If you’re reading this, it’s likely because you’re tired of the same old holiday routine. Ironic, isn’t it, that a holiday can become a routine in and of itself? It’s easy to fall into a rut when it comes to an annual getaway – particularly if it’s far simpler to book the same places again and again than it is to plan something new.
This is also a likely reason for which you’re considering a very particular kind of ‘something new’: a cruise. Cruise holidays are famously low-effort affairs, being that you’re on a mode of transport designed explicitly to look after you – both with respect to accommodation and entertainment. But new is scary, and you want to know exactly what you’re signing up for before you take a chance on that ‘something new’. So, let’s get into it – and with a specific type of cruise in firm view, too. Here, we’ll look at what a fjord cruise in Norway entails, from the dramatic landscapes to the cultural stopovers and beyond.
Of course, the key draw for any water-based Scandinavian trip is the nature. Geographically speaking, Norway’s shores are amongst the most arresting in the Northern Hemisphere, and a Norway cruise is undoubtedly the best way to experience them. Towering cliffs, deep waterways carved by glaciers, cascading waterfalls and lush valleys all abound – and, collectively, provided the channels by which your cruise ship charts a unique and beautiful course.
It's for this reason that you’ll no doubt be spending most of your cruise on a deck, looking out to the banks of whichever fjord you find yourself on next. And that fjord could well be a UNESCO World Heritage site, as is the case with Nærøyfjord, through which many cruises make a point of taking a route.
Norway is much more than its landscapes though, imposingly magnificent as they are. There are many port destinations along fjord cruise routes, including historic harbour towns like Bergen and Stavanger; there’s also the opportunity to explore a little of Norway by land, using scenic railways like the Flåm Railway.
As with any holiday, there’s an undeniable seasonality to a Norway cruise getaway. You needn’t be a native Scandinavian to know that the seasons vary wildly, not just with respect to climate and temperature but also when it comes to daylight – just as with the long winter nights here in the UK.
To get longer days and milder temperatures, your best bet would be to travel between June and August, a decision that would also reward you with cheaper prices at each port. However, if you’re ok spending a little more, you may have a better chance to glimpse the Northern Lights in the later months.
