(FAQ)
Please find our most frequent questions answered here.
The season for the canal boats ends on October 10th 2021. The new season starts on May 20th 2022.
Boat capacities
M/S Henrik Ibsen is certified for 99 passengers.
M/S Telemarken is certified for 137 passengers.
M/S Victoria is certified for 180 passengers.
During summer season 2021 we will probably have capacity restrictions connected to infection control and covid-19.
Strollers or prams onboard
Smaller, foldable baby strollers are free to bring onboard, and you do not have to make a reservation.
Larger buggies or prams have to be stored separately and must be reserved separately at NOK 100,- (reservation to be made together with booking).
Clothing
The summer season starts in May and lasts all the way through October; hence the weather may be unpredictable. We recommend you pay attention to the weather forecast for the area you are visiting and dress accordingly.
We recommend everyone to bring robust shoes, windbreaker, warm undergarments and sunscreen.
Onboard services during scheduled sailings
You will find food & beverage outlets open during the whole sailing. No food or beverages are included in ordinary tickets. All boats are licensed for beer and wine sales.
There is no need to pre-book food & beverages onboard, however, today’s lunch can be booked online together with your ticket. We recommend reservation of meals for groups of more than 10 persons. Table reservations are not possible onboard.
Passengers are not allowed to bring their own food or beverages onboard.
Ticket reservation: Is pre-booking tickets recommended?
Yes, absolutely. Without a pre-booked ticket, you risk being left behind at the pier. Tickets can be booked at www.telemarkskanalen.no. If you book by phone or directly on-site you will be charged a fee of NOK 65,- per person.
Payment
For individual travelers, all payments are charged at time of booking (Bank Axept, Visa or Master Card). Tickets to be booked online at www.telemarkskanalen.no.
If you book by phone or directly on-site you will be charged a fee of NOK 65,- per person.
For groups separate conditions apply.
Discounts
Personnel traveling with a passenger (with accompanying certificate) are free of charge on the canal boats.
Except for the above and children there are no discounts on the canal boats.
Dogs
We allow passengers to bring their dogs onboard the canal boats, however, we advise you to respect your fellow passengers. It is not possible to disembark to walk the dog during your trip, and the dog must stay on deck – and on a leash – at all time. A dog ticket is NOK 300,- not depending on the travelled stretch. On the strech Lårdal-Dalen the price for a dog is NOK 150,-. Ticket for dogs must be purchsed on board the boat (cannot be booked online).
Please mark: If you plan for a combined trip (boat & bus), the bus operators cannot guarantee that you can bring your dog because of allergies. The best solution will therefore be a round trip by boat: Ulefoss-Lunde (t/r), Skien/Lunde (t/r), Akkerhaugen-Lunde (t/r) and Dalen-Kjeldal (t/r).
Canal bus
The canal bus operates corresponding routes allowing you to combine boat and bus to get back to your starting point. Link to daytrips.
Do you have to pre-book the canal bus?
Yes, you book your canal bus tickets together with your boat trip.
Parking your car
If you are travelling by car, you have free parking possibilities at all ports of call along the Telemark Canal.
At Hjellebrygga, Skien, you need a ticket to be placed visible in your windscreen. Parking tickets can be collected onboard the boats prior to departure 08:10, on the canal bus prior to departure 12:00 or at the service center which is open from medio June to medio August. If you are travelling on other times than 08.10 or 12.00 please contact us to find a solution for parking tickets.
Overview over all ports of call with all necessary information to be found here: List of ports of call.
Please note: Car parks are not secured or guarded, and you park your car at your own responsibility. Please pay attention to signs and information on-site. There may be other car parks, not facilitated by the Telemark Canal, with other restrictions. We advise everyone to respect private property.
Wheelchairs – physical limitations
The passenger boats trafficking the Telemark Canal are all veteran ships, meaning they are not universally designed or specially adapted to fit the needs of passengers with special needs or physical handicaps. Nevertheless, the landing walkways do have room to accommodate manual wheelchairs, however, not electric ones.
We recommend that passengers with physical limitations use the ports where you embark or disembark in a lock chamber, as these will normally be easiest accessible. Out of experience we do recommend Ulefoss and Lunde.
Please mark that all boats have relatively steep stairs to get down to salons/café and no elevator, hence these are not very easily accessible. M/S Henrik Ibsen has a HC-WC on deck. The other two ships do not have this facility.
Smoking
We advise those of our passengers who smoke to respect all other passengers and limit the use of cigarettes to the area at the back end of the deck.
Safety & Security
All canal boats are certified according to current Norwegian Maritime Authority regulations. They all have vests and life rafts for all passengers, and all crew members are certified and trained according to Norwegian standards.
For our passengers’ safety we recommend that caution is shown onboard the vessels. We advise against running onboard (especially children), and we emphasize that all hands and fingers are kept off the railings when the vessels enter lock chambers. No climbing or standing on benches or chairs allowed.
Vests for children are not mandatory on the canal boats. Should you wish for your children to wear vests we recommend you bring your own vests. We strongly advise parents to keep children in sight at all time during travel.
Please mark: Embarking or disembarking the vessels in any other way than by the landing bridge is strictly prohibited and can cause serious danger.
Bicycles, carts, canoe, kayak etc.
All boats have capacity for some special baggage like canoes, bicycles, carts and similar. However, due to limited capacity we recommend you book this in advance.
Your bicycle, carts etc. must be freed of luggage and extra weight prior to embarkation. This is due to manual loading onto the boat. Owners must be present onboard and if needed assist in loading and unloading.
Rental of bicycles, canoes and kayaks
Bicycles, canoes or kayaks can be rented on request by Telemark Kanalcamping:
Phone: +47 915 75 421 or www.kanalcamping.no.
Boat rental
Norsjø Ferieland have boats for rent on request: Phone +47 359 58 430