Norway Ports (Flam, Stavenger, Kristiansand, and Oslo)

I just finished a 7 night cruise on the Koningsdam and visited 4 Norwegian ports: Flam, Stavenger, Kristiansand, and Oslo. I thought I would tell people what I did in each port and give some suggestions if you are planning to go there soon.

FLAM - This port is very small and there isn't much to do in the main town. The most commonly suggested shore excursion is the train ride from Flam to Myrdal and back again. This only takes about 2.5 hours. I booked my tickets on the Norway Rail site weeks before the ship was on in port. However, I decided to take the train from Flam to Vatnahalsen and walk down half way. Vatnahalsen is one stop before the end of the train There is a sign directing you to the walking/biking path back to Flam. Warning: There were many more bikers than walkers so be careful if walking. I walked to Blomheller, which takes 2-3 hours walking. I stopped at a goat farm on the way down and had cheese, flat bread, and apple juice. That was refreshing. I thought the view was good but not awesome. It had not rained for many weeks here and you could tell the ground was very dry. The trees were only a little green. There is a small unmanned station in Blomheller. You must wave the train down or it will not stop automatically.

STAVENGER - I walked off the ship here fairly uncertain what I would do. I had decided not to do the Pulpit Rock hike but wanted to do some sort of tour in the city. I saw a sign saying Viking Tour, 2.5 hours, 490 Kroner. So, I booked it. This tour is not available through the cruise ship. You can book at the port or in advance on the tour company website. Just search for Viking Tour Stavenger. This tour was awesome. The guide made it quite fun for all ages. We went to the Three Swords Monument, the Iron Age Farm, a Stonehenge-like structure, and the Museum of Archaeology. The tour leaves at 10:30am. I finished the museum at 2pm and easily walked back to the ship. If you like history, book this tour!

KRISTIANSAND - I booked the Kristiansand Highlights tour, which is available from Shore Excursions Group. This tour lasted four hours but was just average. The first stop was the open-air museum (Vest Agder Cultural Heritage Museum). This museum is worth seeing. You get a good sense of rural life in Norway pre-1900. Then we were driven to Sogne. We were given 15 minutes to walk around a boat dock and convenience store and then driven around to see the ocean view. I thought this part of the tour was worthless. The tour concluded with a one-hour walking tour of the old town. It did not start off well. After we got off the bus, the guide said to us, "What do you want to see?" We told her that we really didn't know. That was why we booked the tour! She did go to the Cathedral and fortress. She read off some information that she had written down on a piece of paper.

OSLO - I booked the Oslo All-Inclusive tour. It is listed on Shore Excursions Group and Viator. It lasts almost 5 hours. We visited the ski jump, the Vigeland Sculpture Museum, the Fram or Kon-tiki Museum (pick one), and the Viking Ship Museum. You pick the tour up right next to city hall on the left side (when you look at the city hall from the harbor). Many people had not booked ahead and paid directly to the guide in Oslo. It only costs 470 Kroner if you book directly with them in Oslo. The tour leaves at 10:30am every day. I would arrive by 10am because the buses filled up fast! The tour was great for a first time visitor. You also have narration about Oslo as you go from place to place.

I hope this information is helpful for other people.

Thanks very much, very helpful information as we are doing a North Cape cruise next July.

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Thanks for the information. I am doing a similar trip next week. I understand from your post that it is not always a good idea to take the exursions provided by the cruise ship, but I can do it even better on my own, right?

Thanks for the information. I am doing a similar trip next week. I understand from your post that it is not always a good idea to take the exursions provided by the cruise ship, but I can do it even better on my own, right?

I have booked shore excursions directly from the cruise line if I like the itinerary and think the price is fair. In Norway, I did not think this was the case. The train tickets in Flam can be easily booked on your own. Many people recommend that you do this in Flam. Booking the train tickets on your own can save your hundreds of dollars. Rick Steves also encourages people to walk or bike back to Flam. I did this for part of the way and thought the view was just OK. I think other travelers may want to to know this too.

In the other cities, however, I thought a tour was needed - just not through HAL. In Oslo, I was able to see 4 different attractions located in different parts of the city and have guided narration throughout the tour. If you read my comments about Kristianstand, in hindsight, I believe the tour was a waste of time and think future cruisers should avoid any tour there. The Viking Tour in Stavenger was not listed on the HAL website or Viator, so I was surprised to find it. Other cruisers may be interested in Vikings.

Thank you that is helpful

I just finished a 7 night cruise on the Koningsdam and visited 4 Norwegian ports: Flam, Stavenger, Kristiansand, and Oslo. I thought I would tell people what I did in each port and give some suggestions if you are planning to go there soon.

 

FLAM - This port is very small and there isn't much to do in the main town. The most commonly suggested shore excursion is the train ride from Flam to Myrdal and back again. This only takes about 2.5 hours. I booked my tickets on the Norway Rail site weeks before the ship was on in port. However, I decided to take the train from Flam to Vatnahalsen and walk down half way. Vatnahalsen is one stop before the end of the train There is a sign directing you to the walking/biking path back to Flam. Warning: There were many more bikers than walkers so be careful if walking. I walked to Blomheller, which takes 2-3 hours walking. I stopped at a goat farm on the way down and had cheese, flat bread, and apple juice. That was refreshing. I thought the view was good but not awesome. It had not rained for many weeks here and you could tell the ground was very dry. The trees were only a little green. There is a small unmanned station in Blomheller. You must wave the train down or it will not stop automatically.

 

STAVENGER - I walked off the ship here fairly uncertain what I would do. I had decided not to do the Pulpit Rock hike but wanted to do some sort of tour in the city. I saw a sign saying Viking Tour, 2.5 hours, 490 Kroner. So, I booked it. This tour is not available through the cruise ship. You can book at the port or in advance on the tour company website. Just search for Viking Tour Stavenger. This tour was awesome. The guide made it quite fun for all ages. We went to the Three Swords Monument, the Iron Age Farm, a Stonehenge-like structure, and the Museum of Archaeology. The tour leaves at 10:30am. I finished the museum at 2pm and easily walked back to the ship. If you like history, book this tour!

 

KRISTIANSAND - I booked the Kristiansand Highlights tour, which is available from Shore Excursions Group. This tour lasted four hours but was just average. The first stop was the open-air museum (Vest Agder Cultural Heritage Museum). This museum is worth seeing. You get a good sense of rural life in Norway pre-1900. Then we were driven to Sogne. We were given 15 minutes to walk around a boat dock and convenience store and then driven around to see the ocean view. I thought this part of the tour was worthless. The tour concluded with a one-hour walking tour of the old town. It did not start off well. After we got off the bus, the guide said to us, "What do you want to see?" We told her that we really didn't know. That was why we booked the tour! She did go to the Cathedral and fortress. She read off some information that she had written down on a piece of paper.

 

OSLO - I booked the Oslo All-Inclusive tour. It is listed on Shore Excursions Group and Viator. It lasts almost 5 hours. We visited the ski jump, the Vigeland Sculpture Museum, the Fram or Kon-tiki Museum (pick one), and the Viking Ship Museum. You pick the tour up right next to city hall on the left side (when you look at the city hall from the harbor). Many people had not booked ahead and paid directly to the guide in Oslo. It only costs 470 Kroner if you book directly with them in Oslo. The tour leaves at 10:30am every day. I would arrive by 10am because the buses filled up fast! The tour was great for a first time visitor. You also have narration about Oslo as you go from place to place.

 

I hope this information is helpful for other people.

In Kristianstan, is the Cathedral and Fortress walkable from port? If not, are there taxis to town? Thanks for your help.

Sandra

In Kristianstan, is the Cathedral and Fortress walkable from port? If not, are there taxis to town? Thanks for your help.

 

Sandra

Yes, very walkable. I would say where the ship docks is about a 1/2 mile or so walk to the Cathedral or the Fortress (different directions).

Yes, very walkable. I would say where the ship docks is about a 1/2 mile or so walk to the Cathedral or the Fortress (different directions).

Thank you for the reply. When you say in different directions, would I be able to walk to both or are they to far from each other. Are taxis available? Thanks again for your help.

Sandra

Thank you for the reply. When you say in different directions, would I be able to walk to both or are they to far from each other. Are taxis available? Thanks again for your help.

 

Sandra

I did not see any taxis. There was a HOHO train that would take you around the small city. As for walking, it depends on how fit you are. I just Google Mapped to be sure of the distances. The fortress was about a 1.2km from the ship. The Cathedral is 900 meters from the fortress. The ship is about 1km from the Cathedral. So, at a minimum, you will need to walk about 3km or 1.8 miles. I would say if you can walk about 2 miles then you will be fine.

Thank you for your time and information. I am a walker but others in our group of 4 have bad knees. We may need to save them for St. Petersburg. Thanks again.

Sandra

Just for future reference, if you ever are not happy with a ship's tour, be sure to head to the excursion desk when you return. Let them know what was wrong with it (the waste of time, the lousy tour guide) and ask for your money back. You may not get it, or may get a partial, but it is worth the effort.