Day 1 - Longyearbyen
For passengers with arrival at Svalbard Airport Longyear at 11:30pm, our guests will be met by one of Spitsbergen Travel’s guides. Look for a sign with “Hurtigruten/Spitsbergen Travel” and “MS Nordstjernen”. The transfer guide will take you to Spitsbergen Hotel, where you will stay for the night.
Day 2 - Longyearbyen and Barentsburg
After breakfast you have some time on your own before lunch and sightseeing ending up a the pier. The voyage starts in the Norwegian settlement often referred to as the capital of Svalbard. Here you will find all the amenities of a small modern town, beautifully situated in the fantastic Arctic landscape. The history of Longyearbyen is filled with a tradition of coal mining, and remnants from the early mining ventures can be seen everywhere. Svalbard Museum, located in Longyearbyen is really worth a visit as it will provide you with a great deal of background information for all the wonders you will experience on board MS Nordstjernen. In the Russian settlement of Barentsburg, you can visit the Pomor Museum (optional) and also enjoy a lively folklore show. After this visit we will continue out of the Isfjord and head north along the Prins Karls Forland.
Day 3 - Magdalenefjorden and Moffen
Known by the locals as the North West Corner, this area, scattered with islands, fjords and beaches, has a long history of exploration. When Willem Barentsz discovered Svalbard in 1596, this was where he had his first sight of land. The name he gave to this new land was Spitzbergen, reflecting the sharp and steep mountains in the area. Magdalenefjorden is one of the beautiful fjords in this area that we will aim to visit. Here you’ll experience a very significant cultural site; a whaling station from the 16th century, including a graveyard for the whalers who died during the early “whale oil adventures”.
Day 4 - Ny-Ålesund
At 78º 55' N, Ny-Ålesund is one of the world’s northernmost year-round communities. Previously a Coal mining community, Ny-Ålesund is now an advanced High Arctic research station. In the age of early polar exploration Ny-Ålesund was the starting point for numerous expeditions towards the North Pole. Names like Amundsen, Ellsworth and Nobile are strongly linked to this place and you can still see the mast that the airship "Norge" was moored to before her departure on the first ever transpolar flight. A number of countries run their own national research stations here, and there is a lot of activity here in the summer.
Day 5 - Bjørnøya
This isolated island is the southernmost part of the Svalbard Archipelago and is renowned for “the largest concentration of sea birds on the Northern Hemisphere”. Around the southern tip the overhanging cliffs with off-shore stacks represent an extremely important breeding habitat for seabirds – this is the northern limit for some auk species. One of the reasons for this being such a hot-spot for wildlife is that cold waters from the Arctic Ocean meet the warm, Gulf Stream current. The convergence of waters of differing salinity and temperature often creates optimal feeding grounds for sea birds. We will marvel at the spectacular, towering cliffs before heading south towards the Norwegian mainland.
Day 6 - Honningsvåg
Honningsvåg calls itself the northernmost city in Norway, situated at 70°58’ north on ‘Magerøya’. The Nordkapp municipality covers 924 km² of harsh yet beautiful coastal landscape. On the island you find Europe’s northernmost point, and the well-known ‘North Cape’, which rises to a majestic 308 meters above the Barents Sea. North Cape has always been an important navigational landmark for sailors in the northern areas and a favourite destination for people from around the world.
Day 7 - Tromsø
The Gateway to the Arctic, famous for its winter auroras, has two months of Midnight sun per year and boasts a lively, colourful city centre, surrounded by the picturesque Lyngen Alps, deep blue fjords and hundreds of islands, is a welcome surprise a mere 2000km from the North Pole. In September the forests’ foliage is alive with autumn hues of yellow and red, and you may notice the change of pace in Tromsø. The hotels buzz with suit-wearing conference delegates, theatres and concerts abound and the cafes are full of life. The students are back in town, the Northern Lights are returning and there may even be morning frost glittering on the rooftops.
Day 8 - Trollfjord and Svolvær
During the morning hours we will sail through the spectacular, narrow Raftsundet strait to enter the magnificent Trollfjord. On the west side of Raftsundet the Raftsundet Alps stretch up to 1200 metres above sea level. The Trollfjord slices right through these mountains. We navigate the entrance to Trollfjord, where steep mountain walls rise directly out of the water. This pristine fjord is so narrow that it feels like you could reach out and touch the side of fjord at times. Later we will call at the port of Svolvær, which is the regional centre in Lofoten, and offers a bustling ambience with cosy cafes along the postcard-perfect harbour. In Svolvær you’ll find several art galleries and interesting museums.
Day 9 - Alstahaug and Vega
The municipality of Alstahaug is an island community on the coast of Helgeland with a population of about 7,500 inhabitants spread across no less than 917 islands and islets of all shapes and sizes. Its boasts a long history through the Viking and Medieval times, and the famous clergyman-poet Petter Dass lived in Alstahaug as the parish priest from 1689.
Just south of the Arctic Circle we will find the Vega archipelago, a cluster of UNESCO-protected islands. Vega encompasses 6000 islands, holms, and skerries. A favourite among the bird species here are eider ducks, prized for their down - and the houses that were built for them to nest in can still be seen, alongside lighthouses, fishing villages and dramatic coastal mountains.
Day 10 - Brekstad
Brekstad is the administrative centre of Ørland municipality, and has a population of 1,865. Close to Brækstad we find Austrått Manor, one of the oldest manors in Norway, dating from as early as the Viking Period. Lady Ingerd Ottesdatter owned the estate from around 1512 until 1552. She is the main character in Henrik Ibsen’s play «Lady Inger of Oestraat». The Manor is now managed by The National Museum of Decorative Arts. The Fortress at Austrått showcases a gigantic five-storey cannon tower, which came from the German battleship Gneisenau and is today the only remaining triple tower of its kind.
Day 11 - Ålesund and Geiranger
Ålesund is a colourful and picturesque coastal town that is renowned for its charming Art Nouveau architecture.
After a devastating fire in 1904, the town was rebuilt in the ornate construction style that was fashionable at that time, Art Nouveau, distinguished by elaborate spires, towers of all shapes and highly detailed ornamentation. After a visit to the town we will sail into Geirangerfjord and visit Geiranger during the evening. This fjord is one of Norway's most popular tourist destinations and has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, together with Nærøyfjord, since 2005. Along the fjord we will see remnants of a number of now abandoned farms. The fjord is also host to several impressive waterfalls, including ‘The Seven Sisters’ and ‘The Bridal Veil’.
Day 12 - Olden, Nordfjordeid
We sail into Nordfjord, the sixth longest fjord in Norway, at 106km long. The fjord reaches through the rough coastline of Stadlandet and to Jostedalsbreen, Europe's largest mainland glacier. We travel through Utfjord and Innviksfjord to reach Olden. The village is located in a lovely valley, which stretches south some 20kms between impressive slopes reaching to 1700m above sea level, and to the edge of Jostedalsbreen. Olden boasts two beautiful churches; the ‘old’ church was built in 1759 on the site of a 13th Century stave church, and the ‘new’ church, located a short distance into the valley, was completed in 1934.
Day 13 - Bergen
We arrive at the port in Bergen during the morning. Enjoy the day in this international city with small-town charm, surrounded by seven impressive mountains. Stroll through the picturesque streets of Bergen and enjoy well-known sites like Håkon’s Hall and Rosenkrantz Tower, St. Mary’s Church, Bergen Harbour and the famous fish market. Bergen was founded in 1070, and we recommend a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage listed houses of “Bryggen” (the wharf).