Voyage to the Northern Lights

Fly from London to Bergen and transfer to the 4-star Zander K Hotel for overnight stay.

Lining a labyrinth of fjords, with its iconic wooden houses along the Bryggen quay, Bergen is known as ‘the city of seven mountains’, although actually nine surround it. A morning walking tour of its landmark sights includes a ride on the Fløibanen funicular for stunning cityscapes. Embark this afternoon on the Hurtigruten expedition vessel for your six-night cruise, sailing north along the Hjeltefjord.
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Cruise past the West Cape, into the open sea, and enjoy the views as the ship navigates through skerries and islands enroute to picture-perfect Alesund, spread across several islets, and famed for its elegant architecture. Time to explore independently or join an optional Art Nouveau Walk, which includes a visit to the Jungendstilsenteret Art Nouveau Centre and Museum, housed in an exquisite former pharmacy (3hrs, pre-bookable). Continue cruising for visits to the scenic and serene village of Torvik, and the little coastal town of Molde.
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Arrive in vibrant Trondheim, a picturesque town in a beautiful fjord setting and, with a thousand years of history, one of Norway’s oldest settlements. An optional tour of the town’s historic monuments includes a visit to the ‘national shrine’ of Nidaros Cathedral, a Gothic masterpiece, built over the tomb of St. Olav, the Viking monarch who brought Christianity to Norway and later became the country’s patron saint and ‘eternal king’ (2hrs, pre-bookable).
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Cross into the Arctic Circle and call at Ørnes, with a magnificent mountain backdrop, and romantic views of the archipelago from the ‘love bench’ on the pier. Continue to Bodø, a modern town known as the ‘mini-metropole’, and join an optional excursion on the Saltstraumen strait, to experience one of the strongest tidal currents in the world (2hrs, pre-bookable). Cross to Vestfjord and the Lofoten Islands, to call at the group’s administrative centre, Svolvaer, and the charming fishing village of Stamsund. 
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Call in to the sheltered harbour of bustling Harstad, the third-largest city in the region, enroute to Tromsø, the capital of Northern Norway. Set on an island 350km north of the Arctic Circle, its climate tempered by the Gulf Stream, Tromsø is renowned as a vantage point for the Northern Lights, and sits amid ragged whale-watching fjords and jagged snow-capped peaks. An optional Polar History Walk includes visits to the Polar Museum and to Ølhallen, the city’s oldest pub (2½ hrs, pre-bookable). 
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Enjoy magnificent sub-Arctic scenery as you cross the 71^st parallel on the journey toward the Nordkapp. The first of two brief stops enroute is Hammerfest, perhaps ‘the world’s northernmost town’, which sees the Aurora Borealis in winter months of Polar night, and boasts the first UNESCO listed scientific object, the Meridian Column of the Struve Geodetic Arc. The second is the fishing village of Havøysund, its multi-coloured houses brightening the shoreline. Cruise to Honnigsvag, gateway to the North Cape, with an optional tour of the legendary cape landscapes (3hrs, pre-bookable). Sail into the heartland of the indigenous Sámi people, passing the ancient sacred site, the rock formations of Finnjerka. 
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Arrive in Kirkenes, very near the Russian border but forbiddingly far from most of Europe. The last port of call for the Hurtigruten ship, it is a place controlled by Nature, permanent light or endless night. Transfer to the Thon Hotel Kirkenes for overnight stay. Three optional tours are available here: Dog-sledding (2hrs, pre-bookable, 2025 & 2026); and a King Crab Safari (3hrs, pre-bookable); or a visit to Snowhotel and dinner (4hrs, pre-bookable). 
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Transfer to Kirkenes airport for your return flight, via Oslo, to London.
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