When I was a little girl growing up in Norway, I remember hearing stories about Hurtigruta, the ship it self has a special place for many Norwegians. Just how much Norwegians love Hurtigruten maybe is best explained by that half the population watched 134 hours of slow television from a broadcasted voyage with Hurtigruten on national television. I have always said I would love to see the Arctic coastal cost in Norway so when the invitation came from friends living in Northern Norway we grabbed it and made an odyssey out of the trip. We started our trip by taking the Nordlandsbanen from Oslo to Bodø and backpacked for six nights before we boarded Polarlys for three days.
We boarded Polarlys (Hurtigruten) at 12 o’clock on a Monday in Bodø and checked in and bought our dinners for three evenings. Our cabins had seen better days in the 80-ties but one of our cabins had windows and that made us forget the pink tiles. After exploring the ship we started with some fine dining.
First big stop was Svolvær the capital of Lofoten. Lofoten archipelago is world known for its beauty and especially popular for outdoor lovers. Svolvær is often the starting point for adventure travelling and often outdoor adventurers will combine it with travelling with Hurtigruten. We enjoyed walking around in the fishing village.
Being on the boat and enjoying the Lofoten archipelago was quite a sight with snow dropped mountains by the coast. We enjoyed being on the boat just taking in all in without having to do any trekking. So breathtaking is the Lofoten islands that even Hollywood has discovered it. Matt Damon and Downsizing was filming in Lofoten while we were there and we passed his boat with Hurtigruten
Soon we entered into Trollfjord, a beauty hard to describe. Trollfjord is a two km detour to a side arm to the main sailing route to hurtigruta (Raftsund ). It felt like the ship was going to hit the steep mountains when we went by. It was a thrilling and unique experience topped with a fish soup and mulled wine drink handed out by staff dressed in traditional fishing wear.
Next day after a hardy breakfast we were ready to explore Tromsø for 3,5 half-hours. We managed to walk a little in the city, explore The Arctic Cathedral and taking a gondola up a mountain called Storsteinen.
Back on the ship we asked the cruise director when was the scenic part of our voyage over? He said after Tromsø he said. He was not quite right we had scenic views the rest of the trips with majestic mountains by the seaside with tiny fishing villages. When would we be able to go to sleep without missing out on scenic views?
Another amazing three course dinner with beautiful views of the Lyngen Alps.
Day 3 We went abroad in Honningsvåg in the morning we were lucky we had a local guide arranged a mutual friend taking us to the North Cape the most Northern point in Europe latitude 71. We enjoyed the car ride trough special landscapes with cliffs and views of reindeers and tiny fishing boathouses.
We arrived back just in time for some hot chocolate and apple cake in our hangout spot top deck café. A place the kids were doing puzzles, drawing and crafts. While we were just enjoying the scenery and people watching.
Our last meal was a true Babette’s feast with smorgasbord with seafood and rein deer and desserts. The scenic voyage is well known but what we were most positive surprised about was the standard of the food on board. It was gourmet and the menu was a dream for foodies. Well not if you are counting calories and maybe not very kid friendly but my kids did manage to eat some of the food. Full of food we went down to our cabins and packed our backpacks and crashed in beds while the waves crashed in to the boats.
This article was first published by the author in Skimbaco Magazine Lifestyle
Handouts
*Hurtigtuen it is by no means a budget option but after looking into other options it might be best way to see and explore the Arctic Norway. Also keep in mind Norway is expensive country to travel in when it comes lodging,renting a car and eating out.
*The most common way to do Hurtigruten is to do a week cruise from Bergen to Kirkenes and then take a flight back South.
*High season is summer and the midnight sun, deals to have in the winter season and maybe see the Northern light
* Breakfast is included in the price and it is a traditional hardy Norwegian smorgasbord.
*You are better off to splurge on a menu plan and the gourmet one instead of paying a lot for burgers and hotdogs. The food menu was amazing and world class gourmet food that you would pay way more for in world-class restaurants.
*Hurtigruten is not a traditional cruise ship it is also a working ferry that connect the coastal Norway and carry cargo to the islands.
*It is possible to day trips with Hurtigruten or smaller trips too. Or you can combine like we did take the train to Bodø and continue North with Hurtigruten and flight back South.
*Norway Air has good flight deal from the US to Norway but also inside Norway.
