Arctic Norway Frontier South: Svalbard, the Fjords and Oslo
Two nights in Longyearbyen with a glacier cruise, the all-inclusive Svalbard Line from Svalbard to Bergen, then Norway in a Nutshell by train and fjord boat to Oslo. Summer 2027, from £4,255 per person.
From 78 degrees north to the Norwegian capital, by ship and rail
Duration13 days, 12 nights
RouteLongyearbyen, Bergen, Flåm and Oslo
ShipMS Trollfjord or MS Midnatsol
SeasonJune to September 2027
From£4,255 pp
Few holidays cover as much of Norway as this one, or show it in such sharp contrasts. Arctic Norway Frontier South begins in Svalbard, among glaciers and abandoned mining towns, sails the length of the country on a Signature ship, and finishes with one of the best loved rail journeys in Europe, through the fjords and over the mountains to Oslo. Along the way you will have stood on the tundra at Ny-Ålesund, walked the quays of Lofoten, and taken the Flåm Railway down to the shore of a UNESCO listed fjord.
It is a self-guided package, which means the hotels, transfers, rail tickets and key excursions are all arranged, but there is no tour leader shepherding a group. You have plenty of free time, and the logistics, which on a trip like this are not trivial, are taken care of. The sea voyage at its heart is the Svalbard Line South, so you share the ship with guests who are sailing the voyage on its own.
£4,255per person, from
9 departures from Longyearbyen, 5 June to 11 September 2027 · UK flights from London available
The Journey
How the thirteen days are put together
The trip has three distinct stages. It opens with two nights at Funken Lodge in Longyearbyen, with a six and a half hour wildlife and glacier cruise on a silent hybrid electric catamaran, an evening at the Camp Barentz wilderness camp and two dinners in town. On day three you transfer to the ship.
The middle stage is seven nights aboard MS Trollfjord or MS Midnatsol, whichever is sailing your date, from Longyearbyen to Ny-Ålesund and then south along the coast to Bergen. This part is all-inclusive, with all meals and unlimited selected drinks on board, and the Expedition Team's programme of talks and guiding.
The final stage is on land. After a night in central Bergen you follow the Norway in a Nutshell route by train to Voss, bus to Gudvangen and electric boat along the Nærøyfjord to Flåm, where you stay the night. The next day the Flåm Railway climbs to Myrdal and you change onto the Bergen Line for the long run across the mountains to Oslo, where the tour ends after a final night and breakfast. Hotels throughout are four star, and breakfast is included every day on land.
This is not a trip for wheelchair users or guests with significantly limited mobility. If you can manage short walks and a few stairs, you should be able to join most of the activities.
Day by Day
Longyearbyen to Oslo, day by day
Included activities are described in each day. Optional excursions during the voyage are listed separately and cost extra; we can book them with your package or you can arrange them with the Expedition Team on board.
Day 1
Arrival in Longyearbyen
Today · Longyearbyen
You are met at Svalbard Airport and taken to your hotel, Funken Lodge, where you stay for the next two nights. On 2027 departures dinner is served at the hotel this first evening.
Longyearbyen sits at 78 degrees north, about as close to the North Pole as you can get on a scheduled flight. It grew up around coal: John Munro Longyear's Arctic Coal Company opened the first mine in 1906, and the Norwegian company Store Norske took over in 1916. The last Norwegian mine in the archipelago, Mine 7, closed in May 2026, and the town now lives on research, education and tourism. In summer the sun never sets here, from around 20 April until late August, so do not be surprised if you find yourself walking around town at midnight in broad daylight.
Day 2 · A glacier cruise past Pyramiden and an evening at Camp Barentz
Today · Longyearbyen, Billefjorden
The included highlight of your time in Svalbard is a six and a half hour cruise aboard MS Bard, a hybrid electric catamaran that can run almost silently, which makes a real difference when you are approaching wildlife or sitting beneath a glacier front. The boat sails north into Billefjorden, an arm of Isfjorden, to the Nordenskiöld Glacier at its head, where the ice meets the sea in a wall of blue and white.
Nearby is Pyramiden, named for the pyramid shaped mountain above it. Sweden founded the settlement in 1910 and sold it to the Soviet Union in 1927, and for decades it was a model Soviet mining town, with a cultural centre, a swimming pool and what is said to be the northernmost statue of Lenin in the world. Mining ended in 1998 and almost everyone left, so the buildings stand much as they were abandoned, kept company by a handful of summer caretakers and the seabirds that nest on the window ledges.
In the evening a short bus ride through Adventdalen brings you to Camp Barentz, named after the Dutch navigator Willem Barentsz, whose expedition sighted Spitsbergen in 1596. Your guide, who carries polar bear protection, welcomes you into a firelit cabin for drinks, bidos, the traditional reindeer stew, coffee and dessert, and stories of Arctic life. Keep an eye out on the drive for Svalbard reindeer, ptarmigan and Arctic foxes.
Day 3 · Embarking on the Svalbard Line
Today · Longyearbyen
The morning is free. If you have not yet been, the Svalbard Museum is a good use of it, with clear displays on the trappers, miners and scientists who shaped the archipelago. A short way out of town, the entrance to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault juts from the mountainside; it opened in 2008 to store duplicate seed samples from gene banks around the world, and although you cannot go inside, the sight of it is striking. In the afternoon you are transferred to the ship, and in the evening it sails out along Isfjorden and turns north.
Day 4
Ny-Ålesund, science on the Arctic frontier
Ports today · Ny-Ålesund
Ny-Ålesund is a research settlement, and it is run like one. Scientists from a cluster of countries live here in summer, studying the Arctic atmosphere, ice and ecosystems, and the rules are designed around their work. The most noticeable for visitors is radio silence: the whole area is protected from mobile signals and WiFi so as not to disturb the instruments, so your phone goes off as you step ashore.
The settlement began as a coal town, opened by the Kings Bay company in 1916. Mining was abandoned after an explosion in 1962 killed 21 men, an event that triggered a political crisis and the fall of the Norwegian government in 1963. Long before then, Ny-Ålesund had already earned its place in polar history as the base for attempts to fly to the North Pole: the airship Norge, carrying Roald Amundsen, Lincoln Ellsworth and Umberto Nobile, left from the mast that still stands here in 1926 and flew across the Pole to Alaska. There is a bust of Amundsen in the settlement, a small museum, a shop and a post office.
The ship's passage in and out of Kongsfjorden is as rewarding as the visit itself, with glaciers calving into the fjord, and walrus, seabirds and occasionally beluga whales in the water. Polar bears are sometimes seen along this coast, though never to order.
Day 5 · At sea, leaving Svalbard
Ports today · Barents Sea
A full day at sea crossing the Barents Sea to the mainland. The Expedition Team give talks on the Arctic and the coast ahead, the restaurants serve dishes from Norway's coastal kitchen, and the bar and lounge come into their own. It is an easy, unhurried day, and after two busy days in Svalbard most people are glad of it. Watch from the deck for whales, and for the fulmars that follow the ship for hours.
Day 6 · Senja
Ports today · Tromsø, Senja
The ship stops briefly in Tromsø to land the cargo it has carried from Svalbard, then continues to Senja and lets you ashore at Torsken. Senja is the second largest island in Norway, and Norwegians call it little Norway for the way it packs in mountains, beaches, forests and fjords. The north and west coast is the dramatic side, where peaks drop into the sea and fishing villages sit in tiny coves. Torsken is one of them, a small community that has lived from the fish of the outer coast for generations.
Optional excursions
Senja scenic route by bus Three hours along the island's coastal road, with stops at viewpoints over the peaks and fjords.
Scenic guided e-bike tour Two and a half hours of easy cycling with fjord views.
Senja wildlife safari About two and three quarter hours by boat watching for seabirds and seals among the islands.
Fjord adventure by RIB A fast two hour boat trip through the fjords around Torsken, June to August.
Day 7
Stokmarknes, the Trollfjord and Svolvær
Ports today · Stokmarknes, Svolvær
The morning call is at Stokmarknes on the island of Hadseløya, the home of Hurtigruten. Richard With, a local shipowner, started the Coastal Express from here in 1893, and the Hurtigruten Museum on the waterfront displays the retired MS Finnmarken of 1956, which you can go aboard and explore.
From Stokmarknes the ship heads south through Raftsundet, one of the most scenic channels on the coast, and makes for the entrance of the Trollfjord, a narrow cleft between sheer mountainsides that is only a couple of kilometres long. The afternoon and evening are spent in Svolvær, the capital of Lofoten. Its harbour is busy with fishing boats and its streets with galleries, and the twin horned rock of the Svolværgeita looks down from the mountain behind.
Optional excursions
Fishing in Lofoten, summer Just over three hours fishing the waters that made Lofoten rich.
Kayaking in Lofoten, summer A three hour guided paddle from Svolvær.
Lofoten scenery and Henningsvær Two and a half hours by road to the island village of Henningsvær.
Sea eagle tour in Lofoten by RIB Ninety minutes on the water looking for white tailed eagles.
Day 8 · Bessaker
Ports today · Bessaker
From Lofoten the ship heads south across open sea and back over the Arctic Circle to Bessaker, a village of around 200 people on the Trøndelag coast. Its appeal is that it is ordinary in the best sense, a working village with a harbour, a cafe and a museum, surrounded by bare rock, heather and sea. After the scale of Svalbard and Lofoten it makes a quiet, human interlude, and the walks around the village are lovely in the long evening light.
Optional excursions
Nostalgic cutter fishing boat trip Three hours aboard a traditional fishing boat.
E-bike tour to Møllerhytta A three hour ride up to a mountain hut.
Hike to Storskardheia mountain A three hour guided hike to a viewpoint over the coast.
Traditional Norwegian forest hike A two hour woodland walk.
Roan, flavours of fjord and farm Three and a half hours meeting local food producers.
Day 9
Ålesund, the Hjørundfjord and Sæbø
Ports today · Ålesund
A brief stop in Ålesund gives you a glimpse of its famous skyline. After a fire swept through the wooden town in January 1904, it was rebuilt in stone in the Art Nouveau style of the day, and the result is one of the most harmonious town centres in Scandinavia. Guests who have booked the overland excursion into the mountains leave the ship here.
Not far from Ålesund, the Hjørundfjord cuts through the Sunnmøre Alps, whose peaks rise to some 1,700 metres, and the overland excursion takes you to Sæbø, a village on one of its branches. Take your time there; Hurtigruten particularly recommends the free concert in the church. For a more active option there is an optional guided walk in the Urke valley. The evening brings the farewell dinner, the last night of the sea voyage.
Optional excursions
Ålesund on foot A ninety minute guided walk through the Art Nouveau town.
Mountain peaks and fjords, a scenic bus tour A six hour overland journey through the Sunnmøre mountains.
Hike in the Urke valley A guided walk of just over three hours from the Hjørundfjord.
Day 10 · Bergen
Today · Bergen
The ship arrives early. After a last breakfast on board you disembark and are transferred to your hotel in the centre of Bergen, with the rest of the day to yourself. The essentials are close together: Bryggen, the row of wooden Hanseatic warehouses along the harbour that has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979; the fish market at the head of the bay; and the Fløibanen funicular, which climbs Mount Fløyen in a few minutes for a view over the city, the harbour and the islands beyond. Bergen was founded in 1070 and for a time was Norway's capital, and its old centre still feels like a merchant city.
Day 11 · Norway in a Nutshell, Bergen to Flåm
Today · Bergen, Voss, Gudvangen, Flåm
Today you travel one of the classic routes through western Norway. The train takes you from Bergen to Voss, where you change to a bus that winds through the fjord country; in summer it stops at Stalheim for the famous view down the Nærøydalen valley. At Gudvangen you board an electric boat for a cruise of about two hours along the Nærøyfjord to Flåm.
The Nærøyfjord is around 17 kilometres long and only about 250 metres wide at its narrowest, with mountains rising to more than 1,700 metres on either side. In 2005 it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list together with the Geirangerfjord as the West Norwegian Fjords, and in an electric boat, gliding along without engine noise, you hear the waterfalls before you see them. You arrive in Flåm in the afternoon and check into your hotel. There is time for a walk up the valley, a visit to the Flåm Railway Museum, or a beer at the local brewery.
Day 12
The Flåm Railway and the Bergen Line to Oslo
Today · Flåm, Myrdal, Oslo
The Flåm Railway is one of the steepest standard gauge railways in the world. Over 20 kilometres it climbs some 866 metres from the fjord to the mountain station at Myrdal, on gradients of up to 5.5 percent, through twenty tunnels and past waterfalls and sheer ravines. The journey takes about an hour, and the train usually stops at Kjosfossen so passengers can step out and feel the spray.
At Myrdal you change onto the Bergen Line, which opened in 1909 and is the highest mainline railway in northern Europe, crossing the Hardangervidda plateau and reaching 1,222 metres at Finse station. Even in summer there can be snow on the high ground, and the line runs past lakes, moorland and glaciers before descending through forest and farmland to Oslo. On arrival you make your way to your hotel in the city.
Day 13
Oslo, the end of the tour
Today · Oslo
The tour ends after breakfast at your hotel. If you have time before your flight, Oslo is easy to enjoy. The Opera House on the waterfront, opened in 2008, invites you to walk up its sloping marble roof for the view over the Oslofjord, and the new Munch museum and the National Museum are close by. Across the harbour, the museums on the Bygdøy peninsula tell the story of Norwegian polar exploration, a fitting place to finish a journey that started at 78 degrees north. We can arrange extra nights in Oslo if you would like to stay longer.
Svalbard in Context
A Norwegian archipelago with its own rules
Svalbard is Norwegian territory, but its status is governed by the Svalbard Treaty, signed in Paris on 9 February 1920 and in force since 14 August 1925. The treaty gives the nationals of all signatory countries equal rights to work and do business there, which is why there is no visa requirement specifically for Svalbard and why the Russian mining community of Barentsburg still exists, west of Longyearbyen. About 60 percent of the land is covered in glaciers.
Polar bears have been protected in Svalbard since 1973, and the Norwegian Polar Institute's 2015 survey estimated around 264 living in the archipelago. They are the reason guides outside the settlements carry protection, and the reason for the briefings you will receive. Sightings are rare, however, and Hurtigruten is clear that you should not count on one. Svalbard reindeer, Arctic foxes, walrus and huge numbers of seabirds are far more likely in summer.
Watch
Norway in a Nutshell
Visit Bergen's short film follows the Norway in a Nutshell route from Bergen, including the Flåm Railway and the Nærøyfjord cruise, the final stage of this tour.
Fares
Arctic Norway Frontier South fares 2027
These are package prices, per person in pounds for two people sharing, without flights. Each price covers the whole tour as Hurtigruten describes it: two nights at Funken Lodge with the glacier cruise and included dinners, seven nights all-inclusive on the Svalbard Line, a night each in Bergen, Flåm and Oslo with breakfast, Norway in a Nutshell including the Flåm Railway, and the transfers listed. The cabin category refers to your cabin on the ship; the hotels are the same whichever you choose. Flight inclusive packages from London can be quoted. There are 9 departures in 2027.
Departure date
Ship
Polar Inside
Polar Outside
Arctic Superior
Expedition Suites
5 June 2027
MS Midnatsol
from £4,457
from £4,908
from £5,923
from £7,839
12 June 2027
MS Trollfjord
from £4,524
from £4,984
from £6,020
from £7,977
31 July 2027
MS Midnatsol
from £4,427
from £4,758
from £5,862
from £7,739
7 August 2027
MS Trollfjord
from £4,427
from £4,869
from £5,862
from £7,739
14 August 2027
MS Midnatsol
from £4,359
from £4,683
from £5,764
from £7,601
21 August 2027
MS Trollfjord
from £4,359
from £4,791
from £5,764
from £10,756
28 August 2027
MS Midnatsol
from £4,359
from £4,683
from £5,764
from £7,601
4 September 2027
MS Trollfjord
from £4,255
from £4,572
from £5,629
from £7,426
11 September 2027
MS Midnatsol
from £4,361
from £4,678
from £5,629
from £7,426
Fares are per person in pounds, based on two sharing, without flights, and were checked on 20 October 2026. They are subject to availability and may change; call 0333 405 0194 for current prices. Single supplements on request.
Your Package
What is included
What's included
Hotels
Two nights at Funken Lodge, Longyearbyen
Included
One night in Bergen, one in Flåm and one in Oslo Four star hotels
Included
Daily breakfast at the hotels
Included
Two dinners in Longyearbyen
Included
The Svalbard Line
Seven nights from Longyearbyen to Bergen On MS Trollfjord or MS Midnatsol in the cabin category you choose
Included
Breakfast, lunch and dinner on board With unlimited selected beers, wines, spirits and soft drinks
Included
Expedition Team talks and on-deck guiding
Included
Excursions and rail
Wilderness and glacier cruise in Svalbard About six and a half hours on the hybrid electric catamaran MS Bard
Included
Norway in a Nutshell Train, bus and Nærøyfjord cruise from Bergen to Flåm, the Flåm Railway to Myrdal and the train to Oslo
Included
Transfers Between the airport, hotels and ship in Longyearbyen and Bergen
Included
Not included: international flights unless booked as a flight package, optional shore excursions during the voyage, meals on land other than those listed, and travel insurance. You can arrange travel insurance online here.
Flights
Flights from London
Because the tour starts in Svalbard and finishes in Oslo, you need an open jaw arrangement: out to Longyearbyen and home from Oslo. Hurtigruten offers flight inclusive versions of this package from London, and we can quote one for your date. Flights to Longyearbyen connect through mainland Norway. Booking flights as part of the package keeps the timings aligned with the tour and gives you the protection of Hurtigruten's ATOL licence.
Package
Starts / Ends
Included in price
Price
Arctic Norway Frontier South Flight Package
Longyearbyen / Oslo
Flights from London to Longyearbyen and from Oslo back to London, plus everything in the package above
Call
Flight package prices are quoted on request, per person based on two sharing. Extra nights in Longyearbyen, Bergen or Oslo can be added. Call 0333 405 0194 for a quote.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is this a guided tour?
No, it is self-guided. Hotels, transfers, rail tickets and the included excursions are pre arranged, but there is no tour leader travelling with you. On the ship you have the Expedition Team, and in Svalbard the catamaran cruise and Camp Barentz are guided.
Which ship is used?
MS Trollfjord or MS Midnatsol, depending on your departure date. The fare table shows which ship sails each date, and you stay on the same ship from Longyearbyen to Bergen.
Is the cruise all-inclusive?
Yes. On board you have breakfast, lunch and dinner with unlimited selected beers, wines, spirits and soft drinks. On land, breakfast is included at every hotel and two dinners are included in Longyearbyen.
Which hotels are used?
Funken Lodge in Longyearbyen for two nights, then four star hotels for one night each in Bergen, Flåm and Oslo, confirmed by Hurtigruten at booking.
What does Norway in a Nutshell involve?
On day eleven you take the train from Bergen to Voss, a bus to Gudvangen with a summer photo stop at Stalheim, and an electric boat along the Nærøyfjord to Flåm. On day twelve the Flåm Railway climbs to Myrdal, where you join the train across the mountains to Oslo.
Are flights included?
Not in the prices shown. Hurtigruten offers flight packages from London, out to Longyearbyen and home from Oslo, and we can quote one for your date.
Are transfers included in Oslo?
Hurtigruten's included transfers are in Longyearbyen and Bergen. In Flåm and Oslo you make your own way from the station to the hotel; tell us if you would like a transfer arranged.
Is the tour suitable for limited mobility?
Hurtigruten does not recommend it for wheelchair users or guests with significantly limited mobility. If you can manage short walks and a few stairs, you should be able to join most activities.
Do I need a passport or visa?
You need a valid passport. Svalbard has no separate visa requirement, and you travel through mainland Norway, so the normal Schengen entry rules apply. You cannot go ashore in Svalbard without valid travel documents.
Will I see polar bears?
It is unlikely. Svalbard has a few hundred polar bears, but they are seldom seen near the settlements and sightings from the ship are very rare. Walrus, Svalbard reindeer, Arctic foxes and seabirds are much more likely.
Does the Northern Lights Promise apply?
No. This is a summer tour under the Midnight Sun, when the sky is too light for the aurora, and Hurtigruten's promise applies only to voyages of 11 days or more sailing between 20 September and 31 March.
