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Shore Excursions · Southbound
From breakfast at the top of Europe to the Atlantic Road. Every excursion available on the southbound voyage from Kirkenes to Bergen, with current prices and seasons.
Enrich Your Voyage
The southbound voyage shows you by daylight the ports you passed at night on the way north, and its excursion programme is every bit as rich. All excursions are pre bookable and only remaining places are sold on board, so booking ahead is strongly recommended. The final programme for your sailing is normally available and bookable 90 to 180 days before departure. The excursion number denotes the day of the voyage on which it operates, and members of Hurtigruten's free 1893 Ambassador loyalty programme receive 5% off all excursions.
Every excursion is graded by the level of fitness required. Easy involves limited physical activity, with most of the tour by vehicle. Moderate involves moderate activity on relatively level surfaces and gentle terrain. Active involves activity on uneven surfaces or steep terrain, where you may carry your own equipment. Challenging involves a high level of activity over an extended period on terrain that may be uneven, slippery and steep; not suitable for guests with limited mobility.
Day 8 Southbound
Honningsvåg to Hammerfest · Easy · Spring, Summer and Autumn · 6 hours · breakfast included · from £197
While most of your fellow passengers are still sleeping soundly, board a bus in Honningsvåg bound for the North Cape and large tracts of West Finnmark. Do not be put off by the early start: mornings at the North Cape are very special, a thousand feet above sunlight dancing across the horizon. At the very tip of the European continent, enjoy a hearty breakfast overlooking the Barents Sea and watch Ivo Caprino's impressive widescreen film about life at the North Cape through the seasons. Continuing on, make a short stop to visit a Sámi family and meet their reindeer, then return through the underwater tunnel to Honningsvåg and head south along the majestic Porsangerfjord to Hammerfest, where you rejoin the ship. An all encompassing excursion combining wildlife, culture, spectacular scenery and a visit to the top of Europe.
Hammerfest · Easy · All year · 1 hour 45 minutes · from £100
Hammerfest is the northernmost town in the world and, together with Vardø, the oldest town in northern Norway, established in 1789. From the Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society, the bus takes you to the Meridian Column, a UNESCO World Heritage Site symbolising the first official measurement of the exact size and shape of the earth, with a spectacular view over Melkøya and the Snøhvit gas field. Hammerfest's energy history goes back to 1891, when it became the first town in northern Europe with electric street lighting from water power, and today it hosts Europe's first liquid natural gas plant. On the way up the town mountain, Salen, with its great view over the whole town, you hear about Hammerfest's hunting, fishing and Pomor trading past, its wartime destruction in 1944 and its Sámi history, before driving past the church with its rare architecture inspired by fish drying racks.
Tromsø · Easy · All year · 1 hour 15 minutes · from £50
End your day in Tromsø with a late night concert in the city's beautiful neo Gothic wooden cathedral. As delicate candlelight burns, the church fills with the most beautiful Norwegian folk music and songs, alongside classical and sacred selections. A moving and perfect end to the day, and easily added to your other adventures in and around Tromsø.
Mehamn to Kjøllefjord · Active · Winter and Spring · 2 hours 15 minutes · from £335 · valid driving licence required
Join an exciting polar night safari by snowmobile from Mehamn towards Kjøllefjord, hunting for the Northern Lights in the polar night sky, with several stops along the way to admire this Arctic phenomenon. Before setting off through the white desert, the guides give you thorough snowmobiling instruction, and en route you stop at a real Sámi lavvo for hot drinks by the campfire. The remainder of the journey down to Kjøllefjord is made by bus while the guide tells you about life on the coast.
Hammerfest · Challenging · All year · 1 hour 30 minutes · from £92
Take a hike in the areas surrounding the northernmost town in the world, walking along the old road in Hammerfest that dates back to 1898 to the summit of Mount Salen. On a clear day you can enjoy breathtaking views of the Barents Sea and the beautiful islands of Melkøya, Sørøya and Seiland.
Day 9 Southbound
Harstad to Sortland · Easy · All year · 4 hours 15 minutes · from £125
Harstad to Sortland is one of Hurtigruten's classic excursions, combining Viking history, breathtaking scenery and wonderful sights. The trip begins with a little sightseeing through Harstad and a stop at a viewpoint, before reaching the white medieval church of Trondenes, a premier cultural heritage site housing several art treasures, where short ecumenical services are sometimes held for passengers. Next door, the Trondenes Historical Centre offers an in depth exhibit complete with sounds, scents and objects capturing the region's dramatic span from the Viking Age to the present. The bus then crosses the island of Hinnøya, with views of beautiful fjords, steep mountains and fertile farms, and the Gullesfjord by ferry, with coffee, tea and freshly baked cakes, before you rejoin the ship at Sortland, the centre of the Vesterålen islands.
Svolvær to Stamsund · Easy · Spring and Summer · 3 hours 30 minutes · from £117
Throughout history the Lofoten Islands have been the home and workplace of generations of fishermen, and many people associate them with precipitous, fabled mountains and picturesque fishing villages. But Lofoten is much more: quiet bays, white sandy beaches, sheltered fjords and surprisingly green farmland. Starting in Svolvær, the capital of Lofoten, you head to the well known fishing village of Henningsvær. It is said the light in Lofoten is unlike anywhere else on earth, which is why artists from Norway and abroad have always come here, and in Henningsvær you visit a gallery showcasing Norwegian artists' interpretations of the archipelago's beauty.
Stokmarknes to Svolvær · Moderate · Spring, Summer and Autumn · 2 hours · from £159
Just north of the Trollfjord is the sea eagle's realm, and tender boats take you to see the king of birds close up, sailing into the narrow Trollfjord itself. The safari starts with the gulls, swooping in like screeching white fighter aircraft for fish right from your hands, before the aloof, sharp eyed eagles become curious. You pass through a narrow sound beneath steep mountains where the sea eagles dwell, and soon they come to share the banquet, circling the boat with wings outstretched before diving towards the sea. It is all so close, so wild and so fantastic that some passengers forget to take pictures. If you are lucky you may observe five or six majestic birds within the hour before setting course for Svolvær.
Svolvær · Active · Summer and Autumn · 1 hour 30 minutes · from £150
Join a speed filled excursion by rigid inflatable boat into the fantastic Lofoten archipelago. Experienced skippers take you to a lagoon with white sandy beaches, surrounded by small islands and skerries that protect it from the mighty ocean outside, with a good chance of seeing sea eagles up close. After a short photo stop you continue to the fishing village of Skrova, known for exporting salmon all over the world, where you stop for a snack. The statue of the Fisherman's Wife greets you on your return to the harbour in Svolvær.
Svolvær to Stamsund · Autumn and Winter · 3 hours 30 minutes · from £167 · call for booking code
Step back in time and experience life in the Viking Age at the Lofotr Viking Museum at Borg, where the largest Viking building ever found has been recreated in full size. Enjoy an authentic Viking meal in the Chieftain's banquet hall and watch your hosts perform traditional rituals, before rejoining the ship at Stamsund.
Day 10 Southbound
Sandnessjøen to Brønnøysund · Moderate · Summer and Autumn · 5 hours · from £310
The Vega Archipelago was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List largely for the unique interaction between the eider ducks and the islanders, who have protected the nesting birds for centuries in return for their precious down. Your tour around these islands gives an insight into life in the small villages on the way to the fishing village of Nes on the main island of Vega, where you visit the E house, a museum and documentation centre for the eider ducks, along with a café and World Heritage exhibit set in beautifully kept architectural surroundings. Afterwards you return to Brønnøysund to board your ship.
Brønnøysund · Moderate · All year · 2 hours 30 minutes · from £117
Norway is one of the world's major exporters of fish and seafood, its fertile coast of cool, clear water offering optimum conditions for sustainable aquaculture. After a short bus tour of Brønnøysund you cross the magnificent Brønnøysund Bridge and continue to Toft and the Norwegian Aquaculture Centre, where you can meet the salmon, see what they eat and how they live, take part in the feeding, try an underwater camera, taste the salmon and put your questions to the resident guides.
Brønnøysund · Summer and Autumn · 2 hours · from £125 · call for booking code
Hike to the legendary hole through Torghatten Mountain, which local lore says was made by an arrow from Hestmannen's bow, and admire sweeping views of the Helgeland coast with its hundreds of islets and skerries along the way.
Brønnøysund · Spring and Summer · 2 hours 30 minutes · from £150 · call for booking code
Ride a rigid inflatable boat around Torghatten Mountain and photograph its famous hole from the open sea, taking in the myths and scenery of the Helgeland coast from water level.
Day 11 Southbound
Trondheim · Easy · All year · 2 hours · from £92
Trondheim is a large city by Norwegian standards, yet it has preserved the charm and intimacy of a small town, with modern buildings standing side by side with monastery ruins, impressive wooden buildings and colourful wharves. Hear about the city's many features as the bus takes you through its streets and boroughs, with a short stop at Utsikten, The View, to admire the city from on high, followed by a guided tour of the impressive Gothic Nidaros Cathedral, built over the burial place of St Olav, Norway's patron saint, and dating back to around 1070. Many describe it as the most beautiful religious building in Norway.
Kristiansund to Molde · Easy · Spring, Summer and Autumn · 4 hours 30 minutes · from £150
The Atlantic Road is one of Norway's most visited attractions and winner of the Engineering Feat of the Century award in 2005, its 8.2km carried on eight bridges through picturesque surroundings. Start with a short sightseeing tour of Kristiansund before continuing to Averøy and the beautiful Kvernes Stave Church, then to the Bjartmars Favorittkro tavern for the house speciality, bacalao, Kristiansund's famous cured cod dish. Finish along the Atlantic Road itself with a short sightseeing tour of Molde, where you rejoin the ship.
Kristiansund to Molde · Moderate · Spring, Autumn and Winter · 4 hours 30 minutes · from £159
Journey deep into the marble caves near Molde on an unforgettable boat trip across an illuminated, crystal clear underground lake. Enjoy a tasty soup made from local ingredients in the cave restaurant while watching a film about the mine's workings, and finish with a short sightseeing visit to the coastal town of Molde.
The Small Print
Sailing north first? See the Northbound Shore Excursions. To book any excursion, call 0333 405 0194 or add them when booking your Coastal Express voyage.
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