2024 Northern Lights

(regional and premium class flights may be available on request)

Upon arrival, embark MS Midnatsol for your 11-night voyage

The many lush and flowering rose gardens have given this lovely fjord town its label "The City of Roses". Home to 25,000 inhabitants, Molde offers a fabulous mountain panorama view and a relatively mild climate

Today you will have three hours to explore Trondheim and its array of highlights, either by yourself or on one of the optional excursions. A must-see site of the city is Nidaros Cathedral, nicknamed “Norway’s Notre Dame” for its Gothic style and considered the most sacred building in all of Norway. Next door to the cathedral is the Archbishop’s Palace where Norway’s crown jewels are on display.

cross the Arctic Circle early in the morning, beginning your Arctic tour of Norway. Then sail to Bodø, the second-largest city in Northern Norway, overlooked by the Børvass peaks. Admire fabulous street art or join an optional boat excursion to Saltstraumen, the world’s most powerful maelstrom. That afternoon, the ship enters the Lofoten archipelago. The 1,000 metre-high Lofoten Wall is a stunning sight that seems to stretch for miles on the horizon. Come evening, when you see rows of traditional fisherman’s huts on stilts, known as rorbuer, you’ve arrived in the pretty harbour of Svolvær, the main town of the Lofoten Islands.

Dock in Harstad in the morning. You can go for a peaceful early morning stroll around town. The ship will then continue to Finnsnes which connects the beautiful island of Senja via the impressive Gisund Bridge. Keep on the lookout for a variety of seabirds with several colonies nearby, including puffins. Then sail to the historic Arctic exploration capital of Tromsø where you’ll have four hours to explore the city or join an optional excursion. Along the waterfront you’ll find Polaria, a centre exhibiting environmental research in the Arctic with a small aquarium. Take your pick from the many shops and restaurants in the city centre, including Mack Brewery and favourite local watering hole Ølhallen pub. There are also cafés offering delicious cinnamon buns where baristas create innovative coffee art. Across the fjord from where the ship docks, you should be able to see the iconic Arctic Cathedral with its beautiful stained-glass mosaic.

Arrive at Honningsvåg mid-morning, portal to the North Cape where a globe monument marks the top of continental Europe. An optional excursion will take you to North Cape from Honningsvåg by bus, passing herds of reindeer on the way, depending on the season. Near the entrance of Kjøllefjord village, look out for the striking, building-like rock formation Finnkirka, an ancient sacrificial site once used by the indigenous Sámi. You can join an optional summer excursion to meet local Sámi, learn about their life reindeer herding, and listen to joik folk songs.

Call at Båtsfjord and Vardø in the night, before docking at Vadsø early in the morning. The area around Vadsø is one of the most scenic and popular birdwatching spots in the Arctic, lying directly under the migration path of birds flying from east to west. Watch for hooded crows and sea eagles. Kirkenes is where your Norwegian coastal cruise changes direction and the ship heads south. Back in Vardø, you can visit the solemn Witches’ Monument and the star-shaped Vardøhus Fortress, built in 1737. The northernmost fortification of any kind, it remains a part of the military to this day.

In the early afternoon, you’ll spend time in Hammerfest, which has the largest population on a list of the world’s northernmost settlements. See the UNESCO-listed Meridian Column, shop for souvenirs at the Polar Bear Society, or take the path behind the town to the viewpoint atop Mount Salen. Continue cruising Norway’s coastline south to Øksfjord and then to Skjervøy, surrounded by mountain peaks. During the voyage to Tromsø, you might also glimpse views of the Lyngen Alps which boast some of the highest peaks in all of Norway.

After Finnsnes early in the morning, the ship calls at Harstad where the white-washed Trondenes Church, the world’s northernmost medieval stone church, sits on the peninsula. Next is the smallest port of call Risøyhamn and then Sortland where the landscape slowly transforms from hills to 1,000-metre-high mountains.Sailing along Raftsund, the Captain may choose to take the ship into tiny Trollfjord if the weather allows. The mountain walls will look so close you’ll think you can reach out and brush them! To exit the fjord, the ship will rotate 180 degrees on the spot. Remember to look out for sea eagles here. The ship then sails for Stamsund, eventually passing the giant granite cliffs of the Lofoten Wall.

Situated on a beautiful stretch of coastline in Northern Norway, Bodo offers a truly remarkable experience. You can admire the midnight sun from Mount Ronvikfjellet or take a stroll along the chalk-white beach. Each Brønnøysund mid-afternoon. Explore the bustling marina on a walk along Havnegata. In the centre of town is Brønnøy Church: a stone church in the Neo-Gothic style dating back to 1870. The last stop of the day is the cosy fishing port of Rørvik in the picturesque Vikna archipelago.

Stroll around Trondheim in the early morning as the city wakes. Visit the sacred Nidaros Cathedral, resting place of St. Olav. Then, walk to Gamle Bybro bridge for a photo opportunity over Nid River. Dock at Kristiansund’s harbour in the late afternoon. The town is spread over three islands and known for being Norway’s “Bacalao Capital” for the salted cod that’s dried on the surrounding cliffs, called klippfisk in Norwegian. Take a walk around the cobblestone streets of the old town and tour the lively port. You can also head up to the old watchtower at Varden viewpoint for a lovely panorama. The penultimate port of the day is Molde where you can spot the tops of the Romsdal Alps.

You’ll have a chance to glimpse Nordfjord, under the enormous Jostedal Glacier, mainland Europe’s largest. The ship then docks at Florø in the morning where you can take in the harbour and marina. Leaving Florø, you’ll spot Stabben Lighthouse, a favourite subject for photographers. There’s also stunning views to enjoy as we cross the mouth of Sognefjord, the longest and widest fjord in the whole of Norway.

Later that day, disembark the ship.

(regional and premium class flights may be available on request)