Fjords, Cruise & Coast

Oslo. On arrival in Norway, you will make your own way from the airport to your accommodation. Depending on when you arrive, you can begin exploring Oslo, including Karl Johan Street with its shops, bars and cafes. You can also discover the city associated with the Norwegian royal family.

You will meet our Tour Leader at the accommodation reception for an informative briefing about the tour. If you arrive late, our Tour Leader will leave a note at reception with a new meeting time and place.

Please note: A private transfer from the airport to your accommodation can be pre-booked in advance.

Oslo - Trondheim. Today, we travel by train towards Trondheim, leaving the accommodation at around 7:30 am and arriving at approximately 2:30 pm, depending on the train schedule. Along the way, we take in views of the Norwegian countryside, including Lake Mjosa and the Vinstra region.

On arrival, we enjoy a two-hour panoramic tour of Trondheim before continuing to our accommodation. Norway's third-largest city, Trondheim was settled by Vikings on the estuary of the Nidelven River in the 10th century and was known as Nidaros before the 16th century. Our tour takes us through the green and flower-filled city, its pedestrian streets and old quarters, with a glimpse of Nidaros Cathedral, one of Northern Europe's most impressive Gothic ensembles.

Trondheim - Kristiansund - Molde - Cruising. We start with an early breakfast before boarding the Hurtigruten cruise by 9 am at the latest. Sailing through the broad Trondheim Fjord, we pass rolling farmland before reaching the coast and open sea.

At Kristiansund, you can choose to disembark and take an optional excursion along the Atlantic Ocean Road at an additional cost, before rejoining the cruise in Molde. This 8.3 km scenic coastal route runs between Bud and Kristiansund, crossing the open sea between islands and skerries via eight dramatic bridges. It is one of Norway's Scenic Routes and is known as one of the world's most beautiful drives.

We continue the voyage with lunch on board, followed by dinner and our overnight stay on the cruise.

Cruising - Bergen. After breakfast on board, we continue through a varied coastal landscape of bare rocky mountains, sounds and waterways. The major fjords and glaciers lie inland as we make our way towards Bergen, the Gateway to the Fjords of Norway. Bergen is a UNESCO World Heritage City and a European City of Culture, combining nature, culture and urban life throughout the year.

After lunch on board, we arrive in Bergen and meet our local guide for a two-hour city tour. We see some of the city's most emblematic sights, including the Hanseatic Bryggen, the Church of Mary, Hakon Fortress and the famous fish market.

Bergen. We have the opportunity to admire views from the mountains surrounding Bergen. We ride the Floibanen funicular to Floyen, 320 metres above sea level, with the ascent taking around 5-8 minutes.

Following our funicular journey, we enjoy a tasting platter of local specialities at a restaurant in the fish market, with examples including smoked salmon, fresh shrimp and hot smoked whale.

In the afternoon, we cruise from Bergen through the Osterfjord towards Mostraumen. Along the route, we see the colourful Bryggen wharf, a UNESCO World Heritage site, together with mountainsides, waterfalls and the Mostraumen Strait. After returning to Bergen, you have free time to explore independently.

Bergen - Leikanger. Today, you have free time to explore Bergen independently. You can also choose to visit Bergen Aquarium at an additional cost, where more than 60 tanks contain Nordic species, tropical species and other marine life, ranging from the quays to the great depths.

We then transfer to the pier and board the high-speed passenger boat for our journey through some of Western Norway's most scenic landscapes and into the Sognefjord region, which is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Near Bergen, we pass islands, fishing communities and sheltered coastal waterways before the landscape becomes more mountainous around Lavik and Nordeide.

Once we enter the Sognefjord, steep mountainsides descend into deep blue water. Around Balestrand and Leikanger, we see orchards, waterfalls, traditional fjord villages and snow-capped peaks in the distance. We continue to Leikanger for dinner and our overnight stay.

Leikanger - Flam - Oslo. This morning, we enjoy a leisurely morning in Leikanger, one of the orchard villages along the Sognefjord. The village sits on a sunny stretch of shoreline surrounded by fruit farms, forested hillsides and mountain views.

Around midday, we board the express boat to Flam. With around two hours before our train departure, we have time for a relaxed lunch and the opportunity to try local cider produced in the Sognefjord orchard region.

At 4 pm, we board the famous Flamsbana railway for the journey to Myrdal. The railway is regarded as one of the steepest train lines in the world and passes the Rallar Road, steep mountains and dramatic waterfalls, travelling through 20 tunnels and offering numerous viewpoints. At Myrdal, a mountain railway station and junction approximately 13 km from Flam, we change to the regional train for Oslo.

As the evening train travels east, we cross the Hardangervidda plateau, Northern Europe's largest mountain plateau. Depending on the season and daylight, we may see alpine lakes, wide-open tundra, distant glaciers and isolated mountain stations before descending towards eastern Norway and reaching Oslo late in the evening.

After our final breakfast, we join our local guide for a three-hour sightseeing tour of Oslo by bus. Our tour includes Frogner Park, where more than 200 sculptures by Gustav Vigeland can be seen, as well as the Royal Palace, City Hall and Akershus Fortress.

The remainder of the day is yours to explore independently, with time for last-minute shopping for Viking souvenirs. When it is time to leave, you will make your own way to the airport.

Please note: A private transfer from your accommodation to the airport can be pre-booked in advance. If you are extending your stay by one additional night, you can choose an optional three-hour cruise on the Oslo Fjord aboard a traditional wooden ship, with a fjord-style buffet dinner including shrimps, fresh bread, butter, green salad, dill, mayonnaise and lemon. The cruise runs from 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm.