Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

(FAQ)

Please find our most frequent questions answered here.

The new season for the canal ships starts on May 19th 2024.

Boat capacities

M/S Henrik Ibsen sails with maximum 99 passengers.
M/S Telemarken sails with maximum 96 passengers.
M/S Victoria sails with maximum 120 passengers.

Children

We have deignated prices for children on the canal boats. In 2024 these are the prices:

Children 0 - 3 years: Free. NB! It is necessary to book a ticket even though it is free.

Children 4 - 15 years: NOK 250,- per child regardless of the lenght of the trip.

NB! Please note that children in the age between 0 and 3 years travel for free on the canal boats, but it is necassary to book a ticket for them because they must be counted in as a passenger.

Vests for children are not mandatory on the canal boats. Should you wish for your children to wear vests you will have to bring your own vests. We strongly advise parents to keep children in sight at all time during travel.

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).

NB! Please note that children in the age between 0 and 3 years travel for free on the canal boats, but it is necassary to book a ticket for them because they must be counted in as a passenger.

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 on M/S Henrik Ibsen and M/S Victoria. 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, unless for small children.

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.booktelemark.no. If you book by phone or directly on-site you will be charged a fee of NOK 80,- 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.booktelemark.no

If you book by phone or directly on-site you will be charged a fee of NOK 80,- 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 on the canal boats

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).

Dogs on buses:

If you plan for a combined trip (boat & bus), the bus operators cannot guarantee that you can bring your dog because of allergies amongst your fellow passengers. 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).

The exception is the bus between Notodden/Akkerhaugen and Lunde, which means that you can join the daytrip Notodden/Akkerhaugen - Lunde with your dog. Ticket for the dog on the boat is NOK 300,- and must be purchased on board the boat.

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 May to beginning of September (see opening hours). 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 sails on 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. Smoking is prohibited while the boat is in a lock chamber.

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.

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, canoes, kayaks etc.

M/S Henrik Ibsen and M/S Victoria have capacity for canoes, kayaks, bicycles, carts and similar. M/S Telemarken has capacity for bicycles. Due to limited capacity we recommend you book in advance. Please book here.

BICYCLES AND CARTS

Please meet at least 30 minutes before departure. We kindly ask you to remove all luggage from the bicycle/cart before handing it to our staff. Maximum weight for bicycles is 25 kg (on M/S Telemarken 15 kg). Please note that we do not have the capacity to welcome tricycles and other large cycles. NB! The boat M/S Telemarken does not have room for carts.

EL-BIKES: It is prohibited to charge batteries on board due to the fire hazard. Please let batteries stay on electrical bikes during the trip, rather than removing them.

Please note that all equipment is transported at your own risk.

CANOE/KAYAK

Please meet at least 20 minutes before departure. We kindly ask you to remove all luggage from the canoe/kayak before handing it to our staff. You must be available to assist our staff in handling the canoe/kayak.