Coastal Route

3 ports in Vesterålen

Hurtigruten and Havila, the two companies that operate the coastal route, has 3 ports of call in Vesterålen:

• Risøyhamn
• Sortland
• Stokmarknes.

Northbound

Risøyhamn      04:30 am
Sortland          03:00 am
Stokmarknes    01:15 am

Southbound

Risøyhamn      11:00 pm
Sortland          01:00 pm
Stokmarknes    03:15 pm 

Day trip

For a great trip and wonderful experience, join Hurtigruten/Havila at Stokmarknes and travel through Raftsund and into Trollfjord. Before going on board, visit the Hurtigrute Museum and then (at 3.15pm) take the southbound ship and sail towards Lofoten. Before arriving in Lofoten, you will be able to experience the magical Trollfjord.

Remember to order your tickets to the actual ship in advance as they can often be fully booked on this popular voyage.

History

The legendary hurtigruten has ploughed its way through the coastal waters between Bergen and Kirkenes for over 100 years. The service, which originally started a transport and communications revolution, now enjoys a long tradition and a culture of its own, with a high nostalgia factor, even though the comfort on board is most definitely of the 21st century.

25 ports of call

Hurtigruten and Havila calls at 25 ports in Northern Norway, with stops varying from 5 minutes to 4 hours, depending on the size of the port. Passengers are free to go ashore if they wish and stroll in Bodø’s glass-ceilinged shopping centre or along Tromsø’s main street; or climb to the top of Hammerfest’s Salen mountain, or shop at the Russian market in Kirkenes. The hardiest among them have a beer at the Styrehuset pub in Svolvær, while the Hurtigruten Museum in Stokmarknes tells the story of this famous shipping route.

Summer Coastal Route

A journey to experience the midnight sun has long been popular, so the ships are packed in the summer. If you suddenly decide to travel Hurtigruten / Havila in June you will probably find there are no berths to be had. Many people choose to take day trips, or curl up on one of the sofas for a nap during the brief summer nights. Either way the Hurtigruten / Havila is a practical way to get about in Northern Norway – you can sleep when you get home. If you don’t need a cabin, the ships almost always have tickets available.

Hunting the Light

The atmosphere is completely different in the winter. The days are shorter and the atmosphere less frenetic. The Coastal Route is, however, a great place from which to see the Northern Lights, since the ships sail far from urban areas at night, when the Northern Lights are at their most intense. For anyone travelling around Northern Norway in search of the Northern Lights and the Arctic winter experience, it is a good idea to spend a night or two aboard the ships. Prices are lower and cabins are generally available at short notice.

In springtime

In Northern Norway winter comes in two versions: the dark winter of the Aurora Borealis, from November to January; and the light winter in March and April. February forms a bridge between the two, with light days and nights in which the Northern Lights often appear. In March and April the landscape is still clad in a blanket of pristine white, the sun has returned with enough strength to be felt, and it is the driest period of the year.

Hurtigruten

Havila Voyages