Norway: You Shouldn't Miss These Ports On Your Cruise!

Cruising through Norway is on a whole different level. You wake up in the morning, step out onto your balcony and suddenly you're surrounded by waterfalls, fjords and snow-caped mountains. Today we are showing you our top five cruise ports in Norway with the most stunning views, the best excursions and one port that completely tops them all for us. Norway is one of our absolute dream cruise destinations. Why? It's easy to reach from German and Dutch ports, often without even needing a flight. The landscapes are breathtaking, diverse and incredibly idyllic. And the people are just unbelievably friendly. Today we are taking you to Norway, more specifically to our top five ports you absolutely shouldn't miss on a Norwegian cruise. We are not just showing you what you can see there, but especially if everything within walking distance or do you need a shuttle or an excursion. Make sure to stay until the end for our number one, it might really surprise you. Okay fine, it's Geringer, but still stick around to find out why. So let's start with place number five and that is Oslo. Oslo is the total contrast to the other ports on this list. You usually dock right in the city center, just step off the ship and you're instantly in the middle of everything. No shuttle needed, hop on hop off buses and excursion coaches stop directly in front of the ship anyway. Oslo is futuristic, modern and super vibrant. All highlights are either walkable or reachable by a short tram ride. For example there is the Oslo Opera House, the building where you can actually walk on the roof right by the water. Simply stunning. There is Holmenkollen Ski Jump with a museum and incredible views, the Royal Palace with beautiful surrounding gardens, the National Theater and all of that is topped with really great cafes, cool food spots and incredibly friendly people. Oslo is perfect if you're looking for city vibes plus culture and don't forget cruising through the Oslo fjord on your way in or out is worth seeing as well. Let's continue with the fourth place and that is Florm. Florm is small but it packs a punch. You step off the ship and you're instantly in the village. Everything is walkable. The absolute highlight is the Florm railway, one of the steepest railway lines in the world. It takes you through valleys, tunnels and past waterfalls. The most famous stop, please forgive our pronunciation, is the Kioskfossen, complete with a perfect photo spot. Other waterfalls in the region are for example and you can even hike there. All the Norwegian speakers watching are probably covering their ears right now. Did you ever consider going into a sauna in a Norwegian fjord? Well, here in Florm that's definitely possible. Also very popular are rip boat tours through the fjord and kayaking and boat excursions. And once again the sail in through the fjord is absolutely spectacular. Florm may be small but it's definitely an adventure port. Especially nature lovers will get their money worth here. Let us continue with the third place and this is Nordfjord Eid. Nordfjord Eid is a very small super cozy port. You usually dock very centrally, lots is within walking distance. Often you don't dock at a traditional pier but you don't tender either. The special feature here is the so-called seawalk, an extendable floating bridge that connects directly to the ship. The town itself feels spacious, calm and full of charm. The highlights there are old wooden houses and historic buildings as well as beautiful churches, especially the Eid church and its surroundings. A real highlight is the Sagerstad Viking Center. It houses one of the largest reconstructed Viking ships in the world. Incredibly well done and super fascinating. If you're looking for nature there are scenic viewpoints nearby and the Harperfossen ski area overlooking the fjord reachable via excursion or taxi. Nordfjord Eid isn't an action-packed port. It's more about slowing down but that's what makes Nordfjord Eid so very special. Continuing with our second place and that is Olden. Olden is small and relaxed but scenery-wise absolutely insane. From the harbor you can easily explore the village on foot. Lots of nature, very little stress. The big highlight here is the Lowen Skylift. I hope we are pronouncing that correctly. Apologies to all Norwegians if not. It's located in the neighboring village of Lowen, about 10 to 15 minutes by shuttle or excursion. Tours are usually offered directly by the cruise line or local providers at the pier. The lift takes you up to Mount Hoven and the view from up there is just unreal. We honestly couldn't stop staring. At the top you'll find panoramic platforms, hiking trails and a beautiful restaurant and cafe with glass fronts and we highly recommend the cinnamon buns. They're so good. On a sunny day, sitting up there above the fjord, unforgettable. When we were there, there were meters of snow at the top while down at the lift station we could almost walk around in t-shirts. The entire area around Olden is incredibly green with lakes, mountains and glaciers nearby. Perfect for nature lovers. And on the pole position, the winner of this list is Old Northside Indianapolis. No, of course, it's Garinger. Garinger is clearly our number one. Even the sail in through the fjord is a highlight in itself. You cruise through narrow fjords, past waterfalls and steep rock walls surrounded by unreal nature. Often, the mountain peaks are still snow-covered. The village itself is small and easy to explore on foot if you just want to stroll around. But the real highlights are up in the mountains. You can get there by bus excursions, by hiking for the sporty ones or, quite fun, with little electric cars called Twizzies. And the view up there? Absolutely mind-blowing. On a clear day, you can see the entire fjord from above. Pure postcard material. And there are even more highlights like rip boat tours, kayaking and waterfalls like the famous Seven Sisters Waterfall. Garinger is pure nature cinema. There's really no other way to describe it. Norway offers an insane variety of cruise ports and it's practically right on our doorstep. Of course, we haven't seen all Norwegian ports yet, especially some of the smaller ones and a few far up north are still on our list. But even so, Norway remains our favorite cruise destination. Let us know in the comments which is your favorite cruise port in Norway and if you enjoyed this video, please subscribe to our channel for more cruise content. See you next time!