10 Days · 9 Nights · Oslo, Kirkenes, Bergen, Oslo
Norway from top to bottom, starting with a night below freezing
- Duration10 days, 9 nights
- RouteOslo, Kirkenes, Bergen, Oslo
- ShipCoastal Express, varies by date
- SeasonMay to September 2027
- From£2,729 pp
Most people meet the Coastal Express in Bergen and sail north. This tour turns that round. You fly from Oslo almost to the Russian border, spend a night at the Snowhotel outside Kirkenes, haul king crab from the fjord, and then board the ship for the southbound run down the whole Arctic coast to Bergen, calling at more than thirty ports on the way. The last leg is by train, over the high mountains on the Bergen Line, so you finish where you began, in Oslo.
The Snowhotel is what makes the trip. In winter a night in an ice hotel is a familiar idea; doing it in June or August, when the sun barely sets and the fjord outside is green and blue, is something else. You spend just one night in the snow, with a warm dinner first and a hot breakfast after, and that is plenty for most people. It is a story you will be telling for years.
£2,729per person, from
Regular departures from May to September 2027
The cabin category refers to your cabin on the ship. The price covers the whole package as described below, including hotels, the domestic flight to Kirkenes, the Snowhotel night, excursions and rail, per person sharing and without international flights. Flight-inclusive packages from London Gatwick or Manchester can be quoted.
The Snowhotel
A night in a snow room at Snowhotel Kirkenes
Snowhotel Kirkenes stands at Sandnes, about ten kilometres outside the town. Many ice hotels in the Nordic countries melt away each spring and are built again the following winter. Kirkenes now keeps its snow and ice rooms through the summer as well, so you can sleep in the snow under the Midnight Sun, which is the whole point of this tour.
Each room is sculpted by ice artists around its own theme and softly lit, and the bed is a block of ice laid with reindeer skins. You sleep in a thermal sleeping bag designed for sub zero temperatures, and Hurtigruten describes the snow room as having shared bathroom facilities. The trick is to go to bed warm and wear less than you think: a base layer and a hat are the usual advice.
Before bed there is a welcome and a three course dinner, served at the resort's restaurant, and the resort also has a sauna and is home to huskies and reindeer. Earlier in the day you will have been out on the fjord on a king crab safari. If you would rather have your own heated room and private bathroom for the night, the Discover Norway with Summer Arctic Cabin Adventure follows exactly the same route but swaps the snow room for one of the resort's gamme cabins.
The Ship
The Coastal Express, southbound
From Kirkenes to Bergen you sail on the Coastal Express, the working Hurtigruten route that has linked the ports of the Norwegian coast since 1893. The ships carry cargo and local passengers as well as travellers like you, and they call at every port on a timetable that has barely changed in decades, by day and by night. The ship varies by departure date, but you stay on the same one throughout. See the Hurtigruten fleet for the individual ships.
The voyage is full board, with meals built on regional produce from the coast you are passing. Drinks are not included unless stated. The Expedition Team give talks along the way, and the observation lounges are the best seats in the house through Lofoten and the Helgeland coast.
Watch
King Crab Expedition from Kirkenes
A look at the king crab safari from Kirkenes, the trip by boat that is included on your first day in the far north.
Video from Hurtigruten's official YouTube channel.
Your Journey
Day by day, Oslo to Kirkenes and back
The tour is self-guided: Hurtigruten arranges the flight, hotels, transfers and included excursions, and you set your own pace in between. Optional excursions on the ship are listed under each day and can be booked in advance.
Day 1 · Arrival in Oslo
Overnight · Airport hotel, Oslo
On arrival at Oslo Airport you check in at your airport hotel, which keeps tomorrow morning's flight north simple. If you would like to see the city, the Flytoget airport express train reaches central Oslo in about twenty minutes and runs every few minutes, with tickets bought at the station.
An evening in town could mean a walk along Aker Brygge to the old Akershus Fortress, or up the marble slopes of the Opera House roof to watch the light fade over the fjord. In early summer the evenings in Oslo stay light until very late.
Day 2 · Fly to Kirkenes, king crab and the Snowhotel
Oslo · Kirkenes · Overnight at Snowhotel Kirkenes
After breakfast you make your way to the terminal for the domestic flight north, a journey that covers almost the full length of mainland Norway and around ten degrees of latitude. Kirkenes lies well over 300 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, in the far east of Finnmark, closer to Murmansk than to Oslo. A bus meets you at the airport and takes you to the Snowhotel.
The afternoon is spent on the water on a king crab safari by RIB. With local fishermen you head out across the fjord, haul up the pots and see the crabs up close: red king crabs can measure well over a metre from claw tip to claw tip. They are not native here. Soviet scientists introduced them to the Barents Sea in the 1960s and they have spread west along the coast ever since, which has turned out to be good news for anyone who likes seafood. Back ashore, the catch is steamed and served in a rustic boathouse restaurant.
In the evening there is an introduction to the Snowhotel and a three course welcome dinner, and then it is time to retire to your snow room.
Day 3 · Kirkenes, the border and all aboard
Kirkenes · Vardø · Båtsfjord · Berlevåg
A hot breakfast is very welcome after a night in the snow. Then a guided tour takes you towards the Norwegian Russian border. The route runs through the Pasvik valley, a long tongue of pine forest stretching south to where Norway, Finland and Russia meet, and home to brown bears and other wildlife. You cross the Pasvik River and visit the guarded crossing at Storskog, the only official border crossing between Norway and Russia. Photography is not allowed there, so this is one to remember rather than record. Hurtigruten's list of inclusions also names Andersgrotta, the wartime shelter in Kirkenes, alongside the border tour; we will confirm the exact programme for your date when you book.
Kirkenes itself has a hard history. Andersgrotta, dug into the rock from 1941, sheltered as many as 2,500 people from the air raids that made the town one of the most heavily bombed places in Norway during the Second World War, and Soviet forces arrived in October 1944. Around lunchtime you are dropped at the ship with your luggage, and in the afternoon the ship works its way around the Varanger peninsula. Vardø, Norway's easternmost town, has a star shaped fortress and the Steilneset Memorial to the 91 people executed in the witch trials of the seventeenth century. Båtsfjord and Berlevåg follow, small fishing towns facing the open Barents Sea.
Day 4
From the top of Norway to Tromsø
Mehamn · Kjøllefjord · Honningsvåg · Havøysund · Hammerfest · Øksfjord · Skjervøy · Tromsø
The night brings calls at Mehamn and Kjøllefjord, and by early morning the ship is at Honningsvåg and then Havøysund, threading the sounds of western Finnmark. Hammerfest comes in the early afternoon. The town has long claimed to be the northernmost in the world, and in 1891 it was the first town in northern Europe to have electric street lighting. Like most of Finnmark it was burned at the end of the war and rebuilt.
On the Fuglenes peninsula stands the Meridian Column, marking the northern end of the Struve Geodetic Arc, a chain of survey points running to the Black Sea that nineteenth century scientists used to measure the shape of the earth. It is on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Øksfjord and Skjervøy follow, and the ship docks in Tromsø just before midnight, in full daylight in high summer.
Optional excursions
- Breakfast at the North Cape From Honningsvåg to the North Cape plateau for breakfast and the view. About 6 hours.
- The northernmost town in the world A guided look at Hammerfest and its history. About 1 hour 45 minutes.
- Mountain hike in Hammerfest A walk up above the town for the view over the harbour. About 1 hour 30 minutes.
- Midnight concert in Tromsø A concert in the cathedral in the small hours. About 1 hour 15 minutes.
Day 5
Vesterålen, the Trollfjord and Svolvær
Finnsnes · Harstad · Risøyhamn · Sortland · Stokmarknes · Svolvær · Stamsund
Finnsnes comes early in the morning, then Harstad, where Trondenes Church, a medieval stone church, stands on a site that was a seat of power in the Viking age. Through the narrow Risøysund channel the ship reaches Sortland and then Stokmarknes, where Richard With started the Hurtigruten coastal service in 1893. The Hurtigruten Museum on the quay is built around the old coastal ship MS Finnmarken, preserved on dry land.
In the afternoon the ship sails through the Raftsund strait between Vesterålen and Lofoten and, if the weather allows and the Captain agrees, noses into the Trollfjord, about two kilometres long and so narrow at the mouth that the ship seems to fill it. Svolvær, the main town of Lofoten, comes in the evening, followed by Stamsund.
Optional excursions
- A taste of Vesterålen From Harstad, local food and landscapes of the Vesterålen islands. About 4 hours 15 minutes.
- Sea eagle safari From Stokmarknes, a boat trip watching for white tailed eagles. About 2 hours.
- Lofoten Islands From Svolvær, a tour of the island landscapes and fishing villages. About 3 hours 30 minutes.
- RIB adventure in Lofoten A fast boat trip among the islands from Svolvær. About 1 hour 30 minutes.
Day 6
Helgeland and Torghatten
Bodø · Ørnes · Nesna · Sandnessjøen · Brønnøysund · Rørvik
Bodø passes in the small hours, and early in the morning the ship is at Ørnes. After breakfast you cross the Arctic Circle heading south, and the custom on board is a spoonful of cod liver oil to mark it. The Helgeland coast that follows is a seemingly endless scatter of islands, with the seven peaks of the Seven Sisters range rising behind Sandnessjøen. Local legend has them as troll sisters turned to stone by the rising sun.
Mid afternoon brings Brønnøysund and Torghatten, the mountain with a hole through its middle. The story goes that the troll Hestmannen shot an arrow at a girl he was pursuing, and the king of Sømna threw his hat in its way; the arrow went through the hat, which became the mountain. Geologists put it down to the sea wearing away the rock when the land lay lower after the Ice Age. The evening ends at Rørvik.
Optional excursions
- UNESCO Vega Archipelago From Sandnessjøen to the World Heritage islands of Vega, known for their eider duck tradition. About 5 hours.
- Hike to Torghatten mountain From Brønnøysund up to the hole through the mountain. About 2 hours.
- Visit the salmon From Brønnøysund, a look at Norwegian salmon farming. About 2 hours 30 minutes.
Day 7
Trondheim, Kristiansund and Molde
Trondheim · Kristiansund · Molde
The morning is spent in Trondheim, Norway's first capital, founded in 997. Nidaros Cathedral was built over the grave of St Olav, the king credited with bringing Christianity to Norway, and for centuries it drew pilgrims from across northern Europe. Cross the Old Town Bridge to the coffee houses of Bakklandet, or climb to Kristiansten Fortress for the view over the rooftops.
Late afternoon you reach Kristiansund, a town built on klippfisk, cod that is salted and then dried on the rocks, which was exported for centuries to Spain and Portugal and still is. Climb to the Varden viewpoint for a look over the harbour. Molde, the town of roses and home of a famous jazz festival, is the last call of the day.
Optional excursions
- Trondheim with Nidaros Cathedral A guided tour of the city and its cathedral. About 2 hours.
- The Atlantic Road From Kristiansund, the famous road that hops between islands and skerries on a series of bridges. About 4 hours 30 minutes.
Day 8
Across the fjords to Bergen
Ålesund · Torvik · Måløy · Florø · Bergen · Overnight in Bergen
Ålesund and Torvik slip by in the night, and in the morning the ship calls at Måløy and Florø, Norway's westernmost town. The route crosses the mouth of the Nordfjord, with the Jostedal Glacier, the largest glacier in mainland Europe, out of sight beyond the mountains, passes the little Stabben lighthouse on its rock and crosses the entrance to the Sognefjord, the longest and deepest fjord in Norway.
The ship reaches Bergen in the afternoon and a bus takes you to your hotel, the Clarion Admiral or similar. The rest of the day is free for Bryggen, the fish market and the Fløibanen funicular; dinner tonight is at your own choice and expense, and Bergen does excellent seafood.
Day 9 · The Bergen Line to Oslo
Bergen · Finse · Oslo · Overnight in Oslo
After breakfast a bus takes you to Bergen station for one of the finest train rides in Europe. The Bergen Line, opened in 1909, climbs from the fjords onto the Hardangervidda, the great treeless plateau where reindeer graze and snow can lie well into summer. At Finse the line reaches 1,222 metres, making it the highest railway in Northern Europe. Then it descends through Hallingdal to Oslo, arriving in the afternoon or early evening depending on the train you take.
Your hotel is a couple of minutes' walk from Oslo Central Station.
Day 10 · Oslo
Oslo
The tour ends after a proper Norwegian breakfast buffet. If your flight is later, the Munch museum is a short walk from the station, or we can add extra nights in Oslo.
Fares
Discover Norway with Snowhotel fares 2027
This tour has regular departures from May to September 2027. The table shows, for each month, how many departures there are and the lowest fare found for any departure that month in each cabin category. The cabin category refers to your cabin on the Coastal Express ship; the price is for the whole package as described here, including the hotels, the Oslo to Kirkenes flight, the Snowhotel night, the excursions and the train, per person sharing and without international flights. Flight-inclusive packages from London Gatwick or Manchester can be quoted.
| Month | Departures | Polar Inside | Polar Outside | Arctic Superior | Expedition Suites |
|---|
| May 2027 | 19 | from £2,938 | from £2,990 | from £3,518 | from £4,635 |
| June 2027 | 16 | from £3,027 | from £3,259 | from £3,814 | from £5,006 |
| July 2027 | 21 | from £2,955 | from £3,111 | from £3,677 | from £5,006 |
| August 2027 | 20 | from £2,799 | from £2,946 | from £3,470 | from £4,635 |
| September 2027 | 19 | from £2,729 | from £2,879 | from £3,357 | from £4,416 |
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 |
|---|
| Travel and transfers |
| Domestic flight, Oslo to Kirkenes Economy class, with taxes and fees | Included |
| Transfer from Kirkenes Airport to the Snowhotel | Included |
| Transfer from the ship to your Bergen hotel, and to Bergen station | Included |
| Train from Bergen to Oslo on the Bergen Line | Included |
| Hotels |
| Pre-tour night in Oslo Airport hotel, with breakfast | Included |
| One night at Snowhotel Kirkenes With a three course dinner and breakfast | Included |
| One night in Bergen Clarion Admiral or similar, with breakfast | Included |
| One night in Oslo A four star hotel close to Oslo Central Station, with breakfast | Included |
| Excursions and voyage |
| King crab safari by RIB With a crab meal at a boathouse restaurant | Included |
| Guided Norwegian border excursion Pasvik valley and Storskog | Included |
| Coastal Express, Kirkenes to Bergen Five nights in your chosen cabin, full board | Included |
Not included: international flights, airport transfers other than those listed, drinks unless stated, optional excursions during the voyage, meals in Bergen and Oslo other than breakfast, and travel insurance. You can arrange travel insurance online here.
Flights & Packages
Flights from London Gatwick or Manchester
The tour starts and ends in Oslo, which makes the flights easy. Hurtigruten offers flight-inclusive versions from London Gatwick and Manchester, and we can quote these for your chosen date. With flights included the whole trip is protected under Hurtigruten's ATOL licence.
| Package | Starts / Ends | Included in price | Price |
|---|
Snowhotel tour
Without flights | Oslo / Oslo | Everything listed under What is included | See fares |
Snowhotel tour
With flights | London Gatwick or Manchester | The tour plus return flights between the UK and Oslo | Call |
Flight package prices are per person based on two sharing and vary with date and availability. Extra nights in Oslo or Bergen can be added. Call 0333 405 0194 for a quote.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is the Snowhotel really open in summer?
Yes. Snowhotel Kirkenes keeps its snow and ice rooms open all year rather than letting them melt in spring, so on this tour you sleep in a snow room in the middle of the Arctic summer.
How cold is the snow room?
The room stays below freezing all year. You sleep in a thermal sleeping bag on a bed laid with reindeer skins, and dinner and breakfast are served in the heated restaurant.
Does the snow room have its own bathroom?
No. Hurtigruten describes the Snowhotel snow room as having shared bathroom facilities. If you would prefer a private bathroom, the Arctic Cabin version of this tour uses a heated gamme cabin with its own shower and toilet.
How many nights do I spend at the Snowhotel?
One night. That is the right amount for most people, and the rest of the tour is spent in hotels in Oslo and Bergen and five nights on the ship.
Which ship will I sail on?
The Coastal Express ship varies by departure date. You stay on the same ship all the way from Kirkenes to Bergen.
Are meals included?
Breakfast is included at every hotel and full board on the ship. At the Snowhotel you have a three course dinner and breakfast, and lunch on the king crab safari. Drinks are not included unless stated, and dinner in Bergen and Oslo is at your own expense.
Are flights from the UK included?
No, but they can be. The fares shown are without international flights. Hurtigruten offers versions with flights from London Gatwick and Manchester, and we can quote for any date.
Will I see the Midnight Sun?
On early summer departures you will, from Kirkenes all the way down to Lofoten. In Kirkenes the sun stays above the horizon around the clock from mid May to late July, and even in late August and September the nights are short.
Is the tour guided?
No, it is self-guided. Everything is booked for you, and the excursions in Kirkenes are guided, but you travel independently between them and explore Oslo and Bergen at your own pace.
Is this tour suitable for limited mobility?
Hurtigruten does not recommend it for wheelchair users or guests with limited mobility. If you can manage short walks and a few stairs you should be able to join most activities.
