Hurtigruten Northern Lights Cruises Northbound Excursions

Our extensive programme of excursions take full advantage of local, English-speaking guides and the fact that our ships call at ports larger vessels cannot reach. Most excursions are pre-bookable and only remaining places can be booked on board. See also Southbound Excursions

2A GEIRANGER PANORAMA 1

Geiranger to Alesund
Available Dates: 15 Apr - 30 May
Duration: 4 h 30 min , Price: £71pp
This excursion takes you to one of the world's most beautiful travel destinations - the Geirangerfjord - officially praised by National Geographic and placed on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites. At the Geiranger Fjord Centre you will enjoy an informative introduction via a multimedia presentation that takes you through all four seasons of Geiranger. This is followed by a drive up Orneveien ("Eagle Road") and a stop at Ornesvingen ("Eagle Bend"), where a breath-taking, panoramic view of the fjord, the magnificent mountains and the waterfall "De Syv Sostre" ("The Seven Sisters") provides an excellent photo opportunity. The tour continues to Alesund, a distinctive town known for its unique Art Nouveau architecture. An afternoon here is best enjoyed from the town's highest point - Aksla ("Town Montain"). You enjoy a short sightseeing trip around Alesund itself, before heading to the Hurtigruten pier.

2B GEIRANGER PANORAMA 2

Geiranger to Molde
Available Dates: 31 May - 14 Sep
Duration: 7h 30 min , Price: £125pp
The Geirangerfjord- officially praised by National Geographic and placed on UNESCO ’s list of World Heritage Sites. Your day begins with a drive up Ørneveien (“Eagle Road”), enjoying magnificent views of Geiranger Fjord, en route to the beautiful Eidsdalsvatnet Lake. From there we take a picturesque ferry ride from Eidsdal to Linge, no doubt marvelling at the strength of the river as it cuts through Gudbrandsjuvet gorge, heading for the stark, wild high alpine areas. One of the many highlights of this trip is negotiating all of the 11 hairpin turns on the way down the winding Trollstigen pass. Once safely down at the bottom, it’s time for a hot drink and a bite to eat before we continue on to the gentler landscape of the Romsdalsfjord. We conclude with dinner in Molde before boarding the Hurtigruten ship again.

2C ART NOUVEAU TOUR OF ÅLESUND

Alesund
Available Dates: 15 Sep - 14 Apr
Duration: 2 hours, Price: £24pp
Ålesund is a colourful and picturesque coastal town that is renowned for its charming Art Nouveau architecture. Its history and architectural highlights are best appreciated on foot, Ålesund is spread over a series of islands, linked by bridges. Rebuilt after a disastrous fire in 1904, the town was recreated to reflect the Art Nouveau trend of the age and this fascinating guided tour brings the town, its history and the symbolism of its architecture to life.

2D AQUARIUM AND MOUNT AKSLA, ALESUND

Available Dates: 3 Oct - 15 Apr
Duration: 2 hours , Price: £24pp
Enjoy a visit to the Atlanterhavsparken, one of Northern Europe's largest salt water aquairum, to enjoy the well know and spectacular diving show. Afterwards, you drive to the top of Mount Aksla where incredible views of Alesund, your Hurtigruten ship and surrounding countryside await.

3A NIDAROS CATHEDRAL & RINGVE, TRONDHEIM

Available Dates: 15 Apr - 02 Oct
Duration: 3 hours, Price: £44pp
Few large cities have managed to preserve their intimacy and charm in the same way as Norway’s third largest city, Trondheim. An ancient city, it was founded by the Viking King Olav as Tryggvason as early as 997. Your tour of the city starts from the pier and takes you to Norway’s national shrine, Nidarosdomen (Nidaros Cathedral) - Norway’s only Gothic style cathedral, built over the burial place of St. Olav, Norway’s patron saint. After a guided tour of the cathedral, you have some free time to explore. From Nidaros Cathedral, the bus then takes us directly to the Ringve Museum of Musical History, where enthusiastic tour guides will take you on a musical journey through history.

3B TRONDHEIM WITH NIDAROS CATHEDRAL, TRONDHEIM

Available Dates: 01 Oct - 14 Apr
Duration: 2 hours, Price: £38pp
Trondheim is a town full of contrasts, with monastery ruins, impressive wooden buildings, colourful wharves, and a beautiful red-painted city bridge dating back to 1861. You will hear all about the city’s many features as the bus takes us through Trondheim’s streets and boroughs. As no sightseeing trip to Trondheim is complete without visiting one of its premier cultural treasures, we will of course make time to take in the impressive Nidaros Cathedral. Built over the burial place of St. Olav, the patron saint of Norway, the construction of this enormous building, with its countless details and decorations, began as early as 1070. After a guided tour around the Gothic-style cathedral, you will soon understand why many describe it as the most beautiful church in Norway.

3C SVERESBORG, TRØNDELAG FOLK MUSEUM, TRONDHEIM

Available Dates: 1 May - 30 Sep
Duration: 2 hours, Price: £30pp
Sverresborg Trøndelag Folk Museum is one of Norway’s largest open-air museums. The tour includes a visit to the museum and a wander around the ruins of the medieval castle. This is where you will find Norway’s northernmost stave church, with the new visitors’ centre featuring a modern heritage exhibition that presents life in the region around the 1900’s. We begin our journey through history at Haltdalen stave church, built back in 1170, when Norway was a Catholic country. The trip continues past the ruins of the medieval castle, with its panoramic views across Trondheim’s Fjord, and onto a working farmyard. From here we continue on to the Old Town, which features buildings that used to stand proudly in the very centre of Trondheim. Finally, we enter the visitors’ centre, and the ‘Life Pictures’ exhibition.

4A GLACIER ADVENTURE, SVARTISEN

Ornes - Norway's second largest glacier
Available Dates: 1 MayApr - 30 Sep
Duration: 6 hours, Price: £123pp
Visit Norway’s second largest glacier, Svartisen, situated near Ørnes. After setting sail for Ørnes, about half an hour before reaching the port, the ship stops to allow passengers to transfer to another, smaller vessel. This versatile vessel then slips easily between islets and skerries. The most impressive views along the way are best enjoyed on deck. Be sure to bring your camera because this icy world is the domain of sea eagles. Arriving at Svartisen Tourist Centre, we admire the beauty of the ice world whilst enjoying a hot beverage and a selection of cakes. The journey beyond this point travels along the very pretty Helgeland Coast where you have close-up views of the local community. Travel on this excursion is either by bus and modern express boat with a guide to keep you well informed.

4D RIB SAFARI, SALTSTRAUMEN, BODO

Available Dates: 1 Apr - 31 Oct
Duration: 2 hours, Price: £92pp
Travel by RIB-boats to witness the world's strongest tidal current, where millions of gallons of water are forced through the 150m wide strait. Overhead we hope to see sea eagles, Europe's largest predatory bird.

4E WINTER LOFOTEN VIKING FEAST, STAMSUND

Available Dates: 1 Oct - 31 Mar
Duration: 3 hours, Price: £82pp
At the Lofotr Viking Museum, the largest Viking building ever found has been recreated. From Stamsund we travel by bus to Lofotr Viking Museum, where you are invited to experience the largest house known from the Viking age. The Chieftain’s house has been recreated in full size with exhibits of finds from the Viking age. The Chieftain and the Lady of the house would like to give you an unforgettable night as they invite you to join in a Viking feast in the banqueting hall. Experience the magic and excitement as they make sacrifices to the Gods, hoping that the sun will turn to avoid Armageddon. After a meal fit for the gods, served with real mead, you travel by bus to Svolvær, where you board your Hurtigruten ship.

4F SUMMER LOFOTEN VIKING FEAST, STAMSUND

Available Dates: 1 Apr - 31 Mar
Duration: 3 hours, Price: £82pp
Join us on a historical journey as the bus takes us from Stamsund to Borg, and on to the Lofotr Museum. Experience the Chieftain's house, which has been recreated in full size, with exhibits of finds from the Viking age. The Chieftain and the lady of the house welcome us to join them for a real Viking feast in the banquet hall; a taste of the Viking Ages, with traditional food, costumes, singing and dancing, After the feast , served with home-brewed mead, we then travel by bus to Svolvaer, learning more about the history of Lofoten along the way before re-joining your Hurtigruten ship.

5A THE ARCTIC CAPITAL, TROMSØ

Available Dates: All year round
Duration: 2 hours 30 min, Price: £45pp
Tromsø is the largest town north of the Arctic Circle, and it has a unique history that includes hunting in the Arctic Ocean for walrus and polar bears, the transporting of logs from Russian rivers, the Pomor trade, coal mining and sealing. During our excursion here, we will visit the interpretive centre Polaria. Here you’ll be able to watch the movie ‘Svalbard - Arctic Wilderness’, which will take you on a fantastic journey through Svalbard’s spectacular scenery. The tour also includes a stop at the famous Arctic Cathedral, an architectural masterpiece and town landmark.

5B DOG-SLEDGING, TROMSØ

Available Dates: 28 Nov - 30 Apr
Duration: 3hours 30 min, Price: £119pp
Complete your winter holiday experience with a thrilling husky dog sledge ride! Our tour begins with a drive to the island of Kvaløya where we change clothes and footwear, before hopping aboard the sledges and letting the huskies pull us over the frozen landscape; enjoying stunning views of the ocean, mountains and open plateaus. If we’re lucky enough, we will see the magical Northern Lights.

5C SCENERY & HUSKIES, TROMSØ

Available Dates: 28 May - 27 Aug
Duration: 3hours 30 min, Price: £45pp
Dramatically located, just 30 minutes outside Tromsø, Kvaløya is home to a rich variety of flora and fauna. Here you can meet some of the 250 huskies and learn more about the skills of dog sledging, complete your visit with coffee and cakes in a Lavvo by the campfire.

5D POLAR HISTORY WALK, TROMSØ

Available Dates: 11 Oct - 11 Apr
Duration: 3 hours, Price: £37pp
Guided walking tour of Tromsø, highlighting the town and its vital links with polar exploration. Visit the statue of Roald Amundsen, then explore the fascinating Polar Museum and “Mack Ølhallen”, Tromsø’s oldest pub, to enjoy a taste of the locally made brew.

5E/F WILDERNESS ADVENTURE CAMP, TROMSØ

Available Dates: 1 Jan - 15 Mar
Price: £235p
Lyngsfjord Adventure and Camp Tamok offers you an extraordinary experience, with dog sledding, snowmobile safari and reindeer driving on the menu! 5E includes reindeer driving and dog sledding, and 5f includes snowmobile safari and reindeer driving.

6A NORTH CAPE – EUROPE’S NORTHERNMOST POINT, HONNINGSVÅG

Available Dates: All year
Duration: 3 hours, Price: £82pp
An unforgettable experience travelling from Honningsvåg across the sub-arctic landscape to North Cape Hall, carved into the side of a cliff on top of the North Cape Plateau. Explore the North Cape tunnel and the unique chapel, the small museum and the post office, where postcards are franked with a North Cape postmark.

6B BIRD WATCHING SAFARI, HONNINGSVÅG

Available Dates: 26 Apr - 26 Aug
Duration: 3 hours, Price: £108pp
Travel across the dramatic landscape of Magerøya Island to the tiny fishing hamlet of Gjesvær. Here you board a boat to Gjesværstappan Nature Reserve, an archipelago of islands that is home to three million nesting birds. Unsurprisingly the majestic sea eagle is often seen hunting these rich waters.

6C A TASTE OF LAPLAND

Available Dates: 5 May - 5 Sep
Duration: 2h 20mins, Price: £67pp
A unique opportunity to meet a family of Sami reindeer herders and visit the Foldal Coastal centre, this fascinating excursion offers an insight into the rich history of the Finnmark area. Start with a visit to the Foldal centre, continue through Kjøllefjord to the summer camp of the Utsi family, whose traditional lavvo presents an ideal venue to learn about Sami life and tradition.

6D SCOOTER TRIP IN LAPLAND, KJOLLERFJORD

Available Dates: 15 Dec - 10 May
Duration: 2h 15mins, Price: £217pp
After being properly kitted out and receiving some driving instructions from our guides, this spectacular snowmobile adventure journeys across the snow covered wilds of Finnmark, to the Hurtigruten quay in Mehamn (weather permitting). Driving licence required.

7A KIRKENES AND THE RUSSIAN BORDER

Available Dates: All year
Duration: 2 hours, Price: £36pp
This journey takes us through a strategically important region steeped in dramatic history. Travelling via the spectacular viewpoint overlooking the Pretfjellet fjord we travel through Kirkenes – the only town in Norway where West meets East – to Storskog, the border post on the Russian frontier.

7B RIVER BOAT SAFARI TO THE RUSSIAN BORDER, KIRKENES

Available Dates: 1 Jun - 30 Sep
Duration: 2h 30 mins, Price: £91pp
Best appreciated from the water, the Pasvik River has long borne witness to the often turbulent history of this area and, as you travel upstream through the wonderful scenery, you’ll pass beneath the Kjerringstupet cliffs and Trifon cave, en route to the border.

7C SNOW MOBILE SAFARI, KIRKENES

Available Dates: 9 Dec - 5 May
Duration: 2h 30 mins, Price: £124pp
An invigorating ride by snowmobile across ice-covered fjords and the serene landscapes of Arctic winter. Guides will explain the fascinating history of the indigenous Sami people and welcome refreshments will be served in the warmth of the Lavvo. Weather dependent, warm clothing and training is provided. Remember to bring your driving licence.

7D VISIT THE SNOW HOTEL, KIRKENES

Available Dates: 15 Dec - 1 May
Duration: 2h 30 mins, Price: £50pp
Our adventure here begins with a stroll up to the hotel and into Norway’s largest ice bar. The guide will show us around the Snow Hotel, including some of the magnificent suites. After the tour there is time to meet the reindeer. You can also visit Gabba Kennel, taking a look at some of the many Huskies who live there.

7E ATV (QUAD) SAFARI TO THE RUSSIAN BORDER, KIRKENES

Available Dates: 1 May - 30 Sept
Duration: 2h 20mins, Price: £103pp
After receiving instructions on how to drive a quad bike you will set off to Kjerringstupet viewpoint and then continue to the border with Russia. Learn about the history and culture of the area, opportunity to buy local souvenirs and we make a stop for coffee and muffins. Return to ship.

7F HUSKY ADVENTURE, KIRKENES

Available Dates: 1 Dec - 1 May
Duration: 2h 30mins, Price: £108pp
Experience the real feeling of wilderness during this adrenalin-fuelled ride! You can have a go at driving the sledge yourself, or simply sit back and enjoy the trip. You also have the option to visit the Snow Hotel and the reindeer enclosure.