A (Short) Hurtigruten Voyage: From Port to Port

For us/those living on the coast of Norway, Hurtigruten has always been an alternative way of getting from A to B, travelling from port to port. Going on a cruise from Bergen to Kirkenes, I don’t think I’ve ever seriously considered. Though I imagine it must be a great way to see the beautiful coastal landscape, and an easier way of reaching more remote places, I’m also afraid life onboard will be too monotonous for me. This winter, while travelling overland from where I live to where I grew up, I decided to give myself a taste, on the last leg, from Bodø to Finnsnes. Turned out the 24 hour trip was the perfect length for me 🙂

The Hurtigruten terminal in Bodø is a fairly short walk from the town centre, depending on what accommodation you’re staying at, that is. My hotel, Scandic Bodø, was a 5-10 minutes walk away.

I chose to travel on MS Kong Harald. Due to reduced numbers of departures a week, COVID related, I had two ships to choose from. I chose the one with the nicest looking Arctic Superior cabins 😀 The rest of the facilities looked pretty much the same on both vessels. Panorama deck with bar, restaurants, both à la carte and for full board passengers, shop, cafe, and outdoor jacuzzis. With the very low numbers of passengers on this sailing, there was plenty of room to spread out. I’d say we were 10 for breakfast… I overheard the staff saying it was so much fun to have this many guests onboard. The coronavirus is taking its toll on tourism…

After leaving Bodø, and crossing Vestfjorden, which wasn’t acting up too badly, just a little bit of swaying, we arrived in Stamsund. Having 30 minutes only to spend, I didn’t expect to see much, but I didn’t expect to see this little either 😀 When I got off the ship, I realised it was too dark to find my bearings, so not wanting to get lost, in what I assume is a small village, I opted out exploring. Instead a short walk on the dock, spotting a beacon and a street art piece by Ståle Gerhardsen. Worth noting, Vestfjorden can be quite rough, so if you are pone to sea sickness, and the weather is acting up, pop a pill 🙂

Less than 2 hours later, we stopped in Svolvær, the last port in Lofoten. With 1 hour at my disposal, I figured I’d get to cover a little. Surprise! I got to cover a lot. The town is so small. I’ve been here once before, as a kid on summer camp, and I remembered a big place 😀 We arrived pretty late in the evening, but I didn’t think it would be this quiet. Spotted one person only in a restaurant. COVID might be to blame.

The next stops on the cruise were Stokmarknes, Sortland and Risøyhamn, in the middle of the night, so I was sound asleep 🙂

When morning arrived, so did we, at Harstad. Having been here several times before, I chose breakfast over going ashore. After I filling up, I spent time out on deck enjoying the incredible light and sky. This winter has brought so many stunning sunrises and sunsets. The featured image is from Harstad too. Hurtigruten is docked for an hour.

After leaving Harstad, I had to get ready to depart the ship at the next port, Finnsnes, my final destination. That meant packing my bags, and checking out of my very nice Arctic Superior cabin at noon. Having a place like this to crash, I must admit I didn’t spend much time in the common areas. Well worth the money! Uninterrupted (sea) view. Just make sure you get the correct cabin. I was put in a Polar outside cabin first. Thought this could not be right. Checked, and they had made a mistake. Got free wifi for the inconvenience. The outside cabin looked a lot less exciting, so very happy I decided to splurge a bit.

Not having my own private oasis anymore, I ended up at Multe (meaning cloudberry) Bakery and Ice Cream Bar. Not a bad choice! Decorated like a living room from the “old days”, you can enjoy Norwegian waffles and unusually flavoured ice cream, among other things. A nice place to hang while waiting to disembark, at home.

PS! This was not my first time travelling on Hurtigruten. From what I can remember I have sailed round trip from Finnsnes to Svolvær, as a kid going to summer camp, and from Finnsnes to Tromsø, as an adult going to babysit 😀 Memories from the first mentioned trip are horrible weather, seasickness, and waves making chairs and tables move across the floor. Memories from the second mentioned trip are packed panorama deck, and a passenger average age of 65+ years. Lesson taught on this last trip, go in the spring or summer, during seasons when the days are longer. This applies especially for the north, where you have the polar night during winter. Getting dark early, means not much to see. I, of course, should have thought about this when planning my trip. It’s just that I’m not used to vacationing in Norway during this time of the year 😀