12 day Round Voyage

Cruise Itinerary

Your journey begins in Bergen, a harbour town established by the Viking King Olav more than nine hundred years ago. It quickly became the centre of Norway's vibrant commercial trade, especially in dried cod, with northern Europe and the British Isles.

By the late Middle Ages, the Hanseatic League had set up a trading post on the Bryggen waterfront. Some of those buildings with seaward-facing gables along the wharf date back to the fourteenth century!

From Bergen, the cultural gateway to the fjords, your Norway cruise begins sailing north towards Kirkenes, an arctic outpost near the Russian border, stopping at 34 picturesque ports along the way. The ship then turns around and sails south back towards Bergen, calling at the same ports, and those visited during the day on the northbound voyage are visited during the night on the southbound voyage. This spectacular roundtrip voyage is a compelling choice.

Travellers with less time can choose to experience this Norway cruise itinerary as part of a one-way voyage: the 7 day northbound journey from Bergen to Kirkenes, or the 6 day southbound return from Kirkenes to Bergen.

Regardless of your trip's length you are guaranteed days filled with majestic scenery, spectacular Norwegian fjords, snow-capped mountains and an astonishing variety of flora and fauna. Make sure to pack your camera and binoculars for "the World's Most Beautiful Voyage."

Day 1 Bergen

Bergen is the bustling capital of Norway's fjord district. If you arrive a few hours before departure, stroll around the old wooden buildings in the Bryggen Wharf, remnants of its Hanseatic past.

In travel's early days, it was easier to get from Bergen to the Continent by sea than it was to get to Oslo-a fact apparent in this city's architecture and culture. You board the Norwegian Coastal Voyage this evening.

Excursions: None

Day 2 Maloy-Torvik-Alesund-Molde-Kristiansund

During the morning, the ship crosses the open Stadthavet and heads for Torvik. En route, the ship calls at the beautiful Art Nouveau town of Alesund.

Between 15 April and 14 September, all ships call at Geiranger in the Geirangerfjord, a UNESCO World Heritage site, to see the beautiful Brudesloret, Friaren, and the Seven Sisters waterfalls.

After a call at Molde; a magnificent view of the Romsdal Alps made it a favorite vacation spot of Henrik Ibsen, the ship navigates the Hustadvika, a belt of islets and skerries, before docking at Kristiansund.

 Optional shore excursions: Geiranger Panorama 1, Geiranger Panorama 2, Art Nouveau Tour, Ålesund

Day 3 Trondheim-Rorvik

The ship arrives early at the medieval city of Trondheim, where you have time to explore Norway's first capital.

Did you know that the first Viking sale of goods from "the new found land" took place here around 1000 AD? Timber from Leiv Eriksson's Vinland estate was sold to a Bremen merchant.

Walk the charming streets, sit by the peaceful harbour, or cross the old city bridge to see the restored wooden buildings in Bakklandet and the great gothic cathedral of Nidaros, where the new kings of old Norway once received their official blessing.

From Trondheim, the ship cruises on to Rorvik, where southbound and northbound coastal ships meet. 

Optional shore excursions: Nidaros Cathedral & Ringve, Trondheim & Nidaros Cathedral, Sverresborg - Trøndelag Folk Museum

Day 4 Ornes-Bodø-Stamsund-Svolvaer

Torghatten ved Brønnøysund

Cross the Arctic Circle. On your portside the globe on the island of Vikingen serves as a marker.

At the modern town of Bodø you can join a Saltstraumen Safari and witness the site of the world's strongest maelstrom. 

After Bodø, the ship heads out to open sea towards the Lofoten Islands with their picturesque fishermen's cabins on stilts and weathered wooden racks with drying cod. In the evening, the ship navigates the narrow Raftsund Strait, passing the looming crags of the Trollfjord.

Optional shore excursion.

Day 5 Harstad-Finnsnes-Tromsø-Skjervoy

Early morning you will pass the medieval Trondenes church before calling at Harstad for breakfast. Afterwards the ship cruises across the Vagsfjord, passed the great island of Senja with its diverse countryside of farmland, pine trees, and plunging peaks.

Later the ship calls into Tromsø, the "Paris of the North". Modern shops and cafes provide a vibrant contrast to the stunning stained glass of the Arctic Cathedral, whilst the Polar Museum and Polaria centre explore Arctic life over the centuries.  In the 19th century, Russian, British, Dutch, and German ships called here before heading off on Arctic expeditions or to hunt whales, walrus and seals.

Optional shore excursions.

Days 6-7 Hammerfest-Havoysund- Honningsvag-Kjollefjord-Mehamn- Berlevag-Kirkenes

Finnmark's landscape is austere in its beauty, teeming with wildlife. Watch for rookeries of puffins and gannets along the cliffs, and pods of orca hunting for herring during the season.

After calling at Honningsvåg, the capital of the North Cape, the ship heads east towards the picturesque fishing villages of Kjøllefjord, Mehamn and Berlevåg.

On the seventh day you arrive at Kirkenes, a few kilometres from the Russian border and the Sami communities of Northern Finland. Here you bid farewell to our northbound passengers and welcome those joinging the southbound voyage.

As you turn south the northbound ports visited by night can now be seen by day.

Optional shore excursions available for both days.

Day 7 Kirkenes-Vardo-Batsfjord-Berlevag

After a few hours docked at Kirkenes, the ship will depart on the southbound half of her Norway cruise, calling during the day at ports passed at night on the trip northward.

Crossing Varangerfjord, Norway's only east-facing fjord and a fabled bird-watching site, you will arrive in Vardo, the easternmost point of the country. Next the ship will round the Varanger peninsula, where archaeologists excavated a site believed to date from 9,000 BC.

In the evening, the ship calls at Batsfjord, which also boasts the remains of a Stone Age settlement, and Berlevag. Look out for the Tanahorn mountain, once a Sami sacrificial site.

Day 8 Honningsvag-Havoysund- Hammerfest-Oksfjord-Skjervoy-Tromso

The ship arrives at Honningsvag in the early morning, stopping for 1 1/2 hours in Hammerfest, the world's most northerly town, having also called at Havoysund. Hammerfest, despite its remote location, was the first Norwegian town to have electric street lighting and its own power station.

Heading south to Øksfjord, where glaciers carve directly into the sea, and after crossing open water, the ship calls at the old trading post of Skjervøy. You will dock in Tromsø just in time to savour its nightlife.

Optional shore excursions available.

Day 9 Harstad-Risoyhamn-Sortland- Stokmarknes-Svolvaer-Stamsund

The Lofoten and Vesteralen Islands have some of the most stunning scenery on this journey. Before your arrival, you will see the captain skillfully manoeuvre the ship through the shallow waters of the Risoyrenna Channel, where sand banks are visible through the green water on both sides of the channel.

The ship will negotiate the narrow Raftsund Strait leading into the breathtaking Trollfjord, before arriving in Svolvær and Stamsund. Later, the ship heads east across Vestfjord toward Bodø.

Optional shore excursions.

Day 10 Ornes-Nesna-Sandnessjoen- Bronnoysund-Rorvik

From Ørnes, you will travel through crystal waters, filled with spawning cod from January to April, and pass lush agricultural fields. Nearly every towering peak you see is associated with a local legend.

Crossing the Arctic Circle once again, you will pass the idyllic island of Sandnessjøen. On the approach to Brønnøysund, which you reach this afternoon, are the mythical Seven Sisters Mountains.

Make sure you are on deck when the ship leaves Brønnøysund, and you will be impressed by the captain's steady hand! The last port of call will be Rørvik where there is a chance to enjoy the award-winning maritime museum.

Day 11 Trondheim-Kristiansund-Molde

An early arrival in Trondheim gives you time to visit Norway's largest medieval church, Nidaros Cathedral, and the Archbishop's residence.

You will then sail out through the beautiful Trondheimsfjord, past Hitra, island of deer, and lonely Grip. Towards the end of the day the ship calls at Molde before arriving in Ålesund late in the evening, in time for a stroll on shore.

Optional shore excursion.

Day 12: Torvik-Maloy-Floro-Bergen

During the night the ship will call at Torvik, Måløy and Florø as this spectacular Norwegian cruise draws to a close.

Yet still ahead are miles of breathtaking West Norway scenery: holly trees on Svanøy, the mouth of Sognefjord, and the beautiful archipelago on the approach to Bergen.

Our arrival in Bergen see's the end of this magnificient journey.

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Our main 2009/10 brochure features our authentic voyages along the Norwegian Coast and Expedition Voyages to Antarctica, Greenland and Spitsbergen. Our 2009/10 Northern Lights brochure features a range of Northern Lights Cruises and Winter Adventures to Norwegian Lapland.

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