Book a Cheap Mini Cruise on the DFDS Ferry from Copenhagen to Oslo

Book a mini cruise on the Copenhagen to Oslo DFDS car ferry for bargain transportation and cheap overnight day trips from Denmark to Norway.

DFDS Ferry Boat in Oslo

Cheap mini-cruises on the Copenhagen to Oslo DFDS ferry are a popular way to see Munch’s The Scream and other sights in Norway on a two-day trip from Denmark. Spectacularly cheap deals are often available on these overnight cruises that allow travelers to spend around six hours in Oslo before returning to Copenhagen the following night. The best deals are usually mid-week during the colder months of the year and with luck could be cheaper than the price of a cup of coffee.

Cheap Mini Cruises from Copenhagen to Oslo

DFDS Seaways provides a daily passenger and car ferry service between Copenhagen and Oslo. Although an important part of Scandinavian transportation infrastructure, these ferry boats also offer a cheap way to do a day trip from Copenhagen to Oslo.

DFDS Ferry in Copenhagen

Special deals are often available on these ferries as mini cruises that work as follows: depart Copenhagen at 14:15; arrive in Oslo the next morning at 9:15. Sightseeing in Oslo. Depart from Oslo the same afternoon at 14:15 to be back in Copenhagen to the following day at 9:15. These mini cruises are bookable in either direction. (Mini cruise passengers must go ashore but may board the ship again around an hour later.)

Alternatives to mini cruises are of course regular reservations but these are much more expensive. For travelers planning to stay more than just a few hours in Oslo, other specials may be available e.g. ski holiday deals or short breaks that include a night(s) in an Oslo hotel.

Copenhagen Skyline

Booking Cheap Mini Cruises from Copenhagen to Oslo

Mini cruises are generally the cheapest deals on the Copenhagen-Oslo ferries and can only be booked online via DFDS Seaways.

Promotion codes for the best deals are usually only advertised in the local media in Denmark or Norway, or sign up for the DFDS email newsletter — best deals are often advertised right before Christmas. For these deals, the fare can be cheaper than the price of a coffee.

DFDS Ferry salon

Special deals can sometimes allow two passengers to mini cruise for DKK69 – that is less than € / $/ £ 10. The best deals are often open for booking early in the year or even over the Christmas and New Years holiday periods for sailings early in the year.

DFDS Ferry boat bubble zone with pools

The best deals are for quiet periods – usually midweek sailings during the colder months of the year. Mini cruise passengers cruise almost for free on a boat that must be sailing anyway in the hope that passengers will spend amply on food and drink on board.

See Taking the Ferry from Copenhagen to Oslo for more savings tips when booking the DFDS ferry.

There is, of course, no obligation to consume anything on board (but good luck trying not to!) Scandinavian travelers often take their own picnic meals on board but there are a variety of restaurants and bars on the ships that charge mostly regular Copenhagen prices. The breakfast buffet is very extensive and a good deal for big eaters – it may be sufficient to last many the whole day.

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Taking the Ferry from Copenhagen to Oslo

Sailing from Copenhagen

Mini cruises are booked online and passengers receive an email confirmation. The reservation number is usually sufficient to retrieve the booking on the automated check-in terminals. Boarding passes are printed for each passenger – these open the cabin doors and are used for pre-booked meals and options. The same boarding pass is used on the return trip.

Currently, before boarding, passports are checked in Copenhagen by private security. Passports and some EU identity cards are generally the only acceptable documentation. The final inspection may be done in Oslo by Norwegian immigration officials after arrival. Immigration checks are generally not made on the Norway to Denmark routing.

Boarding is possible between 12:15 and 14:00. Mini cruisers must disembark in Oslo (or Copenhagen in the reverse direction) but may go back on board any time from 12:00 onwards.

There is not much action in the ferry terminal (or neighborhood) in Copenhagen making it sensible to arrive on time rather than too early. The Little Mermaid is a 15-minute walk away but she is frankly a two-minute site.

The ferry from Copenhagen stops directly next to the city center of Oslo so there are many sights that mini cruisers can see within easy walking distance of the ferry terminal. The museums in the Bygdøy area are also very popular but allow sufficient transportation time.

For More on the Copenhagen to Oslo DSFD Ferries See Also:

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Henk Bekker in armor

About the author:

Henk Bekker

Henk Bekker is a freelance travel writer with over 20 years of experience writing online. He is particularly interested in history, art, and culture. He has lived most of his adult life in Germany, Switzerland, and Denmark. In addition to European-Traveler.com, he also owns a travel website on the Lake Geneva region of Switzerland and maintains statistical websites on car sales and classic car auction prices. Henk holds an MBA from Edinburgh Business School and an MSc in Development Finance from the University of London.