Olden Cruise Port

Olden, Norway

Olden is a small village which sits on the southern shore of the stunningly beautiful Nordfjorden and whilst the village itself doesn’t have much to offer, apart from the stunning scenery that surrounds you, it acts as a great base to explore the region.

The village of Loen is around 4 miles to the north, Stryn is around 10 miles to the northwest and Innvik is around 9 miles to the west but for most visitors it will be the chance to head down the Oldedalen Valley to the Briksdalsbreen glacier.

Part of the experience of visiting Olden is the hours you spend cruising down the main Nordjjorden and the Innvikfjorden branch that whilst taking a few hours to complete, just keep amazing you.

Cruises To Olden

Our Visit

We were lucky enough to visit the port in May 2022 onboard the Celebrity Silhouette cruise ship on a roundtrip journey from Southampton to the Norwegian Fjords.

It was a cold and wet day, which isn’t too surprising seeming as we were there so early in the season but was on purpose.

Our day on shore saw us head to the nearby village of Loen to ride the Loen Skylift which is a cable car that takes you from the banks of the fjord up to the top of a mountain.

The top was still covered in metres and metres of snow which h made for a unique experience of trying to hike through the snow and all whilst having incredible views of the both the village of Leon and our cruise ship around the corner in Olden.

Once we got back to the ship, we took a stroll into the village of Olden itself but with constant rain now set in, we quickly headed back to the ship to get ready to enjoy the sail out of the village which is stunning.

Olden Cruise Guide

In this guide we bring you all that you need to know about visiting the cruise port of Olden including what you can do in Olden itself, what excursions are available and where you dock whilst visiting Olden on a cruise.

This guide is based on our experience of visiting the port and the research that we did before going there.

If you have booked a cruise to port, this guide should help you make the most of your time onshore whilst if you are still at the research stage, this guide should help you decide if a visit to Olden is right for you or not.

Type of Cruises Available

There is only really one type of cruise that visits the part and that is a round-trip itinerary from a Northern European cruise port where you have two options.

You can set sail on a No Fly journey from several different turnaround ports in the UK or you can fly to another port such as Rotterdam or Copenhagen and enjoy spending time in those cities before or after.

Olden Cruise Port Location

The cruise port of Olden is located around a 15-20 stroll from the village itself although there are some gift shops, a bar and some other services located across the road from the cruise dock.

Olden Cruise Facilities

There are few facilities at the port itself but as Olden is only a port of call, it doesn’t really need any facilities.

There are shops, a bar, a café and excursions buses all within walking distance of where you exit your ship.

Olden Attractions

Next to the cruise dock, there is a tourist information office where you can get help in planning your day ashore and book excursion.

It has a fjord side bar and there are some gift shops and a café across the road from the dock.

If you walk down into the village itself, there are a few attractions on offer including two beautiful churches, the old part of town with wooden buildings and a farm and there are some shops, including a supermarket for cheap gifts.

The main attraction is simply taking in the incredible views of the mountains around you and there are some picnic tables in the village where you can by a snack form one of the shops or cafes and then eat it with a view to remember.

Olden Shorex

There are plenty of options for those wanting to head off on an excursion including open top panoramic tour buses, which you can take from right outside of the ship.

Another journey is to the nearby Briksdal Glacier where visitors can either take a stroll from the car park to see the glacier or if you are a bit more adventurous, you can take a hike on the glacier itself.

You can take a coach, sightseeing bus or a Troll Car to the glacier.

There are a few options for those who want to spend more time on the fjord itself with a few boat rides along it or you can go on a kayak tour.

The last option is to do the one that we did and that is to take a shuttle bus from the cruise dock to the village of Leon, where you take the Leon Skylift (cable car) up to the top of the mountains for incredible views.

At the top there is a gift shop, an observation deck and a café or you can head off on a number of different trails.

Best Time To Visit Olden

The main cruising season is between April to September and whilst some itineraries will head their outside of that, if you want to sail on a mainstream line, it is between those dates that you will need to visit.

If you want to see, or experience, snow on the mountains when you visit like we did, May is the best time to visit but you also have to cope with wind and rain, as we did.

You will spend most of your time outside whilst at the port so we would recommend visiting during the summer months, especially July or August to have the best chance of dry weather and blue skies which really enhances a port such as Olden.

Transport

There is no public transport in the village, but the port is well set up to take tour buses, excursions coaches or shuttle buses to the many attractions around it.

There was also a road train to take you from the cruise deck to the village for those with mobility issues or who want a more fun way to do the walk between the two.

Olden Cruises From UK

If you want to visit the port directly from the UK, you can do as there is a wide range of itineraries from a number of different cruise ports around these shores.

Olden Cruises From Southampton

The port of Southampton, on England’s southern coastline, offers the widest range of ships, lines and itineraries offering cruises between England and Olden.