Calling on Norwegian AGFers. (Travel advice).

[Daniel Grenier]

God dag from Canada. So my wife and will be on a cruise leaving from Bergen in August 2025. I'd like to spend maybe 3 days prior in the Oslo area and then take the train to Bergen. Any suggestions on sights, places to eat, hotels in the Oslo area?

I do have some Norwegian in my DNA so there's that side of me I'd like to explore some (i.e Viking ancestry via Normandy).

Thanks for the tips.

[ReinvanBelle]

Norway isnt the place you visit to eat,but I like Grønland, the neighbourhood near Oslo S. in Oslo i find fun to buy a day ticket for public transport. Just ride the tram and metro and take the the fe ferry to Bygdøy where also Frammuseet and Vikingskipshuset are located You can travel to Bergen from Oslo by train, a 9 hour ride with great views.

[frankmcr]

Changing of the Guard ceremony at the royal palace in Oslo?

[Gunny]

I spent 40 days in Norway during a cold weather NATO operation. We got liberty a few times and we went to Sandefjord. It's on the Western shore of the Oslo Fjord and a gorgeous area. There is a lot to see and I agree about the eating part. I wanted a steak until I saw the price. We ate a lot of Pommes Frites! Always wanted to take my Wife, but haven't made it yet.

I am sure you will enjoy a visit.

[Wade Hampton]

I can’t comment on anything in the Oslo area, as I haven’t been there, but my wife and I did spend a day in Bergen prior to leaving on a cruise of our own. Bring good rain gear; Bergen is the rainiest city in continental Europe.


Wade Hampton Miller

[islandguitar]

There may be some "nuggets" in some of the Rick Steves offerings. My wife and I are headed on a cruise to Northern Europe, including a stop in Oslo this coming fall. (It's on Norwegian Cruise Lines). (40th Anniversary!)
We've been mapping out each city we'll be visiting and using his guides, videos and writings to focus on what excursion would best serve our needs. It's been super helpful and brings an added dimension of seeing "touristy" items or exploring local unique local sites.
Here's a link on Norway.

https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/norway

[Norsepicker]

My family came from a farm on Esefjiord (their name is Esse) which is about 7 miles from Balestrand, a beautiful little town on the Sognefjiord which so intrigued the German Kaiser that he would travel there every season, the seafood buffet at the Kvikness Hotel there is famous. Balestrand is just north of Bergen. SEPTOLOGY, the 2023 Nobel prize winning novel by Jon Fosse is set in Bergen and Sognefjiord. It's not an easy read (think Beckett, a lot of repetition) but I loved it.

[keith.rogers]

We stayed at Hotel Christiana Teater when we were in Oslo a couple years ago. Good location - easy to walk to the palace, Munsche museum, take a ferry over to Bygdy and spend a day in the nature park, Kon-Tiki museum, etc. etc.

The train ride to Bergen is nice, though it does eat up a day. And, it can be quite cool and rainy in Bergen, as already mentioned. But, in Bergen, a walking tour can be nice, and a hike up the tallest hill (Fløyen) a good last bit of aerobics before getting on the big boat .

And, don't forget to bump your credit card limit up - Norway can be an expensive place to visit - worth it, but relatively spendy.

(p.s. edit: not Norwegians, but wife is Swedish and we've gone to Sweden dozens of times, and have friends and family in Norway.)

[Gunny]

Originally Posted by keith.rogers

And, don't forget to bump your credit card limit up - Norway can be an expensive place to visit - worth it, but relatively spendy.

In 1986, a Budweiser was $7 and a pack of smokes about the same. The Marines were used to $1 for same items. We noticed a lot of Norwegians rolled their own to save a little. They don't party every night of the week either.
I really appreciated the fact that almost everyone I met spoke English rather well.

[frankmcr]

I've watched videos of the Oslo-Bergen train trip.

It looks amazing.

Hard to imagine a better way to spend one of your vacation days.

[Skarsaune]

First generation Norwegian American here, but not much advice as far as eating in the Oslo area. My family is from Leksvik, across the fjord from Trondheim. We last visited ~5 years ago for a cousin's wedding.

The only dining recommendation I can offer is the breakfast buffet at the Scandic Nidelven hotel in Trondheim. At the time it had won an award for the best breakfast in Norway. Acres of smoked fish. It was phenomenal.