to be a short walk along the road, but with all the tour buses, I don't know if there's a footpath to use instead. (The staff at the Vesterås cabin could probably tell you.)

Aside from the scenery, the only things in Geiranger are the Geiranger Fjord Center, which explains some of the geology and history of life in the fjords, and the tourist shops near the tender pier. If you want to walk up to the Fjord Center or the trail head to Vesterås, you can either follow the main road and look for the footpath up to the church on the left side of the road, or you can follow the less-busy road along the shore to Geiranger Camping (#23 on the above trail map). Cross the bridge, and turn left, following the road up to the group of houses and taking a right at the big red barn. The drive winds between the houses, and just before the last house there's a steep uphill footpath that will take you up to the next group of houses. Turning left on that road will take you back across the river where it meets the main road just before the entrance to the Fjord Center.

Bergen
The major sight in Bergen is the UNESCO-listed historic Bryggen waterfront with its row of colorful wooden shipping buildings. They're now home to local businesses and tourist shops, but they're still very picturesque. You can download a self-guided walking tour from the website (beware that it's over 9MB) or pick one up at the Bryggen Museum, which also offers guided walks. The Hanseatic Museum explains a bit about the history and daily life of the people who worked the waterfront and helps explain the Hanseatic League if you're not familiar with it.

The Fløibanen funicular is nice because the views from the hill are quite good. However, there's a huge queue from mid-morning when there's cruise traffic, so either do this first thing or wait until late in the day. On my last cruise visit, we went first thing in the morning, and even without rushing there wasn't a long line, but when we came down an hour later the tour buses were parked outside and the line stretched far down the block. Luckily the entrance is very close to the fish market and Bryggen, so you don't have to go far to see if the line is reasonable.

The fish market is also very centrally located and popular with tourists. In addition to fresh fish, there are stalls selling fruits, local products, and handicrafts. It's a nice place to wander around, and if you've ever been interested in pissing off the animal rights people and trying whale, there's always at least one place serving it.

Those are the highlights and can probably fill a relaxed day, but I've also visited a few of Bergen's other sights. The open-air museum has an interesting and informative English tour, but the Folk Museum in Oslo is much better overall. Composer Edvard Grieg's estate at Trollstigen is peaceful and picturesque, but it's a bit of a trek out of town (catch a city bus most of the way there and then walk about 15 minutes from the bus stop). The Bergen Aquarium is expensive and not very exciting, since it focuses on local fish which tend to be drab colors and not so energetic (they also filled some of the tanks with junk to highlight the problems with littering, which makes the displays even more depressing).



Okay. That was a lot of information. But if you have any questions, I can do my best to answer them! Especially about Oslo!

[Norticprincess]

Thank you! I will get back to you if I have any Oslo questions

[travelingjen]

GilliC gave you wonderful recommendations! If you do have enough time, I would highly recommend that you hike up to Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock). It's definitely not the easiest hike but the view from the top over the fjord is truly priceless.

Have a wonderful time on your trip! I think that Norway is one of the most beautiful places in the world and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did!

[bjelle00]

Jul 4, 2012 9:40:20 GMT -5 GilliC said:

Bergen
The Fløibanen funicular is nice because the views from the hill are quite good. However, there's a huge queue from mid-morning when there's cruise traffic, so either do this first thing or wait until late in the day. On my last cruise visit, we went first thing in the morning, and even without rushing there wasn't a long line, but when we came down an hour later the tour buses were parked outside and the line stretched far down the block. Luckily the entrance is very close to the fish market and Bryggen, so you don't have to go far to see if the line is reasonable.

You can also walk up Fløyen and take Fløibanen down again (the line tends to be shorter at the top - plus it's easier to mainpulate seating so that you are right in front. The stairs starting up are right beside the Fløibanen station and the path is either paved or graveled all the way up. It takes about 45 minutes at a moderate pace.

Ulriken and the cable cars are also really nice but be prepared for a line on a sunny day.

It's been really sunny here the past few weeks so hopefully you will luck out with weather. But bring rain gear just in case!

I live here so if you have any questions about Bergen, feel free to ask/pm me.

Aalesund: I lived there for a year but that was a while ago. It's a really cute town and is known for its architecture: Art Nouveau style. There's a hill (mountain) in the center of town that you can walk up for some lovely views of the city. It's not a very long walk and there's a coffee shop at the top.

I remember liking the aquarium and it was/is better than the Bergen aquarium. They had a seal that wandered freely about the aquarium when I was there.

There are all sorts of excursions to do. When my family came to visit, we did the bird tour at Runde which was fun. You can take a boat around the island (we did this) or hike to the top of the mountain. The tour to the Alnes Lighthouse was also fun.

There's lots of cute stores to explore in town. There's also the Factory Outlet store for Devold. Getting there requires taking a little boat across part of the fjord (Aalesund is on three islands I believe - might be more). That's where my family bought their sweaters, hats and gloves and my Dad still talks about going there so it must have made a good impression. Here's the tourist information link about it: edit.visitnorway.com/uk/Product/?pid=33314

That's about all I have unless you want more detailed info on Bergen

[Norticprincess]

Thanks, those sound like fun.

As much as I'd love to do the longer hikes, I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do so. My last schedule chemo is delayed so if we even make the trip (I have insurance w/ pre existing covered) my blood counts are going to be lower than I originally calculated them to be for the trip. Fingers crossed they recover so I can do what I want.