Summer Special: 11 Days Mail Ship Route
DAY 1: Bergen
Flight from Germany/Bergen
You are flying from Germany to Bergen. Upon arrival, you will be transferred from the airport to the Hurtigruten terminal.
If you still have time before your ship departs, visit the UNESCO World Heritage-listed quays of the colorful Bryggen district. Just across the street is the famous fish market.
At 8.30 p.m., your ship will depart and head north along the Hjeltefjord, from where the Vikings once sailed to the Shetland Islands. Watch the stunning scenery pass by either from the deck or from the panoramic saloon and familiarize yourself with the ship. An eventful journey begins! Look forward to 34 ports and over 100 fjords!
You will also get to know your ship’s team of English-speaking experts – they will be your companions during our journey along the Norwegian coast, organising lectures, activities on board and optional hikes for you.
DAY 2: Ålesund and the Fjords
Legendary architecture and fantastic fjords
Get up early to experience Mount Hornelen (860 meters high) and the scenery of the Nordfjord. When we pass the Western Cape, we reach the open sea for the first time on our journey.
Through skerries and islands, your captain navigates further north to Ålesund. The Art Nouveau city fascinates not only with the houses in the Apotekergata and the pedestrian zone Kongens gate. From June to August, your Hurtigruten ship also sails into the 15 km long Geirangerfjord with its spectacular up to 800 m steeply rising side walls. In September, the idyllic Hjørundfjord is explored.
DAY 3: Trondheim
In the morning you will arrive in Trondheim, the third largest city in Norway. Founded in 997 as Nidaros, the city grew into a thriving trading port due to its location on the 130 km long Trondheim Fjord and was a royal seat for a long time.
A good overview is provided by the Gamle Bybrua in Trondheim, a neo-Gothic wooden bridge from 1861 that used to be the only access to the city centre. Nidaros Cathedral, Norway’s largest religious building, has been exhibiting the Norwegian Crown Jewels since 1988. The warehouses, built on wooden stilts, are just as pretty as the Rococo-style Stiftsgården. This largest wooden house in Norway houses the royal family when they visit Trondheim. Passing thousands of small islands and through picturesque archipelagos, we head northwest. After the Stokksund passage, your ship will moor in Rørvik in the evening.
DAY 4: Crossing the Arctic Circle and Lofoten
In the morning you will cross the Arctic Circle, marked by a globe on a small archipelago. Passengers crossing the Arctic Circle for the first time will receive their baptism from the Arctic Circle god Neptune.
When the Lofoten Wall, a mountain range up to 1,000 m high, looms on the horizon, your ship has already passed the beautiful Helgeland coast and sailed to Bodø through the Vestfjord. In the evening you will reach Svolvær, the main town on the Lofoten Islands. The charm of Lofoten is reflected in picturesque fishing villages with a wildly romantic atmosphere, majestic granite cliffs and white sandy beaches.
DAY 5: Tromsø
At night, your ship navigates through the narrow waterway of the Raft Sound. On the southbound tour you will experience this breathtaking nature once again during the day. In the afternoon you will arrive in Tromsø, the capital of the Arctic!
The small alleys of the northern university town have an almost Mediterranean flair. As the gateway to the Arctic Sea, Tromsø has been the starting point for numerous polar expeditions in the past. In the “Polarmuseet” and the “Polaria” adventure centre, you will learn many interesting details about Norway’s polar history. There is a lot to discover!
DAY 6: The North Cape
In the early morning you will arrive at Hammerfest, Europe’s northernmost city. King Christian VII founded the city in 1789 to trade with Russia. From here it is only 2,100 km to the North Pole.
Your Hurtigruten ship cruises through the Magerøysund to Honningsvåg. As part of an optional shore excursion, visit the 307 m high North Cape Rock Plateau jutting out of the ocean at 71° 10′ 21″ north latitude. Amateur ornithologists among you will get their money’s worth in the afternoon when you pass one of Norway’s largest bird cliffs as well as the rock formation Finnkjerka, once a sacrificial site of the Sámi people.
DAY 7: Kirkenes, the turning point of the journey
Kirkenes is the northeasternmost port and turning point of any mail boat trip. The landscape and the sea become more and more dramatic by sea. It is from here, in the Barents region, that the delicious king crabs originate.
The gateway to the East is located further east than Istanbul and St. Petersburg. The proximity to the Russian border can be noticed, among other things, by the fact that all street signs are not only in Norwegian, but also in Russian. From the Barents Sea come the famous king crabs, a species of crab that sometimes measures over two meters. It is considered one of the most delicious seafood delicacies. In summer, a king crab expedition is recommended.
DAY 8: North Cape, Hammerfest and Tromsø
On the southbound route, your ship sails back to the extreme north – past Europe’s northernmost lighthouse. In Hammerfest, the meridian column, erected in 1854, commemorates the first exact measurement of the globe.
In the morning you will have the opportunity to experience the spectacular North Cape again with an optional breakfast. In Hammerfest, you can enjoy a mountain hike or a bus ride to the local attractions. A special feature in spring: your ship makes a detour to the beautiful Lyngenfjord. Around midnight Tromsø is reached.
DAY 9: Lofoten and Vesterålen
Today is a special day, the enchanting islands of Vesterålen and Lofoten are waiting for you! The sight of the Risøyrenna strait and the trip through the narrow Raftsund are among the most beautiful moments of a Hurtigruten cruise.
The steep walls of the raft sound look as if they were worked by a sculptor, in some places it is not even 100 m wide. If the weather is good, your ship will make a detour into the extremely narrow Trollfjord, whose passage is one of the most breathtaking with its towering rock walls to the left and right. Stokmarknes is home to the Museum of Postal Ships, which is well worth seeing, where you can learn a lot about the history of the Hurtigruten.
DAY 10: Helgeland Coast
The area of the trolls: You will find it difficult to tear yourself away from the Lofoten Islands, but the following days south of the Arctic Circle will offer you equally spectacular panoramas and sights.
It’s worth getting up early: your ship passes the fertile shore of Helgeland and you cross the Arctic Circle for the second time, this time from the north. A varied landscape with numerous islands, mystical mountains and waterfalls, around which various legends are entwined, presents itself. The famous mountain range of the “Seven Sisters” (Syv Søstre) and an impressive waterfall called the “Bridal Veil” (Brudeslør) await you. Also spectacular is the legendary “Torghatten”, a mountain with a 40 m hole at a height of 140 m in the middle of the rock formation.
DAY 11: Trondheim
The ship arrives in Trondheim early in the morning. Then it’s time to say goodbye to your new ones on board.
Transfer to the airport for your flight back to Germany.
All details on booking and availability can be found here:
https://www.hurtigruten.de/reiseziele/norwegen/aktionspreis-im-sommer/
