HIGHLIGHTS
- Sail under the midnight sun as the Arctic gleams in a way that will stay with you forever
- Hike into the mountains for magnificent views of Norway’s extravagant fjordlands and islands
- Take a stroll through the ‘high street’ of the world’s most northerly town
- Spy on polar bears, seals, walruses, whales and arctic foxes in their natural habitat
- Learn more about the breathtaking polar region from our on board team of experts
DATES / RATES
Rates are listed per person in USD
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| Start Date | End Date | From EUR | From USD |
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40% off sales rate. Contact us for rates.
// Rates are listed per person in USD
|
| Start Date | End Date | From EUR | From USD |
|---|
40% off sales rate. Contact us for rates.
ITINERARY
DAY
1: BERGEN
The
magnificent gateway to the fjords, Bergen is a medieval port surrounded
by mountains. From the beauty of Bryggen, the seafront maze of ancient
timber buildings, to the modern Fløibanen Funicular that
soars up Fløyen peak for awesome views, no one would want to
miss this city. Exploring on foot is dreamlike but there are other
attractions – the aquarium, the four-building KODE art museum
encompassing Norway’s Edvard Munch as well as Picasso and
more while outside town is composer Edvard Grieg’s enchanting
house.
DAY
2: FLAM
Capital
of the fjords, the village of Flåm is unmissable. The village
sits at the end of Aurlandsfjord, a branch of huge Sognefjord
– at 204 km Norway’s longest, a dream voyage in
itself – and the 650 m-high Stegastein viewing platform shows
the area, a world of waterfalls and towering rock faces, in all its
glory. Don’t miss the Flåm Railway, a 20 km ride on
one of the world’s steepest, most spectacular rides.
DAY
2: VIK
Swan
Hellenic will make a short stop in Vik in order to disembark guests
participating in the Full day tour ending in Flam. Deep in Sognefjord,
the ancient village of Vik opens up the fjord’s dramatically
different arms – waterfall-fringed Arnafjord and tiny, narrow
and steep-sided Finnafjord to the west, and the wild World Heritage
landscape of Nærøyfjord, itself 17 km long, to the
east.
DAY
3: NORDFJORDEID
A
stopping off point for Briksdal Glacier and overland excursions to
Geiranger on the beautiful, UNESCO-listed Geirangerfjord, the
Eidsfjorden village of Nordfjordeid is wedged between Jostedalsbreen
glacier, the biggest in mainland Europe. Nordfjordeid has a
craftsman-built replica of the country’s biggest known Viking
ship, Myklebust, while the area around is rich in Viking burial mounds.
Nearby, at the end of Innvikfjorden, the Loen Skylift gondola rises
1,011 m for the most staggering views.
DAY
4: TAFJORD, STORFJORDEN
Storfjorden
is the grand opening section of one of Norway’s mightiest
fjords, a sea of islands giving way to near-vertical sides; it splits
and the main arm heads south to Geiranger while less-visited Tafjorden
heads east. Tafjord is at the very end, an isolated village reached
only by road or a tricky mountain road. Just outside town is a steep
but enchanting walk up to Muldalsfoss, one of the country’s
biggest waterfalls, with a free fall of 200 m.
DAY
5: TRONDHEIM
Tucked
away amongst the hills of Trondheim fjord, this is a Viking city
founded in the 11th century that is filled with colourful timber
buildings. Mighty Kristiansten Fortress is the country’s best
preserved fortification, the architectural pot-pourri of Nidaros
Cathedral is the burial site of Viking king St Olav while
Stiftsgården, the royal residence, is believed to be the
largest wooden building in northern Europe. Boat trips head to
unhurried beauty spots.
DAY
6: GLOMFJORD
Glomfjord
is a village in the municipality of Meløy in Nordland
county, Norway. The industrial community is located along Norwegian
County Road 17 at the head of the Glomfjorden, just north of the Arctic
Circle. The 1.14-square-kilometre village has a population of 1,077 and
a population density of 945 inhabitants per square kilometre. Although
located north of the Arctic Circle and not far from Norway's second
largest glacier Svartisen, the climate is well suited for living due to
the Gulf Stream, albeit rather wet. The temperature is seldom below ?10
°C (14 °F) during winter time. During summer time the
sun does not set. The midnight sun also makes the plants grow faster.
DAY
7: LEKNES
Explore
the Lofoten Islands, an archipelago just above the Arctic Circle.
Leknes, the islands’ main town, on
Vestvågøya, sits on bay-like Buksnesfjorden. The
scenery is otherworldly, little red-painted houses against a backdrop
of craggy, mountainous isles. In the height of summer the white sand
beaches look almost like the South Seas – and this is the
Land of the Midnight Sun for almost two months each year. Tours take in
the mountainous interior while there are also whale watching excursions.
DAY
7: CRUISING TROLLFJORDEN
Trollfjorden
is unbelievable – a 100 m-wide entrance to a narrow fjord
with near-vertical mountainous sides up to 1,100 m high. The passage
slices through Austvågøya, on the edge of the
Lofoten Islands, and there’s no way in, other than by boat or
a dizzying hike. Appreciate the silence while you cruise gently onward
as white-tailed eagles soar overhead - and marvel as the ship slowly
spins around to leave.
DAY
8: TROMSØ
Known
as the Arctic gateway, Tromso is a remote Norwegian city at 69°
north, 250 miles above the Arctic Circle, where you can take in the
soft glow of the midnight sun. Learn more about early polar
explorations at the Polar Museum. Famed for the Northern Lights on
winter nights, you can find out more about this natural spectacle at
the Science Centre.
DAY
9: SKARSVAG
With
just 60 permanent human residents, Skarsvåg is as stark,
remote and naturally beautiful as Norway gets. Skarsv?g, the
island’s famous bird cliffs are home to thousands of puffins,
gannets and cormorants.
DAY
10: BEAR ISLAND
The
greatest bird cliff in the Barents Sea is on Bear Island, or
Bjørnøya, Svalbard’s southernmost
island. Thousands of breeding seabirds - Atlantic puffin, northern
gannet, glaucous gull, great skua, black-legged kittiwake, little auk,
common guillemot and Brünnich’s guillemot colonies
nest on the steep cliffs south of Sørhamna around Kapp
Kolthoff. Only Zodiacs can come alongside, where distinctive sea stack
rock columns, impressive sea caves and tunnels, such as Perleporten,
have been created by the battering seas.
DAY
11 - 14: SVALBARD
Located
deep inside the Arctic Circle, approaching the Svalbard archipelago
feels a lot like sailing towards the edge of the world. Known as the
kingdom of the polar bears, we’ll be hoping to spot some of
its subjects as we explore some of the most varied polar landscapes in
the Arctic. Down in our Zodiac boats, we’ll get close to the
gargantuan glaciers, rapidly retreating from the oceans that they feed.
In the north of the archipelago, past the magnificent fjords, the
remaining sea ice offers the perfect hunting ground for polar bears.
Closer to Longyearbyen, the landscape is punctuated with large areas
devoid of snow and ice alongside vast tundra and exposed beaches.
Alongside Svalbard’s 3,000 polar bears, this Arctic wildlife
hotspot is also home to walrus, Svalbard reindeer, ringed seal, the
arctic fox and many species of marine mammals and seabirds.
DAY
15: LONGYEARBYEN
Longyearbyen
is the world’s most northerly town and with it comes the
world’s most northerly high street and pub. On Spitsbergen,
Svalbard’s largest island, Longyearbyen is home to The North
Pole Expeditions Museum which chronicles early efforts to reach the
pole by air. The nearby Svalbard Global Seed Vault preserves duplicates
of seeds held in gene banks worldwide. The surrounding Arctic waters
are populated by whales including bowheads and narwhals, while walruses
are regularly seen hauling.
(Click image to view Ship details)
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- Return regional flights to the port of embarkation and/or disembarkation (where specified)
- Group return transfers from the airport to the cruise port (via our included accommodation where applicable)
- One night pre-cruise accommodation with breakfast in a 4/5-star hotel or onboard
- All meals onboard
- Onboard accommodation in a stateroom selected category
- 24-hour room service
- Coffee, tea, soft drinks and selected alcoholic beverages available 24-hours per day
- Lecture programmes by our experienced expedition team and guest speakers
- One selected shore excursion/expedition activities per port of call
- Branded Swan Hellenic expedition parka and use of rubber boots in Polar Regions
- Standard WiFi
- Onboard gratuities & port taxes
