Norwegian Cruises

New Page! Copenhagen to Oslo Mini Cruise with DFDS Seaways

You'll find plenty of fabulous Norwegian Cruises listed at ebookers

Pictured: The P&O cruise liner Arcadia makes frequent 10 night cruises of Northern Europe and makes Oslo a Port of Call. Book your cruise through ebookers.

Springtime in the Norwegian Fjords Cruise, departs from Harwich, Essex - Find out more at Shearings Holidays

Norway is without doubt one of the most spectacular regions in the world of which can only truly be appreciated by sea. The country is ruggedly beautiful with high mountains, deep fjords and icy blue glaciers. In the West you’ll find tranquil Fjords winding through steep mountain ranges, hosting glorious waterfalls and indigenous villages with wooden houses. In the North you’ll find the North Cape barely 1,000 miles from the North Pole and blending flat and sheer cliffs that rise up 300 metres from the Arctic Ocean! Cruising through Norway has undoubtedly increased in popularity. Absorbing the country by sea offers a dynamic viewpoint with an inordinate amount to take in, from the mist-shrouded fjords and dramatic waterfalls to the rolling green meadowlands and idyllic villages.

Popular Norwegian Cruise Destinations

There are many popular places to visit by cruise. However, initially the most popular cruise destinations include Flam and Geiranger, which offer unforgettably spectacular journeys past mighty cliffs, amazing waterfalls and isolated settlements with stunning mountain settings. Other popular destinations feature the charming cities of Bergen and Trondheim, with a long list of wonderfully located fjord towns and villages including Andalsnes, Vik, Olden, Honningsvag, Gudvangen, Hellesylt, Hammerfest, Molde and the Lofoten Islands. Other sought after destinations include the capital city of Oslo, the southern resort of Kristiansand and the Western Fjords destination of Stavanger. What’s more the most adventurous Norway cruise liners head beyond the Arctic Circle to Tromso and the land of the Midnight Sun where the views are simply breathtaking!

The Norwegian Scenery

The dramatic landscape of Norway is simply mesmerising. At every turn there appears to be a more stunning view, spectacular cascading waterfalls or majestic mountain peaks just waiting to be explored. All Norwegian cruises offer a variety of wonderful excursions from boat trips through magnificent fjords to walks on the glaciers. When visiting, one cannot fail to be impressed by the natural beauty of the country!

Rare wildlife

With twenty-one national parks Norway provides nature lovers with the opportunity to enjoy untouched and unaffected wildlife. Norway is an animal lover’s paradise with numerous different types of excursions available on cruises to savour; moose safaris, musk ox, whale, beaver and eagle safaris are all possibilities.

People and Culture

Norwegians tend to be friendly, welcoming and independent out-door orientated people. On summer weekends they often enjoy hiking, fishing and boating and in the winter they head for their ski runs. They are passionate and proud of their natural surroundings with the West Norwegian fjords being on UNESCO's World Heritage List. The wearing of elaborate folk costumes is still commonplace at festive events, with the predominant colours of Norwegian costumes being red, white, navy blue, and dark green. Traditional folk dancing and singing are enjoying a resurgence, with visitors often witnessing the colourful revelry and fun!

Popular Ports

There are numerous places to visit on your cruise; here are four of the most popular ones:

Bergen - the gateway to the fjords region; it is the second largest city in Norway and also the country’s cultural centre.

Hammerfest - the world’s most northerly town with the same latitude as northern Siberia. It is largely ice-free due to the off shore Gulf Stream and has been a popular trading town for the past 200 years.

The North Cape - offers some of the world's most spectacular scenery. You can cruise the Nordfjord to reach Honningsvag, the world's most northerly village, which lies well within the Arctic Circle, and visit a Lapp village to sample a lifestyle unchanged in centuries, or enjoy the more sophisticated delights of Tromsø.

Tromsø - the Gateway to the Arctic and the starting point to many Polar expeditions. Blessed with a girdle of peaks, Tromsø is the prettiest Norwegian town to visit.

Weather and Luggage

Whatever the season, the Norwegian weather is incredibly changeable, which means it’s difficult to say what the weather will be like on any cruise, but it is a good idea to take a selection of items of clothing. Your luggage should include some light clothes, at least one warm jumper, waterproof coat and comfortable walking shoes or boots. If you go during the winter, you will need an overcoat, scarf, gloves and warm boots. In autumn and spring, you may want to bring waterproof trousers and boots. For the summer, lighten up, but remember, even summer evenings and nights can be cold.

Daylight Saving Time in Norway

Norwegians have implemented Daylight Saving Time (DST). The main purpose of daylight saving time is to make better use of daylight and they change their clocks during the summer months to move an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening.

DST, also known as summer time, starts on the last Sunday in March and ends on the last Sunday in October.

2009 will be as follows:
- DST begins on Sunday, 29 March at 2 am. The clocks are then set forward one hour.
- DST ends on Sunday, 25 October at 3 am. The clocks are then set back one hour.

2010 will be as follows:
- DST begins on Sunday, 28 March at 2 am. The clocks are then set forward one hour.
- DST ends on Sunday, 31 October at 3 am. The clocks are then set back one hour.

The time zone for Norway is Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) +1 hour.

How to Choose which Norwegian Cruise Line

Norway occasionally appears in world cruises that include Mediterranean destinations, but is more likely to be part of Scandinavian, Baltic and European cruise holidays featuring ports like Helsinki, Reykjavik, Tallinn, St. Petersburg and Gothenburg.

When you are looking for a Norwegian cruise initially search for Norway cruises with reputable cruise lines such as P&O, MSC, Peter Deilmann, Royal Caribbean, Holland America, Fred Olsen, Saga and Regent Seven Seas. All cruise lines differ dramatically so it really does depend on what you want from your trip, who you are travelling with and how long for, but most importantly what you can afford. Do your research carefully and check the offerings from many cruise lines online to be sure of the best deal, and look out for the online discounts that are sometimes available.

Thanks for visiting our Norwegian Cruises page. We hope it helped find what you were looking for.