The Svalbard Line

Welcome to Bergen! Your voyage begins in this beautiful city on the west coast of Norway. What began as a small village was developed by King Olav Kyree in 1070 AD and is now Norway’s second largest city. The majestic peaks that famously surround the city give Bergen its nickname, “The City of Seven Mountains”. 

Nestled in Bergen’s center is Vågen Bay, the historic core of the city, and home to the UNESCO-listed Bryggen quarter made up of charming cobblestone streets and local boutique shops. Across from Bryggen, you’ll find the fish market, which cooks up fresh and delicious seafood dishes to feast on. 

Before you board MS Trollfjord, visit our comfortable guest lounge at the Bergen Terminal. Here, you can talk to staff about securing a spot on any optional excursions still available. 

Once we’ve welcomed you aboard, you’ll meet your ship’s Coastal Experience Team, who will be your hosts and guides to the Norwegian coastline and Svalbard. Get acquainted with your shipmates and take some time to get comfortable in your new home-away-from-home. 

Enjoy your first meal aboard the ship, and watch the row of colorful buildings on the seafront get smaller behind you as you sail into the Norwegian Sea. 

Located at the mouth of the river Rauma on the shores of the Romsdalfjord, Åndalsnes is a picturesque coastal town, home to about 2,000 people.  

The literal highlights of Åndalsnes are the mountains that tower over the town and which line the Romsdalen valley. Trollveggen, the Troll Wall, is one prominent cliff with a vertical drop of more than 1,000 metres, making it popular for BASE jumpers.  

Experience the Norwegian concept of friluftsliv – a love of the outdoors – through a variety of activities, such as hiking to a local viewpoint.  For an easier way to take in the sights, sit back for a relaxing ride on the Romsdal Gondola or travel the winding Trollstigen Pass by bus.  

There is also the Golden Train experience along the Rauma Railway, voted Europe’s most scenic train journey by Lonely Planet.

Træna is an archipelago that sits along the Helgeland coast at the edge of the Arctic Circle, 33 nautical miles northwest of the mainland. Made up of around 500 islands, islets, and skerries, only four are inhabited year-round.  

Spend the afternoon in one of Norway’s oldest fishing communities. If weather permits, you might be able to enjoy such activities as hiking and biking, or even island hopping. 

With a large population of Sea Eagles, birdwatching is another activity you won’t want to miss. For a truly authentic experience, step into the age-old shoes of a Norwegian fisherman, and cast a line under the summer sun. 

When it’s time to leave in the evening, take some time to rest onboard and unwind. We’ll cross the Arctic Circle as we continue heading north, commemorating the moment with a little Norwegian ceremony. 

Today, we explore the famed Lofoten Islands. Watch for the steep mountains rising from the sea as we approach from the south in the morning.

We dock in Reine, an important – and picture-perfect – fishing village since 1743. This is one of the most-photographed landscapes in all of Norway, where red-painted rorbuer cling to a string of islands beneath sharp mountain ranges reflected in the waters below.

Not far to the south of Reine, at the western tip of the Lofoten archipelago, you’ll find Å, one of the best-preserved traditional fishing villages in Norway. You can visit it on an optional excursion.

At the heart of this tiny village is the Norwegian Fishing Village Museum, which covers the importance and development of fishing in Lofoten over the last 250 years.

Tromsø is northern Norway’s urban Arctic hotspot, boasting impressive architecture, hip restaurants, and the world’s northernmost university.

Calling into Tromsø on the way to or from Svalbard follows in the footsteps of history. Most explorers and sailors on Arctic expeditions would embark from or return to the city. We aim to dock here in the morning, giving you a whole day to explore this historic Arctic city and its surroundings.

Take your pick from a number of optional excursions. Learn more about the culture and polar history of Tromsø on a city walk, or take a scenic bus tour. You can also visit the striking Arctic Cathedral, which has an impressively large multi-colored stained-glass window. Or ride the Fjellheisen Cable Car up Storsteinen Mountain for exceptionally beautiful views of the city, mountains, and fjords.

Around mid-morning, we arrive at Honningsvåg, the northernmost city in mainland Norway.

You have several optional excursions to pick from here. These could include taking a bus or riding a quad to the North Cape, a hike with your Coastal Experience Team, or an introduction to what life is like at 71°N. 

Honningsvåg is also the gateway to the North Cape, the northernmost point of Europe. The plateau stands one thousand feet (307 meters) above the sea, and is just over 1,000 miles south of the geographical North Pole. Take a moment to gaze out across the sea from a top the soaring cliffs, watching the waves crash against the rocks below. 

Sailing away from Honningsvåg, we’ll enjoy dramatic views of the plateau from the sea. The ship will head further into the Barents Sea, leaving mainland Norway’s coast far behind us. 

The southernmost island of the Svalbard archipelago, Bjørnøya sits just past the halfway point between mainland Norway and Spitsbergen. We’ll be viewing this inaccessible land from the ship in the afternoon, so think of this as the prologue to your Svalbard adventure. 

Upon seeing the island, you might notice the lack of trees, and even bushes. Very little grows here, with the land partly being covered only by a layer of moss and lichen. Whatever does grow here is fertilized by the abundant birdlife that nests on the sea cliffs. Get your camera ready to capture Little Auks, Puffins, Black-legged Kittiwakes, and Northern Fulmars flying over dramatic cliff tops and steep slopes, alongside many other seabird species. 

Contrary to its name, which means “Bear Island”, the only native mammals are Arctic foxes. The island was named after a polar bear was spotted swimming in the waters nearby, but this is an unlikely sight this far south.  

Today, we arrive at the Svalbard archipelago and make our way up to Spitsbergen, the largest of the three main islands. Magnificent brown and green mountains rise and ripple up from the High Arctic tundra while rivers of snow-melt trickle through the valley plains, glistening under the summer sun.   

Take a moment to just be here, now, in Svalbard. You’re at a latitude more than 78°N and under 820 miles from the North Pole itself. The air of this Arctic desert is fresh and pure, and temperatures in summer average between zero and eight degrees Celsius thanks to a warm northern branch of the Gulf Stream.  

In early afternoon, we find Longyearbyen nestled on the banks of Isfjord. A former coal mining colony, it is the biggest settlement in Svalbard and a hub for adventure travelers, as well as scientists and engineers attached to local research projects, like the famous Global Seed Vault.  

Spend some time strolling around the town, admiring its collection of galleries, pubs, restaurants, brewery, and the notable North Pole Expedition Museum.

You’ll also have optional excursions to pick from that bring you into the awe-inspiring landscapes surrounding Longyearbyen. Explore by e-bike, open boat, or on a wagon pulled by dogs. You could go on a fossil hike, or have a wilderness experience at Camp Barentz. And if you’ve ever wanted to try dog sledding without snow, this is your chance. 

At the tip of Brøgger peninsula, on one of Kongsfjord’s shores, is Ny-Ålesund. Like Longyearbyen, it began as a coal mine but became host to scientific stations from the mid 20th century. During the summer, there are over a hundred researchers based in the town, representing 20 glaciology and climate institutes from more than 10 countries. 

Wander around what is one of the northernmost settlements in the world, drop in at the local museum and souvenir shop, or send a far-flung postcard back to friends and family from the small post office.  

If you weren’t up in time to enjoy the impressive views of Kongsfjord on the way to Ny-Ålesund, make sure you’re on deck as we leave. It’s one of the largest fjords in the area, with an entrance guarded by two colossal creaking glaciers that regularly deposit ice into the fjord.  

This stretch is also a good place to look out for walrus basking on the shores and for many different species of migrating birds, including puffins, king eiders, pink-footed geese, and guillemots.  

Arctic fox and Svalbard reindeer can sometimes be spotted on land while the white beluga whale has been known to surface in the waters here too. If we’re very lucky, we might even see a polar bear prowling the coast for bearded and ringed seals. 

Unfortunately, it’s time for us to say farewell to Svalbard and to Spitsbergen and sail south back to mainland Norway.  

On board the ship, use the day to relax. If skies are clear, enjoy some summer sun out on deck and keep on the lookout for whales, dolphins, and porpoises.

For some fascinating insights into local history and wildlife, catch a lecture delivered by the Coastal Experience Team.

Enjoy the sumptuous food and drinks on board, courtesy of our Norway’s Coastal Kitchen concept that features the finest, most flavorsome, local Norwegian produce.

You can also curl up with a good book in the lounge or chat with new-found friends in the bar while reminiscing together about your favorite experiences of the voyage so far.

After a day at sea, we arrive back to mainland Norway.

Our first stop of the day is Tromsø, to drop off any cargo from Svalbard and pick up cargo bound for ports to the south, before we continue south to Senja. The island is one of the country’s largest, and northern Norway’s fast-rising star destination, as you’d expect for a place ranked among CNN’s top ten most beautiful islands in the world.

Often proudly described by locals as a ‘mini Norway’, Senja has a concentration of diverse landscapes that mirror different parts of the Norwegian coast, from the sandy beaches, turquoise waters and lofty mountains of its northern coast to the rocky coastline and pine forests of southern Senja and Ånderdalen National Park. You'll find rolling hills and birch forests to the east.

Disembark in the charming fishing village of Torsken and explore by bus, e-bike, on foot, or take to the fjords on a wildlife safari on one of the optional excursions.

Start the day with a few hours in Stokmarknes, an historic town with a special place in our hearts. It’s the birthplace of Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Express.

It’s a fitting place for the Hurtigruten Museum, where you are immersed in the atmosphere of a different era on our retired 1956 ship, MS Finnmarken, proudly encased in glass on the waterfront. 

After Stokmarknes, we’ll sail via Raftsundet and Trollfjord to Lofoten. The rest of the day is all about exploring this breathtaking archipelago. Hailed as one of the most spectacular areas in all of Norway, you’ll understand why as you see its jagged green cliffs rise dramatically out of the ocean, climbing high into the sky like giant teeth. 

The beating heart of the archipelago is the town of Svolvær where your ship will be based. There are shops and restaurants to enjoy, and the hours can be spent exploring and getting to know the town yourself. 

To experience the mountains, islands, and villages around Svolvær, choose from a variety of handpicked top Lofoten excursions. You can go fishing, kayaking, or sit back and enjoy the incredible scenery on foot or on a bus tour.

The ship continues south and reaches the midpoint of the Norwegian coast. This is the Helgeland Coast, a well-known stretch full of distinctive mountains that have inspired many a charming myth and local folklore.  

We will base the ship in the town of Brønnøysund, which features a lovely marina and a Neo-Gothic stone church from 1870. Spend your time exploring the town or join optional excursions such as a RIB cruise. 

Further along from Brønnøysund is the unique Torghatten Mountain. The first thing you’ll notice about Torghatten is the hole that pierces right through its center. At an easy pace, it takes about an hour to reach the hole in Torghatten on an optional excursion. The panoramic view of the islands stretching out before you is well worth it. 

The ship will make a brief stop in the town of Ålesund, known for its Art Nouveau architecture and picturesque position on a peninsula below Mount Aksla. If you’re joining the overland excursion to Hjørundfjord and Sæbo, this is where you disembark, or you can explore the town on foot.

Near to Ålesund, cutting through the peaks of the Sunnmøre Alps, a mile (5570 feet) high, is magnificent Hjørundfjord. Its picture-perfect position embedded in the Sunnmøre Alps means it is the area’s hidden gem and a secret from most other ships. 

On the banks of one of Hjørundfjord’s branches is the idyllic village of Sæbø. Tender ashore here and join an optional bus tour or hike excursion to explore Sæbø’s charming streets, fjord and mountain scenery, nearby villages, and local culture. If you left MS Trollfjord to go on an excursion at Ålesund, this is also where you’ll rejoin the ship.

We are fast approaching the last day of our voyage. What better way to celebrate our Svalbard Line experience than a farewell dinner on our last night.

We arrive back in Bergen in the morning. It’s time to disembark the ship, but not before saying fond farewells to your fellow passengers and to the crew of MS Trollfjord who made your Svalbard Line journey such a comfortable one. 

You’ve traveled as part of this historic, iconic voyage to pieces of paradise along the Norwegian coast you won’t soon forget. If you’ve engaged in optional excursions, will you have photos to share of you kayaking, hiking, fishing, cycling in some of the most beautiful scenery ever seen?  

We know you’ll take fond memories of the North Cape, Helgeland, Lofoten, Senja, Hjørundfjord, crossing the Arctic Circle, Tromsø, Bjørnøya, Longyearbyen, and Ny-Ålesund home with you.