Norway by Fjord, Island and Arctic Light

The Coastline

One of the great natural wonders of the world

Norway's fjords topped National Geographic Traveler magazine's Destinations Rated survey in 2004 and again in 2009, judged against more than a hundred of the world's most iconic places for their unspoilt beauty and the care taken of them. In 2005, Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The remarkable thing about a Hurtigruten voyage is that this celebrated scenery is not a highlight of the trip. It is the whole trip, unbroken, from the first morning to the last.

Local People

The coast is a working community

Travelling on Hurtigruten is the natural way to meet those who live and work along the coast. Many communities still depend on agriculture and fishing, as they have for centuries, though tourism and the coastal voyage itself are now vital to local economies. In cities such as Bergen and Tromsø and towns like Svolvær, traditional wooden houses and churches stand alongside modern hotels. In smaller ports like Brønnøysund and Skjervøy, quaint little houses huddle amid imposing landscapes. At every quay, travellers share the anticipation of arrival alongside people whose livelihoods depend on the ship.

The Sami people are the indigenous inhabitants of northern Norway, and many still follow their traditional ways, including reindeer herding on the northern plateaus. Their language belongs to the same family as Finnish, Estonian and Hungarian, quite separate from Norwegian. Several shore excursions in the north offer the chance to learn about Sami culture firsthand.

Coastal Heritage

A thousand years of history along one route

The Hurtigruten experience is an intimate encounter with history and culture. In the lighthouses and jagged skerries, and in the architecture and museums along the coast, passengers can read a colourful narrative sweeping from the Norse gods and the Viking age through the Hanseatic trade of Bergen to the Second World War and the modern oil era. Trondheim's Nidaros Cathedral, Norway's great Gothic landmark, and the UNESCO listed wharves of Bryggen in Bergen are just two chapters of the story told along the route.

Every season rewrites the coast. Higher latitudes bring brief, intense explosions of colour and radical swings in daylight, from round the clock sun in high summer to the long blue twilight of winter, when the Northern Lights take over the sky. Our climate and seasons page explains what each time of year brings.

Plan Your Voyage

Where to go from here

• Norway Classic Voyages for the full range of Coastal Express sailings
• Northern Lights Voyages for winter departures under the aurora
• Ports of Call for every stop between Bergen and Kirkenes
• Northbound and Southbound Shore Excursions
• Climate and Seasons for what to expect month by month
• Map of Norway showing the coastal route (PDF)

For the latest travel advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, including security and local laws plus passport and visa information, check www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice.