The ship sails from Tromsø at 1:30, and if you’re not too tired, we recommend you stay out on deck to see the midnight sun shining over the mountaintops round the town in summer. During the rest of the year, you’ll have a good chance of seeing the northern lights or the magical moonlight reflected in the sea. Early in the morning, the ship stops in Harstad, before it sails on towards the Risøy channel. This narrow passage is only 7 m deep. It was built especially for Hurtigruten so the ships could sail between Harstad and Vesterålen. Troll Fjord is only 2 km long and 100 m wide, and is flanked by truly majestic mountains. If time and weather are on our side, the captain sometimes sails through the narrow fjord, where the mountain sides almost touch the sides of the ship.

Then we sail through Lofoten. The landscape consists of sparkling mountain tops, deep fjords, large seabird colonies and long, white sandy beaches. Even the travel magazine Lonely Planet could not contain its enthusiasm and wrote: “This place is quite simply inexpressibly beautiful”. Well, now you can see it with your own eyes.

Trondheim is a relatively large city, but still retains its small town charm. Some of the streets date back to the Middle Ages and you can still walk along them today. The town boasts many attractive wooden buildings which were built all the way back in the 17th century. Back on the ship, we sail out through the beautiful Trondheim Fjord. Later in the afternoon, the ship docks at Kristiansund, which is known as Norway’s clip fish capital due to the export of salted cod. When we cross the open sea on our way to the “Town of Roses”, Molde, you will see the pointed peaks of the Romsdalsalpe mountains on the horizon. Sink into the comfortable seats in the panorama lounge, or out on deck. Enjoy the silence as you watch the landscape pass by slowly, and feel the soft swells of the waves beneath you.