Northern Lights Adventure In Norway - Igniting The Skies With Pioneering Spirit

Hamburg is Germany’s second-largest city with a history dating back to Charlemagne. A major port, this vibrant city is home to art and culture, extensive shopping facilities, Baroque buildings and waterfront vistas. With its well-known fish market, art galleries and Museums together with several beautiful parks including a botanical garden, this is a city with something for everyone. British visitors who remember the Swinging Sixties may like to visit the streets around Grosse Freiheit, where an unknown pop group called The Beatles gave their first public performances in various local clubs before achieving worldwide fame.

White landscapes, deep snow and frozen lakes in remote forests – in winter, nature in northern Europe can be experienced in a completely new way and particularly intensively during a wide range of outdoor activities. Come on board the HANSEATIC nature and fulfil your dream of an extraordinary cruise along Norway’s coast. The Northern Lights – which, with a bit of luck, you’ll be able to marvel at from the deck in clear weather – will be a constant reminder of the beauty of nature. Stavanger with its historic harbour welcomes you to the northern world. The small HANSEATIC nature easily masters Norway’s Inside Passage as it cruises in the Lysefjord surrounded by peaks up to 1,000 m (3,281 ft) high. The ship will take you from one highlight to the next on your route along the coast.

Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, Stavanger flourished in the 19th century as a fishing port. While other towns in Norway have suffered with the decline of this industry, Stavanger has kept its economy booming by diversifying, first into shipbuilding and now into oil. These two contrasting industries have created a city of two halves – a modern area of high-rise buildings and a historic centre with cobbled streets and old wooden houses. The city centre was the birthplace of Alexander Kielland, one of the great 19th-century Norwegian novelists. Stavanger Cathedral, dating from 1125, is an impressive building and the only medieval cathedral in Norway that has not been substantially altered since it was first built. From Stavanger you can explore the attractive blue waters of Lysefjord, surrounded by cliffs and striking rock formations, and also visit Hafrsfjord where the Viking King Harald won an important battle that started the Unification of Norway. Those preferring to explore on their own may wish to visit the interesting Petroleum Museum.

In Bergen, old merchant houses recall the historical significance of the port city. Set against a remarkable wintry mountain backdrop, take a gentle stroll through the Hanseatic quarter of Bryggen, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to see its colourful houses and narrow streets. Follow in the footsteps of the merchants and visit the popular fish market.

Surrounded by mountains and sparkling fjords, the waterside city of Bergen has a spectacular setting. There has been a settlement here since medieval times and the colourful waterfront buildings of the Hanseatic wharf, known as Bryggen, are testament to its fascinating history of trade. As Norway’s best known medieval settlement, the Bryggen is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Our comprehensive selection of excursions allows you to discover the many sides of Bergen, such as the fish market and narrow cobbled streets, as well as stunning views of the city from the summit of Mt Fløyen. Alternatively, those who have visited the city previously may like to experience one of the tours that travel further afield. Just 300 yards from the main piers, you will find the Fortress Museum (Fesningsmuseum), which has an interesting collection of objects related to World War II.

The snowy Geirangerfjord is like an amphitheatre of almost vertical rock faces and countless waterfalls. What stories are hidden behind names like “Seven Sisters” and “Suitor”?

Today will be entirely devoted to exploring, with the HANSEATIC nature cruising nimbly through the Norwegian fjords. Be captivated by the changing series of fantastic views of the wintry landscape – from the nature Walk or the many open deck areas, for instance. Maybe you will also spot whales. When thick fog slowly enshrouds the striking mountains, the scenery is bathed in a particularly mystical atmosphere. Perhaps it is precisely in these moments that you can guess why Norway is also called the “land of the trolls”?

With 370 km2 (143 mi.2), the Svartisen glacier is the second-largest glacier in Norway – a true work of art created by nature. Enjoy the unique scenery with glacial lake and mountains as well as the clear winter air. You will also have the opportunity to hike to the tongue of ice.

Wondrous skerry landscape, stockfish archipelago or expeditionary territory – however you choose to describe the Lofoten Islands, they form a contrast of dramatic landscapes and idyllic fishing villages with the main town of Svolvaer. On starry winter nights, there is a good chance of admiring the Northern Lights in the sky. Will the mystical celestial phenomenon make an appearance?

You will have plenty of time in Alta for extensive explorations of the region: discover the landscape of northern Norway, for example, on a dog sleigh ride1 through enchanted forests or go on an active snowshoe hike1. A fat bike tour1 across the snow and ice or a reindeer sleigh ride1 are also on the programme. On a visit to the Sami1, you can immerse yourself more deeply in their tradition and way of life during a cosy get-together around the campfire. The only way of getting to know the culture even more intensively is by spending the night in a husky camp1. A winter fairy tale will come true when you check into the magical Igloo Hotel1. Incredibly, the bedrooms are carved entirely out of ice.

People have been attracted to the community of Alta for thousands of years, and prehistoric rock carvings discovered in 1973 can be seen at the Alta Museum. Situated at the head of the Altafjord, it is a lush, green and hospitable shelter in the otherwise cold and windswept Finnmark landscape. Halfway between the grim, barren mountain plateau and the wet, stormy coast, Alta offers tree-clad valleys, pleasant temperatures and no more rain than the Sahara. However at 70 degrees North it is quite a different story in winter, when heavy snowfalls and sub-zero temperatures are the order of the day, and clear dark night skies become the arena for dazzling displays of the elusive Aurora Borealis, also referred to as 'the temperamental lady' by Laplanders. The world’s first Northern Lights Observatory, which played an important role in the development of geophysical and meteorological research during the first half of the 20th century, is located just 12 miles from Alta. Perched atop Haldde Mountain, it towers almost 3,000 feet above Kafjord, where the battleship Tirpitz was based during the Second World War.

People have been attracted to the community of Alta for thousands of years, and prehistoric rock carvings discovered in 1973 can be seen at the Alta Museum. Situated at the head of the Altafjord, it is a lush, green and hospitable shelter in the otherwise cold and windswept Finnmark landscape. Halfway between the grim, barren mountain plateau and the wet, stormy coast, Alta offers tree-clad valleys, pleasant temperatures and no more rain than the Sahara. However at 70 degrees North it is quite a different story in winter, when heavy snowfalls and sub-zero temperatures are the order of the day, and clear dark night skies become the arena for dazzling displays of the elusive Aurora Borealis, also referred to as 'the temperamental lady' by Laplanders. The world’s first Northern Lights Observatory, which played an important role in the development of geophysical and meteorological research during the first half of the 20th century, is located just 12 miles from Alta. Perched atop Haldde Mountain, it towers almost 3,000 feet above Kafjord, where the battleship Tirpitz was based during the Second World War.

The maritime centre of the North Cape region, Honningsvag, offers a picturesque contrast between colourful houses and rugged landscape. A particular highlight is the ambience at the North Cape1, the most northerly point on the European mainland. The term winter sports will take on a whole new meaning – on a snowshoe hike with ice fishing1.

Searching in 1553 for a northeast passage to India, British navigator Richard Chancellor came upon a crag 307 yards above the Barents Sea. He named the jut of rock North Cape, or Nordkapp. Today Europe's northernmost point is a rite-of-passage journey for nearly all Scandinavians and many others. Most cruise passengers visit Nordkapp from Honningsvåg, a fishing village on Magerøya Island. The journey from Honningsvåg to Nordkapp covers about 35 km (22 miles) across a landscape characterized by rocky tundra and grazing reindeer, which are rounded up each spring by Sami herdsmen in boats. The herdsmen herd the reindeer across a mile-wide channel from their winter home on the mainland. Honningvåg's northerly location makes for long, dark winter nights and perpetually sun-filled summer days. The village serves as the gateway to Arctic exploration and the beautiful Nordkapp Plateau, a destination that calls to all visitors of this region. Most of those who journey to Nordkapp (North Cape), the northernmost tip of Europe, are in it for a taste of this unique, otherworldly, rugged yet delicate landscape. You'll see an incredible treeless tundra, with crumbling mountains and sparse dwarf plants. The subarctic environment is very vulnerable, so don't disturb the plants. Walk only on marked trails and don't remove stones, leave car marks, or make campfires. Because the roads are closed in winter, the only access is from the tiny fishing village of Skarsvåg via Sno-Cat, a thump-and-bump ride that's as unforgettable as the desolate view.

The remotely located old mining town of Kirkenes lies on the wide Pasvik river, forming the border between Norway and Russia, and it will be your starting point for further fabulous winter experiences. Embark on a king crab safari1 via snowmobile to the fishing baskets of these impressive animals. Alternatively, experience the beautiful nature on a snowshoe hike1 or from a dog sleigh1. The nearby Snowhotel 3651, by contrast, is all about impressive snow architecture, fascinating ice sculptures and atmospheric lighting. And time and again, the many open deck areas of your expedition ship become observation platforms at night when the Northern Lights dance across the sky.

Kirkenes is a small town in the North-East of Norway, bordering both Russia and Finland, located only 250 miles away from the Arctic Circle. Known for its wildlife, beautiful scenery and winter sports activities, Kirkenes has a kind of fantastical charm.

At the end of the cruise, you can reflect on your adventure while cruising off the North Cape, enjoying the many open deck areas and spectacular views of Norway’s winter landscape one last time.

With its centre located on the island of Tromsø, the municipality of Tromsø is more than five times the size of Norway’s capital, Oslo, and is the world’s northernmost university city. Lying 200 miles inside the Arctic Circle, it is known as the 'Gateway to the Arctic' because it was used as a starting point for hunters looking for Arctic foxes, polar bears and seals. In the 19th century it was a base for explorers on Arctic expeditions – a history that is remembered in the city’s Polar Museum, which you can visit on an excursion. Also commemorated in the area is the history of Norway’s indigenous people, the Sami. Visitors can learn about the traditions, heritage and modern preservation of the Sami culture at the Tromsø Museum. Nowadays, Tromsø is a charming mix of old and new, with wooden buildings sitting alongside contemporary architecture such as the impressive glacier-like Arctic Cathedral, which features one of the largest stained glass windows in Europe. Looking down on the city is Mount Storsteinen, and a cable car runs to the top, giving wonderful views over the surrounding countryside of forested peaks and reindeer pastures.