Hurtigruten: In the Wake of the Vikings

If you fancy igniting your inner Viking then Hurtigruten, the Norwegian exploration cruise line, has an 11-day trip from Norway to Iceland in May 2019. Making full use of the exceptional summer daylight, the cruise stops en-route to visit the ruggedly beautiful Orkney and Shetland islands as it ventures northwards.

Your ship is the recently reconstructed 243-passenger polar-class MS Spitsbergen, complete with resident expedition team who will encourage partaking in their educational talks, on-deck activities and the Norwegian ‘friluftsliv’ (outdoor life).

Lerwick, perhaps more Viking than Scottish, still has a thriving fishing industry and two fantastic Iron Age sites to explore. Then journey 5000 years back in time to Neolithic Orkney with trips to stone circles, ancient burial sites and settlements. Visit the famous St. Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall where Magnus was put to death for refusing to fight the Vikings. There’s whisky on offer too!

Just as the Vikings did all these years ago, the itinerary continues to the desolate Faroe Islands before heading to Iceland. Sea cliffs and green fields are dotted with puffins along the way before the wonder of geothermal pools, black lava beaches and cosmopolitan Reykjavik completes the tour.

More details on this cruise can be found here at Hurtigruten

Essentials

Date: 8th May 2019

Duration: 11 days

Ship: MS Spitsbergen

Photos courtesy of Hurtigruten