18 Days · 17 Nights · Helsinki to Copenhagen
Finnish Lapland by land, the Norwegian coast by sea
- Duration18 days, 17 nights
- RouteHelsinki to Copenhagen
- ShipMS Trollfjord
- SeasonJanuary to April 2028
- From£5,392 pp
This is one of the most complete winter journeys Hurtigruten sells. It begins in Helsinki, with a couple of days in the Finnish capital, and then heads north the slow way: by train up the length of Finland to the frozen Bothnian Bay, and on by coach into Lapland. Over the following days you sleep in a glass villa by the sea, sail through pack ice on an icebreaker, drive your own husky sled through the forest and go out looking for the aurora on several evenings, ending up in Kilpisjärvi, where Finland, Sweden and Norway meet.
On day 8 the coach crosses the Lyngen Alps into Norway and you join MS Trollfjord in Tromsø. From there the tour follows the Arctic Line South, an all-inclusive Signature voyage that goes north first to Honningsvåg and Alta, then turns south past Lofoten, Ålesund and Bergen before crossing the North Sea to Copenhagen. An English-speaking tour manager travels with you on land, and the ship's Expedition Team looks after you at sea.
£5,392per person, from
Three departures from Helsinki: 11 January, 7 March and 4 April 2028
The cabin category you choose refers to your cabin on the ship. The price covers the whole package as Hurtigruten describes it, including seven hotel nights in Finland, rail and coach travel, the Lapland activities listed below and the voyage from Tromsø to Copenhagen, per person sharing and without flights.
Why This Tour
Three countries, two ways of travelling, one long Arctic winter
Most Northern Lights trips give you one setting. This one gives you two very different ones. The first week is spent in the forests, fells and frozen lakes of Finnish Lapland, where winter is dry and still and the snow lies deep under the pines. The second is on the Norwegian coast, all mountains, fjords and fishing harbours, with the sea always alongside. You see the aurora zone from the land and from the deck of a ship, and you get a real feel for how different the two sides of the Arctic are.
It is also a tour that does the planning for you. Hotels, trains, coaches, the icebreaker, the husky safari, the aurora hunts and the border safari are all arranged, with a tour manager on hand throughout the land section. Once you are aboard, the ship is all-inclusive, with meals and selected drinks covered, and the Expedition Team runs talks and optional excursions in each port.
The journey suits travellers who want plenty of variety and a good number of chances to see the Northern Lights, and who like the comfort of a guided group without being rushed. It is a long trip, and it is cold in Lapland, but there is time to rest too: a sailing day on the inner coastal route and a final day crossing the North Sea give you breathing space before Copenhagen.
If you would rather finish in Lapland than start there, the sister tour Savour the Northern Lights on the Arctic Line North runs in the opposite direction, from Copenhagen to Helsinki.
The Ship
Ten nights aboard MS Trollfjord
From Tromsø onwards your home is MS Trollfjord, refurbished for Hurtigruten's Signature voyages. Meals are served in three restaurants: Flora for buffet and à la carte dining, Brasserie Árran for casual dishes and Norwegian classics, and Røst, the fine dining restaurant included for guests in Expedition Suites. Menus follow Norway's Coastal Kitchen, Hurtigruten's approach to sourcing from farms, fishermen and producers along the coast.
Between meals there is the panoramic lounge, the two storey Observation Deck, a panoramic sauna, a fitness room and a library, and the 1893 Bar has a pianist playing in the evenings. Selected beers, wines, spirits and soft drinks are included during opening hours. After a week of coaches and hotel changes, it is very pleasant to unpack once and let the coast come to you.
Watch
Winter on the Norwegian coast
A short film from Hurtigruten of the winter coast you will sail along in the second half of the tour, from snowy harbours to the Northern Lights.
Video from Hurtigruten's official YouTube channel.
Your Journey
Day by day, Helsinki to Copenhagen
Seven nights in hotels in Finland, then ten nights on MS Trollfjord. Activities in Lapland are weather dependent, and the Captain may vary the order of calls on the voyage because of weather. Excursions marked as optional are not included in the price and can be booked with us in advance or on board.
Day 1 · Helsinki, welcome to Finland
Overnight · Helsinki, five star hotel
The tour starts in Helsinki, where you check in to a five star hotel in the city. The rest of the day is free, and the centre is compact enough to explore on foot. Walk along the Esplanadi, the tree lined park boulevard running down to the harbour, and on to Market Square, where stalls and cafes sit right beside the harbour.
Helsinki was founded in 1550, when Finland was part of the Swedish realm, and became the capital in 1812, a few years after Finland passed to Russia as an autonomous Grand Duchy. Much of the grand neoclassical centre dates from that time. In the evening you meet your tour manager and fellow travellers over a welcome dinner.
Day 2 · Discovering the Finnish capital
Overnight · Helsinki
After breakfast a three hour guided tour shows you the city's main sights. You see City Hall and Market Square, and stand in Senate Square below Helsinki Cathedral, the white, green domed church designed by Carl Ludvig Engel and completed in 1852. Its broad flight of steps is one of the best known views in Finland.
The highlight for many is Temppeliaukio, the Rock Church, and entrance is included. Designed by the brothers Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen and completed in 1969, it was excavated straight into the granite bedrock, with rough rock walls inside and a copper lined dome resting on a ring of windows that floods the hall with light. The acoustics are excellent and it is often used for concerts. If time and weather allow, the tour also stops at the Sibelius Monument, Eila Hiltunen's sculpture of hundreds of welded steel pipes, unveiled in 1967 in honour of the composer. The tour ends back at the hotel at around 1pm, leaving the afternoon free for a museum, a sauna or a coffee and a cinnamon bun.
Day 3 · By train to Kemi and a glass villa on the sea
Overnight · Experience 365 glass villa, Kemi
A private coach takes you to Helsinki railway station for a mid morning train north. It is a long, relaxing ride up the country through forest, farmland and frozen lakes, and lunch can be bought on board. In the afternoon you arrive in Kemi, at the head of the Gulf of Bothnia, and a private coach brings you to Experience 365 on the Arctic coast.
Tonight you sleep in a seafront glass villa, with a glass roof above the bed, so that on a clear night you can lie under the duvet and watch for the aurora over the frozen sea. Dinner is served at the hotel. This is one of the moments people remember most from the whole trip.
Day 4 · Icebreaker on the Bothnian Bay, then on to Levi
Overnight · Northern Lights Village, Levi
The Bothnian Bay is the northernmost part of the Baltic, and in winter it freezes over into a great white plain of sea ice. Today you head out onto it. On the January and March departures you join a three hour cruise on the icebreaker Arktis, weather permitting, feeling the hull crunch its way through thick ice, and you can then pull on a waterproof survival suit and float in the icy water of the channel the ship has cut. On the April departure the programme is a private guided visit to the historic icebreaker Sampo, followed by sea floating in a full body survival dry suit. Sampo was completed in 1961, kept the shipping lanes of the northern Gulf of Bothnia open for nearly three decades, and has carried tourists from Kemi since 1988. The minimum height for sea floating is 120 cm.
Lunch today is at your own expense. Afterwards a private coach takes you north, crossing the Arctic Circle on the way, to Levi and the Northern Lights Village, where dinner is served at the hotel. Levi, in the municipality of Kittilä, is Finland's largest ski resort and hosts World Cup slalom races in November.
Day 5 · Huskies and an aurora hunt at Levi
Overnight · Northern Lights Village, Levi
This is the day for huskies. A traditional 5 km husky safari takes you through Levi's snowy forests, with one guest driving each two person sled while the other sits back and enjoys the ride. The dogs are wildly excited at the start and then settle into a steady, silent run that is quite unlike any other way of travelling. If you would like more, reindeer and snowmobile safaris can be booked as optional extras, weather permitting.
After dinner at the hotel restaurant you set off on an aurora hunting safari of around three hours, weather permitting. Hurtigruten describes it as travelling in comfort by bus, heading out to darker skies around the lakes and rivers of the region, away from the lights of the resort. Being able to move to wherever the cloud breaks is the great advantage of a hunt like this.
Day 6 · North along the border to Kilpisjärvi
Overnight · Santa's Hotel, Kilpisjärvi
After breakfast a private coach heads north along the Finnish and Swedish border, by way of Muonio, into the far northwest of Finland. This is Käsivarsi, the arm of Finland that reaches up between Sweden and Norway, and the landscape opens out as you go, the forest thinning to birch and then to bare, rounded fells. Kilpisjärvi sits beside its lake with Saana fell rising above it to 1,029 metres. In ancient times the spirits of Saana were believed to bring luck to hunters, and it is still the landmark everyone photographs. Halti, the highest point in Finland at about 1,324 metres, lies further into the wilderness to the northeast.
You stay at Santa's Hotel, a complex of serviced apartments a short walk from the lake. Dinner is at the hotel, and in the evening your tour manager takes you out to look for the Northern Lights. With almost no artificial light for miles, the skies here can be wonderfully dark.
Day 7 · Three countries, or a reindeer farm
Overnight · Kilpisjärvi
Today you choose between two included experiences. The Border of Three Countries safari covers roughly 30 km in about three hours by snowmobile or sleigh, across the frozen landscape to the Three-Country Cairn, the yellow marker standing in Lake Goldajärvi where Finland, Sweden and Norway meet. The cairn was built in 1926 and marks the northernmost point of Sweden. Thermal clothing, guiding, photos and a warm drink with a pastry are all included, and it is a lovely feeling to walk round the marker and pass through three countries in a few steps. The alternative is a visit to a reindeer farm in Kilpisjärvi, a chance to meet the animals that have shaped life in Lapland for centuries.
The afternoon is free. Dinner is at the hotel, and in the evening there is another Northern Lights outing with your tour manager, weather permitting.
Day 8
Across the Lyngen Alps to Tromsø and MS Trollfjord
Overnight · MS Trollfjord, in port in Tromsø
A private coach takes you over the border into Norway and west through the Lyngen Alps, a jagged range of peaks and glaciers along the Lyngenfjord. Its highest mountain, Jiehkkevárri, rises to around 1,833 metres, the highest in Troms, and the drive includes crossings by local ferry and long stretches beside the fjord. It is a dramatic change after the soft, rolling fells of Finland.
In Tromsø there is time to look around before you board MS Trollfjord and meet the Expedition Team who will guide you for the rest of the journey. The ship stays in port overnight, so you can eat on board or try one of the city's restaurants, many of which serve Arctic char, reindeer and king crab.
Day 9 · A morning in Tromsø, then out to sea
Ports today · Tromsø
Tromsø is a lively city of around 78,000 people on an island in a sound ringed by mountains. The morning is yours. Polaria, the aquarium and visitor centre about Arctic wildlife and climate, is a short walk from the harbour, or you can cross the bridge to the mainland side for the views back over the city and a look at the Arctic Cathedral with its tall, white triangular facade. In the centre, Tromsø Cathedral is the only Protestant cathedral in Norway built of wood, and the Polar Museum tells the story of the trappers and expeditions that set out from here.
Winter excursions such as snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and dog sledding can be booked with the Expedition Team. In the afternoon the ship leaves Tromsø and heads for the far north.
Day 10
Honningsvåg and the North Cape
Ports today · Honningsvåg
Honningsvåg is the gateway to the North Cape, the great cliff on Magerøya that rises some 300 metres above the Arctic Ocean. It has long been celebrated as the top of Europe, and although a lower, flatter headland nearby, Knivskjellodden, actually reaches slightly further north, it is the North Cape that people come to see. An optional excursion crosses the island's snowy plateau to the cliff top, where the globe monument and the North Cape Hall wait at the end of the road.
If you stay in town, there is the harbour with its fishing boats and wooden houses to wander, and the North Cape Museum, which tells the story of fishing and life on this exposed coast. Honningsvåg is also known for king crab, a species introduced to the Barents Sea by Soviet scientists in the 1960s that has since spread west along the Norwegian coast.
Day 11
Alta, City of the Northern Lights
Ports today · Alta
Alta, the largest town in Finnmark, calls itself the City of the Northern Lights. Along the riverbanks and the shore of the fjord lie the Rock Art of Alta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of more than 6,000 carvings showing reindeer, hunting and life on the water, and the boardwalks at the Alta Museum lead you among them. In the town centre is the spiral shaped Northern Lights Cathedral, clad in titanium sheets and completed in 2013.
If you fancy a night colder than most, you can opt to stay overnight at the Igloo Hotel, which is rebuilt every year from snow and ice. Otherwise the ship stays alongside, ready for an evening on deck if the sky clears.
Day 12 · Alta, out into the wilderness
Ports today · Alta
After the night in Alta, on board or in the Igloo Hotel, the day is for getting out into the landscape. The optional choices include a husky ride through the pine forests, snowshoeing across frozen ground and a guided trip inland towards the Finnmark tundra, the wide plateau where Sámi reindeer herders bring their animals in winter. If you would rather take things gently, the Alta Museum and a walk along the river are both easy options.
Alta has a strong place in modern Norwegian history too. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, protests against a hydroelectric dam on the Alta River became a turning point for Sámi rights in Norway. In the evening the ship sails south along the coast.
Day 13
Stokmarknes, the Raftsundet and Svolvær
Ports today · Stokmarknes, Svolvær
The day starts in Stokmarknes in Vesterålen, the town where Richard With founded the Hurtigruten coastal service in 1893. The Hurtigruten Museum here tells the story of the route, and its centrepiece is the old coastal ship MS Finnmarken, built in 1956, which was lifted onto land in 1999 and since 2021 has stood inside its own purpose built hall.
The ship then threads the Raftsundet, the narrow strait between Vesterålen and Lofoten, where steep mountain walls and frozen waterfalls close in on both sides. Later you dock at Svolvær, the main town of the Lofoten Islands, with its harbour, galleries, cafes and fish drying racks. In March 1941 the harbour was the target of Operation Claymore, a British commando raid on the fish oil factories serving the German war effort. If you want to venture further, the fishing village of Henningsvær, spread across a string of small islands joined by bridges, is close by.
Day 14 · Through Norway's heartland
Ports today · Sailing day
A day with no port calls, spent on Norway's sheltered inner coastal route, where the ship threads channels and sounds between thousands of islands. You pass solitary lighthouses, fishing villages, small farms on narrow strips of land and, on a clear day, snow covered peaks all along the mainland. This stretch takes you south past the Helgeland coast, where Torghatten, the mountain with a hole right through it, is a famous landmark.
The Expedition Team may give a short talk during the day, but mostly this is a day to settle into the panoramic lounge with a coffee, or sit in the sauna, and let the coast slide by. After the busy days in Lapland and the Arctic, it is very welcome.
Day 15
Ålesund, Art Nouveau by the sea
Ports today · Ålesund
After a devastating fire in 1904, Ålesund was rebuilt within a few years in the Art Nouveau style, and its centre is one of the best preserved Art Nouveau townscapes in Europe. Spread over several islands with the Sunnmøre Alps on the horizon, it is a town for walking: along the canal at Brosundet and through streets of towers, turrets and decorated facades.
The Jugendstilsenteret, the national Art Nouveau Centre, explains how the town rose from the ashes. If you have the legs for it, the 418 steps up Mount Aksla reward you with a panorama over the islands and out to sea. Ålesund grew rich on fish, particularly klippfisk, the salted and dried cod exported to southern Europe, and fishing remains at the heart of its economy.
Day 16 · Bergen, goodbye to Norway
Ports today · Bergen
Bergen, ringed by seven mountains and once a key port of the Hanseatic League, is the last Norwegian stop. Bryggen Wharf, the row of wooden merchants' houses on the harbour, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the obvious place to start. The fish market sells fresh seafood and regional specialities, and the funicular up Mount Fløyen gives views over the city and the islands beyond.
With more time, look in at Bergenhus Fortress and Haakon's Hall, the stone royal hall built in the thirteenth century when Bergen was Norway's capital. Edvard Grieg was born here in 1843, and his villa at Troldhaugen lies just south of the city. Later the ship heads out to sea and Norway falls away behind you.
Day 17 · Crossing the North Sea
Ports today · At sea
A relaxed day at sea. Take a slow breakfast, catch the Expedition Team's final talk, or sit in the sauna and watch the horizon. During the day the ship passes into the Skagerrak and then the Kattegat, the two straits that link the North Sea with the Baltic.
It is the natural moment to look back over a journey that began more than two weeks ago in Helsinki: the glass villa, the ice, the dogs, the border cairn and the long Norwegian coast. Sort through your photographs, swap stories with the friends you have made, and plan your time in Copenhagen.
Day 18
Copenhagen, journey's end
Ports today · Copenhagen
The ship arrives in the early morning, as the spires and copper roofs of Copenhagen appear across the water, and the tour ends when you disembark. If you have time before your flight, or better still a night or two to spare, stroll along Nyhavn's harbour canal and stop for a traditional smørrebrød lunch, look in at Tivoli Gardens, which opened in 1843 and is one of the oldest amusement parks in the world, or walk out along the waterfront to the Little Mermaid.
The Round Tower, built for Christian IV and completed in 1642, has a spiral ramp in place of stairs and a fine view from the top, and the pedestrian streets around Strøget are made for wandering. It is a gentle, civilised end to an Arctic winter journey.
Copenhagen programmes
- Carlsberg, Canals & Nyhavn A five hour programme taking in the Carlsberg brewery district, the city's canals and Nyhavn.
- Royal Copenhagen: Christiansborg and Rosenborg Five hours exploring the royal palace of Christiansborg and Rosenborg Castle.
- Introduction to Copenhagen A three hour introduction to the city and its main sights.
Fares
Savour the Northern Lights, Arctic Line South fares 2028
Three departures from Helsinki in 2028, all sailing on MS Trollfjord from Tromsø. The cabin category refers to your cabin on the ship; the price covers the whole package as described, including the hotels in Finland, rail and coach travel and the included Lapland activities, per person sharing and without flights. The fare shown is the lowest found for each cabin category on that departure, and prices rise as cabins sell.
| Departure date | Polar Inside | Polar Outside | Arctic Superior | Expedition Suites |
|---|
| 11 January 2028 | from £6,163 | from £6,633 | Call | Call |
| 7 March 2028 | from £6,645 | from £7,194 | from £8,459 | Call |
| 4 April 2028 | from £5,392 | from £5,862 | from £6,941 | Call |
Fares are per person in pounds, based on two sharing, and were checked on 3 November 2026. They are subject to availability and may change at any time before booking. Single supplements are available on request. Where a fare shows Call, that category was not available online when we checked. Call 0333 405 0194 to check availability.
Your Package
What is included
This is a tour as well as a voyage, so the inclusions fall into two parts: the escorted land journey through Finland, arranged by Hurtigruten, and the all-inclusive Signature arrangements on board MS Trollfjord.
| What's included |
|---|
| On land in Finland |
| Seven hotel nights Four and five star hotels: two nights in Helsinki, a glass villa at Experience 365 near Kemi, two nights at the Northern Lights Village in Levi and two nights at Santa's Hotel in Kilpisjärvi | Included |
| Train and coach travel Second class train from Helsinki to Kemi and first class coach from Kemi to Tromsø, with private coach transfers as set out in the itinerary | Included |
| Helsinki city sightseeing A three hour guided tour with entrance to Temppeliaukio, the Rock Church | Included |
| Icebreaker experience On the Bothnian Bay, with sea floating; the programme depends on the departure date | Included |
| Husky safari and aurora hunt A 5 km husky safari and an evening aurora hunting safari at Levi | Included |
| Three Countries safari or reindeer farm visit Your choice in Kilpisjärvi; the safari includes thermal clothing, guiding, photos and a warm drink with a pastry | Included |
| Meals on land A welcome dinner in Helsinki and dinner at the hotels in Kemi, Levi and Kilpisjärvi, as set out in the itinerary | Included |
| English-speaking tour manager With you throughout the land journey | Included |
| On board MS Trollfjord |
| Ten nights in your chosen cabin Tromsø to Copenhagen | Included |
| All-inclusive meals Breakfast, lunch and dinner on board | Included |
| Unlimited selected drinks Selected beers, wines, spirits and soft drinks during opening hours | Included |
| Expedition Team Lectures, daily themes and on-deck guiding | Included |
| Gym, sauna and onboard pianist | Included |
Expedition Suite guests receive extra benefits on board, including fine dining at Røst and a premium drinks selection; see the Arctic Line South page for the full comparison. Not included: flights, lunches on land where the itinerary says they are at your own expense, optional activities such as the reindeer and snowmobile safaris at Levi, shore excursions during the voyage, the Igloo Hotel overnight in Alta, the Copenhagen programmes, travel insurance and anything not listed above. You can arrange travel insurance online here.
Flights & Extra Nights
Getting to Helsinki and home from Copenhagen
Flights are not included in this package, and Hurtigruten's page for it does not list a flight-inclusive version from the UK. You will need an open jaw arrangement, flying out to Helsinki and home from Copenhagen, both of which are well served from UK airports. Call us and we will talk you through the options and the timings that work with the tour.
Many guests like to arrive in Helsinki a day early, so the first day of the tour is not spent recovering from a flight, or to add a night or two in Copenhagen at the end. We can book hotels at either end.
Call 0333 405 0194 to talk about flights and extra nights.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Are flights included?
No. The fares on this page are for the cruise and tour package without flights. Hurtigruten's page for this package does not list a flight-inclusive option from the UK, so you will need flights out to Helsinki and home from Copenhagen. Call us on 0333 405 0194 and we will talk you through the options.
How many nights are on land and how many on the ship?
Seven nights are spent in hotels in Finland: two in Helsinki, one in a glass villa near Kemi, two in Levi and two in Kilpisjärvi. You then join MS Trollfjord in Tromsø on day 8 and stay on board for the rest of the journey until the ship reaches Copenhagen on day 18.
Is there a tour manager?
Yes. An English-speaking tour manager travels with the group on land, and once you board MS Trollfjord the ship's Expedition Team takes over with talks, guiding and excursions.
Which activities are included in the price?
The Helsinki city tour with entry to the Rock Church, the icebreaker experience on the Bothnian Bay, a 5 km husky safari and an evening aurora hunt at Levi, and in Kilpisjärvi a choice of the Three Countries border safari or a reindeer farm visit. Coach and train travel between Helsinki and Tromsø is included too.
What happens on the icebreaker day?
It depends on your departure. On the January and March dates you take a three hour cruise on the icebreaker Arktis through the frozen Bothnian Bay, with the chance to float in the sea ice in a survival suit. On the April date the programme is a private guided visit to the historic icebreaker Sampo, again followed by sea floating in a survival suit. The minimum height for sea floating is 120 cm.
Does the Northern Lights Promise apply?
No. Hurtigruten does not include this cruise and tour package among its Northern Lights Promise voyages, so the Promise does not apply to it. The Lapland week and the Arctic coast still give you many chances to see the aurora.
Which departure is best for seeing the aurora?
January and March give long, dark nights in Lapland and on the Arctic coast. The April departure still has a chance of the aurora in the far north early in the trip, but the nights are shortening quickly, so it suits people who want bright, snowy days as much as the lights.
Are meals included on land?
Some are. Dinner is included on most evenings in Finland, starting with a welcome dinner in Helsinki, and breakfast is served at the hotels. Some lunches are at your own expense, including lunch on the train to Kemi and on the icebreaker day. Once on board MS Trollfjord, meals and selected drinks are all-inclusive.
Are the shore excursions in Norway included?
No. The excursions offered on the voyage, such as the North Cape trip from Honningsvåg, husky sledding in Alta, the overnight at the Igloo Hotel and the Copenhagen programmes, are optional extras that you can book in advance or on board.
What should I pack?
Plan for real cold in Lapland. Bring thermal base layers, a warm insulated jacket, waterproof outer layers, a hat, gloves and warm boots, and shoe grips for icy streets. Thermal clothing is provided for the Three Countries safari. Pack swimwear for the sauna on board.
Can I add extra nights in Helsinki or Copenhagen?
Yes. Many people like an extra night in Helsinki before the tour starts, or a night or two in Copenhagen once the ship arrives. We can book hotels at either end, and the Copenhagen programmes offered by Hurtigruten can be added too.
More Information
Related tours and useful pages
To book Savour the Northern Lights on the Arctic Line South, call 0333 405 0194 or email enquiries@norwegiancoastalcruises.com. We will help you choose the right departure and cabin, and talk you through flights and extra nights.
