Hurtigruten : 9D8N Tromsø and the Arctic Circle (Northbound)

Welcome to Norway! First stop: Norway’s thriving capital, Oslo. After making your way from the airport to your hotel, located in the heart of the city, the rest of the day or evening is free to spend at your leisure. Featuring forested hills, lakes, and plenty of world-class restaurants and museums, you won’t be short of things to do in Norway’s fjord-side capital.

After enjoying breakfast in your hotel, you can explore Norway’s capital at your own pace and discover its main attractions. Art lovers won’t want to miss Vigeland Sculpture Park, located at the centre of splendid Frogner Park. There, you’ll find more than 200 visually striking sculptures in bronze, granite, and cast iron by prolific Norwegian artist Gustav Vigeland.

Kristiansand is Norway’s fifth-largest city. We aim to be at port from mid-morning to early evening, giving you plenty of time to explore. As you walk around Kristiansand, you might notice that the city is built on a uniform grid plan, with several straight roads running from the harbor all the way through the city. These roads are lined with architecture from different eras – evidence of the extensive rebuilding the city underwent after major fires in the 18th and 19th centuries and an attack during World War II.

As we sail past the southern tip of Norway, we’ll begin heading north along the west coast. Just past Stavanger, we’ll reach Haugesund, the ‘Home of the Viking Kings’. After a short stay in Haugesund, you’ll rejoin the ship for a short scenic cruise into Hardangerfjord, one of Norway’s finest waterways. At 179 kilometres in length, it is the second-longest fjord in the country, and fifth longest in the world.

After a hearty breakfast on the ship, we’ll dock mid-morning at a town that spreads out across a string of islands. With a few hours to explore, you’ll have plenty of time to see all that Ålesund has to offer. You can also visit the Atlantic Sea Park, Norway’s first marine science centre. This is one of northern Europe’s largest saltwater aquariums, providing a home to seals, otters, and crabs, as well as many other kinds of marine life. You can even see Humboldt Penguins here, a species otherwise absent north of the equator.

Surrounded by islands and water, Brønnøysund sits on a narrow peninsula that juts out of the mainland. Around 5,000 people live in this small town, many in colourful houses against a backdrop of gentle slopes and dramatic mountain peaks. Enjoy the bustling atmosphere of the harbour and take a walk along Havnegata. Drop into one of the pubs for a snack, or treat yourself to a meal in a local restaurant. Wander the visitors’ marina, or visit an 1870 Neo-Gothic stone church.

Today, we explore Lofoten, a striking group of islands that rise out of the Norwegian Sea. As soon as you see the towering peaks around you with fishing villages clinging to their sides, you’ll understand why this island chain is so often praised as one of Norway’s most stunning locations. We’ll dock in the town of Svolvær mid-morning. Located on the island of Austvågøya in the heart of Lofoten, Svolvær is the biggest town of the archipelago, humming with shops, restaurants, galleries, and cafés to enjoy. You can also admire views of the Svolvær Goat, a nearby mountain named for resembling a goat and its horns.

This morning, you’ll arrive at the Arctic Capital itself, sitting around 217 miles/350 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle.  You’ll bid farewell to MS Trollfjord, and a transfer will take you to your hotel in the centre of Tromsø, where you’ll spend the final night of your journey. You can spend the rest of the day at your leisure, strolling around a historic Arctic city that is rich in explorer history. On the waterfront you’ll find Polaria, the world’s northernmost aquarium, while on the other side of the fjord from the harbour is the iconic Arctic Cathedral, with its beautiful stained-glass mosaic.