Norway with Hurtigruten
Day 01: Onward to OSLO.
Breakfast at the hotel.
Take the flybus back to the airport, depart approximately 2.5 hours before
scheduled departure time and taken to Keflavik International Airport for
flight to Oslo.
You will arrive Oslo Gardaermoen airport from Reykjavik.
Taker the Airport Express train into the city, and walk just a short distance to your hotel.
Dinner on your own. Overnight at Hotel. (B)
Day 02: OSLO.
Buffet breakfast at the hotel.
This morning join a 3 hours' city tour by private motor coach and English
speaking guide. The tour will go through central parts of the city passing
such important buildings as the Royal Palace, the Parliament Building, the
Cathedral, the Akershus Fortress and the city Hall. The tour will then
continue by a walk through the Frogner Park to see some of the most
interesting of the about 200 statues made by Gustav Vigeland.
Then proceed to the peninsula of Bygdoy for a visit to the Viking Ships
Museum and the Kon-Tiki/Ra Museum .
Return to the city and the hotel. (B)
Afternoon at leisure.
Sights to see in Oslo:
-Akershus Fortress and the Resistance Museum
-Holmenkollen and the Ski Jump Museum
-Bygdøy, the Viking Ship Museum and the Kon Tiki
-The Norwegian Folk Museum
-The National Gallery
-The Munch Museum
-Vigeland Sculpture Park
-Frognerseteren, a nice small restaurant with outdoor seating overlooking the Oslo Fjord, a must see.
-Karl Johann’s Street the Walking Street
Dinner this evening on your own and we can recommend at Restaurant DS LOUISE at Aker Brygge.
DS Louise is the mark of an old Norwegian steamship, and the walls of the
restaurant are covered with memories from the era when ships looked like
ships. Guests feel just as well at ease in informal outfits as in suits and
ties. The menu is abundant, featuring a delightful mix of traditional meals
and more exotic dishes, making D/S Louise a popular choice suitable for all
occasions from light lunches to grand dinners. D/S Louise i situated on the
edge of Aker Brygge in the old workhouse at Aker machine shop. A gorgeous
view of the fjord, harbor and the Akershus Fortress.
Transfer is not necessary as the restaurant is within easy walk from the
hotel. Overnight at Hotel. (B)
Day 03: OSLO-BALESTRAND.
Buffet breakfast at the hotel.
Walk to the Central Station for departure at 0811 by
train .
Travel up the Hallingdal valley past Geilo and across the "roof of Norway"
at Finse with snow clad mountain tops at a distance.
Arrive at Myrdal at 1253 - change trains.
Depart Myrdal by the Flaam Railway at 1327.
The train journey down the Flam valley is a most impressive one with
fantastic views at all angels. The train will make a stop at the Kjosfossen
waterfall where passengers may get off to take photographs or just to admire
the cascading water. Continue to Flaam arriving there at 1425 (these are
times which may change slightly for 2010).
At Flaam there will be time for refreshments or lunch on your own - or just
browse the many small shops.
Depart Flaam by catamaran express boat at 1530 and cruise out the
Aurlandsfjord and continue on the "King of Fjords" - the Sognefjord .
Arrive at Balestrand at 1655.
Check in at the nearby KVIKNE HOTEL - one of the most prestigious fjord
hotels belonging to the Historic Hotels of Norway.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel. (B/D)
Day 04: BALESTRAND-BERGEN.
Buffet breakfast at the hotel.
Depart Balestrand by catamaran express boat at 0755 and cruise the rest of
the Sognefjord and the west coast archipelago into Bergen.
Arrive Bergen at 1140.
Take a walk or a taxi to the Hotel, in the very center of the city.
Afternoon at leisure.
Dinner is recommended on your own at Floien Restaurant.
This restaurant is situated at the top of Mount Floien offering a wonderful
view of the whole city and the fjord and islands beyond,
The restaurant dates back to the early 1900 , but has recently undergone a
thorough refurbishing and is now a nice place to spend an evening.
In order to reach the top, it will be necessary to take the Funicular which
will bring passengers to the top in about 10 minutes. Overnight at the hotel. (B)
Day 05: BERGEN.
Buffet breakfast at the hotel.
Join a 3 hour city tour of Bergen, visiting the home of the famous composer Edward Grieg
As well as enjoying a tour of this Hanseatic city of Bergen.
Sights to see in Bergen:
-Hanseatic Bryggen and Museum
-Fløibanen Funicular to the top of Mt Fløyen
-Troldhaugen, home of Edvard Grieg
-Fantoft Stave Church
-Horda Museum
-Gamle (Old) Bergen Museum
The afternoon is free and this evening you take a taxi to the Pier for your voyage on Hurtigruten
(The Coastal Voyage) (B)
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Day 5: Bergen Hurtigruten Bergen is the bustling capital of Norway's fjord district. If you arrive a few hours before your Norwegian cruise's departure, stroll around the old wooden buildings in the Bryggen Wharf, remnants of its Hanseatic past. In travel's early days, it was easier to get from Bergen to the continent by sea than it was to get to Oslo-a fact apparent in this city's architecture and culture. You begin your Norway travel expedition this evening as you embark on your Norwegian cruise.
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Day 6: Maloy–Torvik–Alesund–Molde–Kristiansund Wake up to the breathtaking beauty of Norway as your ship crosses the open Stadthavet and heads for Torvik. Along the way your Norway travel will be enhanced with a stop in the beautiful Art Nouveau town of Alesund. (Between April 15 and September 14, all ships call at Geiranger in the Geirangerfjord, a UNESCO World Heritage site, to see the beautiful Brudesloret, Friaren, and the Seven Sisters waterfalls.) After a call at Molde with its magnificent view of the Romsdal Alps, your ship will carefully navigate the Hustadvika, a belt of islets and skerries, before docking at Kristiansund. Many shore excursions are available.
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Day 7: Trondheim–Rorvik The ship arrives early this morning in ancient Trondheim, where you'll have time to explore this jewel of a city, Norway's first capital. Did you know that the first Viking sale of goods from "the new found land" took place here about 1000 AD? Or that timber from Liev Eriksson's Vinland estate was sold to a Bremen merchant? You'll have plenty of time to discover Trondheim's secrets as you walk its charming streets, sit by the peaceful harbor, or cross the old city bridge to see the restored wooden buildings in Bakklandet. Don't miss the great gothic cathedral of Nidaros, where the new kings of old Norway once received their official blessing. Once you sail again it's on to Rorvik, where the southbound and northbound coastal ships meet. A number of enriching optional shore excursions are available.
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Day 8: Ornes–Bodo–Stamsund–Svolvaer Today you'll cross the Arctic Circle. Of course you can't actually see the line, but on your portside, the globe on the island of Vikingen serves as a marker. Prepare yourself for spectacular sites ahead including islands and skerries filled with majestic rock formations, whose origins are the stuff of legend. After Bodo, the ship heads out to open sea for the Lofoten Islands with their picturesque cabins on stilts and weathered wooden racks with drying cod. In the evening, your Norwegian cruise takes you through the narrow Raftsund Strait, passing the looming crags of the Trollfjord. Optional shore excursions are available.
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Day 9: Harstad–Finnsnes–Tromso–Skjervoy This morning you'll pass the medieval Trondenes church before calling at Harstad for breakfast. Afterward, you'll sail across the Vagsfjord past the great island of Senja with its diverse countryside of farmland, pine trees, and plunging peaks. Later you'll stop at Tromso, the "Paris of the North." In the 19th century, Russian, British, Dutch, and German ships stopped here before heading off on Arctic expeditions for hunting whales, walruses and seals. Optional shore excursions are available.
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Days 10-11: Hammerfest–Havoysund– Honningsvag–Kjollefjord–Mehamn– Berlevag–Kirkenes Finnmark's landscape is austere in its beauty, teeming with wildlife. Watch for rookeries of puffins and gannets along the cliffs and pods of orca hunting for herring. After calling at Honningsvag, the capital of the North Cape, the ship heads east toward the pretty fishing villages of Kjollefjord, Mehamn, and Berlevag. On the seventh day, you'll arrive at Kirkenes, the journey's northern terminus and turning point. Optional shore excursions are available for both days. |
Day 11: Kirkenes – Oslo – onward
Upon arrival in the morning, take a taxi to the airport for your flight back to Oslo. Make a direct connection to a flight to your next destination.
Cost:
including Category L on Hurtigruten Ship - early bird discount.
Pricing is subject to availability and season!
For prices and schedules