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Enquiries & Reservations
Before You Travel
Passports, border changes, health cover and the practical details of your booking, all in one place and kept up to date with the current rules for travel to Norway.
Booking With Us
All correspondence is sent to the person on the booking shown as the lead passenger. When you contact us we can usually confirm your Hurtigruten voyage immediately and advise current flight times, prices and any applicable supplements. For high season dates, when demand is greater, or if you book within eight weeks of departure, we may have to request your cabin, flight or hotel space, and it may take slightly longer to confirm your holiday, although generally no more than 48 hours.
We aim to email a confirmation invoice within 2 working days of receiving your booking and deposit; at busy times please allow up to 14 working days. One invoice and one set of documents are issued per booking, so if you are travelling with friends and would each like separate documents, please make two bookings and let us know at the time. Travel documents are generally emailed 7 to 14 days before departure. We are unable to accept provisional or conditional bookings.
Please take extra care to ensure all names are given to us correctly at the time of booking. We need the first name, family name and date of birth exactly as shown on each passport, together with a correspondence address and contact telephone number. It is essential that the names on your passport match those on your travel documents exactly.
The descriptions of Hurtigruten ships and hotels on this website have been compiled following inspection and checked for accuracy, but changes may occur after publication, and especially in low season some facilities may be withdrawn by the ship owners or hoteliers. These changes are beyond the control of Hurtigruten and Coastal Cruises, who reserve the right to change the particulars at any time before confirming your booking. We will inform you of any such change at the time of booking or, if you have already booked, before your departure if there is time.
A minimum number of participants is required for some holidays to take place. Should the minimum not be reached, we will advise you at least 8 weeks before departure, when we reserve the right to cancel the holiday and refund all monies paid to us. Alternatively you may choose another holiday with us; if the alternative costs more, the difference is payable by you.
Passports & Borders
The advice in this section applies to British Citizens. Anyone travelling on a non UK passport, or holding another form of British nationality, should check requirements with the embassy of the country of destination and with the Home Office for their return to the UK.
Norway follows the Schengen area passport rules. On the day you travel, your passport must have been issued less than 10 years before the date you enter (check the date of issue) and be valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave (check the expiry date). If you need to renew your passport, apply in good time; standard applications normally take around three weeks but can take longer at peak times.
British passport holders do not require a visa for Norway. Visa free visits to the Schengen area, which includes Norway, are limited to 90 days in any 180 day period, which comfortably covers any Hurtigruten holiday.
The EU's Entry/Exit System has been fully operational since 10 April 2026 and applies to Norway. Instead of having your passport stamped, you register a photograph and fingerprints at passport control on arrival and departure. There is no form to fill in and no fee; border officials guide you through the process. First time registration takes a few minutes, so allow a little extra time at the border, particularly at busy airports.
ETIAS is the EU's new travel authorisation for visa free visitors, similar to the American ESTA, and it will apply to British passport holders visiting Norway. It is due to start operating in the last quarter of 2026, with a transition period after launch before it becomes mandatory. The fee is expected to be 20 euros, with under 18s and over 70s exempt, and an authorisation will be valid for three years. It is not yet possible to apply, and any website currently offering ETIAS applications is a scam. When it launches, the only official route will be the EU's own ETIAS website, and we will keep our clients advised as the start date is confirmed.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office publishes travel advice for every destination, including entry requirements, security and local laws. Check www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice before you travel. Requirements can change, and it remains each traveller's responsibility to hold the correct documentation at the time of travel.
Health
No compulsory vaccinations are required for British Citizens visiting Norway. For current health guidance, see the NHS backed TravelHealthPro Norway page, and consult your doctor if in any doubt about health precautions.
UK nationals can use their UK passport to access free state provided medical treatment in Norwegian hospitals, and the UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC), or a still valid EHIC, can now also be used for medically necessary state healthcare in Norway. A GHIC is free to obtain from the NHS website. Neither your passport nor a GHIC is a substitute for travel insurance, which remains essential; it should cover everything from repatriation to any activities you plan to take part in, and you can arrange insurance online here.
Passengers with any known or suspected medical condition are required to notify us at the time of booking and, where relevant, to produce a medical certificate confirming fitness to travel. Hurtigruten reserves the right to require medical evidence of fitness to travel, to administer a health questionnaire before boarding, and to refuse boarding to any passenger displaying symptoms of a contagious or infectious illness.
Expectant mothers are welcome on board, but Hurtigruten recommends seeking medical advice before travelling at any stage of pregnancy. A medical certificate confirming fitness to travel is required if you will be between two and four weeks from your due date at the time of sailing. For the safety of mother and baby, Hurtigruten does not permit travel within two weeks of the due date.
On the Norwegian Coastal Voyage the ships are never far from land, and there is no doctor or pharmacy on board. If you need medical assistance, speak to the reception staff, who will contact a doctor at the nearest port; officers are trained in first aid and can provide emergency assistance. There is more practical detail on our life on board page.
If you are taking medication, ensure you have sufficient supplies for the duration of your holiday, and always carry medication in your hand luggage.
Your Holiday
The hotels we use are equivalent to a 3 or 4 star standard. As there is no official hotel rating system in Norway, the hotels have been graded by Hurtigruten to give a comparative guide to overall standard and facilities. Prices are based on standard rooms, all with private shower and WC except certain speciality accommodation such as the Snowhotel in Kirkenes. Note that tea and coffee making facilities are not usually provided in Scandinavian hotels, twin bedded rooms are more common than doubles, and single rooms can be smaller or less well located. Hotels may charge for certain facilities such as saunas.
All routes and excursions are provisional and subject to change; weather, sea and ice conditions may affect the itinerary. The safety of passengers, crew and vessels is always the prime consideration, and any adjustments are decided locally, if necessary in consultation with the appropriate authorities, by the Captain, whose decision is final. Excursions may be altered without prior notice and are subject to minimum and maximum numbers as well as conditions on the day.
The voyages and tours featured on this website are based on independent travel, although the ships and many of our featured hotels have staff who can advise on excursions and offer general assistance. Some holidays are part escorted: on theme sailings such as the Astronomy Voyage, specialist hosts accompany the programme, and local guides are provided on many of the add on packages.
If you have booked flights together with your Hurtigruten voyage, transfers are included in your holiday as shown and are usually accompanied. They may be operated by private coach, scheduled airport coach, train, minibus or taxi, and full details are sent with your travel documents.
Our website includes pictures and descriptions of wildlife that can be seen from the ships; please be aware that sightings can never be guaranteed.
If you have any special request not mentioned in the arrangements described on this website, such as dietary requirements or a need for special assistance, please tell us at the time of booking. Hurtigruten will always do its best to meet such requests but cannot guarantee to do so, and no such request can form part of the contractual agreement.
Accessibility
Hurtigruten is happy to welcome passengers who are not fully mobile on the coastal voyages. Each ship has a limited number of cabins equipped for disabled travellers; please ask our sales consultants for details and book early, as these cabins are in demand. Passengers who use a wheelchair must bring their own standard size, foldable wheelchair, but need not be accompanied by a travelling companion. Where a condition or reduced mobility requires personal care or supervision, this must be arranged by the passenger and at their own expense. Unless agreed otherwise in writing, passengers are limited to two items of mobility or medical equipment per cabin, which must be declared before sailing. In mainland Norwegian ports there is a ramp for embarkation and disembarkation.
Expedition style sailings, such as HX voyages where landings are made by small boats, require a certain level of agility and are generally not considered suitable for less able passengers, although crew are always in attendance to ensure safety. Not all excursions have been adapted for disabled passengers, so please check with us at the time of booking.
Our sales consultants will endeavour to book suitable rooms in any overnight accommodation before or after your voyage. It is essential that you advise us of all special requirements at the time of booking so that we can make the necessary arrangements and ensure a trouble free holiday.
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