Fredrikstad Norway
Norway
10
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
Atlas Ocean Voyages (1 Cruises)
Frequently Asked Questions
A short distance from the modern centre, on the west bank, at the mouth of the Glomma, Norway's longest river. The old fortified town lies on the opposite bank and is reached by a small ferry.
By the Byfergen, a small ferry shuttling every few minutes between the two banks of the Glomma. The crossing takes three minutes, with no posted timetable and no ticket to buy: it is free.
The best preserved fortified town in northern Europe, founded in 1567 by King Frederik II, who gave it his name. Star-shaped ramparts, water-filled moats and monumental gates enclose a grid of cobbled streets lined with low ochre, red and white houses.
Yes, and that is what sets it apart from an open-air museum: several hundred people still live in the historic houses, children cycle across the squares, and the baker puts his cardamom buns in the oven as anywhere else in Norway.
The rampart walk takes about an hour, the craft shops and the town museum another. Add the Bryggepromenaden on the modern bank on the way back. It all fits comfortably into half a day, ferry crossings included.
Ceramic studios, glassblowers, galleries and vintage shops, which make the quarter a browsing destination Norwegians enjoy themselves. A contemporary art gallery occupies a former guardhouse on one of the bastions.
About an hour along the sentry path, among black cannon, grassed banks and still moats, with a plunging view over tiled roofs and the river. Panels recount the Swedish sieges repelled over the centuries, and sheep keep the slopes trimmed in the warm season.
Yes. The ferry crossing amuses children, the ramparts are easy walking, and the sheep on the banks make an impression. Waffles with brunost, the caramelised brown cheese, always intrigue on first taste.
More than 800 islands and islets of polished granite about thirty kilometres to the south, whose waters hold Norway's first marine national park. In summer the flat rocks fill with swimmers, towel on the stone and no fuss about diving in.
No, it does not always appear among the expected names on a Nordic itinerary, and that may be its luck: you discover without crowds, along cobbled streets that stayed alive, what other fortified towns only show you in the middle of a group.
