10 reasons to sail The North Cape Express

The North Cape Express is our first voyage to visit Norway’s northern and southern capes. Choose to sail from Bergen or, for the first time in our 130-year history, to or from Norway’s vibrant capital, Oslo.

The North Cape sits at the top of Norway and the European continent, marked by dramatic cliffs that tower above the sea. The southern cape is peppered with sites steeped in World War II, Viking, and maritime history.

The North Cape Express incorporates several stops new to us in its 16 carefully chosen destinations. At 70°N, you can scan the skies for the aurora in Alta, the City of Northern Lights.

In the south, delve into Viking history at Haugesund and cruise the spectacular scenery of Hardangerfjord. We also call in at ports we haven’t seen for many years, such as the traditional fjord-side village of Lødingen.

The North Cape Express sails from late September to March, giving you a choice to experience the golds of autumn, a snowy wonderland in winter, or all the senses of what Norwegians call ‘springfulness’.

These are also the seasons when Norway’s mesmerizing Northern Lights make their appearance in the night skies. If the aurora borealis don’t occur on your North Cape Express full voyage, we promise you a free voyage to try again.

We’ve handpicked more than 35 seasonal excursions that you can add on to your voyage to enhance your North Cape Express experience. Step into Kristiansand’s World War II history, fish from a 100-year-old boat in Lofoten, and go dog sledding in Tromsø.

With an average of seven hours in each port, there’s plenty of time to create special memories with one or more excursion.

We are one of the world’s most innovative and sustainable cruise lines. We use local suppliers wherever possible, provide an essential community service, and have banished single-use plastic from our ships.

Through Hurtigruten Foundation, we support sustainability projects around the world, including one that helps restore northern Norway’s sea kelp forest, a vital habitat and absorber of CO2.

On The North Cape Express, the autumnal and wintertime flavors of Norway’s coast come into the spotlight, such as lamb, beetroot, reindeer, wild game, sea buckthorn, shellfish, and skrei (cod). 

The concept across our three onboard restaurants and bar is Norway’s Coastal Kitchen, a floating culinary experience that picks home-grown and freshly farmed produce from suppliers the length of the coast.

Quintessential Norwegian food will often take center stage even when you’re not dining in the onboard restaurants.

Join a culinary demonstration and watch as one of our chefs masterfully fillets and cures a prime piece of fish. Get to know some of the traditional food preservation techniques in Nordic cuisine, perfected through thousands of Arctic winters. Sample regional treats and learn all about the subtle variations of aquavit.

Stepping aboard your ship, MS Trollfjord, you enter a world of relaxation. The interiors are classic. The ambience decidedly relaxed. Natural materials adorn the interiors, blending with large windows in the public areas that blur the line between the coast and ship.

Work out in the gym on the top deck with a view that never gets dull or simply nestle into a comfy armchair in the panoramic lounge and watch the coast drift by.

Your Coastal Experience Team are your hosts to the Norwegian coast. They’ll be enthusiastically showing you presentations on history and culture in Norway and excitedly chatting to you about points of interest in the landscape when on deck.

Join them for included art sessions to paint the inspiring landscape or pick up their tips and tricks for how to capture the elusive Northern Lights in a photography workshop.

For the ultimate experience on The North Cape Express, indulge in one of MS Trollfjord’s splendid suites. These stylish, spacious rooms give you a huge king-size bed, while some offer a private balcony for your own intimate view of the coast.

Your home suite home also comes with all meals at the ship’s fine-dining restaurant, bottomless cocktails at the bar, and a decadent afternoon tea.