Olden, Norway

[newbie cruissy]

Hello, 

 

We are on Iona to Norway in July and just considering options in the Fjords. The option at Olden seems to be to go and see what's left of the glacier. Is it really worth about £200 (4 of us) to go and see it? Is there much left to see even? And is there anything else to do there? 

Edited January 18, 2020 by newbie cruissy

[Deeliteful]

Personally I wouldn’t bother with the glacier, there is not much left to see 😥 but the scenery is beautiful around Olden.

last time there I took the cable car https://www.loenskylift.com

Absolutely stunning views, well worth it in my view.

[davecttr]

43 minutes ago, Deeliteful said:

Personally I wouldn’t bother with the glacier, there is not much left to see 😥 but the scenery is beautiful around Olden.

last time there I took the cable car https://www.loenskylift.com

Absolutely stunning views, well worth it in my view.

The problem with the cable car is it can only carry 350 people per hour and Iona will have at least 5200 passengers. Maybe there will be a ship excursion but on the other hand if it is a cloudy day you won't see much. I went a couple of years ago and bought the ticket/coach transfer on the dockside. The weather was good and the views amazing.

Edited January 18, 2020 by davecttr

[Tikka234]

We done the cable car last year  p o cruise excursion which also takes you to see a huge waterfall done the cable car first was misty couldn't see a thing until we got into the car to come down when suddenly it started clearing so sas some amazing views coming down. The cable car did make my ears hurt a bit like on a plane only for short while.

We done the glacier before lovely views going up there were going Olden again next year with family who haven't been before will probably pick one of these 2. 

Whichever you choose beautiful scenery.

Edited January 19, 2020 by Tikka234

[SarahHben]

We have booked a trip to the glacier, we’re going in the troll cars to make life easier for my parents. I’m looking forward to the scenery on the way up as well as what’s left of the glacier at the top.

[dronnygirl]

There us also a little land train that goes round the lake and takes about an hour, it stops by the ship.  It's  also good to walk to the village up to the new church. Walk to the right from the ship until you come to a couple of shops and cafe then turn left up to the church.  It's a nice walk but do stop at the old church in the way back, quite rustic inside but very nice.

[poorer]

We did the glacier tour in August 2018 we really enjoyed it.

The coach stopped numerous times before the glaciers for photo opportunities as many small waterfalls on the way to the glacier.

When we got to the glacier we walked up to it .

It is a very long walk sometime uneven ground but passed by a stunning waterfall.

When you get to to the Glacier it is breathtaking ,at the bottom of the glacier is a small lake which you could take a paddle in .

Please note the higher you climb ,because of the altitude can make you a little breathless.

Make sure you wear sensible shoes and a little tip we took a banana with us from the buffet just to give us that little energy boost.

Overall enjoy !!

[msk1955]

Also to reiterate that the troll cars don't go all the way to the glacier.  There is a further walk of around 500 metres to get there.  Also please be aware that you might have a long wait for a troll car as they run to a schedule.  We were in June last year and walked all the way.  The weather was fantastic and the views stunning.  Olden was my favourite port of call, due to the stunning scenery.

[SarahHben]

5 minutes ago, msk1955 said:

Also to reiterate that the troll cars don't go all the way to the glacier.  There is a further walk of around 500 metres to get there.  Also please be aware that you might have a long wait for a troll car as they run to a schedule.  We were in June last year and walked all the way.  The weather was fantastic and the views stunning.  Olden was my favourite port of call, due to the stunning scenery.

Yes, we are expecting to have to wait a lot this holiday with so many people on board and other ships in port too. I've watched some videos of the troll cars so I was able to tell my parents there will be a walk to get to the glacier. They would have been fine with the walk down but the walk up would have been pushing it.

I'm really looking forward to it, have just bought a wide angle lens for my camera especially for photographing the scenery.

[Eli_6]

On 1/20/2020 at 6:16 AM, msk1955 said:

Also to reiterate that the troll cars don't go all the way to the glacier.  There is a further walk of around 500 metres to get there.  Also please be aware that you might have a long wait for a troll car as they run to a schedule.  We were in June last year and walked all the way.  The weather was fantastic and the views stunning.  Olden was my favourite port of call, due to the stunning scenery.

So can you take the troll cars on your own (not part of a tour) from the ship and then walk to see the glacier from where the troll cars take you? I am trying to understand how this works.

[SarahHben]

4 minutes ago, Eli_6 said:

So can you take the troll cars on your own (not part of a tour) from the ship and then walk to see the glacier from where the troll cars take you? I am trying to understand how this works.

I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m wrong, but on google maps it looks like it’s a 20 minute drive from the port to the troll car station, so you would need transport of some sort to get there. 

[adam7392]

Don't bother with a ships tour.  There is a bus stop right at the port and the local bus will take you there for a tiny fraction of the cost.  You can use credit card to buy a return ticket on the bus.  Its worth the cost just for the ride along the fijord.

[kitkat343]

We found it quite easy to do both the Loen Skylift and the Briskdal Glacier in one day.  Olden Adventures arranged transportation for both (this is more expensive than the public bus, but another option to consider).  The Loen Skylift is very close, so you might want to price out a public bus to the glacier and a taxi to the skylift (we had two small children, so taxis weren't an option for our family because taxis are heavily fined if they take children without car seats, so taxis have to be arranged far in advance since they are required to provide car seats).

 

The person above who noted that the skylift would not be great in poor weather is correct - and since the tickets are really expensive, so that's an important factor to consider.  We took the tram in Bergen and couldn't see anything due to the significant fog, but knew our small kids would love it so it was fine.  But you wouldn't want to pay for the skylift and not be able to see anything.  

 

As others have noted, the glacier itself is not impressive, but honestly the drive there is lovely, as is the hike and troll car ride.  I thought it was absolutely worth it as a second excursion in Olden, but not nearly as impressive as the skylift on a clear day.   You need to book the troll cars ahead of time at the glacier and they require you to choose a time to book your troll car.  We visited in the shoulder season (late May) and the troll car was able to switch our reservation time (I don't know if they are completely booked in the summer and would be unable to accommodate changes).  I wanted to switch my original planning because the weather was scheduled to be nicer in the morning, so I wanted to visit the skylift when we'd have the best chance at visibility.  There is a walk from where the troll cars drop you off to the glacier, but my 2 year old was able hike slowly but steadily and made it all the way to the glacier in the time they gave us (you get a time to meet up with your return troll car when they drop you off).  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 6, 2020 by kitkat343

[SarahHben]

For those of you who have taken the troll cars do you remember how long you get at the glacier before needing to meet the troll car to travel back down again?

[kitkat343]

 

8 hours ago, SarahHben said:

For those of you who have taken the troll cars do you remember how long you get at the glacier before needing to meet the troll car to travel back down again?

It's been 3 years since I took this cruise, so I can't remember the exact time, but this is the website for the company runs the troll cars (and is whom you need to contact if you want to reserve one yourself).  Actually, if you contact them it might be worth asking if you can spend more time at the glacier if it will take your family awhile to reach it.  The troll cars just keep running back and forth, as do the Olden Adventures shuttles (if you take a public bus I think the time options are a little more limited but check with the troll car/your transportation option prior to staying longer).  The part you hike after the troll car lets you off is very flat and easy.  My two year old was absolutely not a fast walker, and we made it fairly easily.   I'm sure they can answer your question about the normal time frame if no one else does:  https://www.oldedalenskysslag.com .  

Edited February 6, 2020 by kitkat343

[Lotusgirl22]

Olden was an unexpected port for us last June when we missed a different port because of weather.  Because we had visited Briksdal glacier quite a few years ago, we chose a ship excursion which visited a National Park visitor center, traveled by bus along a beautiful lake, waterfalls and mountains to Kjenndalen glacier and then went up the Loen sky lift.  It was a gorgeous day - we skipped the coffee and sweet that was included and walked around to enjoy the views and the para-gliders jumping off.  This excursion was quite pricey, but we were happy with it.  It was not crowded.  We could have arranged something when we came ashore.

[chismrules]

For the ones that went to the Briksdal glacier on the local bus, from what I can tell it is 2 times up and 2 times back. First how much did it cost? And can you book ahead of time and how, I didn't see a link or just have to take a  chance that you can get on the bus. And then I guess we would need to assume that we will be able to get on and book the troll car ourself. 

Also is the only other group that does this is Olden adventure? 

[adam7392]

This site has the timetable and prices

https://kringom.custompublish.com/?cat=383963&rid=2101985

bus is 64Nok each way - about $7 each way - you can use a credit card on the bus.

think it is just queue and wait.  We got off the ship quickly and were first to the bus stop but had about 1 hour wait for the bus.  The queue was large but when the driver saw the queue he radioed for additional buses.