Oslo to Copenhagen by overnight ship

Does DFDS still sail from Oslo to Copenhagen?

No. DFDS sold the route to the Swedish company Gotlandsbolaget, which took over on 1 November 2024 and runs it as Go Nordic Cruiseline.

DFDS announced the sale of its Oslo, Frederikshavn and Copenhagen route in 2024. Gotlandsbolaget took over the line on 1 November 2024 and in early 2025 named it Go Nordic Cruiseline.

The ships stayed. Pearl Seaways and Crown Seaways became Nordic Pearl and Nordic Crown, and Nordic Pearl came back from its refit with renovated cabins, upgraded public areas and a new aqua-green hull, with Nordic Crown next in line. If a guide or an old booking link mentions DFDS on this route, it is out of date. Book on gonordiccruiseline.com.

What is the 2026 timetable, and where does the ship leave from in Oslo?

Daily at 16:30 from both Oslo and Copenhagen, arriving at 10:00 the next morning. In Oslo the terminal is at Akershusstranda 31, below Akershus Fortress.

The sailing schedule is simple: one departure a day each way, 16:30 out and 10:00 in, about 17 hours on board. Go Nordic adds that deviations can happen, and your confirmation holds the binding check-in time. Visit Oslo gives the Oslo address as Akershusstranda 31, on the waterfront below the fortress, a short walk around the harbour from the City Hall piers and the Opera House.

The company sells the round trip from Copenhagen as a two-day MiniCruise with 6.5 hours in Oslo. That window, from 10:00 to the 16:30 sailing, is enough for one short cruise and a walk, not for the Bygdøy museums as well.

When does the Go Nordic schedule change in 2027?

Nordic Pearl goes to dock twice in 2027, in January and in late October to November. On those dates there is a sailing only every other day.

The operator's schedule page lists the dates with no departures. Nordic Crown sails as normal throughout, so the route drops to every other day rather than stopping. No 2026 dock period is listed.

If you are planning a winter city break around 6 January or a trip in early November 2027, check your date before you book hotels at either end.

What do you see sailing out of Oslo on the overnight ship?

The harbour, the inner islands and, about 30 km south, the narrow Drøbak Sound with Oscarsborg Fortress. In summer you see it all in daylight; from November to early February you leave after sunset.

Leaving Akershusstranda, the ship passes the fortress walls, looks across to the Opera House and the Bjørvika towers, and heads south between the low wooded islands, Hovedøya and Gressholmen among them. North of Drøbak the fjord is only 3 to 5 km wide, according to Store norske leksikon, so both shores stay close for the first stretch.

The highlight is the Drøbak Sound, about 1 km wide, with Oscarsborg Fortress on its islets. On 9 April 1940 its guns and torpedoes sank the German cruiser Blücher here, and the delay let the King and the government leave Oslo, as SNL describes. Estimates of the dead vary widely. Go Nordic does not publish when the ship passes Drøbak; around an hour after departure is our rough guess.

Light decides how much of this you see. On 1 November the sun sets in Oslo at about 16:22, before the 16:30 departure, and it stays dark at sailing time until early February. From spring to early autumn the whole inner fjord slides past in daylight.

Is there a ferry from Oslo to Germany?

Yes. Color Line sails Oslo to Kiel daily, leaving both cities at 14:00 and arriving at 10:00 the next morning, from its terminal at Hjortnes.

Color Line runs Color Fantasy and Color Magic on the Oslo to Kiel route, with suites and standard cabins, shows, bars, a spa and duty-free shopping. In Oslo the ships use the terminal at Hjortneskaia, Filipstadveien 25, west of Aker Brygge, according to Visit Oslo.

The earlier 14:00 departure means the Kiel ship sails the inner Oslofjord in daylight for more of the year than the Copenhagen ship does. In December even that is tight: sunset is around 15:15.

Overnight ferry or Oslofjord sightseeing cruise: which do you need?

Different trips. The ferry is transport with a fjord view at the start; a sightseeing cruise spends 90 minutes to two hours among the islands with commentary.

The overnight ship stays in the main shipping lane, keeps its distance from the islands and offers no commentary. A sightseeing cruise threads between them, passes Dyna lighthouse and the cabin islands up close, and tells you what you are looking at. Neither shows you the steep cliffs of the western fjords; for those, see our guide to the fjords near Oslo.

On the Copenhagen MiniCruise you arrive at 10:00 and leave at 16:30. The electric cruise from the Opera House leaves at 12:00 and 14:00, takes 90 minutes and starts from Langkaia, close to Oslo Central Station. The 12:00 gets you back by 13:30 with time for lunch before check-in. Plan the walk back to Akershusstranda with a margin.

For the bigger picture of ships and cruise lines calling at Oslo, read our guide to cruises from Oslo.

Ninety quiet minutes among the inner islands from the Opera House, a good fit between a 10:00 arrival and a 16:30 sailing.

★ 4.5 · 1.5 hours

Explore the electric cruise from the Opera House → Tour details

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