Bergen to Kirkenes, 34 ports, and a northern lights promise in writing.
Hurtigruten is the Norwegian Coastal Express: working ships that have carried mail, cargo and locals between Bergen and Kirkenes since 1893, calling at 34 ports along 1,500 miles of fjords, islands and Arctic coast. It suits travelers who want Norway itself rather than a resort at sea: local food from the farms and boats along the route, no formal nights, northern lights in winter, midnight sun in summer, and the Svalbard Line to Spitsbergen in the Arctic summer. SmartCruiser shows every Hurtigruten sailing with taxes and fees included, puts SmartCruiser picks first, and adds SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit per stateroom on sailings where the line allows it.
Three ways to sail with Hurtigruten
Pick one and the list below filters to it; the round voyage is the classic, the one-ways and the Svalbard Line are the variations.
Bergen to Kirkenes and back
- 12 days and 34 ports, each one twice: what you pass at night northbound you see by day southbound
- Crosses the Arctic Circle, rounds the North Cape and turns around at the Russian border
- Covered by the Northern Lights Promise from October to March: no lights, and Hurtigruten gives you another voyage free
Best for: first-timers, northern lights hunters, anyone with 12 days
Northbound or southbound in a week
- 7 days north from Bergen or 6 days south from Kirkenes: the whole coast in half the time
- Fly in or out of Kirkenes, or add Tromsø and the Lofoten Islands on land
- Port-to-port tickets let you ride a few days the way Norwegians do
Best for: shorter vacations, land-and-sea combinations
The Svalbard Line
- Bergen to Longyearbyen and back on MS Trollfjord, with Tromsø, Bjørnøya and the fjords of Spitsbergen
- Walrus, reindeer, bird cliffs and the midnight sun at 78 degrees north
- Summer only, and the only way to reach Svalbard by ship from mainland Norway on a scheduled route
Best for: wildlife, repeat guests, polar bear country without an expedition price
Hurtigruten deals: SmartCruiser picks first
Every Hurtigruten departure, round trip and one way, priced live with taxes, fees and port expenses included. The picks at the top are sailings where booking with SmartCruiser gets you something extra: instant savings, SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit or a Special SmartCruiser rate. Below them, every other sailing with full sorting by date, length and price.
SmartCruiser picks
Sorted by what you save, biggest firstEvery Hurtigruten sailing
Stack any filters, then pick a sortPrices are per person, double occupancy, in US dollars, and include cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses as published by the cruise line at the moment you load this page. Fares are capacity controlled and change daily; the fare is confirmed when you book. Flights, hotels and transfers are extra unless the line’s offer says otherwise. SmartCruiser instant savings and bonus onboard credit are provided by SmartCruiser on top of the cruise line’s price and are not available when booking direct; amounts are per stateroom, vary by stateroom category and are shown for the lowest category offered. Special SmartCruiser rates are pricing SmartCruiser holds on that sailing for its clients, with extra onboard credit; you book your own stateroom and travel on your own. Senior fares apply to guests 55 and over; resident fares need proof of residency in a listed state or province at check-in; police and fire fares apply to active or retired police, fire and EMT personnel with ID. Qualifier-fare savings are measured against the best fare the cruise line offers the general public for the same stateroom category on the day the list was pulled, updated weekly.
Where Hurtigruten sails
Pick a region and the list above filters to it.
Lines you may also like
Hurtigruten is the coast from the inside; these are the other ways to see Norway and the Arctic.
When to go
The Coastal Express runs every day of the year, and each season is a different Norway.
Hurtigruten questions we answer every day
What is included on Hurtigruten?
Your cabin, three meals a day built on Norway’s Coastal Kitchen (fish landed that morning, reindeer, cloudberries, cheese from farms along the route), coffee and tea, and the lectures and deck commentary from the coastal experience team. Hurtigruten is a coastal voyage, not a polar expedition: there is no parka or Zodiac program, excursions such as dog sledding, the North Cape and Tromsø by night are extra, and drinks are by the glass or on a package. Fare types that add wine and beer with meals are offered on most departures, and we check the one you pick.
Will I get seasick?
Most of the route runs inside islands and fjords, as calm as a lake. The open stretches are Stad south of Ålesund, Hustadvika near Molde, the Vestfjord crossing to Lofoten and the run around the North Cape; in winter they can roll for a few hours. The ships are stabilized, and patches or tablets handle it for almost everyone.
How big are the ships and the cabins?
The coastal ships carry 500 to 640 guests plus cargo and locals riding between ports, so expect a working ship with big panorama lounges, saunas and hot tubs on the newer ones, and compact but well planned cabins. Pick an outside cabin for a window on the lights; suites, some with balconies, are on MS Trollfjord, MS Richard With and the other refitted ships.
Do I fly to Bergen or to Kirkenes?
Both work. Round voyages start and end in Bergen, a short flight from Oslo; one-way voyages let you fly into Bergen and home from Kirkenes via Oslo, or the reverse. Hurtigruten packages the flights on many departures, and we price those against booking your own air.
Do I need a passport or visa?
A passport valid at least three months beyond your trip (we recommend six). US citizens need no visa for Norway for stays under 90 days, and the Svalbard Line and the Kirkenes turnaround stay in Norwegian territory. When the EU’s ETIAS travel authorization goes live it will apply to Norway too, and we tell you about it when you book.
Are taxes and fees included in the prices here?
Yes. Every price on this page includes the voyage fare, taxes, fees and port expenses. Flights, hotels, excursions and drinks are extra unless the fare you choose says otherwise.
Talk to a Hurtigruten specialist
Tell us the month and whether you want the lights or the midnight sun, and we match the voyage, the cabin and the flights. Monday to Thursday 9 to 6, Friday 9 to 5, Saturday 10 to 6 ET.