Arctic Norway Frontier with a Spitsbergen Expedition Cruise
Eighty degrees north by one celebrated train journey and two sea voyages: the Flåm Railway, the all-inclusive Svalbard Line from Bergen to Longyearbyen, then four nights on the small expedition ship MS Serenissima along the wild west coast of Spitsbergen. Summer 2027, from £7,702 per person.
Beyond Longyearbyen, to the far north west of Svalbard
Duration18 days, 17 nights
RouteOslo to Longyearbyen, round Spitsbergen
ShipsSvalbard Line ship, then MS Serenissima
SeasonMay to August 2027
From£7,702 pp
Longyearbyen is where most journeys to Svalbard end. On this one it is the halfway house. Having crossed Norway by rail and sailed the length of its coast on the Svalbard Line, you spend three nights in Longyearbyen and then board MS Serenissima, a classic small ship that takes around a hundred guests, for four nights exploring the north western coast of Spitsbergen. The route leads into Magdalenefjorden, round the north west corner of the island, into Woodfjorden and Liefdefjorden, past 80 degrees north towards the walrus island of Moffen, and back via Kongsfjorden and the research settlement of Ny-Ålesund.
That second voyage is a different kind of travel from anything earlier in the trip. Apart from Ny-Ålesund there are no towns and no timetabled ports. Instead the expedition team plan two landings or shore excursions each day, chosen according to the weather, the ice and the wildlife, and you go ashore by small boat onto tundra, beaches and old whaling sites that see very few visitors in a year.
£7,702per person, from
Eight departures from Oslo between 28 May and 20 August 2027
The cabin category you choose refers to your cabin on the Svalbard Line ship. The price covers the whole package as described here, including hotels, rail, the Svalbard excursions and the four night MS Serenissima voyage, per person sharing and without international flights. Flight-inclusive packages from London can be quoted.
The Second Sea Voyage
How this differs from the 13 day Arctic Norway Frontier
The first ten days of both tours are the same: Oslo, the Bergen Line and Flåm Railway, the Nærøyfjord, Bergen, and seven nights on the Svalbard Line north to Longyearbyen. The 13 day Arctic Norway Frontier then gives you two nights in Longyearbyen and flies you home. This version adds five more days, and with them the second sea voyage.
13 day tour
18 day tour with cruise
Rail from Oslo via Flåm to Bergen
Included
Included
Svalbard Line, Bergen to Longyearbyen
7 nights
7 nights
Nights ashore in Longyearbyen
2
3, including a free day
MS Bard wildlife and glacier cruise and dinner at Huset
Included
Included
MS Serenissima expedition voyage, full board
Not included
4 nights
Ny-Ålesund, Magdalenefjorden and 80 degrees north
Not visited
Included, weather and ice permitting
Fares from
£4,486 pp
£7,702 pp
The Svalbard Line northbound does not call at Ny-Ålesund, so on the shorter tour you never see the settlement or anything north of the Isfjord. If the reason you want to go to Svalbard is the archipelago itself, its glaciers, walrus and the chance of a polar bear on the ice edge, then the extra five days are where most of that happens.
The Ships
A Signature ship up the coast, a classic expedition ship around Spitsbergen
From Bergen to Longyearbyen you sail on MS Trollfjord or MS Midnatsol, depending on the departure date. Both run the Svalbard Line on an all-inclusive basis, with three restaurants and selected drinks included, and both carry an Expedition Team who lecture and guide throughout.
MS Serenissima is a very different vessel, and a ship with a Hurtigruten past. She was built in Trondheim in 1960 as MS Harald Jarl for the Norwegian coastal route, and after a long working life she was converted into a small cruise ship, most recently refurbished in 2019. At about 87 metres long she is small enough to slip into narrow fjords and carries landing boats for going ashore where there is no pier. Cabins have their own bathroom, meals are served in the Venice restaurant, and there are lounges fore and aft, plus an observation deck with views all round. Meals on board are included in full.
Watch
Huset and the story of Svalbard
A short Hurtigruten film about Huset in Longyearbyen, where this tour includes a tasting menu dinner, and the history it holds.
Video from Hurtigruten's official YouTube channel.
Your Journey
Day by day, Oslo to 80 degrees north
Four stages: three days overland, seven nights on the Svalbard Line, three nights in Longyearbyen and four nights on MS Serenissima. Optional excursions on the Svalbard Line are listed under each day and booked separately. On MS Serenissima the landings are included and planned day by day.
Day 1 · Oslo
Overnight · Clarion Hotel The Hub, Oslo, or similar
Make your own way into Oslo and check in at your hotel, usually Clarion Hotel The Hub, next to the central station. If you have the afternoon, the Bygdøy peninsula is the place to start: the Norwegian Folk Museum, with farmhouses and a stave church moved there from all over Norway, and the Fram Museum, home of the polar ship Fram that carried Nansen and Amundsen into the ice. It makes a good first lesson for where this trip is going.
Back in the centre, the Munch museum stands on the harbour at Bjørvika, and Vigeland Park is a fine place to walk off the flight.
Day 2 · Over the mountains to Flåm
Oslo · Myrdal · Flåm · Overnight in Flåm
The morning train leaves Oslo Central Station for Myrdal on the Bergen Line, climbing gradually out of the eastern valleys onto the Hardangervidda, the vast plateau that the railway engineers of the early twentieth century had to cross with snow fences and tunnels. Finse, the highest station on the line at 1,222 metres, stood in for the ice planet in the 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back.
At Myrdal the Flåm Railway takes over and winds down the Flåm valley in about an hour, with a stop at the Kjosfossen waterfall. Flåm, at the bottom, is a small village on the Aurlandsfjord where you spend the night in a comfortable hotel. The Flåm Railway Museum by the station and the local brewery are both a short walk away.
Day 3
Through the Nærøyfjord to Bergen
Flåm · Gudvangen · Voss · Bergen · Overnight at Hotel Bryggen or similar
A ferry carries you from Flåm along the Aurlandsfjord and into the Nærøyfjord, a branch of the great Sognefjord system so narrow and steep sided that it was included in the West Norwegian Fjords World Heritage Site. Small farms cling to ledges above the water and waterfalls spill down the cliffs. The ferry lands at Gudvangen, from where a bus takes you to Voss and a train completes the journey to Bergen.
You arrive in time to explore. Bergen is a city of steep lanes and wooden houses, ringed by mountains, and the Fløibanen funicular gives the view over the whole of it. Tonight you stay at Hotel Bryggen or a comparable hotel near the old harbour.
Day 4 · Bergen, all aboard the Svalbard Line
Ports today · Bergen
Spend the morning on Bryggen, where the wooden warehouses of the Hanseatic merchants still line the quay, or at the fish market, before transferring to the Hurtigruten terminal. Once on board you meet the Expedition Team and settle in as the ship heads north through the islands. Bergen to Longyearbyen is seven nights, and the ship stops for several hours at each port, so there is time ashore at every call.
Day 5 · Åndalsnes
Ports today · Åndalsnes
The first call is at the head of the Romsdalsfjord, below some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in Norway. Walkers head up to the Rampestreken platform above the town, while the Romsdal Gondola takes the effort out of it. The Rauma Railway runs inland from here through the Romsdalen valley beneath the Troll Wall, Europe's tallest vertical rock face.
Optional excursions
Åndalsnes town walk and Romsdal Gondola A short guided walk and the gondola ride up Nesaksla. About 2 hours 30 minutes.
Trollstigen scenic bus tour Up the Isterdalen valley and the hairpins of Trollstigen. About 3 hours.
Stand-up paddle board in Åndalsnes June to August. About 4 hours.
The Golden Train, summer The Rauma Railway through Romsdalen, June to August. About 2 hours 30 minutes.
Day 6 · Træna
Ports today · Træna
Far out to sea off the Helgeland coast, the islands of Træna have supported a fishing community for thousands of years, and the visit here is unusually personal: the church, the Petter Dass chapel and the local museum are opened especially for the ship. Sea eagles are sometimes seen and the islands make easy walking. After leaving Træna the ship crosses the Arctic Circle, and the occasion is marked on board.
Optional excursions
Træna island hopping By boat to the island of Selvær. About 3 hours.
Træna culture walk, poetry, art and heritage A guided walk through the islands' history. About 2 hours 30 minutes.
Day 7
Reine, the tip of Lofoten
Ports today · Reine
Reine sits on a cluster of small islands linked by bridges in Moskenes, at the southern end of the Lofoten chain. The red rorbuer on the waterfront were built for the fishermen who came here every winter for the cod season, and the cod racks you see around the harbour are still used. Nearby Å has the Norwegian Fishing Village Museum, and the kayaking here, beneath the peaks, is some of the most scenic anywhere on the coast.
Optional excursions
Kayaking in Reine A guided paddle among the islands. About 3 hours.
Reine and Lofoten scenery A tour of the western Lofoten landscape. About 5 hours.
Day 8 · Tromsø
Ports today · Tromsø
A whole day in the city that served as the starting point for so many polar expeditions. For this tour the Polar Museum is the essential visit, with its displays on trapping, sealing and the explorers who set out from these quays for Svalbard and the ice beyond. Polaria, the Arctic aquarium, is a few minutes' walk away, and the cable car up Mount Storsteinen has the view.
Optional excursions
Tromsø, the Arctic capital Cable car, Arctic Cathedral and Polaria. About 3 hours 30 minutes.
Tromsø on foot, the city and its polar history About 3 hours 30 minutes.
The northernmost brewery June to August. About 1 hour 30 minutes.
Explore Tromsø by e-bike About 3 hours.
Day 9 · Honningsvåg
Ports today · Honningsvåg
The last mainland call. From Honningsvåg it is a short trip to the North Cape plateau, 307 metres above the sea, and in early summer the boat trip to the bird cliffs at Gjesværstappan is one of the great wildlife experiences of the coast. In the evening the ship passes beneath the Cape before setting course across the Barents Sea.
Optional excursions
The North Cape About 3 hours.
North Cape and king crab experience, summer About 5 hours.
Birdwatching safari and the North Cape About 5 hours 30 minutes.
Quad biking to the North Cape About 4 hours 30 minutes.
RIB and king crab experience June to August. About 3 hours 30 minutes.
Day 10 · At sea towards Svalbard
A day at sea
A full day crossing the Barents Sea, with a lecture on Svalbard and the environmental briefing everyone must attend before landing in the archipelago. Expect seabirds around the ship, and a special tasting out on deck.
Day 11 · Longyearbyen and Camp Barentz
Longyearbyen · Hotel in Longyearbyen
The ship arrives at Longyearbyen and you transfer to your hotel. In the evening a bus takes you ten or fifteen minutes up the Adventdalen valley to Camp Barentz, where a replica of Willem Barentsz's winter hut stands among a group of cabins. Barentsz's expedition first sighted Svalbard in 1596; that winter his crew were trapped in the ice further east and had to build a shelter to survive. Inside, by the fire, you are served drinks, homemade reindeer bidos, coffee and dessert.
Day 12 · MS Bard and dinner at Huset
Isfjorden · Hotel in Longyearbyen
A day on the water aboard the hybrid-electric catamaran MS Bard, heading out of Longyearbyen into the wider Isfjord system. You see the abandoned Soviet mining town of Pyramiden from the water and pass Skansbukta, a sheltered bay with a trapping and mining past, with chances of seals, seabirds and glaciers along the way. In the evening you sit down to the Arctic tasting menu at Huset, one of the northernmost fine dining restaurants in the world.
Day 13 · A free day in Longyearbyen
Longyearbyen · Overnight at Funken Lodge
This is the extra day the shorter tour does not have, and it is welcome before the expedition. The Svalbard Museum gives an excellent overview of the archipelago's wildlife and human history, from whalers and trappers to miners and scientists. Svalbard Church is usually open to visitors, and the town has galleries, shops and a brewery.
Svalbard had no recognised sovereign until the Svalbard Treaty was signed in 1920, giving Norway sovereignty while allowing citizens of the signatory countries to live and work here, which explains the unusually international population. Tonight you dine at Funktionærmessen, the restaurant at Funken Lodge, and stay at the lodge.
Day 14
All aboard MS Serenissima
Longyearbyen · Isfjorden
After a free morning and lunch at Funken Lodge you transfer to MS Serenissima. The ship sails out through the broad Isfjord and turns north along the west coast. This is where the expedition really starts: the expedition team introduce themselves, explain how landings work and what the coming days may hold, and the plan from here on is shaped by weather, ice and wildlife.
The west coast of Spitsbergen is warmed by the last of the North Atlantic current, which keeps it more open to shipping in summer than the north and east of the archipelago. It is the same reason the early whalers worked these fjords.
Day 15 · Into the Arctic wilderness
Magdalenefjorden · The north west corner
Two landings or shore excursions are planned today. The route leads into Magdalenefjorden, a fjord walled in by steep, glacier carved peaks with glaciers running down to the water at its head. It was a busy whaling ground in the seventeenth century, and the graves of whalers can still be seen on the Gravneset peninsula. From there the ship continues along the north west corner of Spitsbergen, where landings may be made at the sites of former whaling stations.
The best known of them is Smeerenburg, on Amsterdamøya, where Dutch whalers boiled down blubber in the seventeenth century. Little remains but the foundations of the ovens, yet standing there it is not hard to imagine the noise and smoke of the place in its heyday.
Day 16
Wildlife at 80 degrees north
Woodfjorden · Liefdefjorden · Moffen
Another day with two landings planned, this time in Woodfjorden and Liefdefjorden, two connected fjords on the north coast that could hardly look more different. Woodfjorden is lined with red sandstone, while Liefdefjorden ends at the Monaco Glacier, named after Prince Albert I of Monaco, who funded scientific expeditions here in the early twentieth century. Its calving front is a good place to watch for seals and seabirds.
If conditions allow, the ship then sails beyond 80 degrees north, a symbolic line that few travellers ever cross, towards Moffen. This low, flat island is a nature reserve and an important resting place for walrus, and in the summer months ships must keep their distance, so you watch from the water. Puffins may be seen from May to early August.
Day 17
Kongsfjorden and Ny-Ålesund
Kongsfjorden · Ny-Ålesund
Two landings again, beginning with a guided walk on the tundra in Kongsfjorden, where the flowers and mosses of the brief Arctic summer are at their best. Then MS Serenissima docks at the pier at Ny-Ålesund, one of the northernmost permanent communities in the world. It began as a coal mining settlement and is now an international research station, with scientists from many countries studying the atmosphere, glaciers and climate.
Ny-Ålesund has a remarkable history of polar flight. Roald Amundsen's airship Norge set off from here in 1926 on its flight across the North Pole to Alaska, and the mast it was moored to still stands just outside the settlement. Post a card from the world's northernmost post office before you leave.
Day 18 · Longyearbyen and home
Longyearbyen
The ship returns to Longyearbyen, where you disembark and are taken into town, with time for a last look round before your flight. Flights from Svalbard connect through mainland Norway, and we can quote the whole journey home to London as part of your package.
Fares
Arctic Norway Frontier with Cruise fares 2027
Eight departures from Oslo between May and August 2027. The ship listed is the one sailing the Svalbard Line section on that date; the expedition section is always on MS Serenissima. The cabin category refers to your cabin on the Svalbard Line ship, and the price covers the whole package as described on this page, including hotels, rail, the Longyearbyen excursions and the four night expedition voyage. Prices are per person sharing and exclude flights. Flight-inclusive packages from London can be quoted.
Departure date
Ship
Polar Inside
Polar Outside
Arctic Superior
Expedition Suites
28 May 2027
MS Midnatsol
from £7,851
from £8,339
from £9,439
from £11,515
4 June 2027
MS Trollfjord
from £7,890
from £8,389
from £9,511
from £15,271
9 July 2027
MS Midnatsol
from £7,798
from £8,276
from £9,353
from £11,386
16 July 2027
MS Trollfjord
from £7,798
from £8,157
from £9,353
from £11,386
23 July 2027
MS Midnatsol
from £7,798
from £8,157
from £9,353
from £11,386
6 August 2027
MS Midnatsol
from £7,702
from £8,053
from £9,224
from £11,214
13 August 2027
MS Trollfjord
from £7,702
from £8,170
from £9,224
from £11,214
20 August 2027
MS Midnatsol
from £7,702
from £8,053
from £9,224
from £11,214
Fares are per person in pounds, based on two people sharing, and were checked on 20 October 2026. They are subject to availability and may change at any time before booking. Single supplements are available on request. Call 0333 405 0194 for the current price on your preferred date.
Your Package
What is included
What's included
Mainland Norway
One night in Oslo Clarion Hotel The Hub or similar, with breakfast
Included
Rail and fjord journey Oslo to Myrdal by train, the Flåm Railway, the Nærøyfjord ferry, and bus and train via Voss to Bergen
Included
One night in Flåm A comfortable hotel
Included
One night in Bergen Hotel Bryggen or similar, with breakfast
Included
The Svalbard Line
Seven nights from Bergen to Longyearbyen In your chosen cabin category
Included
Full board with selected drinks Selected beers, wines, spirits and soft drinks during opening hours
Included
Svalbard
Three hotel nights in Longyearbyen Including two at Funken Lodge or similar, with meals as set out in the itinerary
Included
Spitsbergen experience A guided three hour experience
Included
Wilderness and Glacier Cruise on MS Bard
Included
Arctic tasting menu at Huset
Included
Four nights on MS Serenissima Full board, with planned landings and shore excursions
Included
Transfers In Bergen and Longyearbyen
Included
Not included: international flights, optional excursions on the Svalbard Line, drinks on MS Serenissima unless stated, travel insurance and meals not listed. You can arrange travel insurance online here.
Flights & Packages
Flying from London
Hurtigruten offers this tour with return flights from London, out to Oslo and home from Longyearbyen through mainland Norway. We can price it for any of the eight departures. A package with flights is covered by Hurtigruten's ATOL licence.
Package
Starts / Ends
Included in price
Price
With Cruise Tour only
Oslo / Longyearbyen
Everything listed under What is included
See fares
With Cruise With flights
London / London
The tour plus flights London to Oslo and Longyearbyen to London
Call
Flight package prices are per person based on two sharing and depend on date and availability. Call 0333 405 0194 for a quote.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What is the second sea voyage on this tour?
After the Svalbard Line from Bergen to Longyearbyen, you spend four nights on MS Serenissima, a small expedition ship, sailing from Longyearbyen along the west coast of Spitsbergen. The route takes in Magdalenefjorden, the north west corner, Woodfjorden and Liefdefjorden, waters beyond 80 degrees north near Moffen, Kongsfjorden and Ny-Ålesund, before returning to Longyearbyen.
How is this different from the 13 day Arctic Norway Frontier?
The first ten days are the same. The 13 day tour then has two nights in Longyearbyen before you fly home. This 18 day version adds a third night and a free day in Longyearbyen, then the four night MS Serenissima expedition voyage to the north west of Spitsbergen and Ny-Ålesund.
Are the landings from MS Serenissima guaranteed?
No. Two landings or shore excursions are planned each day, but where and when they happen depends on weather, sea ice and wildlife, and some sites have conservation rules. The expedition team decide each day on the spot.
Will I cross 80 degrees north?
That is the plan on day 16, when the ship heads beyond 80 degrees north towards Moffen, but it depends on conditions at the time.
Is MS Serenissima all-inclusive like the Svalbard Line?
Meals are included in full on MS Serenissima. The all-inclusive selected drinks package applies to the Svalbard Line ship; ask us about drinks on MS Serenissima for your date.
Which ship sails the Svalbard Line part?
MS Trollfjord or MS Midnatsol, depending on the departure. The fare table shows which ship is scheduled for each date.
Are flights included?
No. The fares shown exclude flights. Hurtigruten offers this tour with flights from London and we can quote these for any departure.
Will I see polar bears and walrus?
There is a reasonable chance of walrus around Moffen and elsewhere on the north coast, but wildlife sightings can never be promised. Polar bears are seen on some voyages and not on others; the north west of Spitsbergen gives a better chance than Longyearbyen.
Is this tour guided?
The land sections in mainland Norway and Longyearbyen are self-guided, with everything booked for you. On both ships there are expedition teams, and the MS Serenissima landings are led by guides.
Is it suitable for limited mobility?
Hurtigruten does not recommend it for wheelchair users or guests with limited mobility. Landings from MS Serenissima are by small boat onto beaches and uneven ground, and the overland days involve several changes with luggage.
