If anyone is wondering where I get my travel inspiration from, the answer is mainly friends, acquaintances, family and other travel bloggers. When others sigh at people who share a lot of vacation photos and accompanying reports on Facebook and Instagram, I instead sit behind the notepad and add new items to my wish lists. A few days ago I received a detailed travel report in the feed from my friend Alexander about a fun autumn holiday trip with the family in three stages, including
- 1) a car trip from Gothenburg to Norway with sightseeing and an overnight stay in a nice hotel in Oslo
- 2) a holiday cruise with the shipping company Color Line, followed by
- 3) a few hours in Kiel, Germany, before the ferry back to Oslo.
I didn’t even know there was a ferry line called the Color Line!? Personally, I would enjoy copy-pasting with my own family while traveling and I don’t think I’m the only one. I asked Alexander if I would share his report and photos here on the blog – and I got it. Feel free to be inspired!
Color Line between Oslo and Kiel: an alternative to the Finland boats in Stockholm
Guest writer Alexander Wikander, who also took the photos.
During the autumn holiday week we (me, my wife and our two children) take the opportunity to clear an item on my bucket list, namely traveling with Color Line between Oslo and Kiel. Yes, there is also a ferry between Gothenburg and Kiel, but Color Lines is a thing rather Other. I had the idea that Silja Symphony and Silja Serenade (Stockholm-Helsinfors) were the coolest in our waters, but I heard on various forums that the two Color Line ferries, Color Magic and Color Fantasy respectively, are a level higher. They were actually designed by the same architect and built in the same shipyard, but Colors are newer, more luxurious and are also the world’s largest tire ferries!
#1. First stop Oslo (and Scandic Holmenkollen)
We start with a day followed by a night in Oslo Scandic Holmenkollen Park with fantastic views of Norway’s capital.
The view from the road to the metro station from the hotel is something extraordinary.
We make a detour past the Storting (Parliament) in Oslo…
… and stroll along the Karl Johansgatan with the castle at the end.
The metro in Oslo goes all the way up to Holmenkollen, where we live. It takes just over half an hour to go from central Oslo (for example from Nationaltheatret or Stortinget stations) to Holmenkollen. Aim for line 1, the Frognerseteren line, towards Frognerseteren.
Scandic Holmenkollenpark at night…
…and here is the view of the way up from the metro to the hotel.
The next day you wake up to this beautiful view of fog/clouds over Oslo. Time to leave for Kiel!
#2. The boat trip with Color Line Oslo – Kiel ToR
The ferry to Germany departs at 2 p.m. and arrives in Kiel the next day at 10 a.m. We have barely four hours in Kiel before the ferry turns north again at 2 p.m. Very clever that we can park the car on board so that we don’t have to drag luggage and stand in line at the terminal.
The Color Fantasy ship looks much more like a cruise ship than a ferry.
On the way out we pass Oscarsborg Fortress in Norway, which sank the German cruiser Blücher with its Norwegian coastal artillery on April 9, 1940. The fortress, located in the Oslofjord, used its guns and torpedoes to sink the German warship in connection with the invasion of Norway.
How was our experience with the ferry itself? Due to new fire regulations, the boardwalk is not as open as Silja’s counterparts, as you need to be able to create and close sections in the event of a fire. It’s difficult to get an idea of how big the area is.
Then the food? Yes, it’s better than we’ve experienced on other trips. The entertainment is also significantly better…
…with various musicals on the journey there and back. Place must be reserved in advance for approximately SEK 140, but is worth it. We appreciate that there is table service during the show so people don’t have to wait in line. Extra plus for a good selection of good non-alcoholic drinks!
On the ferry there is a fun water park with bigger slides and a “lazy river” (i.e. a water channel that goes around with flowing water so you can just slide around). There are also hot tubs and more.
The beds are wonderful, we all sleep exceptionally well. The children have their own cabin with their own toilet/shower with connection/door to our cabin.
As I said it is possible to buy a parking space on board instead of parking the car in the parking garage at the terminal. We passengers don’t get off in Kiel, but we can get to the car if we are at the dock and want to put the things we buy during the trip into it.
#3. Four hours in Kiel!
We arrive in Kiel at 10am…
…and then get four hours on site, which is just enough to get a feel for the city.
The shopping urge can be satisfied in Sophienhof, a fairly large shopping center right after the quay in Kiel, not far from the boat dock.
As I work in the train industry, there will of course be a visit to Kiel Hauptbahnhof before it is time to return to our ferry for the return journey to Oslo.
#4. Price level, summary and more information about other ferry lines
The price level is fine, I would say considerably cheaper on board than on Finland Ferries. It doesn’t feel like inflation has hit Norway that hard, but we have caught up with their previously high prices. The Swedish krona is now worth more than the Norwegian krone (about 6 percent now that we have spent the autumn holidays), so that helps.
It was a very pleasant trip that I can highly recommend! From Gothenburg you can drive to Oslo in less than three hours, so it’s not as far away as you think.
Thank you very much Alexander for this nice report about the Color Line between Oslo – Kiel, which would be a very good alternative to the Finland boats in Stockholm!
Here you will find The Color Line website where you will find more information about timetables, bookings and prices.
Curious about what it’s like to travel between Stockholm and Helsinki with Silja Line?
Read more here: Silja Resort – a family-friendly holiday by the sea.
Feel free to follow along Travel Friday on Instagram. Cover image of Oslo seen from Scandic Holmenkollen Park (photo: Alexander Wikander).
#Color #Line #Oslo #Kiel #alternative #Finnish #boats #Stockholm #Travel #Friday