Advice on Must-See Ports on Norwegian Fjords cruise

[dawnprincess]

I’m looking over various itineraries available on Princess, NCL and Royal Caribbean for 2020 and 2021 (not available yet). For those who have done this cruise which ports are don’t-miss and which were less interesting. Stavanger, Tromso, Alesund, Flamm, Gerainger, Bergen, Trondheim, Bergen, Lofoten Islands, Spitsbergen, Hammerfest. The itineraries are a mix and match of these ports so with some advice I may be able to narrow it down. Thanks in advance!

[hallasm]

1 hour ago, dawnprincess said:

which ports are don’t-miss and which were less interesting

not to miss: Flamm (Flåm) , Gerainger, (Both scenic fjords)  -  Bergen,  Lofoten Islands,  - and Spitsbergen is not Norway west coast but island north of Norway (Svalbard)

Interesting: Stavanger, Alesund, Honningsvåg (North Cape)

Not so interesting: Tromso, Hammerfest.

See also this topic with a lot of information on Norway West Coast and the Fjords:

 

[dani negreanu]

I've only  been to Geiranger,  Stavanger, Olden and Bergen.

 

Not to miss -- Geiranger

and ... Bergen -- the views from Floyen mount.

[kaisatsu]

Not to miss:

- Geiranger or Flåm. Both is better, but absolutely include at least one of the two. Personally I think Geiranger has the better scenic cruising for the sail-in/sail-out.

- Bergen for the Hanseatic shipping history and charming city center.

- Lofoten Islands for the dramatic mountain scenery rising out of the ocean, colorful fishing huts, and what many Norwegians consider the most beautiful part of the country.

- Spitsbergen for the incredibly unique high Arctic landscape, fascinating living situation, and extreme geography:

 

Quite Interesting:

- Tromsø for the blend of city scenery with surrounding mountains, a pleasant town center, exhibits on Arctic exploration and wildlife, and a residual spirit of the explorer mentality. (I definitely disagree with Hallasm on this one, because I love Tromsø and always look forward to return visits!) Also, I always enjoy popping into the Mack Ølhallen for a pint!

 

Interesting, but not a priority:

- Ålesund for the slightly different architectural feel of the town center (more stone and art nouveau influences) and the coastal landscape.

- Stavanger for the Lysefjord scenery, Preikestolen, and oil industry influence

- Trondheim for the Nidaroa cathedral. I’m probably in the minority, but I’m not a huge fan of Nidaros. It’s unique in Norway because big gothic stone cathedrals aren’t typically Norwegian, and the original French architecture it’s modeled after is more remarkable. Also, most of the facade is a modern reconstruction and interpretation (rumor has it the archangel Michael was modeled after David Bowie).

 

Not interesting:

- North Cape. Hearing about the local lifestyle on the island on the way there and back was interesting, and the landscape was unique. But North Cape itself felt like they were trying extremely hard to make something out of nothing. It’s like the monuments that mark the equator or the prime meridian, but you have to spend a lot more time and money to get there, so they made a big museum center to tell you about a half dozen people who traveled there in the past. And if you travel up to Svalbard, it doesn’t even seem that geographically interesting.

 

And I’ve never been into Hammerfest, so I have no opinion.

[dawnprincess]

Thanks so much for all this help. I plan to print out the advice to keep in my planning folder. 

 

We definitely have to postpone our cruise until 2021 because all the 2020 dates conflict with a preplanned family vacation with the grandkids. But this gives me more time to plan. We will book quickly after reviewing our options when all the 2021 itineraries become available. 

 

So keep that advice coming and and thanks again!

[kitkat343]

My favorite three ports in Norway were Geiranger, Flam and Olden.  In Geiranger there are amazing scenic overviews (but please note you might not be able to access all of them early in the season, as the road to the highest point is seasonal and doesn't open until it's been completely plowed and an annual avalanche occurs, usually mid-May to early June.)

 

Flam has the amazing Flam railway, and we had a wonderful afternoon visiting a charming village and goat farm, and eating an amazing meal on that tour.

 

Olden has the incredible Loen skylift, and the very nice Briksdal glacier (please note that the glacier itself has been hit hard by global warming, and as long as you are prepared for a lovely hike that is equally enjoyable to the reduced glacier you will enjoy this excursion.  Please also note that some found the Loen skylift to be simply too expensive, so you might want to price that out prior to deciding.

 

In Stavanger we couldn't hike pulpit rock because we traveled with a 2 and 6 year old, and didn't feel there was enough elsewhere to make it a must see (but you might be able to hike pulpit rock, which isn't a technically challenging hike, and that would rank it much higher on your list).    Norway is absolutely beautiful and I hope you have a lovely trip!

[ski ww]

Thanks for all the good info, gives us an idea on what to see. We are doing this in Jul 2020. 

[Coral]

On 5/15/2019 at 12:50 PM, hallasm said:

not to miss: Flamm (Flåm) , Gerainger, (Both scenic fjords)  -  Bergen,  Lofoten Islands,  - and Spitsbergen is not Norway west coast but island north of Norway (Svalbard)

Interesting: Stavanger, Alesund, Honningsvåg (North Cape)

Not so interesting: Tromso, Hammerfest.

See also this topic with a lot of information on Norway West Coast and the Fjords:

 

I guess everyone can have a different opinion. I went on a tour in Tromso to the countryside and found it quite beautiful. One of my favorite days.