A week aboard MS Trollfjord, all-inclusive, from the capital's fjord to the Arctic capital. The Lysefjord, Stavanger, Ålesund and the Lofoten Islands come first, then the Arctic Circle, then Tromsø. Sailings from October to April, with fares from £1,658 per person.
Hurtigruten's North Cape Line is a fifteen day Signature voyage from Oslo to the top of Norway and back. Not everyone has a fortnight, so Hurtigruten also sells it in two halves, and this is the first of them. You join MS Trollfjord in Oslo, sail round the southern tip of the country, spend a morning in the Lysefjord, work up the west coast through Stavanger, Ålesund and the Helgeland islands, cross the Arctic Circle in the night and wake up among the peaks of Lofoten. The voyage ends a day later in Tromsø, about 350 kilometres inside the Arctic.
It is worth being clear about what kind of trip this is. The traditional Coastal Express ships call at dozens of ports a day and night, carrying cargo and local passengers as they go. This is not that. The North Cape Line calls at fewer places, stays longer in each, and runs all-inclusive, so your meals and a good selection of drinks are covered from the first evening to the last breakfast. In a week you see a great sweep of the country, from the soft south to the high Arctic, without packing and unpacking.
£1,658per person, from
16 departures, October 2026 to December 2027
Is It For You
Who the northbound leg suits
We tend to suggest this voyage to three kinds of traveller. The first is someone who wants a proper taste of the Norwegian coast in a week, with a fjord, a historic town or two, Lofoten and a real Arctic city all on one ticket. The second is someone who wants Tromsø itself to be the main event, and uses the ship as a comfortable way of getting there before spending a few nights ashore for dog sledding, whale watching in season, or simply time under a dark sky. The third has done the southbound leg already and wants to see the other half of the coast.
One thing to know before you book. This direction does not go to the North Cape, Alta or Narvik. Those belong to the southbound half, which starts in Tromsø and runs down to Oslo over nine days. If standing on the North Cape plateau is the point of your trip, look at the North Cape Line South or the full round voyage instead. If you would rather have scenery, culture and a gentle build towards the Arctic, this is the better half.
The Ship
Life aboard MS Trollfjord
MS Trollfjord was built in Norway in 2002 at the Fosen yard and was refurbished in 2023 for Hurtigruten's Signature voyages. She carries up to 500 guests in 270 cabins, 21 of them suites, which makes her large enough to be comfortable at sea in winter and small enough that you soon recognise faces at breakfast. There are no casinos and no cabaret shows. The entertainment is the coast.
Meals are split between three restaurants. Flora is the main dining room, with buffets and à la carte dishes. Brasserie Árran is the casual option, with salads, sandwiches, burgers and some classic rustic Norwegian dishes. Røst is the fine dining restaurant, built around Arctic ingredients. Up top, the panoramic lounge has floor to ceiling windows over two storeys, and the sauna and fitness room look straight out to sea, which is the best way we know of to watch a fjord go by in January.
Hurtigruten's six strong Signature Expedition Team sail with you. Many of them are Norwegians from the coast, and they give daily talks on everything from Viking sagas and geology to how people actually make a living in these towns, as well as guiding on deck when there is something to see. There is also a Canon certified photography programme, which is particularly useful if you are hoping to photograph the aurora. Norwegian, English and French are the official languages on board, and some of the team and crew speak German too.
Hurtigruten's own walk round the ship gives a good feel for the cabins, lounges and restaurants:
Your Voyage
Day by day, Oslo to Tromsø
Seven days, from the southern capital to the Arctic one. Optional excursions are shown under each day with their length; they are not included in the fare, and some run only in certain months, which we have noted. We can book them with your cabin, or you can arrange them on board with the Expedition Team.
Day 1
Oslo, a capital on the fjord
Ports today · Oslo
Oslo is an easy city to like and a good one to arrive in early. The harbour has been transformed in recent years. Along the Bjørvika waterfront the white marble Opera House slopes down into the water, and you are allowed to walk up its roof for a view across the fjord. Next door the tall MUNCH museum holds the largest collection of Edvard Munch's work. A short walk west, Akershus Fortress has guarded the harbour since the Middle Ages, and beyond it the City Hall, where the Nobel Peace Prize is presented each December, faces the water with its two brick towers.
Boarding is in the afternoon or early evening. Once you have found your cabin, you will be introduced to the Expedition Team and your fellow guests in the panoramic lounge, and the ship slips out down the long Oslofjord as darkness falls.
Optional excursions
Oslo Discovery Tour, bus sightseeing (5 hours 30 minutes) A wide circuit of the city's main sights by coach before you board. Hurtigruten runs this from April to October, so it is offered on our October and April departures but not in the winter months.
Oslo City Walking Tour (2 hours) A guided walk through the compact centre. This one runs through the winter and autumn, so it is available on departures from October to March.
Day 2 · At sea along the south coast
Ports today · At sea
A whole day with no port is a gift at the start of a voyage. The ship rounds the southern end of Norway, where the Skagerrak separates the country from Denmark, and the coast here is low and rocky, scattered with islands and white painted summer houses that sit shuttered through the winter.
Use the day to settle in. Work out which lounge chair is yours, book a slot in the sauna, and try each of the restaurants. The Expedition Team start their programme of talks today, introducing the coast, the ship and the ports ahead, so that when you reach the fjords tomorrow you know what you are looking at.
Day 3 · The Lysefjord and Stavanger
Ports today · Lysefjord, Stavanger
You wake in the Lysefjord, one of the most dramatic fjords in the south of Norway. It runs for 42 kilometres between walls of pale granite, and the name is usually taken to mean the light fjord, after the colour of that rock. High above the water is Preikestolen, the Pulpit Rock, a flat topped ledge that drops 604 metres straight into the water. Further in rises Kjerag, a mountain of more than 1,000 metres, famous for the boulder wedged in a crack near its summit. On the shortest days of the year the light comes late, so the fjord may still be in a blue half light first thing, which has its own beauty.
The ship then moves on to Stavanger. Stavanger Cathedral is the oldest cathedral in Norway, begun around 1100 and completed around 1150, and it is dedicated to St Swithun of Winchester, a link thought to come from its first bishop, Reinald, who may have been English. Below it lies Gamle Stavanger, the old town, where 173 small white wooden houses from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries line the cobbled lanes. It is generally reckoned the best preserved wooden house neighbourhood in the country. For the modern story, the Norwegian Petroleum Museum on the harbour explains how North Sea oil changed this city, and Norway, from the 1970s onwards.
Optional excursions
On the trail of the Vikings (3 hours) A look at Norway's Viking past, including the Swords in Rock monument at Hafrsfjord. Its three bronze swords, each ten metres tall, were made by the sculptor Fritz Røed in 1983 to mark the battle of 872 that is traditionally seen as the start of a united Norway. Runs on all departures.
Walking tour in the old town of Stavanger (2 hours 30 minutes) A guided wander through Gamle Stavanger's white wooden houses and the lanes around the harbour. Runs on all departures.
Day 4
Ålesund, rebuilt in a single style
Ports today · Ålesund
Ålesund looks the way it does because of one terrible night. On 23 January 1904 a fire swept through the town and destroyed nearly 850 houses, leaving more than 10,000 people without a home. Remarkably, only one person died. Help arrived from all over Europe, much of it sent in the name of Kaiser Wilhelm II, who had often visited the area. The town was rebuilt in the Art Nouveau style of the day, known in Norway as Jugendstil, and because it all went up at once the centre has a rare unity of turrets, carved stone and painted facades.
The town is spread over several islands, and the best way to understand the layout is to climb Mount Aksla, 418 steps up from the town park, for the view over the rooftops and out to the islands. If the weather is wild, the Atlantic Sea Park aquarium outside town is a good alternative, and it has, improbably for this latitude, Humboldt penguins.
Optional excursions
Saga Islands bus tour to Alnes, winter (3 hours) Out by bridge and tunnel to the islands of Giske and Godøy, with the twelfth century church on Giske and the lighthouse at Alnes. Runs from September to May, so it is offered on every departure of this voyage.
Architecture and breweries, Ålesund on foot (2 hours 15 minutes) The Art Nouveau streets on foot, finishing with a local beer tasting. Hurtigruten runs this from April to October, so it is available on our October and April departures only.
Day 5
Rørvik and the Arctic Circle
Ports today · Rørvik, crossing the Arctic Circle overnight
Rørvik is a fishing port in the Vikna archipelago, on the edge of the Trøndelag coast, and it is the kind of place most visitors to Norway never see. Its museums cover the coast's long human story and the modern business of salmon farming, which matters a great deal to the communities along here. In the afternoon the ship heads north through the islands of Vikna and up the Helgeland coast, a maze of low islands, skerries and reefs that takes real seamanship to navigate.
During the night you cross the Arctic Circle, at about 66 degrees 33 minutes north. The line is marked by a steel globe on the tiny islet of Vikingen, and on a winter sailing you will pass it in the dark, so do not set an alarm for the view. The crossing is still a milestone, and it is marked on board. From here on, you are in the part of the world where the sun stays below the horizon at midwinter and the sky becomes a place to watch.
Optional excursions
Time travel through the coastal town of Rørvik (2 hours) A guided walk and museum visit telling the story of the town and the coast around it. Runs on all departures of this voyage.
Nærøya, the island of the gods (3 hours) By boat to the small island of Nærøya and its medieval church, once a centre of religious life on this coast. Runs on all departures of this voyage.
Day 6
Svolvær, Lofoten, and Stokmarknes
Ports today · Svolvær, Stokmarknes
The ship reaches Svolvær in the middle of the morning. It is the largest town in Lofoten, on the island of Austvågøya, and it sits right under the mountains. Look for the Svolværgeita, the Svolvær Goat, a pinnacle with two horns above the town that climbers leap between. Lofoten has lived on cod for a thousand years. In late winter the skrei, the migrating Arctic cod, arrive to spawn, and the wooden drying racks around the islands fill with fish hung to cure in the cold air, the same way it has been done since the Viking age.
Later in the day the ship calls at Stokmarknes in Vesterålen, which is where the whole Hurtigruten story begins. Richard With's company launched the coastal route in 1893, and the first voyage left Trondheim on 2 July that year. The Hurtigruten Museum here tells that story, and outside it, hauled ashore in 1999, stands the old MS Finnmarken of 1956, a complete coastal ship now preserved as part of the museum.
Optional excursions
Lofoten scenery and Henningsvær, winter (2 hours 30 minutes) A drive through the mountains and along the shore to the fishing village of Henningsvær, built across a cluster of small islands.
Fishing in Lofoten, winter (2 hours 45 minutes) Out on a local boat to try your hand at sea fishing in the waters that made Lofoten.
Kayaking in Lofoten, winter (2 hours 30 minutes) A guided paddle from Svolvær for beginners, with the peaks rising behind you.
Sea eagle tour in Lofoten by RIB (1 hour 30 minutes) A fast boat trip among the islands looking for white tailed eagles.
Music and stories at Hadsel Church (2 hours 30 minutes) From Stokmarknes to the red, octagonal wooden church at Hadsel, completed in 1824 and seating around 500, for local music and stories.
All five run from September to May, so they are offered on every departure of this voyage.
Day 7
Tromsø, the gateway to the Arctic
Ports today · Tromsø
The ship arrives in Tromsø in the middle of the morning and your voyage ends here. It is a lively university city of cafes, bars and good restaurants, far busier than you expect at 69 degrees north, and Norwegians sometimes call it the Paris of the North. If you can, do not fly straight home. Tromsø is the best base in Norway for winter activities on land, and a night or two here turns a good week into a very good one.
The Fjellheisen cable car, running since 1961, lifts you to Storsteinen at about 420 metres for the classic view over the island city, the bridge and the mountains. Across the water stands the Arctic Cathedral, completed in 1965 to a design by Jan Inge Hovig, its east end filled since 1972 by Victor Sparre's enormous glass mosaic. Polaria, the Arctic aquarium, is good on a cold afternoon, and the Polar Museum tells the story of the trappers and explorers who used Tromsø as their jumping off point. Roald Amundsen flew from here on 18 June 1928 to search for the crew of the airship Italia and was never seen again. If you are here between late November and mid January, the sun does not rise at all, and the city lives by a soft blue twilight in the middle of the day.
Northern Lights
Your realistic chance of seeing the aurora
Every departure of this voyage sails in the aurora season, and the ship spends its last two nights, after the Arctic Circle crossing and between Lofoten and Tromsø, inside the zone where the Northern Lights are most often seen. That is a genuine chance, and the Expedition Team will let you know when there is something worth going on deck for. But we would rather be straight with you. Two nights is not many, and the aurora depends on two things nobody controls: the activity of the Sun and a clear sky. A week of cloud can hide a superb display.
There are reasons for optimism. NASA and NOAA announced in October 2024 that the Sun had reached the maximum of its current cycle, and activity tends to fall away gradually in the years that follow rather than stopping. Strong displays are sometimes seen further south than the Arctic Circle too. Even so, if seeing the lights matters a lot to you, we suggest one of three things: add two or three nights in Tromsø at the end, choose the longer southbound voyage, which spends far more of its time in the north, or take the full North Cape Line round voyage.
Our April departure reaches Tromsø in mid April, when the evenings are long and light, and the chance of a sighting is much lower than in the depths of winter. December sailings arrive close to the darkest time of year.
The Northern Lights Promise applies only to Hurtigruten voyages of 11 days or more, so it does not cover this seven day voyage. The 15 day North Cape Line round voyage does qualify on departures between 20 September and 31 March.
Departures & Fares
North Cape Line North fares 2026 and 2027
There are sixteen northbound departures on sale, five in 2026 and eleven in 2027, all aboard MS Trollfjord. The fares below are for the voyage only, per person with two sharing, and include the all-inclusive dining and drinks package described further down. They are the lowest fares we found in each cabin category on each date. 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 extra inclusions. Our cabin guide explains the differences in more detail.
Departure date
Polar Inside
Polar Outside
Arctic Superior
Expedition Suites
23 October 2026
from £1,895
from £2,331
from £3,221
from £8,442
6 November 2026
from £1,933
from £2,329
from £3,442
from £8,019
20 November 2026
from £1,887
from £2,170
from £3,090
from £4,602
4 December 2026
from £1,979
from £2,223
from £3,090
from £7,472
18 December 2026
from £2,117
from £2,382
from £3,090
from £8,019
Departure date
Polar Inside
Polar Outside
Arctic Superior
Expedition Suites
29 January 2027
from £1,949
from £2,213
from £3,231
from £9,344
12 February 2027
from £2,103
from £2,304
from £3,661
from £9,321
26 February 2027
from £2,071
from £2,599
from £3,774
from £5,685
12 March 2027
from £2,274
from £2,729
from £3,958
from £5,956
26 March 2027
from £2,112
from £2,599
from £3,682
from £5,076
9 April 2027
from £1,895
from £2,274
from £3,222
from £4,738
8 October 2027
from £1,814
from £2,265
from £3,098
from £5,270
22 October 2027
from £1,716
from £2,086
from £2,961
from £4,535
5 November 2027
from £1,658
from £1,907
from £2,653
from £4,290
19 November 2027
from £1,716
from £1,907
from £2,653
from £4,290
3 December 2027
from £1,658
from £1,907
from £2,653
from £4,347
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 your fare includes
As a Signature voyage, the North Cape Line runs all-inclusive. Everything marked Included below comes with every cabin. Expedition Suite guests also have a premium drinks list with cocktails.
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 with Norwegian ingredients
Included
Included
Unlimited selected drinks Selected beers, wines, spirits and soft drinks during opening hours
Included
Included
Unlimited selected drinks and cocktails A premium drinks selection, including cocktails
Not included
Included
Life on board
Expedition Team programme Daily talks, on deck guiding and informal evening gatherings
Included
Included
Photography programme Hurtigruten's Canon certified photo programme, including the Northern Lights
Included
Included
Sauna and fitness room On the top deck, with sea views
Included
Included
WiFi Free throughout the ship
Included
Included
Not included: optional shore excursions, flights, hotels, transfers and travel insurance. Flights, hotels and transfers can be added through us. You can arrange travel insurance online here.
Flights & Packages
Flying out to Oslo and home from Tromsø
Because the voyage starts in one city and ends in another, you need an open jaw flight: out to Oslo, home from Tromsø. Hurtigruten offers flight-inclusive packages from London for this voyage, and we can quote them for any departure. Booking flights and the voyage together as one package means everything is arranged from start to finish, Hurtigruten's support is available around the clock while you travel, and you are protected under Hurtigruten's ATOL licence.
If you would rather arrange your own flights, we can still add hotel nights in Oslo before you sail, or in Tromsø afterwards, which we recommend if the Northern Lights are on your list.
Package
Starts / Ends
Included in price
Price
North Cape Line North Flight Package
Oslo / Tromsø
Flights from London to Oslo and from Tromsø to London, with the voyage as described
Call
Extra hotel nights
Oslo or Tromsø
Hotel nights before or after the voyage, with transfers on request
Call
Package prices are per person, based on two people sharing, and are quoted for your chosen date. Call 0333 405 0194 for a quote.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Does the northbound voyage visit the North Cape?
No. The North Cape, reached from Honningsvåg, is on the southbound half of the North Cape Line, along with Alta and Narvik. This voyage covers the Lysefjord, Stavanger, Ålesund, Rørvik, Lofoten and Stokmarknes before ending in Tromsø. If the North Cape matters to you, look at the North Cape Line South or the full 15 day round voyage.
Will I see the Northern Lights on this voyage?
You have a real chance but not a strong one. The ship is inside the main aurora zone for its last two nights, after crossing the Arctic Circle, and the Expedition Team will alert you to any sightings. Clear skies are the deciding factor. Adding a few nights in Tromsø at the end improves your odds considerably.
Is the Northern Lights Promise included?
No. Hurtigruten's Northern Lights Promise only applies to voyages of 11 days or more, and this voyage is seven days. The 15 day North Cape Line round voyage does qualify on departures between 20 September and 31 March.
What is included in the fare?
Your cabin, breakfast, lunch, an afternoon snack and dinner, unlimited selected beers, wines, spirits and soft drinks during opening hours, the Expedition Team programme, the photography programme, WiFi, and the sauna and fitness room. Suite guests also get premium drinks and cocktails. Excursions, flights and hotels are extra.
Are shore excursions included?
No. Optional excursions are paid for separately. You can book them with us when you book your cabin, or on board with the Expedition Team. Some only run in certain months, which we show in the day by day itinerary.
What time does the voyage finish in Tromsø?
The ship arrives in Tromsø in the middle of the morning on day 7 and you disembark there. You can fly home the same day, but we strongly suggest staying at least one night, as Tromsø is the best base in Norway for dog sledding, aurora trips and other winter activities.
Can I combine this with the southbound voyage?
Yes. Each northbound sailing arrives in Tromsø on the day the matching southbound voyage leaves, so the dates line up. If you want both halves, though, the 15 day North Cape Line round voyage is usually the better way to book it, and on departures from 20 September to 31 March it includes the Northern Lights Promise. Call us and we will compare the options.
Can I fly from the UK?
Yes. Hurtigruten offers flight-inclusive packages from London for this voyage, flying out to Oslo and home from Tromsø. We can quote them for any departure on 0333 405 0194.
Which languages are spoken on board?
Norwegian, English and French are the official languages on board. Some of the Expedition Team, reception and service crew also speak German, and most excursions are guided in two or three languages.
What should I pack for a winter voyage?
Warm layers, a waterproof outer jacket, a hat and gloves, and sturdy footwear with good grip. Slip on snow grips are very useful for walking in icy towns. Bring swimwear for the sauna. The ship is warm inside, so you will not need heavy clothing on board.
