Fredrikstad

59° 13' 2.55" N 10° 55' 46.84" E [59.2174, 10.9297] (KML)

Fredrikstad [M] is served by the Norwegian State Railway [1] on the Oslo-Halden line. There are also numerous express busses between Oslo [M] and the towns and cities in Østfold [S], including Fredrikstad.

The main airport serving eastern Norway is Oslo [M] Gardermoen (OSL), which unfortunately is far north of Oslo while Fredrikstad [M] is far south of Oslo. Nevertheless, there is a bus service (line F11) between Fredrikstad and the airport taking slightly over two hours.

Some people find a good deal if they fly to Gothenburg instead, and take the train or drive from there. Gothenburg is even further from Fredrikstad [M] than OSL is (though the difference in time is less than an hour), but sometimes the tickets might be better there.

A new passenger terminal at the military airport at Rygge near Moss [S] was opened in October 2007 and is considerably closer. Norwegian and a selection of charter companies service this airport.

It is fairly easy to get around the city as public transportation in form of bus is frequent and goes around town as well as to the suburbs in all directions from the center of downtown.

Taxi is available from the main taxi central in downtown, just opposite of the main walking street.

There is a ferry from downtown to the old town which is quite frequent. It is an affordable and scenic means of transportation, and you get to see the city from a different view as well, as the river offers a unique view of town. It also goes to the neighboring suburb Gressvik.

If you have a rental car, traffic is usually unproblematic, but there may be some traffic jams in the main entry roads to town around 4 - 5pm (rush hour).

The old fortified city, founded in 1567, and Kongsten fortress.

Go see Fredrikstad [M] Football Club (Fredrikstad Fotball Klubb or FFK) play a game of soccer at their brand new stadium across the river from the riverwalk. Fredrikstad is beyond a doubt one of the most devoted cities in Norway when it comes to supporting their local team and the strong history of the sport in the city is well felt.

The riverwalk has a lot of restaurants and bars, and in the summertime, especially, it is a very busy area where people go to eat, drink a beer in the sunshine by the water and in general have a good time. People also come by boat, staying directly at the guest pier.

Take a walk around the Old Town, on a sunny day it is beautiful. Especially great for kids as there are grass to run on, old cannons to climb, a playground and lots of ducks to feed. Go for a cup of hot cocoa and a cinnamon"snail" at Mormors Café afterwards.

There are three coffeeshops in the city centre that make very good coffees, milkshakes, smooties etc. One is Verdensspeilet (World Mirror) right opposite the cinema. The second is Syversen Tea And Coffee and the third is Malenki, next to the cinema. All three have friendly staff and great coffee, and are great for a quick bite. If you want to stay a little longer, maybe have a beer and play a boardgame then Verdenspeilet is the best choice.

• Radisson Sas hotel Fredrikstad [M]: A five star new built hotel. Located next to the cinema and only a short walk and a ferry trip to the old city and 0,5 km to the train station. 172 rooms with two design themes; Urban and Ocean. Expensive.

• Rica hotel Fredrikstad [M]: 4 star hotel. Located next to the bus station and a few minutes walk to Brygga - the resturant and nightlife street by the river and 0,5 km to the train station. Hotel facilities: garage, internet, resturant, bar, nightclub, fitness room, sauna and animals allowed.

• Hotel Valhalla: Hotel Valhalla is an old building made of wood, originally built in 1870 and run by a family. The building has been totally rebuilt and contains 24 modern rooms, divided into single/double and family rooms. The outside of the building is now like it was at the beginning of the century. All rooms contain Tv and private shower/wc. The hotel's website says that staying at this hotel is like living on the roof of the city, because of the great view. The hotel has its own park and is within walking distance to the city centre.

Text content was last edited at 08:13, on 23 April 2010 by Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. Based on work by Richard H and T. T., Wikitravel user(s) Tatatabot, PerryPlanet and Janki and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. A list of contributors is available at the original article on Wikitravel. This text content is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0.