Northern Norway Explorer

9 Days | Explore the landscape and history of Norway's northerly reaches.

4.4 out of 5 based on 19 reviews submitted.
Explorer
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CHF  3,670
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Enter a world of extremes where night looks like day, day looks like night and regardless of the season, the scenery's more than perfect. Leave the Arctic Circle behind and discover northern Norway's captivating sights and long, fabled history. Begin in the capital, Oslo, and make your way to Trondheim, the Viking city home to the Nidaros Cathedral and the remains of St Olav, Norway's patron saint. Explore the rugged, unbelievably picturesque Lofoten Islands by land and water before finishing in Tromso, a vibrant city famed for its cultural offerings despite its relative isolation.

Trip overview

Map of Northern Norway Explorer including Norway
Start
Oslo, Norway
Finish
Tromso, Norway
Theme
Explorer
Destinations
Norway
Physical rating
Indicates how physically exerting a trip is, and how fit you will need to be to enjoy it. More info on physical ratings
Style
Original
Ages
Min 15
Group size
Min 1 - Max 12
Trip code
BMSN
This trip generates 26 kg of CO2-e per person per day.
We offset these emissions on your behalf. But we know that is not enough, so we also have a carbon reduction target.

Why you'll love this trip
  • Spend three nights in the long-adored Lofoten Islands, a patchwork of fishing villages. Head out to the narrow Trollfjord for a chance to see sea eagles and take in some of the most breathtaking scenery.
  • Visit Trondheim, which translates as 'a good place to live', stroll past the colourful wooden storehouses flanking the river, ride the northernmost tram and enjoy a forest walk and picnic just like the locals do.
  • Gaze at the immense Nidaros Cathedral, an incredible Gothic building that houses the remains of St Olav, the patron saint of Norway.
  • Hop on an e-bike in Tromso, and learn about life hundreds of kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, where the arts and culture scene is thriving despite its isolated, northerly location.
  • Be joined by a locally-based leader who knows all of the hard-to-find spots and can offer the best local advice and connect with your small group of like-minded travellers.
  • By travelling on this trip, you’ll directly support our Intrepid Foundation partner, Eden Reforestation Projects. Donations help them provide local employment opportunities and tackle climate change one tree at a time as they restore forests across 10 different countries.

Is this trip right for you?
  • The areas visited on this trip can be very cold at night throughout the year, especially at the start and end of the season. Please bring appropriate clothing for adverse weather conditions, including base layers, hat, gloves, scarf, coat and anything else that will keep you cosy.
  • Scandinavia can be an expensive destination in many ways, from museum entrance fees to optional activities, but especially in terms of eating out. Your leader will be able to advise on how to have the best value holiday in Scandinavia.
  • Space is at a premium in Europe and your hotel is no exception. Rooms are often small, but usually the central location makes up for that. For those travelling as a duo, hotels often don't have double beds, but rather two single beds that can be pushed together. Occasionally bathrooms will be shared with other guests.
  • We recommend packing light and smart for this trip as you'll be required to carry your own luggage between train stations, ferry ports and hotels, which can include going up and down multiple flights of stairs, and across cobblestones. Train stations often don’t have lifts available.
  • This trip covers a lot of ground and the majority of travel is done by trains, ferries and public buses. It's a good time to sit back, relax and let the scenery roll past your window. Please read the Itinerary carefully for travel time estimates.
  • This itinerary includes several mild activities such as walking, e-biking and RIB boating. Please be aware you can always opt out from those if you do not feel comfortable joining.

Itinerary

This itinerary is valid for departures from 01 January 2025 to 31 December 2025.

View the itinerary for departures between 01 January 2024 - 31 December 2024

Map of Northern Norway Explorer including Norway

Inclusions

Meals

7 breakfasts, 1 lunch

Transport

Train, Public bus, Ferry, Tram, E-bike

Accommodation

Hotel (8 Nights)

Activities
  • Trondheim - Bymarka forest walk & picnic lunch
  • Bodø - Leader-led orientation walk
  • Svolvær - Trollfjord Cruise & Sea Eagle Safari
  • Svolvær - Leader-led hike to Linken Peak
  • Tromsø - E-bike city tour
Add on activities
  • Trondheim - Ringve Music Museum - NOK150
  • Trondheim - Rockheim National Museum of Popular Music - NOK170
  • Trondheim - Kristiansten Fortress - Free
  • Trondheim - Sverresborg Folk Museum - NOK190
  • Bodø - Public Bus to Saltstraumen Maelstrom - NOK84
  • Svolvær - Sea Kayaking Excursion Day - NOK1095
  • Svolvær - Traditional Fishing Trip - NOK1095
  • Svolvær - Lofoten War Museum - NOK120
  • Svolvær - Bike Hire - NOK450
  • Svolvær - Sea Kayaking Excursion Evening - NOK1195
  • Tromsø - Tromsø Museum - NOK110
  • Tromsø - The Polar Museum - NOK110
  • Tromsø - Cable Car to Fjellheisen - NOK320

Dates and availability

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Important notes

1. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement applies to all nights of your trips except on the overnight train on day 3 and is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.

Essential Trip Information

Want an in-depth insight into this trip? Essential Trip Information provides a detailed itinerary, visa info, how to get to your hotel, what's included - pretty much everything you need to know about this adventure and more.

Read Essential Trip Information

Reviews

4.4 out of 5 based on 19 reviews submitted.
Reviews are from travellers who have completed their trip and want to share their experience. We show all reviews, but may remove any that include profanity or inappropriate content, are unrelated to the trip or reveal personal details.

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Yvonne · Traveled August 2024
Excellent trip to a beautiful part of the world. The scenery was stunning. Good variety of included trips on offer.
Review submitted 11 Aug 2024

Christine · Traveled July 2024
The travelling was very enjoyable and comfortable as big distance covered to achieve seeing Norway from bottom to top. The icing. On the cake for me would have been to see the reindeer and a Sami community which was disappointing to get to the artic circle and miss both. The reindeer should have been possible I don't know about Sami communities
Review submitted 16 Aug 2024

Kiran · Traveled July 2024
Great trip but poor itinerary with too much wasted time. Tour leader pleasant but useless, inexperienced with no local knowledge.
Review submitted 01 Aug 2024

Tracey · Traveled June 2024
This trip does have a lot of long travel/transit days, and I genuinely didn’t appreciate how big Norway was until we were taking several hours of public transport up north. The scenery is amazing, & all the transport is very comfortable, however it did feel like it took a couple of days to get to the most spectacular parts of Norway. There was a good mix of comfort & outdoor activities (hiking), but I wouldn’t recommend for anyone who has any sort of limited mobility. This trip is great if you want to experience the Midnight Sun - I loved that our guide was into the outdoors & we got to go hiking at midnight because of the endless daylight, which was pretty cool.
Review submitted 13 Jul 2024

Anne · Traveled May 2024
Northern Norway Explorer delivered in spades. We covered a lot of territory from the urban to pristine natural environments and the unexpected like a swim at a gorgeous beach above the arctic circle.
Review submitted 05 Jun 2024
Northern Norway Explorer
From
CHF  3,670