Oslo--help with itenerary for 1 day
 

We will be in Oslo (Scandinavian Cruise)in June 2004 for about 6-7 hours and want to make the best of our time there. How does this itenerary sound? Tour Viking Ship Museum, tour Akershus Palace and Fortress, Short boat ride amidt the fjords. Does this sound reasonable?

Once you're at the Viking Ship Museum, there are several other interesting museums in the area also. I personally think that the Kon-Tiki Museum might be more interesting than the Viking Ship Museum. Get a ferry from the harbor to the peninsula containing several museums.

If you get an Oslo city pass, you can go to all the museums in that peninsula, spending as much or as little time as you like. It will also be good for the Fortress (the Resistance Museum), I think. I'm not sure if it's good for the palace tour.

I enjoyed the hosted boat tour from the harbor (different from the ferry ride I mentioned above, although they leave from nearby locations). I'm not sure how long it was now.

That said, this all might be hard to do in 6 or 7 hours. So maybe map it out exactly in terms of times and locations and it would be easier to see if it's possible.

You should not miss seeing Vigeland Park in Oslo. The outdoor sculptures are wonderful, unique, and our most memorable site in Oslo. It is easily accessible by tram. I would rank it above the Viking Museum or Akershus, both of which are worth seeing. Akershus, especially the Resistance Museum, would take hours to fully tour but can be done in an hour and the view alone is worthwhile. You have to take a ferry to the Viking Museum and then walk about 10 minutes to reach it so this will be more time consuming.

I think I would put the statues above the Viking Ship Museum also.

We started with a subway to Vigeland Park, which I would classify as a don't miss. Then took a cab to the Viking Ship Museum, walked to the Kon-Tiki Museum and the Fram Museum. We really liked all three.

We were there as a cruise port stop on a Monday, and most of the museums in the Akershus Complex were closed. I think we would have had time to spend there if they had been open.

We saw the Resistance Museum in Copenhagen, which was excellent, so didn't feel too bad about missing the one in Oslo.

While the Resistance Museum in Copenhagen is also very moving the one in Oslo is much more comprehensive and not be missed. I would definitely choose it over Vigeland Park - which while interesting seemed kind of empty.

Don't miss the Resistance Museum. I'd do Kontike, fram and the The Resistance.

It's so hard to say - because as the poster pointed out, they only have 6-7 hours. So they will have to miss something (a lot actually). If the weather happens to be rainy that day, maybe more of a museum focus would be good. If it's sunny, have an outdoor focus.

You should definitely go inside City Hall where the Nobel Peace price is handed out. Its interior has colourful frescos and murals with motifs from Norwegian history, culture and working life. And the Vigeland Park is not to miss. You could also visit the National Gallery in city centre. Having 6-7 hours following Abram suggestions and taking a the ferry from Kon-tiki to City centre sounds like a very good choice.

Oslo is a relatively small town, but 6-7 hours still may be a challenge for your experience needs, of which I know nothing about. What not to miss or to miss also depends on weather. June normally is a very, very sunny and nice period here, though.
All suggested sightseeings are valuable. I am not sure about the Fortress Museum,though. Personally I have visited all Oslo museums regularily all my life, except for just that one and the postal museum. Weird, or? A stroll in the fortress area, however,I recommend highly. Also a city strall along the main street Karl Johan, with the Parliament, the National Theatre etc.
Cruise ships very often are met by bus sightseeing companies, which can take you around the city in a perfect way, visiting all the attractions.
The short ferryride to Bygdoy and the Viking ships/KonTiki/Polar ships is very nice, but beware of lines in both directions.
If you come forward with some details of your needs, I gladly will give you more recommendations.
Good hint: go to the website www.norway.com and click on Oslo and English version. Here you'll find lots of comprehensive Oslo stuff,also included an option to prepare your personalized Oslo guide.
At last, whatever you decide: Do not (NOT!!) miss the sailing into Oslo. The last 1.5 through 2 hours really should be experienced outdoor on the cruise ship's deck.
Welcome to Oslo

Bjorn, Oslo

Thanks for all your help! I'll let you all know what I decide!

Karin

There isn't anything I did not like in Oslo -- what a great city! I second, third and fourth the Vigeland Park with the statues. You take the tram there, and it is a wonderful experience.

I thought thew Nobel prize was given in the city hall in Stockholm, not Oslo. The Nobel Museum is in Stockholm.

The Nobel Peace Prize is given in Oslo. The others are given in Stockholm.

All of your suggestions have been helpful. I am on a cruise that spends one day each in Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki Gdansk (Poland), and Berlin; 2 days each in Copenhagen and St. Petersburg. This will be my first trip to Europe. I am therefore open to anything but don't want to feel as if I am doing the same thing in each country. In other words, I want to strategize my itenerary to give me different experiences. Which is better, the Viking ship museum in Oslo or the Vasa ship museum in Stockholm? I assume that unless I am really into that kind of thing, that I will only want to tour one of them!

The Vasa Museum in Stockholm and the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo are very, very different.

I'm not the biggest fan of maritime museums, but thought they were both excellent. I'd recommend seeing them both, but if I had to pick only one, I'd select the Vasa.

I agree with Abram that both are very different. The Vasa in Stockholm was a war ship that sunk in the 1600's and they are attempting to preserve it from total destruction. It is a wonderful experience seeing this preservation in progress.

The Viking ships were found in burial grounds and were made in the 800's, if memory serves.

While we wouldn't ordinarily go to visit ships, each in their own way is a fascinating Smithsonian sort of experience. Even getting to each of these museums is fun. In Stockholm, there's a commuter style boat that takes you over to the island where the Vasa is located (or you can take the tram). The island is beautiful with a park and an outdoor folk museum as well. In Oslo, you take the commuter boat over, which is another wonderful experience, then walk past really neat houses to the museum.

While I guess I'd say I thought the Vasa in Stockholm more interesting to me, if you have only one day in each place, I would opt for the Viking ships because in Stockholm, you would really spend too much time visiting the Vasa, and not enough time left for the town. Although, in June, it will not really get dark in either place, the days will be so long.

I agree with the previous posts that the two museums are vastly different, and that if I had to choose one, I would probably opt for the Vasa museum. However, nearby the Viking museum are the Kon Tiki and Fram museums, both of which are well worth seeing. I was particularly fascinated with the Fram, especially as one can roam throughout the ship.

If you have 6 or 7 hours in Oslo, you can easily see all three museums, as well as Akershus fortress. You might even have time to see Vigeland Park, if you're energetic.

Skip a boat ride in the fjord--you'll see plenty entering and leaving Oslo from your cruise ship. Many cruise ships berth right alongside the fortress. For a harbor tour, the short ferry to the museums should suffice.

To further complicate your choices, right next to the Viking Museum is the Norwegian Folk Museum, an open air museum. There is a similar museum, Skansen, in Stockhom, close to the Vasa. If I were to choose between them, I'd pick Skansen. However, with the time available, you'd only be able to see a small part of either.