Voyage to the Land of Vikings is the opportunity to learn about their past

Welcome to Bergen, NORWAY. If you choose not to arrange the flights and transfers through us, please arrive in Bergen as early as possible. Depending on the arrival time of your flight, you have the possibility to visit this beautiful city, especially the historic UNESCO Bryggen district with historic Hanseatic houses and colourful wharfs from the 14th century before boarding the ship. This charming city is an important Hanseatic trading post and it was founded by the Viking King Olav Haraldsson lll over 900 years ago.

Wake up early the next day and you will be rewarded with splendid views over beautiful Nordfjord in its autumn colours on our way through the open sea passing west cape and heading for Torvik. A bit later on, we will visit the stunning Hjørundfjord. Here, in this region the mountain farms and small charming villages perfectly combine with the large and steep rock walls and natural features of this magnificent fjord. Then you have the possibility to visit the beautiful Art Nouveau town of Ålesund with a walk on top of Mount Aksla where a statue of King Gange Rolv, the founder of the Viking kingdom is found. We sail further towards Molde having magnificent views of the Romsdal Alps.

Norway’s third largest city, Trondheim, is the old Viking Capital, a city that effectively preserved its intimacy. This day you have your fist excursion included, a half-day sightseeing guided tour of the old capital of Norway. We will visit Nidaros Cathedral and the NTNU museum where various artefacts from the Viking Era are displayed. The ancient city founded in 997 by the viking king, Olav Tryggvason creates the perfect atmosphere for a historic and picturesque walking tour.

Today we officially enter the Arctic Circle and the Auroral Zone passing the invisible line situated at 66 degrees 33 minutes north marking the border to the Arctic Region. We celebrate this with a ceremony that is for the brave ones who will take some ice water on their backs. Later on in the evening we reach Svolvær, the main settlement on the Lofoten Islands.  Here you will be part of a Viking feast where you will be treated with a traditional Viking meal with mead. All will happen in the largest reconstructed Viking longhouse that is found at the Lofotr Viking Museum.

Get up early and be ready for a day full of exciting activities! After a short stop at Risøyhamn, Harstad and Finnsnes, we continue to Tromsø which is the`Capital of the Arctic´, where we will stay longer. Here you can experience various excursions and activities like dog sledding dragged by cute huskies, snowshoeing or have a walk in the city that has charming restaurants, shops and cafes.

This is the day when we are passing the 71st Parallel heading towards the North Cape while enjoying magnificent sub-Arctic landscape. This is the Arctic wilderness where the northernmost point of the European mainland is found. Get out on the dock or choose one of the excursions we offer and breathe in clean air while watching the beautiful frozen landscape. After a stop in the early morning in Hammerfest, we arrive after in Honningsvåg which is the gateway to the spectacular North Cape at 71° 10’ 21” N being 2000 km away from the Geographical North Pole. This is your chance to join an optional excursion to the North Cape and be on top of the world. In the evening we will sail passing a rock formation called Finnkirka that is sacred to the indigenous Sámi people.

This is the day when we approach Kirkenes with dramatic scenery on the way, the last port on our northbound voyage. This will also be our turning point and the closest city to the Russian border. Here at 30° E you are actually further east than Istanbul and St. Petersburg. This little town is quite lively, due to its location close to the border with Russia and Finland. Enquire with us about what excursions you can do here.

This is the day when you can join two popular excursions, a polar hike in historical Hammerfest during the day and to enjoy an Arctic midnight concert at the Arctic Cathedral in Tromsø during night. You also have the option to start the day in style with an optional breakfast at the North Cape. After stops at Honningsvåg and Havøysund, we finally reach Hammerfest, the world’s northernmost town. Here is the place where you can be part of a memorable polar hike. We continue south to Øksfjord and after crossing the open water, we will stop at the old trading post of Skjervøy. We dock in Tromsø where you have the option for the midnight concert mentioned earlier.

After we depart from Tromsø, we will have a day when we can enjoy spectacular views over the steep mountains, deep fjords and charming fishing villages. This coastline offers some of the most stunning scenery on your voyage together with Lofoten and Vesterålen groups of islands. As we sail through Risøyrenna Channel you get the chance to enjoy shallow waters where sand banks are visible through the clear, green water. We will sail after, through the narrow Raftsund before reaching the place where our third included activity will take place. The excursion through the Vesterålen coast will bring in front of you stunning views of Hinnøya Island, Gullesfjord, and Sigerfjord which will delight your eyes and mind. A stop at the medieval Trondenes Church outside Harstad is also included. After this excursion, we head further south towards Svolvær without missing the spectacular Trollfjord with sheer cliffs hugging the ship’s sides.

This is the day when we leave the Arctic Circle at 66°33’N. We celebrate this moment with a special ritual out on deck by tasting a spoonful of cod liver oil, an Arctic tradition. The vikings highly appreciated this old tonic for its powers of healing. From Ørnes we sail through crystalline waters crossing the Arctic Circle on our way back south. After we leave behind the charming port of Sandnessjøen, we’ll approach Brønnøysund where close by you can see the mythical Seven Sisters mountain range and Torghatten Mountain. Below you can see the viking story that surrounds this place:

As about the Seven Sisters mountain range, they are between 900 and 1100 m high. It’s easy to understand how these mountains influenced ancient myths. The story is about seven troll sisters, daughters of King Sulis, who was very strict with them and controlling them. One night, while the king was deep sleeping, the seven sisters sneaked out. Vågekallen, looking for a wife, was waiting. He pursued the sisters, who fled down the coast. Several other trolls were chasing to capture or rescue them. The legend says that when the night turns into morning, the sisters and the other trolls were petrified as the sun turned them in stone. Today they make the Helgeland coastline a very beautiful place on earth.

Today there’s another chance to explore the royal city of Trondheim, rich in medieval history. After an optional walking tour of Trondheim with the visit to medieval Nidaros Cathedral, Scandinavia’s largest medieval building, we get back on board.  We’ll then cross the open sea to Kristiansund first passing by the peaks of Romsdal Alps on the way to Molde, the ‘city of roses’. You can’t miss the steep, grey, pointed peaks of these mountains.

This is the last day of the voyage and the day when your viking fairytale ends. But before we get back to Bergen, you can still admire the last nautical miles filled with dramatic scenery. During the night, the ship will shortly dock at Torvik, Maløy and Florø and one of the ‘world’s most beautiful voyage’ will get to an end. You will disembark from your Voyage to the Land of Vikings in Bergen, taking with you memories of a unique autumn journey and with your enlarged knowledge about vikings and their past life.