The Origins
A fast route for a perilous coast
It all started with the rich fishing grounds along the Norwegian coast. This vital seaway was lined with perilous reefs, small islands and narrow inlets, maritime maps were unreliable, and there were only a few lighthouses north of Trondheim. A safe trade route linking the southern and northern regions of Norway was essential.
When the Norwegian government decided to create a connection between north and south, Captain Richard With and his friend Anders Holthe took on the challenge of thoroughly mapping the seas along the coastline. In 1893 With's steamer, DS Vesteraalen, entered regular service along the coast of Norway, and Hurtigruten was born. He called this important connection the hurtigruten, the fast route.
The service offered departures first from Trondheim to Hammerfest, and later covered Bergen to Kirkenes in only seven days. Today, as then, the ships carry freight, local passengers and travellers, and remain a part of Norwegian coastal life, with a ship leaving Bergen several days each week most of the year and sailing to Kirkenes and back in 12 days.
Year by Year
Timeline of the world's most beautiful voyage
1893
On 2 July the first Hurtigruten steamship, DS Vesteraalen, departs Trondheim for Hammerfest, visiting 11 harbours. Mail that previously took weeks or months to reach the far north now arrives in days.
1898
The route expands southward to include Bergen, with three weekly departures.
1908
Kirkenes, near the Russian border, becomes the northern turning point of the coastal voyage, completing the route the ships still sail today.
1925
The first ship to feature running water in all cabins joins the Hurtigruten fleet.
1936
Daily departures from Bergen begin. More than 230,000 passengers a year sail between Bergen and Kirkenes on board the fleet of 14 ships.
1937
Hurtigruten equips all ships with sonar, an electronic logbook and radio tracking transmitters.
1939 to 1945
The war years take a terrible toll. Half the Hurtigruten fleet is lost, and 700 people lose their lives on board during the Second World War.
1945
The rebuilding of Hurtigruten is made a high priority. New ships are built and the route is back on track.
1952
Seven new ships are added in three years, and the entire rebuilt fleet now features modern diesel engines. Hurtigruten holds a unique position in Norwegian communications, carrying 500,000 passengers annually.
1982
The first ships with a side hatch for easy cargo handling join the fleet, as the new MS Vesterålen, MS Midnatsol and MS Narvik replace older vessels.
1993
Hurtigruten's centenary year, and a new era begins with the launch of the modern MS Kong Harald. The modernisation programme will see 9 of the 11 ships replaced by the end of 2003, the biggest renewal in Hurtigruten's history.
2001
On 30 May the Norwegian government lists MS Lofoten as a national historical monument.
2002
Two new ships, MS Trollfjord and MS Finnmarken, are launched.
2003
The new MS Midnatsol is christened in Hamburg, the first Hurtigruten ship ever to be inaugurated outside Norway. The same year, MS Nordnorge sails the southern waters around Argentina, Chile and Antarctica for the first time in winter.
2005
Hurtigruten's traditional ships, MS Nordstjernen and MS Lofoten, begin sailing nostalgic winter routes in Norway alongside the modern fleet.
2006
MS Nordstjernen turns 50. The historic OVDS and TFDS shipping companies merge to form Hurtigruten ASA, and from mid March MS Finnmarken is the first ship to carry the new company funnel livery: red with a white letter H.
2007
In May the new expedition ship MS Fram, at the time the most modern vessel of its kind, enters service, and Hurtigruten debuts a new route to Greenland.
2010
MS Fram adds Spitsbergen to the expedition portfolio, now sailing polar waters in Greenland, Antarctica and Svalbard.
2011
Norway falls in love with its coastal ships all over again as national broadcaster NRK transmits Hurtigruten Minutt for Minutt, 134 hours of continuous live television from MS Nordnorge's full voyage from Bergen to Kirkenes. Around half of Norway's population tunes in, and slow TV is born.
2013
Hurtigruten celebrates 120 years of service along the Norwegian coast.
2021
After 57 years on the route, the much loved MS Lofoten leaves the fleet to begin a new life as a training ship. The same year, the transformed Hurtigruten Museum opens at Stokmarknes, the company's birthplace, with the preserved 1956 MS Finnmarken displayed complete inside its striking glass hall.
2023
Hurtigruten marks its 130th anniversary and revives two historic routes as premium seasonal voyages: the Svalbard Express, sailing from Bergen to Spitsbergen in summer, and the North Cape Express from Oslo in winter, forerunners of today's Signature voyages.
2024
The group separates into two independent companies: Hurtigruten, operating the Coastal Express and Signature voyages in Norway, and HX, continuing the expedition sailings to destinations including Greenland and Antarctica.
Towards 2030
Development continues on Sea Zero, Hurtigruten's project to bring a zero emission ship to the coastal route around 2030, aiming to make the world's most beautiful voyage one of its most sustainable.
Hurtigruten Today
Still the lifeline of the coast
More than 130 years after Richard With's first sailing, the ships still carry cargo, mail and local passengers alongside travellers, calling at 34 ports between Bergen and Kirkenes. The Coastal Express round voyage follows the classic route in 12 days, while the full range of voyages covers everything from one way sailings to the all inclusive Signature line. If the history has whetted your appetite, the Hurtigruten Museum at Stokmarknes is a stop on the route itself, with free entry for Hurtigruten passengers.
