The North Cape Line (North)

Welcome to Norway. First stop: Norway's thriving capital, Oslo. If you have time before you board your ship for the voyage ahead, you'll want to explore the many charms this cosmopolitan capital has to offer. Make your way to the city centre, where you can take snaps of the architecturally distinct Rådhuset town hall, Royal Palace and Oslo Cathedral.

Once you've boarded your ship and settled into your cabin or suite, meet your Coastal Experience Team. You'll get to know each member of the team as they give lectures and organise onboard activities throughout your voyage.   Meet your fellow guests in the ship's two-storey panoramic lounge and watch as the capital's twinkling lights fade into the distance

Spend today relaxing on board and getting a taste of our Norway's Coastal Kitchen cuisine in the ship's three restaurants and bar. You'll have time to simply watch Norway's spectacular southern coast glide by. Take it all in from the expansive Observation Deck, from the comfort of your ship's two-storey lounge and bar, or from the panoramic sauna. As well as the views, this stretch of coast is home to history and stories. Find out more about Norway's coast and the voyage ahead in the lectures, presentations, and onboard activities planned for today.

Today, you'll wake to views of the beautiful Lysefjord. The 42-km-long fjord is home to one of Norway's most famous sights: Preikestolen (The Pulpit Rock), which towers 604 metres above the fjord's shimmering waters. Kjerag mountain, at the end of the fjord, reaches even higher. Along the way, watch for mountain goats, waterfalls, and the famous Kjeragbolten, a glacial boulder wedged high up in a crevasse.

You'll spend the rest of the day in Stavanger, a colourful waterside city with an international ambience and a lively cultural scene. Discover the architectural relics of Gamle (Old) Stavanger, which includes Northern Europe's best-preserved collection of wooden houses, and Norway's oldest cathedral, dating from the 12th century. You can also visit the Norwegian Petroleum Museum, browse the local boutique shops, or simply enjoy a drink on the waterfront.

After breakfast on the ship, we'll dock at Ålesund, a town on a small peninsula surrounded by beautiful mountains and islands. Many of the buildings here, from the bright colours to the rounded spires, were inspired by the Art Nouveau style, which was popular in the early 1900s. You can get impressive photos of the archipelago from the nearby Mount Aksla viewpoint.

You can also visit the Atlantic Sea Park, Norway's first marine science centre. This is one of Northern Europe's largest saltwater aquariums, providing a home to seals, otters, and crabs, as well as many other kinds of marine life. See Humboldt Penguins here, a species otherwise absent north of the equator.  Join an optional excursion to explore Ålesund on foot or by bus as your guide reveals the town's surprising secrets.

The cosy fishing port of Rørvik in the picturesque Vikna archipelago may look small but it has a huge history told through both the landscape and the town's collection of museums. Join an optional excursion to three of Rørvik's excellent museums. Time travel through the last 10,000 years in Ice Age-carved landscapes, carefully preserved 19th-century living rooms, and the ingenuity of Norwegian salmon production.

In the afternoon, we'll continue sailing north through the Vikna archipelago made up of over 6,000 islands, islets, and reefs. The local gardens bloom with plum and apple blossoms in the spring, even at 65°N, thanks to the maritime climate. As we sail through the night, we'll leave the Helgeland coast behind us as we cross the Arctic Circle.

Today, we explore Lofoten. As soon as you see the towering peaks with small villages clustered around them, you'll understand why this island chain is praised as one of Norway's most stunning locations.   We'll dock in the town of Svolvær mid-morning. Located on the island of Austvågøya in the heart of Lofoten, Svolvær is the biggest town of the archipelago, humming with shops, restaurants, galleries, and cafés.

Look out for the Svolvær Goat, a nearby mountain so named for resembling a horned ruminant.   A variety of optional excursions are available from Svolvær, including winter fishing, paddling along the coastline in a kayak, or embarking on a bus tour to learn more about Lofoten's history.

We can't visit the area without spending a couple of hours in Stokmarknes. It was here that the Original Coastal Express was founded in 1893 by shipping pioneer Richard With. On the waterfront, you'll find our 1956 ship MS Finnmarken encased in the Hurtigruten Museum's glass building like a ship in a bottle.

We sail into Tromsø mid-morning. This urban city 350 km north of the Arctic Circle is a great place to disembark. It buzzes with life, with everything from trendy restaurants and cafés to boutique shops selling local crafts and produce, and even high fashion. If you can, give yourself time to explore Tromsø before you go home. You've sailed on The North Cape Line, getting to know Norway's coastal cities and villages all the way from its capital to deep inside the Arctic Circle.

During the journey, you'll have experienced Norway's varied climate, seen majestic mountains and fjords, and maybe gazed up in awe at the Northern Lights once or several times. We hope you'll cherish each of the memories of The North Cape Line that you'll take home with you. Come sail with us again soon, on another iconic voyage of our spectacular home: the Norwegian coast.