4 Small Ship Norwegian Fjords Cruises You Should Know

Small Ship Norwegian Fjords Cruises

By Ted Scull

Ted shares some background about the Norwegian fjords, plus he tells us about his first cruises there and also which small-ship cruise lines ply Norway’s fjords today.

As the steamship proved its capabilities in the latter part of the 19th century, providing departures and arrivals that could be timetabled and with reduced sailings times between ports, foreign travel became more prevalent.

Ships under sail were so dependent on the wind direction and strength, that the only given date they could provide would be a sailing date.

In Britain’s case, reliable cross-channel ferries to France and Belgium, and longer routes to northern Germany, Denmark, and Norway, were most popular.

Heading south, the warmth of Portugal and Spain could be reached in two to four days.

Improved rail technology during the same period allowed the English to develop European travel destinations well beyond its borders for holiday stays in the South of France, Italy, along Swiss lakes, and in the High Alps.

Journeys to and from could be accomplished in just two days.

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Deep fjords are one of Norway’s main draws.

Cruising Begins in Europe

In addition, some cargo ships carried passengers to Iberia and Mediterranean ports. These firms began responding to those who lived in the north and sought to seek the warmth of the sun.

Thus, the cruising bug burst open for those who could afford it.

Steamships did not just deposit passengers elsewhere over the horizon, instead, they used the vessel as a floating hotel to visit several different places not otherwise easily accessed.

While sunshine and warmth reigned in Southern Europe, Norway offered some of Europe’s most outstandingly beautiful destinations located east across the North Sea.

And so Norway was one of the world’s first cruise destinations.

4 Small-Ship Lines Currently Offering Norwegian Fjords Cruises

The four small-ship cruise lines below offer Norwegian fjords cruises these days. Read more details about them at the end of this article.

Lindblad (126 passengers)

Ponant (about 250 passengers)

Windstar (312 passengers)

Hurtigruten (just under 600 passengers; we usually stick to 300 pax and under, but we’re making an exception with this historic company)

Havila (currently Havila operates four brand new 640-passenger coastal cruise ships, similar in many ways to what Hurtrigruten offers; they’re larger than the 3oo-pax max QuirkyCruise sticks to, but we just wanted to share a bit of info about Havila we often get queries)

Note: As Hurtigruten operates a scheduled daily year-round service, the out-of-high-season months will often carry far fewer than Hurtigruten’s maximum capacities.

Now, Back to the Backstory — The Hurtigruten Arrives

In 1893, north-south Norwegian coastal land travel was so slow or non-existent because of the highly indented coastline, the government established the Hurtigruten (“fast route”). It was a shipping service, originating from Bergen in the southern part of the country.

The route today serves 34 ports, the last few situated above the Arctic Circle, and terminates at Kirkenes, a small settlement just shy of the Finnish and Russian borders.

This was a journey that could not be accomplished by Norwegian’s scant railway network nor even considered by road as so many bridges would have to be built to cross the inlets and fjords.

The new coastal shipping service took off in popularity. It soon became daily year-round, and today is a going concern for serving passengers, pets, vehicles, and freight. Passengers embarked and disembarked at any port and the freight was handled the same way.

Lofoten handling cargo. * Photo: Ted Scull

For today’s leisure travelers, they are rewarded by many pretty towns fronting on the North Sea, a rugged coast indented with numerous deep fjords, with their sheer cliffs, cascading waterfalls, and wonderful mountain scenery.

While the weather cannot match the Mediterranean as a draw, Norway’s pull is its spectacular scenery found nowhere else in Europe.

The complete round voyage is 12 days or six days one way between Bergen and Kirkenes.

Usually, those who disembark at Kirkenes fly back south, and the more adventurous may take a combination of connecting buses and trains to return to southern Norway, pass through Finland to Helsinki, or Sweden to Stockholm.

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My First Connection to Norway

I first made a short 2-day, 2-night Norwegian coastal trip in the autumn of 1965 from Bergen north to Trondheim, the most northerly town with direct rail service back south to Oslo.

Post WWII Erling Jarl arriving Bergen in September 1965.* Photo: Ted Scull

The charming Hurtigruten vessel, Erling Jarl, was tiny by today’s standards. Built just after WWII in 1949, cargo, mail, and vehicles were hoisted aboard and deposited in the cargo holds or placed on the open deck.

The interiors were woody and welcoming, and the cabin facilities were of the period, with public shower and toilet facilities along the corridors. Tiny outside and inside cabins had mostly two and four berths and a washbasin. Nothing unusual at the time.

I was hooked by the mission the ships were on, including carrying the mail with a box available at the foot of the gangway, plus Norway’s beauty.

Fast-forward to the present, and I have been back a half-dozen times on partial and full-length coastal voyages.

There is so much to take in, and the convenient daylight port calls northbound are replaced by those called during the night and now, southbound, visited in daylight. Hence the 12-day round-trip voyage reveals all at a reasonable hour.

You’ll find there are typically many Norwegians on Hurtigruten voyages.

And because many speak English, it is a delight to have the locals be your guide to what’s over the railing or what to take in when making a port call of as little as 15 minutes and on up to a couple of hours. I have been known to go ashore at every port, when making the round voyage. It is amazing what you can see in a small village in a short period of time.

The ship’s whistle calls you when it is time to return to the gangway.

The Beginning of International Cruising to Norway

Returning to Great Britain, one local Scottish ship operator way back in the late 19th century noted that some passengers were traveling aboard their small ships to see the regional scenery — lochs, bens (mountains), and innumerable varied islands.

Hence, in 1887 the firm ordered a new steamer, St. Sunniva, to cater to the foreign pleasure-seekers operating summer season “yachting cruises” across the North Sea to Norway.

Soon the Orient Line, a major British shipping firm followed suit, followed by P&O, Royal Mail, and others.

For the Brits, one major advantage was the proximity of Norway — merely two nights and a day sailing time, less when faster ships came on line.

It’s a Loooong Coast

So now, how about this: if you include all the shorelines of the bays, fjords, and myriad of islands — coastal Norway adds up to 63,000 miles.

The country has the second-longest coastline in the world after Canada (2.5 times more) with vast ocean-to-ocean expanses but much less indented and many fewer islands.

So, it may come as no surprise that a Norwegian cruise is one of the very best ways to explore its complex geography.

Norwegian Fjords Cruises Make Sense

Norway is an expensive country in which to travel independently, forking over many Norwegian Kroners for lodging, food, and sightseeing expenses.

A major plus is the high percentage of Norwegians who speak English and often very well. That allows one to engage in conversations with the locals.

A Brief Overview of Norway’s Coastal Attractions

The Hurtigruten is a classic coastal voyage that’s largely Norwegian — food, crew, many of the passengers, and all of the port calls.

It’s 12 days round trip, with 34 ports, or just one way between Bergen and the turnaround port of Kirkenes.

A southbound Hurtigruten ship. * Photo: Ted Scull

Nearly all of Hurtigruten’s 13-ship fleet today exceeds our passenger capacity limit of 300, with all but one less than 590, though in the off-season when the schools are open, the number of passengers may readily fall well below our official QuirkyCruise limit.

Of course, as it is a domestic coastal service, passengers embark and disembark at every port. Some of the fleet operate as expedition vessels, with Antarctica the major destination.

Coastal village halfway up the coast in April. * Photo: Ted Scull

Many Norwegian fjords cruises aboard non-Norwegian cruise lines include destinations south of Bergen, with perhaps additional calls in neighboring countries — Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and Great Britain.

Bergen is Hurtigruten’s home port (and a call on most small- and big-ship cruises).

The attractive city in a lovely setting offers a beautiful harbor, a historic row of colorful wooden buildings (Bryggen), dating from the Hanseatic League trading days, a large open fish market, and several arts and history museums.

Fish Market, Bergen Waterfront. * Photo: Ted Scull

An incline railway climbs to a terrific site for taking in the surrounding North Sea, islands, and urban geography.

Footpaths provide long hikes or short walks, and my favorite is simply returning to the harbor square via an easy downward trail that passes through an attractive residential neighborhood of fetching wooden houses.

Following are some of the 34 stops on a typical 6-day northbound Hurtigruten voyage from Bergen.

In addition to the many Hurtigruten departures, three cruise lines — Lindblad, Ponant and Windstar — offer summertime cruises calling at a few of these highlighted Norwegian ports and passing into deep fjords while visiting destinations in adjacent countries.

First, the Top Attraction — Geirangerfjord

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Geirangerfjord is the most astonishing fjord on earth.

Famous for its deep-blue waters, rugged mountain peaks, and cascading waterfalls, Geirangerfjord is the place to go for a picture postcard setting from a spectacular view from on high.

Hurtigruten ships normally call at a town at the entrance to the Geirangerfjord, while cruise ships sail deep into the fjord, flanked by vertical cliffs with waterfalls pouring over the edge.

(However, in the off-season, Hurtigruten passengers see the length of the fjord much in the same way as the cruise ships.)

Most ships allow time to explore the town (Geiranger) and then make the 30-minute climb (or via a bus excursion) to a viewpoint (often at Dalsnibba) overlooking the entire city and surrounding seascape.

The stunning view of the Geirangerfjord from Dalsnibba. * Photo: Heidi Sarna

It has become one of the world’s most iconic tourist scenes, in postcards, posters and paintings with majestic cliffs towering over the now tiny vessel seen at anchor in the turning basin below.

Orient Line Poster Pre WWII Geirangerfjord. * Poster Ted Scull Collection

A coach excursion might be available for enjoying a scenic mountain drive to Alesund, where passengers can then reboard for the continuing northward passage.

Other excursions to or from the Geirangerfjord port of call give you an opportunity for stunning hikes, like the one below.

6-mile trek from port of Geiranger, Norway

Spectacular 6-mile trek from port of Geiranger. There are also footpaths paralleling the gravel road.* Photo: Heidi Sarna

Other Ports of Call & The Arctic Circle

Alesund

In 1904, Alesund experienced a massive fire that destroyed almost the entire city, and it was then rebuilt in the then-emerging Art Nouveau style.

It’s a lovely city for walking the streets and lanes, when time permits, the more ambitious may wish to follow the footpath to Aksla Lookout for a stupendous sight, the entire city below, out into the North Sea, and the fjords twisting inland and out of sight.

View down to Alesund. * Photo: Ted Scull

Continuing northward along the coast, an announcement heralds the meeting of the northbound and southbound ships, and whistles and waves are exchanged.

Trondheim

On the third day, the call at Trondheim allows time ashore with time to visit the southbound Hurtigruten docked nearby. Every ship has different interiors, art works and open decks to explore.

Normally, there are no formalities, just identify yourself as a Hurtigruten passenger and walk aboard.

Spacious Observation Lounge aboard a Hurtigruten ship. * Photo: Ted Scull

Then stroll into the city center to Nidaros Cathedral (1030-1300) and return via the colorful row of wooden storehouses lining the Nidelva River.

Nidaros Cathedral built 1030-1300 * Photo: Ted Scull

Arctic Circle Crossing

During the Arctic Circle crossing King Neptune comes aboard to initiate the neophytes with a ladle or two of icy cold North Sea water poured down the back of the neck, followed by a restorative swig of cloudberry wine.

Reward after the icy initiation Crossing the Arctic Circle. * Photo: Ted Scull

The shock gives the onlooking passengers great pleasure, not unlike the more familiar, and often more elaborate, Crossing the Line (Equator) Ceremony.

The Most Northerly Ports

Lofoten

Later that afternoon is a roughly two-hour call at Bodo, an important fishing port, and the start of a passage out to the Lofoten Islands, appearing like a formidable wall in the far distance.

The Lofoten Islands’ fleet is in. * Photo: Ted Scull

A goodly number of deck passengers board for Stamsund, Svolvaer and Stokmarknes, the last-named, Hurtigruten’s headquarters and the museum location for the Finnmarken (1956), a preserved example of a traditional coastal ship. See what sea travel was like before the turn of the last century.

There is a remote feeling about the Lofoten Islands not unlike that of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland.

The largest lighthouse projects shipping along the Norwegian coast. * Photo: Ted Scull

Tromso

Then on to Tromso (Day 4), which makes for a lovely stop with its wooden houses and storefronts recalling the traditional town appearance before fires and German occupation and destruction leveled so many near the end of WWII.

When I saw the town’s main street for the first time in October, I thought this place is like an Advent Calendar with little doors to open beginning on December 1^st.

The multiple-hour call permits a visit to the dramatic A-frame-style Lutheran Cathedral accessed via a hosted excursion, local bus, or a longish walk over a bridge. The elevated cathedral offers a good view in several directions.

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Honningsvag

With the shoreline increasingly rugged, Day 5 brings the excursion to the North Cape from Honningsvag.

From the promontory, look down and across the emptiness of the Barents Sea towards the North Pole. The ship then rounds the North Cape for the final overnight passage to Kirkenes, the turnaround port, located just a few miles from the Russian border.

In addition, the Finnish border is quite close, where one can literally walk into that country.

Many ship passengers leave Kirkenes for flights south, while round-trippers return via the same ports but call at different hours, so those previously scheduled at night become daylight stops.

What’s Below Bergen to the South

South of Bergen, the coastline is not accessed by the Hurtigruten.

Instead, several small ship cruise lines visit this region and on around the bottom of Norway into the Oslofjord for Oslo, the capital of Norway, with its varied museums, parks, and lively waterfront attractions.

Oslo’s City Hall. * Photo: Ted Scull

Gothenburg, Sweden’s second-largest city, is another lovely port and its heart is an architectural wonder.

The less-visited Norwegian destinations along the southwest coast are Sandnes with its towering granite cliffs towering some 2,000 feet along the Lysefjord.

Birkedal has perhaps Europe’s most beautiful glacier allowing visitors to walk along its base.

3 Small Ship Cruise Lines that Explore the Norwegian Fjords

These three small-ship cruise lines with ships under 300 passengers offer Norwegian fjords cruises, at the height of summer only. (Plus, as covered earlier in the story, Hurtigruten, with its bigger “small ships” offers Norwegian Fjords cruises year-round.)

Ponant Cruises Norway’s Fjords

The French cruise line, Ponant, places one of its large fleet of a dozen classy ships (capacity between 244 and 264 passengers) here.

Ponant Bougainville. * Photo: Ponant Cruises

Itineraries call at coastal ports and sail inland along fjords to see southern Norway’s rugged interior.

Then it’s on into the Oslofjord flanked by Sweden and Norway. Smithsonian Journeys charters one of these ships. This line attracts passengers from Europe for a more international experience.

Interested in this Ponant Norwegian Fjords cruise?

Fares start at $5,750 per person for a 7-night cruise.

The 7-night Smithsonian charter starts at $7,300 pp.

Windstar Cruises’ Norwegian Fjords Itineraries

Offering similar itineraries, Windstar schedules four calls in Norway depending on the departure aboard the recently enlarged 312-passenger Star Legend and Star Pride.

Star Legend. * Photo: Windstar Cruises

Calls may be made at Molde, Bergen, Alesund, and Geirangerfjord or other ports, depending on the departure.

Interested in this Windstar Norwegian fjords cruise?

Per person fare starts at $4,199 for a 10-day Norwegian fjords cruise from Edinburgh to Copenhagen.

Lindblad Expeditions in the Norwegian Fjords

Sailing from Bergen, Lindblad combines the ultimate destination of Svalbard and its polar bears with a coastal cruise deep into several spectacular fjords well up the Norwegian coast.

Cruising in Zodiacs, continue inland between steep cliffs, and where the land is reasonably level, take casual hikes past glaciers and in one case, almost to the Swedish border.

Lindblad’s National Geographic Endurance. * Photo: Lindblad Expeditions

Further north, the Lofoten Islands offer lovely villages, a thriving fishing industry, and birds galore. Call in at Tromso, a colorful small city and head on north over the Arctic Circle.

The ship pauses at bird-laden Bear Island en route north to Svalbard, with its rugged coastline, glaciers, and enticing polar bears.

A pair of polar bears go at it over a long-dead whale. * Photo: Ted Scull

This expedition cruise is repeated southbound at the finish of the Svalbard season.

The Lindblad ships are a pair of 126-passenger, high-tech expedition vessels — National Geographic Endurance and National Geographic Resolution.

With Lindblad, one can expect to be offered more ambitious outings and less-visited locations.

Interested in a Norwegian fjords cruises with Lindblad?

Fares start at $12,350 per person for a 17-day cruise.

Another very different cruise includes Scotland and its rugged island and Bergen, Hardangerfjord, and Hidra, the last named with its Viking era origins up through WWII history.

Fares start at $12,359 per person for 10 days.

Best Time to Visit Norway & My Favorite Months

May, June, July and August are the best months to visit Norway for its warmer temperatures and longer days.

The fabled midnight sun has an extended time span the further north one goes.

From mainland Norway, the period to actually see the sun’s disk over the full 24-hour cycle is quite narrow, and just on either side of June 21^st, the summer solstice (the longest period of daylight). Dusk and dawn produce sensational colors over a longer span of time.

These months are ideal for hiking, cycling, kayaking, and berry picking. Apart from Hurtigruten, no cruise lines include Norwegian ports other than during the height of the summer.

However, visiting in late spring and early fall are my favorite periods, but then that was always with Hurtigruten which is a year-round operation.

Once, it was the start of spring in Bergen with the first flowers in bloom, and by the time we reached Tromso several days later, we walked along the main street into an enlarged snowy version of an Advent Calendar.