Norwegian Coastal Voyage Round Trip

Ports visited today: Bergen

Welcome to Bergen, once a leading trading centre of the Hanseatic world in the north, and a fine town for walking. A free guide is available from the Tourist Office on Fisketorget. Bergen was the seat of royal power and North Atlantic trade for a time, before the capital moved to Oslo around 1300, and it grew into one of the largest towns in medieval Scandinavia. Hanseatic merchants established their trading office here in the mid-14th century and held a powerful grip on the city's commerce for centuries. While in Bergen you might visit the UNESCO-listed Bryggen wharf, Troldhaugen (the home of composer Edvard Grieg) and the fish market on the harbour.

Getting to your ship and embarkation. The ship sails from the terminal in Bergen. The terminal is usually staffed from 13:00 and open from 15:00 for baggage check-in, with embarkation from 16:00 and cabins available from around 18:00. Departure is at 20:00. You carry your own luggage aboard from the pier. If you arrive early, you are free to explore Bergen until embarkation; lockers are available in the terminal, for which you need local currency. An information meeting is usually held on the evening of departure and covers safety on board, and the tour leader assists with general information and the excursion program.

Ports today: Florø, Måløy, Torvik, Ålesund, Molde.

The ship continues north past islands and skerries to Ålesund, known for the Art Nouveau architecture of its Apotekergate and Kongensgate precinct, rebuilt in that style after the fire of 1904. There is a fine view from Mount Aksla, 418 steps up, and the Atlanterhavsparken, one of the largest saltwater aquariums in northern Europe, is worth a visit. In summer the route enters the UNESCO-listed Geirangerfjord, among steep peaks, green slopes and waterfalls. At other times of year it takes in the Hjørundfjord instead, a quieter fjord set among the Sunnmøre Alps. Molde, the "town of roses", offers a view of 222 peaks from the Molde Panorama.

Ports today: Kristiansund, Trondheim, Rørvik.

In the old royal city of Trondheim, take in the view from the Gamle Bybrua, the neo-gothic Old Town Bridge dating from 1861. Nidaros Cathedral, begun around 1070 and completed around 1300, is Norway's great medieval cathedral, and the Norwegian crown regalia are kept in the neighbouring Archbishop's Palace. Nearby stand the old Hanseatic warehouses on their wooden stilts, and Stiftsgården, one of the largest wooden buildings in Scandinavia and the royal residence when the family visits. Leaving Trondheim, the ship passes the Kjeungskjær lighthouse and countless islands and rocky outcrops before the narrow Stokksund and the arrival at Rørvik.

Ports today: Brønnøysund, Sandnessjøen, Nesna, Ørnes, Bodø, Stamsund, Svolvær.

This morning, between Nesna and Ørnes, a globe on a small islet marks your crossing of the Arctic Circle. In summer this brings 24-hour daylight, the Midnight Sun; in autumn and winter, the best chance of the Northern Lights. First-time crossers may receive an Arctic Circle baptism from Njord, an ice cube down the back, entirely optional and good fun to watch. Towards Bodø the ship follows the Helgeland coast and passes Torghatten, the mountain with a hole clean through it, around 160 metres long. In the afternoon it approaches the Lofoten Wall, the line of peaks above the small fishing villages of the Lofoten Islands, a fine place to step ashore and walk between the stockfish racks and the red rorbuer cabins.

Ports today: Stokmarknes, Sortland, Risøyhamn, Harstad, Finnsnes, Tromsø, Skjervøy.

Overnight the ship navigates the narrow Raftsund. After Harstad, on Hinnøya, the largest island in mainland Norway, you continue to Tromsø for a longer stop. Many Arctic expeditions began here, and Roald Amundsen drew crew and supplies from the town. Home to the Norwegian Polar Institute and the world's northernmost university, Tromsø has a lively cultural life. Its landmark Arctic Cathedral is well worth visiting, and the Fjellheisen cable car climbs to Storsteinen for the best views over the city, where you can try a beer from one of the world's northernmost breweries. North of Tromsø the ship enters the stretch of coast with the best chance of the Northern Lights between September and March, watched from the deck or the glass roof.

Ports today: Øksfjord, Hammerfest, Havøysund, Honningsvåg, Kjøllefjord, Mehamn, Berlevåg.

Through Magerøysund and after an early stop in Hammerfest, you reach Honningsvåg, the gateway to the North Cape, which rises over 300 metres from the sea. At 71°10′21″ north it sits roughly 2,100 kilometres from the geographical North Pole, and from the plateau you get the strange sense of standing at the edge of the world. The Gjesværstappan sanctuary nearby holds large seabird colonies, including puffins. In summer you may see reindeer and Sámi camps; in winter and spring, fishermen from Kjøllefjord sometimes come aboard to share their catch of cod and king crab. As you approach Kjøllefjord, you pass Finnkirka, a rock formation sacred to the Sámi people.

Ports today: Båtsfjord, Vardø, Vadsø, Kirkenes, Berlevåg.

You reach Vadsø early, in the Varanger region, one of the Arctic's best birdwatching areas, on the migration path between east and west. The final northbound port is Kirkenes, close to the Russian border and the Kola Peninsula, which is why many road signs are written in both Norwegian and Russian. A king crab safari is the signature experience here. Turning south, the ports you passed at night on the way up are now seen by day. In the afternoon the ship calls at Vardø, Norway's easternmost port, where in winter you may be invited to try ice bathing in the Arctic Ocean, before Berlevåg, a small working fishing village.

Ports today: Mehamn, Kjøllefjord, Honningsvåg, Havøysund, Hammerfest, Øksfjord, Skjervøy, Tromsø.

In the night the ship calls at Mehamn, a small fishing village that once had one of Finnmark's largest whaling stations. Next is Hammerfest, settled since the Stone Age and still an important fishing port. Granted town status in 1789 to develop trade with Russia, it became a base for High Arctic hunting expeditions. Visit the Meridian Column, erected in 1854 and now part of the UNESCO-listed Struve Geodetic Arc. As early as 1891, Hammerfest was among the first towns in northern Europe with electric street lighting, and energy remains part of its story, with the large LNG plant on Melkøya just outside town. Continuing south from Øksfjord and across open water, there is a quick stop at Skjervøy before the passage through Lyngenfjord, below the Lyngen Alps, and on to Tromsø again, this time at night, when a midnight concert in the Arctic Cathedral is worth catching.

Ports today: Tromsø, Finnsnes, Harstad, Risøyhamn, Sortland, Stokmarknes, Svolvær, Stamsund.

Today the ship passes through Risøyrenna, the dredged "inside route" between Harstad and Sortland. Sortland is the "blue town", painted in shades of blue on an idea by local artist Bjørn Elvenes. At Stokmarknes you pass the old MS Finnmarken, preserved as a monument, and can learn about the coast's history at the Hurtigruten Museum. Continuing south, the coast ahead looks like a solid wall until the ship slips into the narrow Raftsund between Vesterålen and Lofoten. Weather and time allowing, it makes a detour into the Trollfjord, where steep cliffs rise close on either side and sea eagles nest. The daylight passage through Lofoten is a highlight for many, past steep mountains and fishing villages, with Svolvær the main settlement and Stamsund in the shadow of the Lofoten Wall.

Ports today: Bodø, Ørnes, Nesna, Sandnessjøen, Brønnøysund, Rørvik.

The Helgeland coast, with its hundreds of islets, farmland and steep granite walls, is worth an early start. Today is your last north of the Arctic Circle, which you cross between Ørnes and Nesna. This stretch is rich in local lore, including the legend of the Seven Sisters, a row of peaks, and the story of the arrow that made the hole in Torghatten. Between Sandnessjøen and Brønnøysund you pass the Vega Archipelago, a UNESCO World Heritage Site recognised for the long relationship between people and eider ducks, whose nests are protected in return for their down. Brønnøysund is a pretty little town, good for a walk along Havnegata among the boats.

Ports today: Trondheim, Kristiansund, Molde, Ålesund.

Another chance to explore Trondheim, whose Nidaros Cathedral is one of Scandinavia's largest medieval buildings, and where Norwegian kings have been crowned. Kristiansund, near the Atlantic Road, holds the title of Norway's klippfisk (dried, salted cod) capital, a nod to its main historic export. Crossing to Molde, the "town of roses", named for the gardens its Gulf Stream climate supports, you can see the pointed peaks of the Romsdal Alps on the way out.

Ports today: Ålesund, Torvik, Måløy, Florø, Bergen.

As the voyage nears its end, the ship passes Ålesund, Torvik and Måløy overnight. In the morning, the final leg runs down a coast defined by some of Norway's great landscapes: the Nordfjord reaching inland below the vast Jostedalsbreen glacier, the long Sognefjord, and the islands of the Bergen archipelago, before you disembark in Bergen.