My wife has booked us (her, me and our 8 year old daughter) on a cruise up the fjords this autumm half term - a 10 or 11 day trip, with Hurtigruten I think, apparently on something that's more a "working boat" than one of those massive luxury cruise ship things. We fly to Bergen then travel by ship all the way north up the coast right round to the Russian border and back again, one key ambition of course being to see something of the Northern Lights. Any tips for me, e.g. particularly interesting sights to look forward to, assuming we dock in the relevant locations, or excursions we should be sure not to miss if on offer?
-
-
You lucky devil.
If you end up on Hadseløya, don't go shopping when it's warm. A former co-worker grew up there and reckons that, as soon as the temperature hits 15°C, everybody - schoolteachers, shop-owners, bankers, everybody - stops what they're doing and heads for the beach.
Unlikely to happen in October, admittedly.Last edited by treibeis; 05-10-2019, 09:55. -
Are you booked all inclusive on the boat? If you go ashore and look for refreshment you'll be lucky to get any change out of £20 for a round of drinks for the three of you. Norway is probably the most expensive country in Europe for that (never been to the fjords, but I have been to Oslo). On the plus side I'm led to believe that many of the most jaw-dropping sights are the fjords themselves and the waterfalls that plunge into them, which of course you'll see from the boat as it cruises.
Signora Rogin, the travel agent, says that the one excursion everyone books in advance is the Flam railway, where you get get on a train in port and it takes you up 1000m up through and around a mountain, if your itinerary takes you near that. You can try to do it privately once ashore but it's best to book in advance as there is big demand, although I suppose October might be quieter.Last edited by Rogin the Armchair fan; 05-10-2019, 12:12.Comment
-
It's a while since I went, and I took a road trip round Bergen then flew to the North, so this might not be fully useful. My main memories are of how damned pretty everything is, but I don't remember any specific things worth going to see: you don't go for a particular sight or site, rather for the broad experience. I did particularly like the northern islands - Senja and, especially, Lofoten. Lofoten is stunning and has a fascinating history which is all dependent on it being the far end of the gulf-stream. Unfortunately that also means the weather's deeply unreliable...Comment
-
Just looking at photos of Lofoten, and now I want to go.Comment
Comment