Norway

The fantastic fjords of Norway – one of the world’s great natural wonders.

You may have admired their stunning, awe-inspiring beauty in photographs or on TV.

But anyone who’s ever actually seen them in person will tell you the only way you can really experience their magnificence, truly soak in their spectacular uniqueness, is to actually sail through them.

You’ll do just that, in real style, aboard one of the many luxurious ships that cruise the icy waters around Norway’s rugged, wind and sea-hewn coastline.

Breathtakingly powerful waterfalls plummet between rocky outcrops carved sharply by centuries of shifting ice.

Backdrops of mountain forests frame crystal clear inlets lined with brightly coloured cottages.

You’ll be forever taking long, deep breaths – not merely to fill your lungs with the cool, clear Norwegian air, but also to pause silently as you take in the sheer splendour and magnitude of your wonderful surroundings.

Your cruise will call at places with rich, eventful, sometimes chaotic pasts where Viking legends abound and artefacts survive, all of which the welcoming locals are eager to describe.

Depending on the time of year and the distance your Norwegian Fjords cruise takes you, you can be bewildered by the spectacle of the never setting ‘midnight’ sun in some of the world’s most northerly inhabited regions.

Pretty towns like Hammerfest are tucked away in fjordland waiting to welcome cruise passengers as they step ashore to enjoy browsing local markets or explore the whaling museum.

You might take an excursion into one of the charming villages such as Olden or Geiranger to enjoy a delicious buffet by an azure inland lake.

The World Heritage City of Bergen awaits, with its beautifully preserved, centuries-old wooden harbourfront buildings and Viking settlement remnants. Here you may also travel by funicular railway to look out over the city to the bay beyond from a mountain top.

Tromso, Stavanger, Norway’s original capital Trondheim and the Lofoten Islands are other exciting, culture-rich ports of call.

Some cruises also offer a combination of Norwegian Fjords and extensions to Iceland and Greenland – other fascinating Northern European destinations. Others give you the option of cruising the exciting Baltic region as well as the fjords.

Costa, P&O, Royal Caribbean, Fred Olsen and Celebrity are among the leading world lines offering a variety of itineraries to Norway’s Fjords.