Sailing back in time: Explore Norway’s fascinating past and rich heritage on a Nordic cruise

From ancient fjords to medieval cathedrals, Norway’s coastline is packed with history – and on a Nordic cruise, you can follow it port by port

Delve into Norway’s fascinating history with a cruise that takes you to diverse locales boasting fascinating sites and immerses you in local communities (Alamy)

Norway’s coastline is the second longest in the world, spanning almost 103,000 kilometres and folding around fjords, islands and skerries. For centuries, this vast, broken shoreline has shaped how people lived, travelled and traded, and long before roads existed, the sea was the only way to connect it all.

That’s why the very best way to explore Norway’s timeless history is still by ship. Hurtigruten has been sailing these very waters since 1893, following a route that binds the country together and reveals its history bit by bit, port by port. Rather than hopping between the tourist traps, each voyage traces the story of Norway, one built on fishing, faith and folklore.

Where history lives along the water

Discover more about Hurtigruten’s fascinating history at the museum in Stokmarknes (Bjorn Eide)

Bryggen’s wonky wooden warehouses came about from centuries of dried-cod trade with Europe, and the narrow streets between them still feel like they belong to the merchants who once hauled goods in from the ships.

Further north in Trondheim, Nidaros Cathedral (pictured above) comes into view almost by surprise, rising from the riverbank as a stark reminder of the city’s medieval past and its long history as a place of pilgrimage.

Elsewhere, fishing villages such as Gjesvær and Rørvik sit directly on old sailing routes, their harbours shaped as much by tides and weather as by people. In Tromsø and Hammerfest, small local museums – including the Polar Museum and the Hammerfest Museum – fill in the human side of the story, from Arctic exploration and polar hunting to wartime life in the far north.

If you want to see where Hurtigruten’s story really comes to life, Stokmarknes is the place to be. This is where the company was founded, and the museum sits directly on the quayside, wrapped around a full-scale ship in glass. MS Finnmarken from 1956 is at the heart of it all, with details and artefacts from the original DS Finnmarken of 1912 sitting right alongside it.

You can stand on the bridge, peek into the engine room, wander through cabins and admire the intricate woodwork of dining rooms where generations of passengers once ate while the coast slipped past outside. Photographs, letters and everyday objects bring everything to life including the people who worked aboard, like crew and captains who knew every nook and cranny of the shoreline.

Legends that are part of the landscape

Sailing through places like Trollfjord, it’s easy to see how myth and landscape intertwine (Kristian Dale)

Along the coast, myth and folklore are intertwined with nature as part of everyday history. Mountains are said to be sleeping trolls, fjords carved by giants, and sea cliffs linked to ancient Sámi sacrificial sites. These stories weren’t merely idle tales, but ways of explaining rough seas, sudden storms and the risks of life lived close to the water.

Sailing through places like Trollfjord or past the cathedral-shaped rock of Finnkirka, it’s not hard to see how these stories came about. Even today, folklore comes up in conversations, place names and local museums, with Hurtigruten’s Expedition Team often drawing these threads together on board through stories of Norse gods, Sámi beliefs and coastal legends linked to the places you’re passing.

These talks and casual chats with the Expedition Team take place between ports, sparked by what you’ve just seen from the deck or explored on shore. Subjects range from Viking navigation and medieval trade to religious history and life along the coast during the Second World War.

History unravels itself slowly, moving steadily along the coast, with familiar landmarks taking on new meaning as your journey unfolds and you dive even deeper into the stories and heritage of each destination.

Where the Vikings come ashore

Head to the Lofotr Viking Museum in Borg to find out more about this enthralling period of history (Getty Images)

Much of Norway’s early history is tied to the Viking Age, and along Hurtigruten’s route, that past is always there. There are countless excursions to explore it, including the Trondheim City Walk, which offers the opportunity to discover the city’s history and culture with a local guide. Along the way, you’ll see many of Trondheim’s highlights, from Stiftsgården to the bridge locals call “The Portal of Happiness”.

You can also dive deeper into the Viking Age at the Lofotr Viking Museum in Borg, with experiences that change with the seasons. Summer visits are all about how Vikings lived, centred around a replica of the largest Viking building ever discovered, while winter excursions bring the Viking Age to life with traditional rituals and a traditional Viking meal in historic surroundings.

Sailing between ports follows the same highways used by Vikings, traders and fishermen for centuries, and with time ashore and stories shared along the way, it’s hard to imagine a better way to explore Norway’s past than sailing with those who know it best on a Hurtigruten voyage.

A voyage of discovery

With a Hurtigruten cruise you can experience Norway in its most authentic way, gliding slowly along the coast, and immersing yourself in each fascinating destination – travelling the way it’s always been done. For more travel information and inspiration and to plan your trip, visit Hurtigruten. Save up to 30 per cent on a Hurtigruten cruise for departures until March 2027, when you book by 28th February.