HURTIGRUTEN CRUISES AROUND NORWAY
Voted 'the world's most unspoilt destination' by the National Geographic Traveller Magazine, Norway remains one of the great natural wonders of the world.
Natural Landscapes
Norway is a land of sublime natural beauty. Along its long, lonely coast - still the true heart of the country - waterfalls plunge to pristine fjords fringed by primeval forests of pine and spruce.
Majestic peaks crowned with glaciers rise sheer out of the sea. The air is so fresh you can taste it, and from the midnight sun to the polar night, the refraction of light on the countless islands adds its own veil of mystery.
It is an unspoilt, unimaginably captivating wilderness, but in its myriad of coves and bays, in brightly coloured hamlets and in strikingly modern towns, are settlements of fishermen and miners, sailors and teachers, farmers and traders.
Local People
Travelling on Hurtigruten is the natural way to meet those who live and work along the coast. Many communities still depend on agriculture and fishing, as they have done for centuries, though tourism and the coastal voyage are also vital to local economies.
In cities such as Bergen and Tromsø and towns like Svolvær, traditional wooden houses and churches are flanked by modern hotels and facilities. In the many small ports visited such as Brønnøysund and Skjervøy quaint little houses huddle in the midst of imposing landscapes. At every port, travellers share the anticipation of arrival and the emotion of fond farewell alongside those whose livelihood depends on the ship.
The Sami people are the indigenous inhabitants of northern Norway and still today they follow many of their traditional ways. Their language is related to Finnish, Estonian and Hungarian.
Norwegian Coastal Heritage
The Hurtigruten experience is an intimate encounter with history and culture. In the lighthouses and jagged rocks of the sea and the architecture and museums along the coast, passengers can read a colourful narrative that sweeps from the ancient Norse gods and Viking times to the Second World War and modern challenges.
All guests on this Hurtigruten coastal voyage experience a wonderful range of geology and geography, moods and moments. The 1250-mile long coast takes the ships from the temperate climes of the south coast to the wild, desolate Finnmark plateau, a journey that brings with it dramatic changes in climate and temperature. Each season has its own character, with briefer, more intense explosions of colour and radical changes in sunlight in the higher latitudes.
For the latest travel advice from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office including security and local laws, plus passport and visa information, check www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice.
