Nine all-inclusive days aboard MS Trollfjord, starting high in the Arctic. Stand on the North Cape, spend a day in Alta, follow the sheltered inner leads south past Narvik, then finish among the fjords and mountains of the west and the cities of the south coast. Fares from £2,200 per person.
This is the second half of Hurtigruten's North Cape Line, and in our view it is the half with the bigger moments. You board in Tromsø and head straight for the top of the map. The first full day is spent at Honningsvåg, the harbour for the North Cape. The next is in Alta, the town that gave the world its first aurora observatory. Then comes Narvik, a mountain town with a hard wartime history, before the ship turns into the sheltered channels inside the islands for the long passage south.
The second half of the voyage is a change of mood. After a quiet day at sea you reach the steep green walls of Romsdalen at Åndalsnes, then Bergen with its Hanseatic wharf, then an afternoon in Kristiansand on the south coast, before the ship comes up the Oslofjord to finish in the capital. It is nine days from the Barents Sea to the Skagerrak, all-inclusive, with no flights between ports and no repacking.
£2,200per person, from
16 departures, October 2026 to December 2027
Why This Direction
Why the southbound leg is the one many people choose
If you only have time for half of the North Cape Line, the southbound voyage gives you the far north in its first four days, which is exactly where the winter interest lies. The North Cape, the Alta rock carvings, husky sledding and the best of the aurora opportunities all come early, while you are fresh. The scenery then becomes gentler as you go, so the trip winds down rather than ends abruptly.
It also suits travellers who want a few days in Tromsø first. Arrive a day or two before the ship sails, go out on a dog sled or chase the lights by minibus, and then let the ship carry you home to Oslo, where flights to the UK are frequent. If you would rather end in the Arctic than begin there, the seven day North Cape Line North runs the other way, through Stavanger, Ålesund and Lofoten.
The Ship
MS Trollfjord, refitted for the Signature voyages
Every southbound departure is sailed by MS Trollfjord. She is a Norwegian built ship, completed in 2002, 135 metres long and refurbished in 2023 when Hurtigruten moved her onto its Signature routes. Inside there is a calm, Scandinavian feel, with natural materials, big windows and very little in the way of noise. The 1893 Bar sits on the two storey observation deck, there is a lecture hall that doubles as a cinema now and then, a panoramic sauna, a fitness room, and a laundry room for guests, which is handy on a longer trip.
Food is a large part of the appeal. The day starts with the self service breakfast in Flora, which also does buffet and à la carte lunches and dinners. Árran serves traditional Norwegian dishes at lunch and dinner, and Røst is the Arctic fine dining restaurant. On deck, the chefs hold short tastings and demonstrations of Norwegian food as you sail.
The Expedition Team give talks most days, many of them from the coastal communities you visit, and they are out on deck with commentary whenever the ship passes something worth seeing. Hurtigruten's own video tour shows the ship well:
Your Voyage
Day by day, Tromsø to the North Cape and south to Oslo
Eight nights on board and nine days, with full or long days in Honningsvåg, Alta, Narvik, Åndalsnes and Bergen. Optional excursions are listed under each day with their length and the months in which Hurtigruten runs them. They cost extra and can be booked with your voyage or on board.
Day 1 · Tromsø, joining the ship
Ports today · Tromsø
Tromsø sits on a small island in a sound ringed by mountains, joined to the mainland by a long, high bridge. For generations it was the starting point for Arctic expeditions and the trading post for hunters and trappers working the ice to the north, which is why it calls itself the gateway to the Arctic. The Polar Museum on the old harbour front tells that story well, and Polaria, the aquarium shaped like a row of toppled ice floes, is a short walk away.
Give yourself time here if you can. A morning on the Fjellheisen cable car gives you the whole city from about 420 metres up, and across the bridge, the white triangle of the Arctic Cathedral is worth seeing inside for its huge glass mosaic. Between late November and mid January the sun does not rise in Tromsø at all, and a few hours of soft twilight around midday are all the daylight there is. You join the ship during the day and she sails in the evening, north into the dark towards Finnmark.
Day 2
Honningsvåg and the North Cape
Ports today · Honningsvåg
The ship arrives early and stays until the evening, which gives you the whole day for the North Cape. The cliff rises 307 metres above the sea at 71 degrees north, and it got its English name in 1553, when Stephen Borough, master of the Edward Bonaventure, sailed past while searching for the Northeast Passage. It stands on the island of Magerøya, linked to the mainland by a tunnel under the sea, and strictly speaking it is not even the northernmost point of the island. A low headland nearby called Knivskjellodden reaches about 1,450 metres further north. Nobody minds. The North Cape is the one with the view, and on a clear winter day the sense of standing at the end of Europe is very real.
Honningsvåg itself is a small fishing town with a hard past. When the German army retreated at the end of 1944 the whole town was burned and its people forcibly evacuated, and only the church was left standing. It has been rebuilt since, and today it is a good place to try red king crab, a species brought to the Barents Sea by Soviet scientists in the 1960s that has since spread along this coast. In summer, Sámi herders bring reindeer out to graze on the island.
Optional excursions
The North Cape (3 hours) By coach across the Magerøya plateau to the North Cape, with time at the globe monument and in North Cape Hall. Runs on all departures.
North Cape and king crab experience, winter (6 hours 30 minutes) A king crab meal at a local fishing community followed by the North Cape itself. Runs from November to May, so not on our October departures.
Quad biking to the North Cape (4 hours 30 minutes) A guided ride across the island to the North Cape. Runs on all departures.
Arctic ice fishing (2 hours 30 minutes) Out across the snow to a frozen lake to fish through the ice. Runs from November to March only.
Day 3
Alta, rock art and the science of the aurora
Ports today · Alta
Alta lies at the head of a long fjord, at about 70 degrees north, and it has a better claim than most places to be called the town of the Northern Lights. In 1899 the Norwegian physicist Kristian Birkeland set up an aurora observatory on the summit of Haldde, a mountain above the fjord, and it is often described as the first of its kind in the world. Research went on there until 1926. In the town centre the Northern Lights Cathedral, consecrated in 2013, takes the theme into architecture: a spiralling tower clad in titanium, designed by the Danish practice Schmidt Hammer Lassen with the Norwegian firm Link.
The other great reason to come is far older. In the autumn of 1973 people began to find rock carvings on the shore at Jiepmaluokta, just outside town, and more than 6,000 figures have now been recorded around Alta. Reindeer, elk, boats, hunters and fishing scenes are cut into the rock, made over thousands of years from roughly 4200 BC to 500 BC, and the site was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1985. Alta is also dog country. Finnmarksløpet, Europe's longest sled dog race, starts and finishes here.
Optional excursions
Dog sledding in Alta (2 hours 30 minutes) Out on the snow behind a team of huskies. November to March.
Visit the magical Igloo Hotel in Alta (2 hours 30 minutes) A look round the Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel by the Alta River, rebuilt from snow and ice every winter. November to March.
UNESCO rock art and the Northern Lights Cathedral (3 hours) The carvings at Alta Museum and the cathedral in town. September to May, so every departure.
Dog sledding on wheels in Alta (2 hours 15 minutes) The same huskies on a wheeled cart, for the months before the snow is reliable. September to March.
Day 4 · Narvik, iron ore and the battles of 1940
Ports today · Narvik
Narvik is a young town that grew up around a railway. The Ofoten Line opened on 15 November 1902, running 43 kilometres from the harbour up to the Swedish border at Riksgränsen, and it still carries iron ore down from the mines at Kiruna to a port that stays free of ice all year. That same ore and that same harbour made Narvik a prize in 1940. The Royal Navy and German destroyers fought two naval battles in the fjord on 10 and 13 April, and the land campaign that followed lasted until June. Allied troops actually retook the town at the end of May, only to be withdrawn early in June as the war in France collapsed. The Narvik War Museum tells the story with care.
For something lighter, the cable car up Narvikfjellet takes you straight out of the town to a viewpoint high above the Ofotfjord and the peaks around it.
Optional excursions
Wonders of wildlife at Polar Park (4 hours 15 minutes) To Polar Park in Bardu, open since 1994 and billed as the world's most northern animal park, where brown bears, wolves, lynx, wolverine, elk and musk oxen live in large natural enclosures. November to May.
Self-drive dogsled adventure (3 hours 30 minutes) Drive your own team of dogs through the winter forest. November to May.
Sámi cultural encounter (3 hours 30 minutes) Time with Sámi hosts, hearing about their culture, traditions and way of life in the north. September to May.
Snowshoe trek with panoramic views A guided walk on snowshoes in the mountains above Narvik. November to May.
The Arctic Train (3 hours) A rail trip from Narvik on the Ofoten Line, climbing into the mountains towards the Swedish border. September to May, so every departure.
Day 5 · At sea on the inner coastal route
Ports today · At sea
Today the ship follows the inner leads, the sheltered channels that run between the mainland and the thousands of islands off it. It is the route Norwegian sailors have used for centuries to keep out of the worst of the open sea, and it means a calmer passage and a coastline close enough to watch. Low islands, little lighthouses and the occasional fishing settlement go by all day. Somewhere along this stretch you cross back south over the Arctic Circle.
It is a good day for the lecture programme, for a long lunch in Árran, or for an hour in the sauna with the coast going past the window. Keep an eye out for white tailed eagles, which are common on this coast.
Day 6
Åndalsnes, under the Troll Wall
Ports today · Åndalsnes
The ship docks in the centre of Åndalsnes in the morning, at the head of the Romsdalsfjord, and the mountains begin right behind the quay. Further up the valley is Trollveggen, the Troll Wall, a face that rises around 1,100 metres from its base and is usually described as the tallest vertical rock face in Europe. It was first climbed in 1965 by a team of four Norwegians, who topped out just one day ahead of a rival British party. BASE jumping from it has been banned since 1986.
The Romsdal Gondola climbs from the fjordside in about seven minutes to Nesaksla, 708 metres up, where the Eggen restaurant looks over the town, the fjord and the peaks of Romsdalen. The Rauma Line, opened in 1924, runs 114 kilometres up the valley to Dombås and crosses the Kylling Bridge on the way, almost 60 metres above the river. In April 1940 the Rauma Line was used to move more than 50 tonnes of Norway's gold reserve out of reach of the invading Germans, and that is the story behind the Golden Train excursion.
Optional excursions
Åndalsnes town walk and Romsdal Gondola (2 hours 30 minutes) A short guided walk in town, then the gondola to Nesaksla for the view. Runs on all departures.
The Golden Train, winter (2 hours 40 minutes) A trip on the Rauma Line through Romsdalen, with the story of the 1940 gold transport. September to May, so every departure.
Day 7
Bergen, between the seven mountains
Ports today · Bergen
Bergen was the capital of Norway in the thirteenth century and for several hundred years one of the great trading posts of the Hanseatic League, the German merchants who controlled the stockfish trade from the north. Their wharf, Bryggen, is a row of narrow wooden warehouses along the harbour, rebuilt many times after fires to the same plan, and it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. Walk into the passages behind the frontage and you are in a different century.
The Fløibanen funicular has been climbing Mount Fløyen since 1918, and from the top at about 320 metres you see the whole city laid out between its hills and fjords. Ulriken, at 643 metres the highest of the mountains around the city, has a cable car and an even wider view. Down at the harbour, the fish market is the place for lunch.
Optional excursions
Bergen city walk (2 hours 30 minutes) The centre on foot with a local guide, including the Hanseatic wharf at Bryggen. Runs on all departures.
Heritage and highlights, the best of Bergen (3 hours 30 minutes) A fuller tour combining the city's key sights, including Bryggen. Runs on all departures.
Discover Bergen by e-bus (3 hours 30 minutes) A sightseeing tour of the city by electric bus. Runs on all departures.
Day 8 · Kristiansand on the south coast
Ports today · Kristiansand
The last call is an afternoon in Kristiansand, the main town of the south coast. King Christian IV founded it in 1641 and laid it out on a strict grid, the Kvadraturen, which still shapes the centre. To one side is Posebyen, a quarter of small white painted timber houses, and on the waterfront stands Christiansholm Fortress, built to guard the harbour.
The newest reason to stop is Kunstsilo, an art museum that opened in May 2024 inside a converted 1935 grain silo on the harbour. It houses the Tangen Collection, which is described as the largest collection of Nordic modernist art in the world. Back on board, the evening brings your farewell dinner as the ship sets course for the Oslofjord.
Optional excursions
Kristiansand WWII history tour (2 hours 30 minutes) The city's wartime past, including the German coastal fort at Batterie Vara. September to May, so every departure.
Green walking tour of Kristiansand (2 hours) A walk looking at the city's efforts to become a more sustainable port, including a visit to Odderøya island. September to May, so every departure.
Norwegian Christmas at Skraastad Farm (2 hours 30 minutes) A taste of Norwegian Christmas traditions at a farm outside the city. November to March only.
Day 9 · Arrival in Oslo
Ports today · Oslo
The ship comes up the Oslofjord and the voyage ends in the capital after breakfast. If your flight is later in the day, or you have added a night in Oslo, there is plenty within reach. Vigeland Park has more than two hundred sculptures by Gustav Vigeland, all by the one artist. On the Bygdøy peninsula the Fram Museum holds the polar ship Fram itself, used by Nansen and later by Amundsen, which makes a fitting end to a voyage that began in Tromsø.
Northern Lights
The aurora on the southbound voyage
The southbound leg gives you a good chance of the Northern Lights, though not a guaranteed one. Your first four nights, from Tromsø up to Honningsvåg and back down through Alta and Narvik, are all spent well inside the Arctic, under the part of the sky where the aurora is seen most often. Hurtigruten describes the chance of seeing them from the deck as high, and the captain and Expedition Team keep a close watch and will call you up when it starts. Alta in particular has a reputation for clear, dry winter skies.
What decides it is the weather and the Sun. A cloudy spell can last several nights, and solar activity varies from week to week. The Sun passed the peak of its current cycle in late 2024, according to NASA and NOAA, and activity tends to ease off gradually over the following years, so these winters should still be worthwhile. Our mid October and mid April departures have more daylight and shorter nights than those from November to March, so the odds are better in the depths of winter.
The Northern Lights Promise only covers Hurtigruten voyages of 11 days or more, so it does not apply to this nine day voyage. If the Promise matters to you, the 15 day North Cape Line round voyage qualifies on departures between 20 September and 31 March.
Departures & Fares
North Cape Line South fares 2026 and 2027
We found sixteen southbound departures on sale when we checked, five in 2026 and eleven in 2027, all aboard MS Trollfjord. Prices are per person, two sharing, for the voyage only, and include all meals and the selected drinks package. Your cabin category is the biggest variable: 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 the Expedition Suites are the most spacious, with extra inclusions. See our guide to Hurtigruten cabins. The 24 December 2026 sailing spends Christmas and New Year on board and reaches Oslo on 1 January 2027.
Departure date
Polar Inside
Polar Outside
Arctic Superior
Expedition Suites
29 October 2026
from £2,515
from £3,094
from £4,222
from £11,454
12 November 2026
from £2,382
from £2,950
from £4,257
from £10,643
26 November 2026
from £2,504
from £2,810
from £4,361
from £10,159
10 December 2026
from £2,626
from £3,152
from £4,257
from £9,433
24 December 2026
from £2,871
from £3,298
from £4,257
Call
Departure date
Polar Inside
Polar Outside
Arctic Superior
Expedition Suites
4 February 2027
from £2,587
from £3,260
from £4,398
from £11,269
18 February 2027
from £2,725
from £3,058
from £4,520
from £7,478
4 March 2027
from £2,749
from £3,306
from £5,009
from £7,186
18 March 2027
from £2,946
from £3,471
from £4,887
from £11,241
1 April 2027
from £2,767
from £3,306
from £4,826
from £6,737
15 April 2027
from £2,515
from £2,893
from £4,276
from £6,288
14 October 2027
from £2,440
from £2,843
from £4,060
from £12,110
28 October 2027
from £2,277
from £2,675
from £3,930
from £6,100
11 November 2027
from £2,308
from £2,672
from £3,644
from £5,770
25 November 2027
from £2,277
from £2,530
from £3,447
from £5,693
9 December 2027
from £2,200
from £2,530
from £3,644
from £5,770
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 the fare covers
The North Cape Line is one of Hurtigruten's all-inclusive Signature voyages. Every guest has the items marked Included below, and suite guests add cocktails and premium drinks.
What's included
Cabin Polar Inside, Polar Outside and Arctic Superior
Suite Expedition Suites
Food and drink
Daily meals Breakfast, lunch, an afternoon snack and dinner, with self service buffets in Flora and lunch and dinner in Árran
Included
Included
Unlimited selected drinks Selected beers, wines, spirits and soft drinks in Flora, Árran and the bar during opening hours
Included
Included
On deck food tastings Short demonstrations and tastings of Norwegian food
Included
Included
Unlimited selected cocktails Premium drinks and cocktails in Røst and the 1893 Bar
Not included
Included
Life on board
Expedition Team Lectures, on deck guiding and evening gatherings
Not included: optional shore excursions, flights, hotels, transfers and travel insurance, all of which we can arrange. You can arrange travel insurance online here.
Flights & Packages
Getting to Tromsø and home from Oslo
For this voyage you fly out to Tromsø and back from Oslo. Hurtigruten offers flight-inclusive packages from London or Manchester, and we can quote these for any date. Booking the flights and the voyage together as one package keeps the whole trip in one booking, gives you Hurtigruten's around the clock support while you are away, and brings the protection of Hurtigruten's ATOL licence.
We usually recommend at least one night in Tromsø before the ship sails, so that a delayed flight does not put the voyage at risk, and so that you have time to enjoy the city. We can add hotel nights there, or in Oslo at the end.
Package
Starts / Ends
Included in price
Price
North Cape Line South Flight Package
Tromsø / Oslo
Flights from London or Manchester to Tromsø, and from Oslo back to the UK, with the voyage as described
Call
Extra hotel nights
Tromsø or Oslo
Hotel nights before or after the voyage, with transfers on request
Call
Package prices are per person, two sharing, and depend on your date and departure airport. Call 0333 405 0194 for a quote.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Does this voyage go to the North Cape?
Yes. Day 2 is spent at Honningsvåg on the island of Magerøya, the port for the North Cape. The ship arrives early and leaves in the evening, so there is plenty of time to make the trip to the cliff top, either on Hurtigruten's coach excursion, by quad bike, or combined with a king crab meal.
How good are the chances of seeing the Northern Lights?
Good, but never certain. The first four nights are spent in the far north, in Tromsø, Finnmark and around Narvik, where the aurora is most often seen. Clear skies are the deciding factor. Departures from November to March have the longest nights and the best odds.
Is the Northern Lights Promise included?
No. Hurtigruten's Promise applies only to voyages of 11 days or more, and this voyage is nine days. The 15 day North Cape Line round voyage qualifies on departures between 20 September and 31 March.
Should I arrive in Tromsø the day before?
We strongly recommend it. Winter flights to the Arctic can be delayed by weather, and arriving the day before means a late flight will not cost you the voyage. It also gives you time for Tromsø itself, and we can book the hotel for you.
What is included in the price?
Your cabin, all meals including an afternoon snack, unlimited selected beers, wines, spirits and soft drinks during opening hours, on deck food tastings, the Expedition Team's lectures and guiding, the photography programme, WiFi, and use of the sauna and fitness room. Suite guests also have cocktails and premium drinks.
Are shore excursions included?
No, they are optional and paid for separately. You can book them through us when you book, or on board with the Expedition Team. Some are seasonal, such as dog sledding and ice fishing, which run from November to March.
Can I combine the southbound voyage with the northbound one?
Yes, the dates match, as each southbound departure leaves Tromsø on the day the northbound voyage arrives. If you want both halves, the 15 day North Cape Line round voyage is usually simpler and includes the Northern Lights Promise in season. We can compare prices for you.
Which UK airports can I fly from?
Hurtigruten offers flight-inclusive packages for this voyage from London or Manchester, flying out to Tromsø and home from Oslo. Call 0333 405 0194 for a quote on your preferred date.
Is there anything special about the 24 December 2026 departure?
That sailing joins in Tromsø on Christmas Eve and reaches Oslo on 1 January 2027, so you spend Christmas and New Year on board. Ask us about the festive arrangements for that date. Please note that the Expedition Suites were not available on it when we checked.
Which languages are spoken on board?
Norwegian, English and French are the official languages on board, and some of the team and crew also speak German. Most excursions are guided in two or three languages.
