Norwegian Coastal Voyage: Bergen to the Arctic

Today you journey west from Oslo to Bergen, the beautiful gateway to the fjords and the start of your coastal voyage. Travelling by the scenic Bergen Railway, one of the world's most beautiful train journeys, you climb through forests and lakes and across the wild, snow-streaked Hardangervidda plateau, a spectacular high mountain world, before descending through valleys of waterfalls to the coast. Arriving in Bergen, you have time to explore the atmospheric Bryggen wharf, with its crooked, brightly painted wooden merchant houses, browse the lively Fish Market, and soak up the relaxed maritime atmosphere of this historic Hanseatic city ringed by seven hills. As the day ends, you settle into your hotel near the harbour. This evening, savour fresh seafood in a quayside restaurant. Rest well, for tomorrow you embark on the northbound coastal voyage into the fjords and the Arctic.

Today your coastal voyage begins as you embark at Bergen and sail north up the spectacular western coast. From the deck you watch Bergen and its islands recede as the ship threads between countless islands and skerries, gliding past lighthouses, fishing villages and dramatic coastal scenery. During the day the ship sails close to the mouth of the majestic Geirangerfjord region and along the beautiful Sunnmore coast, reaching the enchanting Art Nouveau town of Alesund, spread across islands where the fjords meet the Atlantic, where you may have time ashore to climb Aksla hill for a panorama over the ornate townscape. Meals aboard showcase fresh regional seafood and produce. As the day ends, you settle into the relaxed rhythm of life aboard, watching the coast slip by. Rest well in your cabin as the ship sails on through the northern night towards Trondheim.

Today the coastal voyage calls at historic Trondheim, Norway's third city and its medieval capital, founded by the Vikings over a thousand years ago. Ashore you can admire the magnificent Nidaros Cathedral, the largest medieval building in Scandinavia and a great pilgrimage church, with its ornate carved west front, and wander the colourful old wharves along the river and the charming streets of the old town. Back aboard, the ship sails on up the coast, past islands, fishing communities and open sea, approaching the Arctic Circle. As you cross this magical invisible line, into the Land of the Midnight Sun, an onboard ceremony often marks the moment. As the day ends, you settle into the rhythm of the voyage, watching for wildlife and the changing northern light. Rest well aboard as the ship sails on into the Arctic towards the Lofoten Islands.

Today brings some of the most spectacular scenery of the whole voyage as the ship sails among the Lofoten and Vesteralen islands. You gaze on the jagged, soaring peaks of Lofoten rising straight from the sea, their flanks dotted with red and ochre fishermen's cabins and racks of drying cod, and picture-perfect villages mirrored in sheltered harbours. The ship threads the narrow, dramatic Raftsundet strait and, conditions permitting, noses into the sheer-walled Trollfjord, a breathtakingly narrow arm of water enclosed by towering cliffs. White-tailed sea eagles often wheel overhead. Optional shore excursions may explore Lofoten's fishing villages or offer wildlife watching. As the day ends, you settle in for the evening as the ship sails on beneath peaks and, in season, the midnight sun or the first shimmer of the Northern Lights. Rest well aboard, bound for Tromso.

Today the coastal voyage reaches lively Tromso, the cultural capital and 'Gateway to the Arctic', set on an island amid fjords and snow-capped peaks far above the Arctic Circle. Ashore you can admire the striking Arctic Cathedral, whose soaring white form evokes ice and mountains, ride the cable car up Mount Storsteinen for a sweeping panorama over the town, fjords and surrounding peaks, and explore the museums, wooden houses and cafes of this surprisingly cosmopolitan Arctic town, with its rich heritage of polar exploration. In winter, Tromso is one of the finest places on earth to see the Northern Lights. Back aboard, the ship continues north through spectacular island and fjord scenery. As the day ends, you settle in for the evening as the voyage sails on towards the dramatic North Cape. Rest well aboard, deep in the beautiful Norwegian Arctic.

Today your coastal voyage reaches its dramatic northern climax near the North Cape, the great cliff plateau that marks the northernmost point of mainland Europe, where the land ends in a sheer wall above the meeting of the Norwegian and Barents seas. You take in the wild, treeless Arctic scenery, the vast skies and the sense of standing at the very edge of the continent, and disembark at the northern port. An optional excursion may visit the North Cape plateau itself, with its famous globe monument high above the ocean, spectacular in the midnight sun. You are then transferred for your onward journey. You leave the ship having sailed one of the world's great coastal routes, past fjords, islands, fishing villages and Arctic towns. Settle into your final accommodation in the far north, savouring the vast Arctic light. Rest well ahead of your departure tomorrow.

After a final morning in the far Arctic north, savouring the vast skies, wild coast and remarkable light of the top of Europe, you are transferred to the airport for your onward departure. You leave having experienced one of the world's great sea journeys, the classic Norwegian coastal voyage, from beautiful Bergen up the spectacular western coast past fjords and fishing villages, through historic Trondheim, across the Arctic Circle, among the jagged peaks of Lofoten, to lively Tromso and the dramatic North Cape. The images stay vivid long after you land, the ship threading between islands and skerries, the sheer walls of the Trollfjord, the drying cod and red cabins of Lofoten, and the endless Arctic light over the sea. Norway's coast offers beauty, drama, wildlife and serenity in abundance, and you depart already dreaming of a return to this spectacular northern shore.