15 Days · 14 Nights · Oslo to Honningsvåg to Copenhagen
A Norwegian Christmas, a long way north
- Duration15 days, 14 nights
- RouteOslo to Copenhagen
- ShipMS Trollfjord
- Departs17 December 2027
- From£3,457 pp
Most people who ask us about a Christmas cruise want two things: to get away from the usual routine, and to have Christmas feel like Christmas rather than an ordinary holiday that happens to fall in December. This voyage manages both. It follows the shape of Hurtigruten's North Cape Line, sailing from Oslo up the west coast and over the Arctic Circle to Lofoten, Tromsø and the North Cape, then back down through Alta, Narvik, Åndalsnes and Bergen. The difference is the timing, and the ending. You reach Honningsvåg on Christmas Eve and Alta on Christmas Day, and instead of returning to Oslo, the ship crosses to Denmark and finishes in Copenhagen on New Year's Eve.
There is just the one sailing, which leaves Oslo on Friday 17 December 2027 and arrives in Copenhagen on Friday 31 December. It is all-inclusive, with Hurtigruten's Signature Expedition Team on board, and because it is fifteen days long in the heart of the aurora season, it comes with the Northern Lights Promise.
£3,457per person, from
Single departure, 17 to 31 December 2027 · Northern Lights Promise included
On voyages of 11 days or more departing between 20 September and 31 March, if the Northern Lights do not appear within sight of the ship, Hurtigruten will give you a 6 or 7 day voyage free of charge. This 15 day December sailing qualifies. Flights are not included in the free voyage. See the Northern Lights Promise for full conditions.
Christmas on Board
How Christmas and New Year are celebrated
In Norway the main celebration is on Christmas Eve, julaften, rather than Christmas Day. Families sit down to their big meal that evening, often ribbe, roast pork belly with crackling, or pinnekjøtt, salted and dried lamb ribs, and the evening ends with presents and, in many homes, everyone joining hands to walk round the tree singing carols. The run up is full of its own traditions too: gingerbread, mulled wine called gløgg, and the evening of 23 December, which Norwegians call little Christmas Eve.
Hurtigruten brings a good deal of this on board. Expect the ship to be dressed with lights and trees, with gingerbread and mulled wine through the festive days, and a programme of carols, stories and seasonal food. On Christmas Eve at Honningsvåg there is a Christmas lunch buffet, the crew lead carol singing later in the day, coffee and cake are served in the bar all day, and in the evening the ship celebrates Norwegian Christmas traditions together. Hurtigruten promises feasting, carols and dancing, and warns, cheerfully, that the evening may get lively. Christmas Day is spent in Alta, and on 26 December in Narvik there is another traditional Norwegian buffet for anyone still in the mood.
The final night at sea, on 30 December, is your last dinner on board, with a toast to a Scandinavian Christmas in whichever restaurant you choose. Then on New Year's Eve you arrive in Copenhagen. Many guests stay on for a night to see the New Year in, and we can add that to your booking.
The Ship
MS Trollfjord at Christmas
Christmas at sea works best on a ship that feels like a home rather than a resort, and MS Trollfjord suits it well. She was built in Norway in 2002, refurbished in 2023, and takes up to 500 guests in 270 cabins and 21 suites. There are no casinos or shows, just warm lounges with big windows, a two storey observation deck with the 1893 Bar, a panoramic sauna and a fitness room on the top deck, and a lecture hall where the Expedition Team give their talks.
Three restaurants share the cooking. Røst is the fine dining room, devoted to Arctic produce and included for suite guests. Flora has buffets and à la carte dishes for every meal, and Árran serves the hearty traditional food that suits a dark December evening. Hurtigruten's own tour of the ship is a good introduction:
Your Voyage
Day by day, 17 to 31 December 2027
Fifteen days from Oslo to Copenhagen, with the dates shown for each day. Optional excursions are listed with their length. They are not included in the fare and can be booked with us or on board. We have listed only those Hurtigruten runs in December, and noted where a summer tour is not available.
Day 1 · Friday 17 December · Oslo
Ports today · Oslo
Oslo in the week before Christmas is at its most appealing. The days are short, but the city makes up for it with lights in the windows, Christmas markets and an outdoor skating rink in the centre. If you arrive early, the walk from the station past the Cathedral and the Parliament up to the Royal Palace takes in the heart of the city, and the City Hall on the harbour, where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded each December, is just below.
You board in the afternoon or evening, meet the Expedition Team in the panoramic lounge, and sail down the Oslofjord in the dark.
Optional excursions
- Oslo City Walking Tour (2 hours) A guided walk through the centre before boarding. Hurtigruten's longer Oslo Discovery coach tour runs only from April to October, so it is not offered in December.
Day 2 · Saturday 18 December · At sea
Ports today · At sea
A first full day on board to settle in. The ship works round the south of Norway and up the west coast, and the Expedition Team begin their talks on the coast, its people and the voyage ahead. It is also the day to explore the ship properly, book a time in the sauna, and work out which of the three restaurants is going to be your favourite.
Day 3 · Sunday 19 December · Stavanger
Ports today · Stavanger
Stavanger is Norway's oil capital, but its centre is a much older town. The cathedral, dedicated to St Swithun and begun around 1100, is the oldest in the country, and the streets of Gamle Stavanger behind the harbour are lined with 173 white wooden houses from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. At this time of year the old town is especially pretty, with candles and lights in the windows. The Norwegian Petroleum Museum on the waterfront explains how this quiet fishing and canning port became the base of the North Sea oil industry.
Optional excursions
- On the trail of the Vikings (3 hours) Viking history around Stavanger, including the three ten metre bronze swords at Hafrsfjord that mark the battle of 872.
- Walking tour in the old town of Stavanger (2 hours 30 minutes) Gamle Stavanger's wooden lanes with a local guide.
Day 4 · Monday 20 December · Ålesund
Ports today · Ålesund
Ålesund stands on a string of islands at the mouth of the fjords, and its centre is almost entirely Art Nouveau. That is the legacy of the fire of 23 January 1904, which destroyed nearly 850 houses in one night. The town was rebuilt quickly with help from across Europe, much of it sent in the name of Kaiser Wilhelm II, and it was rebuilt in the style of the moment, so you get a whole townscape of towers, spires and decorated facades. The 418 steps up Mount Aksla are worth the effort for the view, and the Atlantic Sea Park aquarium, with its Humboldt penguins, is a good choice if the weather closes in.
Optional excursions
- Saga Islands bus tour to Alnes, winter (3 hours) By bridge and tunnel to the islands of Giske and Godøy and the lighthouse at Alnes. The summer walking and brewery tour is not offered in December.
Day 5 · Tuesday 21 December · Rørvik and the Arctic Circle
Ports today · Rørvik, crossing the Arctic Circle overnight
A call at the fishing town of Rørvik in the Vikna islands, with museums on the coast's long history and its modern salmon industry, and then an afternoon threading north through the archipelago. This is one of the shortest days of the year, so most of the sailing is in twilight and darkness, but the lights of farms and fishing settlements on the islands make it oddly cosy. Overnight, at about 66 degrees 33 minutes north, you cross the Arctic Circle. Hurtigruten marks the crossing with a toast.
Optional excursions
- Time travel through the coastal town of Rørvik (2 hours) The town and its museums with a guide.
- Nærøya, the island of the gods (3 hours) By boat to the island of Nærøya and its medieval church.
Day 6 · Wednesday 22 December
Svolvær and Stokmarknes
Ports today · Svolvær, Stokmarknes
Lofoten in midwinter is extraordinary. The sun hardly clears the mountains at this time of year, if at all, and the peaks stand out in a long blue and pink twilight over a sea that never freezes. The ship docks at Svolvær, the main town of the islands, with its harbour, galleries and the two horned rock pinnacle called the Svolvær Goat above it. In a few weeks the skrei, the Arctic cod, will arrive to spawn, and the drying racks around the islands will fill with fish.
In the afternoon you spend a few hours in Stokmarknes, the birthplace of the Hurtigruten coastal route in 1893. The Hurtigruten Museum tells the story of the ships that carried post, cargo and passengers up this coast for more than a century, and beside it, out of the water since 1999, stands MS Finnmarken, a complete coastal ship built in 1956.
Optional excursions
- Lofoten scenery and Henningsvær, winter (2 hours 30 minutes) A drive to the island fishing village of Henningsvær.
- Fishing in Lofoten, winter (2 hours 45 minutes) Sea fishing from a local boat.
- Kayaking in Lofoten, winter (2 hours 30 minutes) A guided paddle from Svolvær, suitable for beginners.
- Sea eagle tour in Lofoten by RIB (1 hour 30 minutes) A fast boat among the islands looking for white tailed eagles.
- Music and stories at Hadsel Church (2 hours 30 minutes) From Stokmarknes to Hadsel's red octagonal wooden church of 1824 for music and local stories, a lovely way to spend an evening so close to Christmas.
Day 7 · Thursday 23 December
Tromsø on little Christmas Eve
Ports today · Tromsø
The ship is in Tromsø for most of the day on 23 December, the evening Norwegians call lille julaften, when the house is decorated and the last of the preparations are made. Tromsø is in the middle of its polar night now, and the sun will not rise here again until mid January, but the city is busy and bright with shoppers, lights and cafes.
The Arctic Cathedral, completed in 1965, is one of the most striking churches in Norway, with a vast glass mosaic by Victor Sparre filling its east end. Polaria, the Arctic aquarium, and the Polar Museum, with its stories of trappers and expeditions, are both close to the harbour. The Fjellheisen cable car climbs to Storsteinen at about 420 metres for the view over the island city and its bridge, lit up beneath you in the dark.
Optional excursions
- Tromsø, the Arctic capital (3 hours 30 minutes) The cable car, the Arctic Cathedral and Polaria in one tour.
- Cross-country skiing in Tromsø (3 hours) An introduction to cross-country skiing on gentle trails.
- Dog sledding in a winter wonderland (3 hours 30 minutes) A husky ride through the snow in the hills outside the city.
- Explore Tromsø by e-bike (3 hours) A guided small group ride around the island.
Day 8 · Friday 24 December, Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve at the North Cape
Ports today · Honningsvåg
A whole day at Honningsvåg, on the island of Magerøya, for the first day of a Norwegian Christmas. You can go out on snowshoes with the Expedition Team, try ice fishing, or sit down to king crab caught in the Barents Sea. The North Cape is the great excursion. The plateau ends in a cliff 307 metres above the sea, at 71 degrees north, and it has been a goal for travellers since an English ship gave it its name in 1553. On Christmas Eve it is dark all day, which makes the walk out to the globe monument, under a sky that may be full of aurora, a strange and memorable way to spend the day.
Back on board there is a Christmas lunch buffet, carols with the crew later in the afternoon, and coffee and cake in the bar all day. In the evening the ship celebrates in the Norwegian way. Honningsvåg has its own Christmas story too. When the town was burned in the German retreat at the end of 1944, the church was the only building left standing.
Optional excursions
- The North Cape (3 hours) Across the island by coach to the North Cape, the globe and North Cape Hall.
- North Cape and king crab experience, winter (6 hours 30 minutes) A king crab meal and the North Cape in one long excursion.
- Quad biking to the North Cape (4 hours 30 minutes) A guided quad bike ride over the island to the cape.
- Arctic ice fishing (2 hours 30 minutes) Fishing through the ice of a frozen lake.
Day 9 · Saturday 25 December, Christmas Day
Christmas Day in Alta
Ports today · Alta
Christmas Day in Norway is quiet, a day for family, walks and leftovers, and most shops are closed. Alta, at 70 degrees north, is a fine place to spend it. The town is famous for its clear winter skies and its long link with aurora research: in 1899 Kristian Birkeland set up what is often called the world's first aurora observatory on the mountain of Haldde above the fjord. The Northern Lights Cathedral in the centre, a spiral of titanium consecrated in 2013, is well worth a look.
Alta's other treasure is its rock art, more than 6,000 carvings made between roughly 4200 BC and 500 BC and listed by UNESCO in 1985. Beside the Alta River, the Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel is rebuilt from snow and ice every winter, and its carved rooms and ice bar are well worth seeing.
Optional excursions
- Dog sledding in Alta (2 hours 30 minutes) Huskies across the snow.
- Visit the magical Igloo Hotel in Alta (2 hours 30 minutes) The Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel and its ice sculptures.
- UNESCO rock art and the Northern Lights Cathedral (3 hours) The carvings at Alta Museum and the cathedral.
- Dog sledding on wheels in Alta (2 hours 15 minutes) Huskies with a wheeled cart, used when the snow is thin.
Day 10 · Sunday 26 December · Narvik
Ports today · Narvik
The 26th is another holiday in Norway, the second day of Christmas, and the ship spends it in Narvik, where three fjords meet below the mountains. The town exists because of the Ofoten Line, opened in 1902 to carry Swedish iron ore from Kiruna to this ice free harbour, and that ore made it a battlefield in 1940, when Allied and German forces fought for it from April to June. The Narvik War Museum covers those months in detail. For the view, take the cable car up Narvikfjellet. On board, Hurtigruten lays on another traditional Norwegian Christmas buffet today.
Optional excursions
- Wonders of wildlife at Polar Park (4 hours 15 minutes) Bears, wolves, lynx and other northern animals in large enclosures at Bardu, the world's most northern animal park.
- Self-drive dogsled adventure (3 hours 30 minutes) Your own dog team through the forest.
- Sámi cultural encounter (3 hours 30 minutes) An afternoon with Sámi hosts and their traditions.
- Snowshoe trek with panoramic views A guided snowshoe walk in the mountains above the town.
- The Arctic Train (3 hours) A rail trip on the Ofoten Line, climbing high above the Rombaken fjord towards the Swedish border, with stops at Katterat and Bjørnfjell.
Day 11 · Monday 27 December · The inner coastal route
Ports today · At sea
A day of easy sailing south through the inner leads, the sheltered channels between the mainland and its islands. White tailed eagles are often seen along here, and the fjords open and close on either side as the ship goes. After the busy Christmas days it is a welcome day to rest, read, use the sauna and catch up on the Expedition Team's talks. Somewhere along the way you cross back south over the Arctic Circle.
Day 12 · Tuesday 28 December · Åndalsnes
Ports today · Åndalsnes
Åndalsnes is a small town with very big mountains. It sits at the head of the Romsdalsfjord, close to the Troll Wall, a cliff of around 1,100 metres often called the tallest vertical rock face in Europe. The Romsdal Gondola rises from the fjordside to Nesaksla at 708 metres in about seven minutes, with the Eggen restaurant at the top. The Rauma Line runs up the valley from here, opened in 1924, and it played its part in April 1940, when more than 50 tonnes of Norway's gold reserve were moved along it out of reach of the invading Germans.
Optional excursions
- Åndalsnes town walk and Romsdal Gondola (2 hours 30 minutes) A short town walk and the gondola to the summit.
- The Golden Train, winter (2 hours 40 minutes) Along the Rauma Line through Romsdalen with the story of the gold.
Day 13 · Wednesday 29 December
Bergen between Christmas and New Year
Ports today · Bergen
Bergen, once the capital of Norway and a great Hanseatic trading port, makes a lovely stop in the quiet days between Christmas and New Year. The wooden merchants' houses of Bryggen, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, line the harbour, and the narrow passages behind them still smell of old timber and tar. The fish market at the head of the harbour is good for lunch.
The Fløibanen funicular climbs Mount Fløyen for the classic view over the city and the mountains around it, and Ulriken, at 643 metres, has a cable car to its summit. Bergen is also known as one of the wettest cities in Europe, so bring an umbrella and you will be fine.
Optional excursions
- Bergen city walk (2 hours 30 minutes) The old centre and Bryggen with a local guide.
- Discover Bergen by e-bus (3 hours 30 minutes) An electric bus tour of the city with very little walking.
- Heritage and highlights, the best of Bergen (3 hours 30 minutes) A fuller tour combining the main sights.
Day 14 · Thursday 30 December · At sea towards Denmark
Ports today · At sea
The ship leaves Norway behind and heads south for Denmark. It is the last full day of the voyage, with time for the final lectures, a last session in the sauna, and a walk on deck. In the evening comes your last dinner on board, in Røst, Flora or Árran, and a toast to Christmas in Scandinavia.
Day 15 · Friday 31 December, New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve in Copenhagen
Ports today · Copenhagen
You arrive in Copenhagen on the morning of New Year's Eve, and the voyage ends here. Tivoli Gardens, opened in 1843 by Georg Carstensen and the second oldest amusement park still running anywhere, is dressed for its winter season, and on New Year's Eve it puts on a firework display to see in the New Year. Nyhavn, the colourful canal harbour dug in the 1670s, is lined with old townhouses, and Hans Christian Andersen lived at number 20 when his first fairy tales were published in 1835.
Copenhagen takes New Year seriously, with fireworks across the city at midnight. If you would like to be part of it, we can add a night in a Copenhagen hotel and arrange your flight home on New Year's Day.
Departure & Fares
Christmas Voyage fares, December 2027
There is a single departure, sailing from Oslo on 17 December 2027 aboard MS Trollfjord. The prices below are for the voyage only, per person with two sharing, and include all meals and the selected drinks package. With only one sailing and the Christmas dates, cabins are likely to go early, so we would not leave it too long. Polar Inside cabins have no window, Polar Outside cabins have a sea view, Arctic Superior cabins are a step up in size and comfort, and Expedition Suites are the most spacious, with fine dining in Røst and cocktails included. Our cabin guide has more detail.
| Departure date | Polar Inside | Polar Outside | Arctic Superior | Expedition Suites |
|---|
| 17 December 2027 | from £3,457 | from £3,976 | from £5,531 | from £9,260 |
Fares are per person in pounds sterling, based on two people sharing, and were checked with Hurtigruten on 20 October 2026. They are subject to availability and may change at any time before booking. Where a fare shows Call, that category was not available when we checked. Single supplements on request. For the latest price on your date, call 0333 405 0194.
All-Inclusive
What is included
This is an all-inclusive Signature voyage. The items below come with every cabin unless marked otherwise, and the Christmas festivities on board described above are part of the voyage.
| What's included | Cabin Polar Inside, Polar Outside and Arctic Superior | Suite Expedition Suites |
|---|
| Food and drink |
| All meals Breakfast, lunch, an afternoon snack and dinner, made from Norwegian ingredients | Included | Included |
| Unlimited selected drinks Selected beers, wines, spirits and soft drinks during opening hours | Included | Included |
| On deck food tastings Live Norwegian food demonstrations and tastings | Included | Included |
| Fine dining at Røst Daily breakfast, lunch and dinner in the fine dining restaurant | Not included | Included |
| Unlimited selected drinks and cocktails A premium drinks selection, including cocktails | Not included | Included |
| Your cabin |
| Cabin or suite selection Choose the location and grade of your cabin or suite | Included | Included |
| Life on board |
| Expedition Team Lectures, on deck guiding and evening gatherings | Included | Included |
| Photography programme Hurtigruten's Canon certified photo programme | Included | Included |
| Sauna and fitness room On the top deck | Included | Included |
| WiFi Free throughout the ship | Included | Included |
Not included: optional shore excursions, flights, hotels, transfers, pre and post voyage programmes, the optional extra night in Copenhagen, and travel insurance. You can arrange travel insurance online here.
Flights & Packages
Flying to Oslo and home from Copenhagen
Hurtigruten offers flight-inclusive packages for this voyage from London Gatwick or Manchester, flying out to Oslo and home from Copenhagen. Christmas flights fill quickly, so it pays to book the package early. Booking flights and voyage together keeps everything in one booking, with Hurtigruten's support around the clock while you travel and the protection of Hurtigruten's ATOL licence.
We can also add a night in Oslo before you sail, and a night in Copenhagen at the end so you can see the New Year in before flying home.
| Package | Starts / Ends | Included in price | Price |
|---|
Christmas Voyage
Flight Package | Oslo / Copenhagen | Flights from London Gatwick or Manchester to Oslo, and from Copenhagen back to the UK, with the voyage as described | Call |
| New Year in Copenhagen | Copenhagen | An extra hotel night in Copenhagen on 31 December, with your flight home the following day | Call |
Package prices are per person, two sharing. Call 0333 405 0194 for a quote.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Does the Christmas Voyage end in Copenhagen or Oslo?
Copenhagen. Unlike the regular North Cape Line, which returns to Oslo, this special sailing crosses to Denmark after Bergen and ends in Copenhagen on the morning of 31 December 2027.
Where will we be on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?
Christmas Eve, 24 December, is spent in Honningsvåg, the port for the North Cape. Christmas Day is spent in Alta. On 26 December the ship is in Narvik.
What Christmas celebrations are included?
The ship is decorated for the season, with gingerbread, mulled wine, carols and seasonal food. On Christmas Eve there is a Christmas lunch buffet, carols with the crew, coffee and cake in the bar all day and a celebration of Norwegian Christmas traditions in the evening. There is another traditional Norwegian buffet on 26 December, and a final dinner on 30 December.
Can I see in the New Year in Copenhagen?
Yes. The voyage ends on New Year's Eve, and many guests add a night in Copenhagen to celebrate. Tivoli Gardens holds a New Year's Eve firework display. We can book the hotel and arrange your flight home on New Year's Day.
Is the Northern Lights Promise included?
Yes. The Promise applies to Hurtigruten voyages of 11 days or more departing between 20 September and 31 March, and this 15 day voyage leaves on 17 December. If the aurora does not appear within sight of the ship, Hurtigruten gives you a 6 or 7 day voyage free of charge. Flights for the free voyage are not included.
How dark will it be?
Very. North of Tromsø the sun does not rise at all in late December, so the days in Tromsø, Honningsvåg and Alta are spent in twilight and darkness. Around midday there are a few hours of soft light. It is the best time of year for the Northern Lights, and the darkness is a large part of the atmosphere.
How long does the ship stay in each port?
Hurtigruten says port stays on the North Cape Line average around five hours. Tromsø, Åndalsnes, Alta and Bergen get most of a day, Honningsvåg gets a full day for the North Cape, and Stavanger, Svolvær and Ålesund are shorter calls.
Are excursions included?
No. Optional excursions are paid for separately and can be booked with us when you book or with the Expedition Team on board. We list on this page only those that run in December.
Which UK airports can I fly from?
Hurtigruten offers flight-inclusive packages for this voyage from London Gatwick or Manchester, flying out to Oslo and home from Copenhagen. Call us on 0333 405 0194 for a quote.
Is there more than one Christmas departure?
No. There is one departure only, on 17 December 2027, so we recommend booking early, especially for suites and outside cabins.
Which languages are spoken on board?
Norwegian, English and French are the official languages on board, with some German speaking crew and Expedition Team members. Most excursions are guided in two or three languages.
