Arctic Norway Frontier: Oslo, the Fjords and Svalbard
Cross Norway by train, ride the Flåm Railway down to the fjords, then sail the all-inclusive Svalbard Line from Bergen to Longyearbyen under the Midnight Sun. A self-guided tour for summer 2027, from £4,486 per person.
From the capital to the edge of the High Arctic, overland and by sea
Duration13 days, 12 nights
RouteOslo to Longyearbyen
ShipsMS Trollfjord or MS Midnatsol
SeasonMay to September 2027
From£4,486 pp
Most people who want to see Svalbard fly there. This tour makes you earn it, in the nicest possible way. You start in Oslo, cross the mountains by rail, drop down one of the steepest standard gauge railways in the world to the head of a fjord, and only then step aboard ship in Bergen. Seven nights later, having worked up the entire length of the Norwegian coast and across the Barents Sea, you arrive in Longyearbyen at 78 degrees north with a real sense of how far you have come.
The package is self-guided. Hurtigruten books the hotels, the train tickets, the fjord ferry and the transfers, and the ship takes care of everything at sea, but you are free to spend each day ashore as you please. It suits travellers who like a plan with plenty of breathing room in it, and who would rather see Norway unfold in order than in fragments.
£4,486per person, from
Eleven departures from Oslo between 28 May and 3 September 2027
The cabin category you choose refers to your cabin on the ship. The price covers the whole package as described below, including hotels, rail and the Svalbard excursions, per person sharing and without international flights. Flight-inclusive packages from London can be quoted on request.
Why This Tour
Three ways of travelling, one continuous journey north
The appeal here is the sequence. The first three days are about the land: the forested valleys west of Oslo, the bare high plateau around Finse and Myrdal, then the plunge into the fjord country, finishing with a ferry through the Nærøyfjord, one of the narrowest fjords in Norway and part of the West Norwegian Fjords World Heritage Site. By the time you reach Bergen you have crossed the country from east to west on the ground, which very few visitors ever do.
Then the sea takes over. The Svalbard Line is Hurtigruten's summer Signature voyage, sailing north from Bergen with long stops in places the regular coastal route either passes quickly or misses altogether: Åndalsnes under the Romsdal mountains, the outer island community of Træna, Reine at the southern tip of Lofoten, a full day in Tromsø, and Honningsvåg for the North Cape. After a day crossing open water you reach Svalbard.
Finally, two nights on land in Longyearbyen give the Arctic time to sink in. You have a welcome dinner at Funken Lodge, a day on the water among glaciers and abandoned mining settlements on the hybrid-electric catamaran MS Bard, and a dinner at Huset that will be talked about long after the trip. It is a compact, well paced way to reach 78 degrees north in under a fortnight.
If you have more time and want to go further still, the 18 day version of this tour adds a third night in Longyearbyen and a four night expedition voyage along the west coast of Spitsbergen, crossing 80 degrees north. If you would rather begin in Svalbard and finish in Oslo, the southbound Arctic Norway Frontier runs the same idea in reverse.
The Ships
MS Trollfjord or MS Midnatsol on the Svalbard Line
The sea section is sailed by one of two Signature ships, and the fare table shows which one is scheduled for each departure. MS Trollfjord and MS Midnatsol are both run on an all-inclusive basis on this route, with meals throughout the day and selected beers, wines, spirits and soft drinks during opening hours. Each ship has three restaurants: Røst for fine dining built around Arctic produce, Flora for buffets and à la carte, and Brasserie Árran for heartier Norwegian cooking.
The Expedition Team travel with you from Bergen. They give lectures on the coast and on Svalbard, help with photography, and brief everyone on the rules for visiting the archipelago, which are taken seriously and exist to protect both the wildlife and the visitors. On the day crossing the Barents Sea their talks are the best preparation you can have for what follows.
Watch
Sailing from Bergen to Svalbard
Hurtigruten follows two travellers sailing the Svalbard Line from Bergen to Svalbard, the sea voyage at the centre of this tour.
Video from Hurtigruten's official YouTube channel.
Your Journey
Day by day, Oslo to Longyearbyen
Thirteen days in three stages: overland from Oslo to Bergen, seven nights on the Svalbard Line, then two nights in Longyearbyen. Optional excursions during the voyage are listed under each day; they are booked and paid for separately, and we are happy to add them when you book.
Day 1 · Oslo
Overnight · Clarion Hotel The Hub, Oslo, or similar
You make your own way to Oslo and check in at your hotel, usually Clarion Hotel The Hub, which sits right beside Oslo Central Station, handy for the morning train. The rest of the day is free, and Oslo is an easy city to fill an afternoon in. The Bygdøy peninsula holds a cluster of museums, among them the Norwegian Folk Museum with its open air collection of historic buildings gathered from across the country. Vigeland Park, closer to the centre, displays more than two hundred sculptures by Gustav Vigeland, all human figures and all in bronze, granite or wrought iron.
On the waterfront at Bjørvika, the Munch museum houses the largest collection of Edvard Munch's work anywhere, and the sloping marble roof of the Opera House next door is free to walk up for a view across the Oslofjord. For a quieter evening, Ekeberg Park on the hill to the south combines woodland, sculpture and one of the best views over the city.
Day 2
By train to Myrdal, then the Flåm Railway
Oslo · Myrdal · Flåm · Overnight in Flåm
The overland part of the journey begins at Oslo Central Station, on the train west to Myrdal. This is the Bergen Line, which opened in 1909 and is still regarded as one of the great railway journeys of Europe. Beyond the lakes and farmland of the eastern valleys the line climbs onto the high mountain plateau, passing Finse, at 1,222 metres the highest station on the line, where the snow can linger into summer.
At Myrdal you change to the Flåm Railway for the descent to the fjord. It runs for a little over 20 kilometres and drops around 860 metres on the way, with a gradient of up to 1 in 18 for much of its length, passing through 20 tunnels, most of them dug by hand. The line opened in 1940 after construction began in 1923, and the train usually stops at the Kjosfossen waterfall so that you can step out onto the platform and feel the spray.
The night is spent in a comfortable hotel in Flåm, a small village at the head of the Aurlandsfjord. There is time to visit the Flåm Railway Museum, which tells the story of how the line was built, and to try the local brewery, whose beers draw on Norse brewing tradition.
Day 3 · The Nærøyfjord and on to Bergen
Flåm · Gudvangen · Voss · Bergen · Overnight at Hotel Bryggen or similar
This morning you take the ferry from Flåm through the Nærøyfjord to Gudvangen. At its narrowest the fjord is only a few hundred metres wide, with mountain walls rising steeply on both sides and waterfalls dropping straight into the water, and it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2005 together with the Geirangerfjord. Seen from the deck of a small ferry, the scale of the place is hard to take in.
From Gudvangen a bus takes you to Voss, a town known for its outdoor sports, and from Voss the train runs down to Bergen. The afternoon is yours to explore: the timber merchants' houses of Bryggen, the fish market on the harbour, and the Fløibanen funicular to the top of Mount Fløyen. Tonight you stay at Hotel Bryggen or a comparable hotel, close to the old harbour.
Day 4
Bergen and the start of the Svalbard Line
Ports today · Bergen
Bergen was founded in the eleventh century and for several hundred years it was one of the key ports of the Hanseatic League, the trading network of north German merchants who controlled the trade in dried cod. Bryggen, the row of gabled wooden buildings along the eastern side of the harbour, is what survives of their quarter and has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1979. Fires have repeatedly burned the wharf, and each time it was rebuilt to the old pattern.
The morning is free for a last look round. Later you transfer to the Hurtigruten terminal, meet the Expedition Team and settle into your cabin as the ship heads out past the islands and turns north along the coast.
Day 5 · Åndalsnes
Ports today · Åndalsnes
Åndalsnes stands where the Romsdalsfjord ends and the Romsdalen valley begins, and the mountains around it are some of the steepest in Norway. The Troll Wall, a few kilometres up the valley, is the tallest vertical rock face in Europe, around a thousand metres of sheer rock. The town itself is small and was largely rebuilt after it was bombed in 1940, but the setting is the attraction.
The energetic can walk up to Rampestreken, a viewing platform that juts out over the town, while the Romsdal Gondola does the same work in minutes and takes you to the summit of Nesaksla at 708 metres. Further afield, the hairpins of the Trollstigen road climb out of the Isterdalen valley.
Optional excursions
Åndalsnes town walk and Romsdal Gondola A guided walk around the town, then the gondola to the summit for the panorama over fjord and peaks. About 2 hours 30 minutes.
Hairpin bends and soaring mountains, Trollstigen scenic bus tour Along the Rauma river and up the Isterdalen valley to the eleven hairpin bends of Trollstigen, with photo stops on the way. About 3 hours.
Stand-up paddle board in Åndalsnes A paddle on calm water among the mountains, June to August. About 4 hours.
The Golden Train, summer A trip on the Rauma Railway through the Romsdalen valley, June to August. About 2 hours 30 minutes.
Day 6
Træna and the Arctic Circle
Ports today · Træna
Træna is an archipelago of several hundred islands and skerries well out to sea off the Helgeland coast, and Hurtigruten describes it as Norway's oldest fishing community. Only a handful of the islands are lived on. On this visit the village church, the Petter Dass chapel and the local museum are opened for the ship's guests, which gives you a rare look inside a community most travellers only ever see on a map.
Petter Dass, the seventeenth century priest and poet, wrote about the lives of the fishermen and farmers of the northern coast, and his work is still read in Norway today. In the summer the islanders host a music festival, part of it held inside the Kirkhelleren cave on Sanna, where archaeologists have found traces of Stone Age settlement. Later the ship crosses the Arctic Circle, marked on board with a traditional ceremony.
Optional excursions
Træna island hopping A boat trip to the neighbouring island of Selvær to meet the people and see the birdlife. About 3 hours.
Træna culture walk, poetry, art and heritage A guided walk through the cultural landscape of the islands. About 2 hours 30 minutes.
Day 7 · Reine, Lofoten
Ports today · Reine
The ship docks at Reine, a fishing village in the far south west of the Lofoten Islands where red rorbuer, the traditional fishermen's cabins, stand on stilts at the water's edge beneath steep granite peaks. Lofoten's wealth has always been cod. Each winter the fish come to spawn in these waters, and for a thousand years they have been hung on wooden racks to dry in the wind, producing the stockfish that once made Bergen rich.
A short distance away is Å, at the end of the road through the islands, home to the Norwegian Fishing Village Museum with its old boathouses, cod liver oil factory and bakery. Kayaking out of Reine is a fine way to see the peaks from water level.
Optional excursions
Kayaking in Reine A guided paddle among the islands and peaks around the village. About 3 hours.
Reine and Lofoten scenery A longer tour taking in the landscapes and fishing villages of western Lofoten. About 5 hours.
Day 8
A full day in Tromsø
Ports today · Tromsø
The ship docks in the morning and stays all day, which is unusual for Tromsø and very welcome. The city is the largest in northern Norway, home to a university and a lively cafe and restaurant scene, and for well over a century it has been the gateway for Arctic expeditions. Roald Amundsen left from here in 1928 on his last flight, searching for the crew of the airship Italia, and never returned.
The Polar Museum by the harbour tells the story of the trappers, sealers and explorers who sailed from these quays. Across the bridge, the Arctic Cathedral is one of the most recognisable modern buildings in Norway, and the Fjellheisen cable car lifts you up Mount Storsteinen for a view over the island city and its surrounding mountains. In midsummer the sun does not set here at all.
Optional excursions
Tromsø, the Arctic capital The Fjellheisen cable car, the Arctic Cathedral and Polaria in one tour. About 3 hours 30 minutes.
Tromsø on foot, the city and its polar history A guided walk through the heritage of the city and its role in polar exploration. About 3 hours 30 minutes.
The northernmost brewery A visit to Mack's brewery and its Arctic brewing history, June to August. About 1 hour 30 minutes.
Explore Tromsø by e-bike A small group ride around the island. About 3 hours.
Day 9 · Honningsvåg and the North Cape
Ports today · Honningsvåg
The ship reaches Honningsvåg on the island of Magerøya in the middle of the morning. From here it is a short drive across bare tundra to the North Cape, where the plateau ends in a cliff 307 metres above the Barents Sea. The globe monument on the edge is the photograph everyone takes; the visitor centre behind it is cut into the rock.
Away from the Cape, the waters around Magerøya are rich in king crab, and the bird cliffs at Gjesværstappan hold huge colonies of puffins, kittiwakes and guillemots in early summer. As the ship sails away you see the North Cape from the sea, which is how the first sailors to round it knew it.
Optional excursions
The North Cape To the plateau for the views, the globe monument and the North Cape Hall exhibitions. About 3 hours.
North Cape and king crab experience, summer The North Cape plus a king crab tasting by the sea. About 5 hours.
Birdwatching safari and the North Cape The plateau, then a boat to the bird cliffs at Gjesværstappan. About 5 hours 30 minutes.
Quad biking to the North Cape Drive your own quad across Magerøya. About 4 hours 30 minutes.
RIB and king crab experience A fast boat trip to haul crab pots, followed by a tasting, June to August. About 3 hours 30 minutes.
Day 10 · Across the Barents Sea
A day at sea
Today there is no land in sight as the ship heads north towards Svalbard. The Expedition Team give a lecture on the archipelago and the compulsory environmental briefing, which explains how to behave around wildlife and why you cannot simply wander off from town. There is a tasting on deck in the afternoon, and the sauna and observation areas come into their own.
Keep an eye on the sea. Seabirds often follow the ship on the crossing, and there is always a chance of whales. Later the ship passes Bjørnøya, Bear Island, the southernmost island of the archipelago. Hurtigruten's Cameralla app lets you share pictures with other guests, and by now most people have plenty to share.
Day 11
Longyearbyen, and a first evening in Svalbard
Longyearbyen · Overnight at Funken Lodge
The ship sails into the Isfjord and berths at Longyearbyen, where you disembark and transfer to Funken Lodge, your hotel for the next two nights. Longyearbyen takes its name from John Munro Longyear, the American businessman whose Arctic Coal Company founded the settlement in 1906. Coal shaped the town for most of the twentieth century; today it is home to scientists, students, guides and the Global Seed Vault, built into the mountainside near the airport.
The afternoon is yours to find your feet. Longyearbyen is small enough to walk end to end, and the Svalbard Museum is the best primer on the archipelago, from the whalers and trappers who came first to the miners who followed. In the evening dinner is served at Funken Lodge, which was built in 1947 as the residence of the managers of Store Norske, the coal company, and is now known for some of the finest dining in Longyearbyen.
Day 12
Wildlife and glaciers on MS Bard, then dinner at Huset
Isfjorden · Overnight at Funken Lodge
After breakfast you board MS Bard, Hurtigruten's hybrid-electric catamaran, for a wilderness and glacier cruise of around six and a half hours. The route heads into the side fjords of the Isfjord towards Billefjorden and the Nordenskiöld Glacier, passing Skansbukta, a bay with a long history of mining and trapping, and Pyramiden, the former Soviet coal town abandoned in 1998 and still standing much as its last residents left it.
This evening you dine at Huset, one of the northernmost fine dining restaurants in the world, where the Arctic tasting menu is built around local and Arctic ingredients. It is a fitting final dinner.
Day 13 · Longyearbyen and home
Longyearbyen
The tour ends after breakfast with your transfer to Longyearbyen airport. If your flight is later in the day, the Svalbard Museum and the North Pole Expedition Museum are both worth an hour, and the shops on the main street sell some of the best outdoor clothing you will find anywhere.
Flights from Longyearbyen connect through mainland Norway. We can quote flights back to London as part of your booking, or extra nights in Longyearbyen if you would like longer in the Arctic.
Fares
Arctic Norway Frontier departures and fares 2027
There are eleven departures from Oslo between May and September 2027, and the ship for the Svalbard Line section varies by date, so it is shown against each one. The cabin category refers to your cabin on board the ship; the price is for the whole package as described on this page, including the hotels in Oslo, Flåm, Bergen and Longyearbyen, the rail and ferry journey, the Svalbard excursions and dinner at Huset. Prices are per person sharing and do not include 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 £4,659
from £5,147
from £6,247
from £8,323
4 June 2027
MS Trollfjord
from £4,711
from £5,210
from £6,332
from £12,092
2 July 2027
MS Trollfjord
from £4,756
from £5,114
from £6,191
from £11,716
9 July 2027
MS Midnatsol
from £4,636
from £5,114
from £6,191
from £8,224
16 July 2027
MS Trollfjord
from £4,636
from £4,995
from £6,191
from £8,224
23 July 2027
MS Midnatsol
from £4,636
from £4,995
from £6,191
from £8,224
6 August 2027
MS Midnatsol
from £4,606
from £4,957
from £6,128
from £8,118
13 August 2027
MS Trollfjord
from £4,606
from £5,074
from £6,128
from £8,118
20 August 2027
MS Midnatsol
from £4,606
from £4,957
from £6,128
from £8,118
27 August 2027
MS Trollfjord
from £4,486
from £4,830
from £5,975
from £7,921
3 September 2027
MS Midnatsol
from £4,486
from £4,830
from £5,975
from £7,921
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
This is a tour as well as a voyage, so the inclusions fall into two parts: the land arrangements booked by Hurtigruten, and the all-inclusive Signature arrangements on board the ship.
What's included
On land
One night in Oslo Clarion Hotel The Hub or similar, with breakfast
Included
Norway in a Nutshell Train from Oslo to Myrdal, the Flåm Railway, the Nærøyfjord ferry, and the bus and train via Voss to Bergen
Included
One night in Flåm A four star hotel
Included
One night in Bergen Hotel Bryggen or similar, with breakfast
Included
Two nights in Longyearbyen Funken Lodge or similar, with meals
Included
Spitsbergen experience A three hour tour in Longyearbyen which, as Hurtigruten lists it, takes in Camp Barentz and the Svalbard Museum; we will confirm on which day it runs when you book
Included
Wilderness and Glacier Cruise About six and a half hours on the hybrid-electric catamaran MS Bard
Included
Arctic tasting menu at Huset
Included
Transfers In Bergen and Longyearbyen as set out in the itinerary
Included
On board the Svalbard Line
Seven nights in your chosen cabin Bergen to Longyearbyen
Included
All-inclusive meals Breakfast, lunch and dinner every day
Included
Unlimited selected drinks Selected beers, wines, spirits and soft drinks during opening hours
Included
Expedition Team Lectures, Svalbard briefing and guidance throughout the voyage
Included
Free WiFi, sauna and fitness room
Included
Expedition Suite guests receive extra benefits on board, including fine dining at Røst and a premium drinks selection; see the Svalbard Line northbound page for the full comparison. Not included: international flights, optional shore excursions during the voyage, travel insurance and anything not listed above. You can arrange travel insurance online here.
Flights & Packages
Flights from London
The fares above are for the tour without flights. Hurtigruten offers flight-inclusive versions of this package from London, flying out to Oslo and home from Longyearbyen via the Norwegian mainland, and we can quote these for any departure. Booking flights as part of the package means the whole trip is protected under Hurtigruten's ATOL licence.
Package
Starts / Ends
Included in price
Price
Arctic Norway Frontier Tour only
Oslo / Longyearbyen
Everything listed under What is included
See fares
Arctic Norway Frontier With flights
London / London
The tour as above plus flights from London to Oslo and from Longyearbyen back to London
Call
Flight package prices are per person based on two people sharing and depend on the date and flight availability. Extra nights in Oslo or Longyearbyen can be added. Call 0333 405 0194 for a quote.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is the Arctic Norway Frontier a guided tour?
No, it is self-guided. Hurtigruten books your hotels, train and ferry tickets, transfers and the included excursions, but there is no tour leader travelling with you on land. On the ship the Expedition Team are on hand throughout, and the Svalbard excursions are guided.
Which ship will I sail on?
The Svalbard Line section is sailed by either MS Trollfjord or MS Midnatsol, depending on your departure date. The fare table shows the ship for each date, and you stay on the same ship from Bergen to Longyearbyen.
Are flights included in the price?
No. The fares shown cover the tour from Oslo to Longyearbyen without international flights. Hurtigruten offers flight-inclusive versions from London and we can quote these for any departure.
What does the cabin category in the fare table mean?
It refers to your cabin on board the ship for the seven nights from Bergen to Longyearbyen. The hotels on land are the same whichever cabin you choose, and the price covers the whole package as described.
Which meals are included?
On the ship you have breakfast, lunch and dinner every day with selected drinks during opening hours. On land you have breakfast at the hotels, dinner at Funken Lodge and the Arctic tasting menu at Huset. Lunches and dinners in Oslo, Flåm and Bergen are at your own expense.
Will I see the Northern Lights?
No. This is a summer tour and from Tromsø northwards you are travelling under the Midnight Sun, so the sky does not get dark enough. In Longyearbyen the sun stays above the horizon around the clock from roughly late April to late August.
Will I see polar bears?
There are no guarantees. Polar bears live throughout Svalbard, which is why you must not leave Longyearbyen without an armed guide, but sightings from the catamaran are a matter of luck. Seals, seabirds and Svalbard reindeer are much more likely.
Does the tour visit Ny-Ålesund?
No. The 13 day tour ends in Longyearbyen. If you would like to visit Ny-Ålesund and sail beyond 80 degrees north, look at the 18 day Arctic Norway Frontier with Cruise, which adds a four night expedition voyage along the west coast of Spitsbergen.
Is the tour suitable for people with limited mobility?
Hurtigruten does not recommend it for guests who use a wheelchair or have limited mobility, because there are several changes of train, ferry and bus with luggage. If you can manage short walks and a few stairs you should be able to join most activities.
What should I pack for Svalbard in summer?
Layers. Summer temperatures in Longyearbyen are usually only a few degrees above freezing, and it can feel colder on the water. Bring a warm hat, gloves, a windproof and waterproof jacket, sturdy walking shoes and sunglasses, since the light is strong around the clock.
