Olden, Norway

Getting To Know Olden – Cruise Port Guide

Port Snapshot

Olden, set deep within the Nordfjord, is a destination for exploring the outdoors. This is why you come to Norway, to witness the glory of nature. With Olden, it’s seeing how the power of glaciers has, over thousands of years, scoured and shaped the landscape and left behind the fjords, glacial lakes and waterfalls that are so quintessential to the imagery of Norway. Welcome to our Olden cruise port guide.

Port Location and Facilities

The Olden Cruise Port is located 1km from the centre of the village where you will find a supermarket and other shops and amenities. However, the port has several facilities including tourist information, a small café and numerous souvenir shops. This port is all about the outdoors and from the port you can hire bikes, take a trolley train ride around the town, go out onto the fjord in a Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) for an exhilarating and fast ride to take in the views, or you can hike the many trails to vantage points providing sweeping and expansive views.

What not to miss

The Jostedalsbreen National Park

Encompassing the largest glacier on the European mainland, the Jostedalsbreen, there is over 310 square miles of glacier surrounding Olden as part of the national park.

Briksdal Glacier

One of the many ‘tongues’ of the Jostedalsbreen, and the most touristic and easily accessible, Briksdal Glacier offers visitors a nice gentle 2.5km hike along a mountain trail, passing cascading waterfalls before arriving in front of the glacier and its glacial lake. If you don’t fancy the trail walk, specially designed ‘Troll Cars’ can transport you up and back to see the glacier. Plenty of facilities including a souvenir shop and café/restaurant can be found at the entrance of the trail to the glacier.

Loen Skylift

To appreciate the sheer majesty of the surrounding fjord landscape, this cable car can transport you to a height of 1,011 metres (3,317 ft) on the top of Mount Hoven above the Nordfjord. USA Today even named it one of the World’s Top 10 Cable Cars, and they have a good case for it too, with the view taking in a complete panorama of the Nordfjord and the Jostedalsbreen National Park. There is even a restaurant with panoramic windows so you can relax and enjoy the scenery without ever having to have broken a sweat, unless you don’t like heights that is!

Travel Tips

Tourist Information

NoFlyCruises recommends https://www.nordfjord.no/en the official site of Visit Nordfjord, and https://www.oldencruise.com a local transport company for the village of Olden.

Currency

The currency in Norway is the Norwegian Krone. Norway has a reputation as one of the most expensive countries in Europe and the average price of a standard cup of coffee is around £3/$4. Budget accordingly if you plan to dine out each day, as meals are roughly around 110kr per person (£11/$13 per person).

Weather

Being deep in the Nordfjord, Olden has a cold and temperate climate. July is the warmest month, but still the average temperature at fjord level is only 10 degrees Celsius. If hiking any of the trails, or heading up the Loen Skylift, it is worth packing layers as it will be significantly cooler at altitude.

Getting Around

Numerous local tour operators run sightseeing excursions and an open top bus route around the area. There are no taxi services and a limited local bus service which links the port with Briksdal Glacier. The port offers a paid shuttle services to Briksdal Glacier and can include the troll car option, as well as transport to the Loen Skylift which includes the cable car ticket. They also operate an open top sightseeing bus service around the Oldevatnet lake, just check at the tourist information office at the port for the frequency of the service and prices or online at https://www.oldencruise.com/ in advance.

Safety Whilst Ashore

Olden is a small village and there is minimal risk whilst ashore. In the peak season the trail up to Briskdal Glacier and the Loen Skylift can become busy, so pay extra care in busy areas.

Where to Eat

NoFlyCruises recommends the following eateries:

Molla Guesthouse, Rv60 19, 6788 Olden, Norway

https://briksdaladventure.com/#

Adjacent to the cruise pier and located in an old mill from the 1920s (and also home to the tourist information and booking office for many independent activities), this cosy guesthouse has a small café that serves up ever changing local food depending on what is in season. If it’s cold and wet outside, then the warmth of the fire and a nice pastry or waffle with hot chocolate goes down a real treat.

Yris Café and Restaurant, Sjøatunet 15, 6788 Olden, Norway

https://yris.no

Next to the Olden River in the centre of the village, this is a great stop for lovely fjord views, tasty waffles and numerous topping choices such as chocolate sauce or mint ice cream, or both! They do also have an extensive menu of comfort food including open sandwiches, burgers and pizzas should you be looking for a more substantial meal.

Key highlights of Olden

• Loen Skylift
• Oldevantnet
• Lovatnet
• Jostedalsbreen National Park
  • Kjenndalen Glacier
  • Briksdal Glacier
  • Jostedalsbreen National Park Centre
• Hiking
• Mountain Biking
• RIB Rides

Regular cruise line visitors

• Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
• Silversea
• P&O Cruises
• SAGA Cruises
• Princess Cruises
• Celebrity Cruises
• Viking Ocean 

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