Olso DIY itinerary 6/14/10 - Disney Magic

[sunshine state kim]

We are a family of 4 planning a Baltic cruise in June 2010. We are on the Disney Magic and are scheduled to be in port from 8:30-4:30 on a Monday. We are planning to buy Oslo passes.

I am hoping for some advice on the feasibility of this itinerary. Any help on when to walk, ferry, bus or subway would be just wonderful!

Viking ship museum, Folk museum, Vigeland park, Akerhus castle and resistance museum, City Hall, Nobel peace center, and Munch museum. I believe the National Gallery is closed on Mondays so if we want to see the scream, we need to go to the Munch museum.

Also, where would be a good place to buy aquavit and what should I try to eat? Herring, lefse, caviar?

[kaisatsu]

I am hoping for some advice on the feasibility of this itinerary. Viking ship museum, Folk museum, Vigeland park, Akerhus castle and resistance museum, City Hall, Nobel peace center, and Munch museum.

This is a very ambitious itinerary, and I honestly don't think you'll be able to pull the whole thing off unless you're just planning to run inside some of these places, snap a photo, and be on your way. But I'll see what I can do:

 

I haven't seen the pier assignments for 2010 calls yet, so we'll assume Magic is putting in at the main cruise docks at Akershuskaia or Vippetangen. I believe the tourist office at the pier opens around 9:00, which is when you'd be able to pick up your Oslo Passes.

 

The Rådhus (City Hall) opens at 9:00, so you could start your day there. To get there from the main piers, just walk towards town (you can probably see it).

 

Alternatively, you could head straight to Bygdøy as the Viking Ship also opens at 9:00 in the summer. To get to Bygdøy: Directly in front of the Rådhus are some of the ferry piers. The #91 is on the east end (to the right when you're leaving the front entrance of the Rådhus). It's marked with a sign that says something like "Ferry to Bygdøy." The morning schedule for the ferry this summer had it departing every 30 minutes from 8:45 to 10:45 and then every 20 minutes after that. Disembark from the ferry at the first stop (Dronningen) and follow the signs to the Viking Ship and Folk Museums. It's about 10 minutes on the ferry and then another 10 minutes' walk from the ferry pier, and it's pretty much a straight walk to the Viking Ship hall.

 

The Viking Ship hall was built to house the ships and related archaeological finds, so it doesn't have an extensive collection. The Folk Museum is rather large, so I'd plan to spend at least an hour there. Watching the demonstrations or reading the exhibits can easily increase that time, though.

 

Next up is Vigelands Park. Catch bus #30 across the street from the museums (direction Nydalen). Get off the bus at Olav Kyrres plass (about 5 minute's ride) and switch to bus #20 (direction Galgeberg). Get off at the Vigelandsparken stop (another 4 minutes), which is right across from the park's main entrance. If you pack a lunch and the weather is nice, the park is a popular place for a picnic.

 

After the park, head back out the main gate and turn left down Kirkeveien. It's an 8 minute walk to Majorstuen, where the subway station is, but if the bus #20 (towards Galgeberg) or the tram #12 (to Majorstuen) is arriving at the right time, you can hop on for the quick 2-stop trip. The Majorstuen subway (T-bane) station is on the left side of the street (look for the blue and white symbol of a capital T in a circle). Head to the platform for the eastbound trains (it should be to the left) and take the next available train (all lines follow the same route downtown). Get off at Tøyen and follow the signs to the Munch Museum.

 

After the Munch Museum, head back to the subway and take it (westbound this time) to Nationaltheatret. Use the Karl Johans gate exit, and when you get outside, turn right and walk past the theater towards the bus and tram stops. Cross the street and follow Olav V's gate back down to the waterfront. You will be back at the area near the pier, and the Rådhus will be on your left if you haven't visited it, and the Nobel Peace Center is to the right. Akershus Castle and the Resistance Museum are near the cruise piers, and it may be possible to use a side exit to return to the pier after your visit.

 

So that's how to get around the city to hit all of those places, but honestly I don't think you'd be able to squeeze them all into one day. I would prioritize them and decide which things you most want to see and target those earlier in the day to make sure you have time for them.

 

And if you're interested in unsolicited opinions: I'd skip the interior of Akershus Castle. The grounds are pretty, and there are some nice views, but unless you find yourselves with some to kill near the ship at the end of the day, I don't think the castle itself is all that exciting. I would also rethink the Munch museum. Unless you're an art enthusiast or an avid fan of Munch's work, this is a bit of a trek to make just for the one painting. And personally, I don't think the version at the Munch museum is as fetching as the more famous one at the National Gallery. Even the Scream-themed items at the Munch museum's gift shop use the image from the other painting.

 

Also, where would be a good place to buy aquavit and what should I try to eat? Herring, lefse, caviar?

Buy the aquavit at the Duty Free shop in the cruise center! Seriously. Alcohol taxes in Norway are astonishing and best avoided. If you do decide to buy it retail, your only option is the government-regulated Vinmonopolet stores. The closest to the cruise piers are at Rosenkrantzgate 11 and in the Steen & Strøm building at Kongens gate 23.

 

I do like lefse, though it's not something you find much outside the supermarket (they sell a great packaged snack lefse with butter and kanel/cinnamon), but there's usually a house at the Folk Museum making and selling fresh homemade lefse for 20 NOK. Norwegians also love their waffles, and there are a few stands around the streets that sell them (including one that's often outside of Vigelands Park). Salmon and shrimp might be the two staples in Norway (besides their favorite snack food - hot dogs), though all kinds of fish are generally popular. When we have visitors, my first choice for eating out is to have reindeer burgers (it's served without a bun, so it's more of a large meatball patty than a sandwich) at Lorry, near the Royal Palace. Eating out in Norway is expensive, and Lorry's prices are a bit more moderate than many places serving traditional dishes.

 

Regardless of what you decide to do, good luck with your planning, and I hope you enjoy the city!

-Meg

 

PS - I put together a cruise map of Oslo on Google Maps that might be helpful.

[sunshine state kim]

So that's how to get around the city to hit all of those places, but honestly I don't think you'd be able to squeeze them all into one day. I would prioritize them and decide which things you most want to see and target those earlier in the day to make sure you have time for them.

 

Meg, I can't thank you enough. I don't want to run from place to place and will take your unsolicited recommendations to heart. I'll trim down the itinerary and try to even allow time to be spontaneous and really enjoy my day in Oslo. If I don't see everything I want to see, I'll just have to go back again.

 

The map will be very helpful. Thank you again!

 

Kim

[uppitycats]

Meg, I use a wheelchair, and I'm having a really hard time figuring out which, if any, of these sites are accessible to someone in a wheelchair.

 

I'm planning on taking a cab most of the time as usually ferries are not at all accessible...unless you have some other suggestions. My husband is mainly interested in history and archaeology, so if there are just one or two places that would have a good overall "cover" of that, I'd appreciate some direction. We'll be getting off our cruise in Oslo and intend to spend a day or two, so there's not quite the rush!

 

Thanks so much for your suggestions!

[MikeJennings]

Meg,

We will be arriving on August 25th. I had heard that the ski jump where the Olympics had been held is being renovated, and may be currently closed to the public. I had thought that it would be an interesting side trip, but now am not so sure. What are your thoughts?

Also, this may sound a bit naive, but are there any fjords or other grand vistas available for viewing nearby? How would you get to them?

Thank you so very much to take your time to answer these inquiries.

Steve

[MikeJennings]

Meg,

Ooops. I meant to mention in my last message that we would be on the Rotterdam...in Oslo from 7am until 4 pm.

I have always thought it would be SO COOL to visit Norway. I can't wait!!

Steve

[kaisatsu]

Meg, I use a wheelchair, and I'm having a really hard time figuring out which, if any, of these sites are accessible to someone in a wheelchair.

 

I'm planning on taking a cab most of the time as usually ferries are not at all accessible...unless you have some other suggestions. My husband is mainly interested in history and archaeology, so if there are just one or two places that would have a good overall "cover" of that, I'd appreciate some direction. We'll be getting off our cruise in Oslo and intend to spend a day or two, so there's not quite the rush!

 

Thanks so much for your suggestions!

I do know that the buses are wheelchair accessible. They have hydraulic lift systems that are often in use for people with baby carriages, and look for the doors that are marked, as I believe they have fold-down ramps. I'm not certain about the ferry to Bygdøy, but it's a small single-level ferry, and I imagine they have something in place to help with embarkation. However, if you don't want to bother with the ferry at all, the bus #30 leaves from downtown and has stops at all of the Bygdøy museums.

 

I found the page on the local transit authority site regarding accessibility. It's only in Norwegian, but you can read a lot of it using the Google translation. The pdf report on the initiative is a bit harder to translate, but it has a lot of images of the transit system that could be useful. I only recommend the transit system so strongly because taxi fare in Oslo is extremely expensive. A 10-minute trip downtown can easily cost $20-30.

 

As for the sights themselves, there is accessibility information on the VisitOslo.com tourism website for many of the locations. What kind of archaeology are you interested in? I believe the Viking Ship museum is fairly accessible, so that would probably be a good option. Also, the while it's not Norwegian archaeology, the Kon-Tiki museum is quite modern and could be an option. It's a very detailed look at Heyerdahl's explorations and studies, including his work on Easter Island.

 

For more Viking history, there is an excellent collection at the National History Museum downtown. I can't recall their accessibility setup, but you might be able to contact them and ask. Unfortunately, when we visited, their collection was labeled in Norwegian, but in the past they've offered guided tours of the exhibit in English, and our experience was very positive and well worth asking about.

 

The Folk Museum is a wonderful look at historic Norwegian life around the country, but it might be more challenging as the buildings are quite old and sometimes difficult to navigate even for the fully-mobile-but-clumsy like myself. However, it can still be interesting to see the buildings from the outside, and not all of them are even open for visiting. The pathways of the grounds are packed dirt and small gravel with a few areas of cobblestones.

 

Lastly, while it's neither history nor archaeology, much of Vigelands Park is wheelchair accessible, and given its popularity, I'd say it's definitely worth a visit!

 

Meg,

We will be arriving on August 25th. I had heard that the ski jump where the Olympics had been held is being renovated, and may be currently closed to the public. I had thought that it would be an interesting side trip, but now am not so sure. What are your thoughts?

Also, this may sound a bit naive, but are there any fjords or other grand vistas available for viewing nearby? How would you get to them?

Thank you so very much to take your time to answer these inquiries.

Steve

Looking out the window, it looks like there's still not much up at the Holmenkollen Ski Jump (besides a few cranes), so it's probably not worth visiting. The old jump was completely disassembled earlier this year, and it doesn't look like much of the new jump is constructed yet. I believe there are some exhibits on what the new jump will look like, and the views from the hill are nice, but if this is your first visit to Oslo, I think this visit would be better spent elsewhere. Also, the subway train up to that area is also under construction right now, so the route is being serviced by a replacement bus, which might be slower and a bit inconvenient.

 

The dramatic Norwegian scenery is mostly on the west coast. If you were here longer, it's possible to take a day trip to Flåm following the "Norway in a Nutshell" tour, but that's not really possible in a port day. The scenery around Oslo is pretty and charming, but not especially dramatic. A lot of people enjoy the sail-in/sail-out through Oslofjord for the long views of the coast, but that will depend a bit on the weather.

 

Aside from the sail-in, the most impressive views are from the hills around the city, looking over the city to the fjord. The most popular of these was from the top of the ski jump tower, which obviously isn't around right now. However, there are a few restaurants up on the same hill with nice views. Holmenkollen Restaurant and Frognerseteren. Both are accessible via the replacement bus for subway line 1 (take any line to Majorstuen, and then follow the footprints painted on the platform to the 1B bus). Less sweeping, but closer to the pier, there are some nice viewpoints from the grounds at Akershus Castle (though some may be blocked by your ship). Also, the roof of the new opera house is open to the public and is a popular place to climb up for views of the fjord. I think these are all marked on the map I linked above (look for the purple camera icons).

 

Just don't expect Oslofjord to be anything like the steep-walled western fjords Norway is known for. I think it looks a bit more like a large, winding lake than a traditional fjord.

[uppitycats]

Thanks, Meg, for your help! I'll go check out those sites. It's good to hear the buses may be accessible, too!

[minke]

I assume you have already found out this year the Oslo 24hr pass is 95Nkr & that cruise ship passengers get a 20% discount by flashing their cruise card at the TI office. Also if older than 67 there is a further 10% off that to bring the price down to 76Nkr for us seniors. Earlier this month we had to stop at the other port pier with no TI office. A guy on the gate dishing out maps told people to get their passes at 7-11 shops, bad move, those who got them there did not get entrance to museums & had to pay & their passes from 7-11 were 65Nkr. We found the TI office in the street behind the town hall with some difficulty as no signs to indicate where it was in a parade of shops. If anyone wishes to visit the bygdoy museums & has walking difficulties, I would get off the ferry at the 2nd stop (Kontiki) & get the 30 bus to folk museum from there. We walked to folk museum from 1st stop & from there to Viking ship hall. Took the 30 bus to Kontiki & did that, Fram & Maritime museum who are all together before getting ferry back. Superb film of Norway coastline in 180 degree format (5 screens) in the basement of the Maritime museum, do not miss it. 5 museums, 2 ferry rides & a bus ride for our 76Nkr very good value.

[MikeJennings]

Meg,

Thank you for your kind and thorough response.

Steve

[tequilatamm]

Hi Meg.

 

Quick question for you.

 

We are actually there on a Tuesday, so I'd like to pop into the National Museum to see The Scream painting there.

 

I understand admission is free to the National Museums, so that's great.

 

However, I notice there are several National Museum buildings, and I can't find listed anywhere which building The Scream is in. Is it the Contemporary Art building?

[kaisatsu]

However, I notice there are several National Museum buildings, and I can't find listed anywhere which building The Scream is in. Is it the Contemporary Art building?

No, it's in the National Gallery or Nasjonalgalleriet (Universitetsgaten 13). A block and a half from Karl Johans gate, behind the university.