Which Fjords ports to self-tour vs. excursion?

[CruiseMelissa]

Sailing on HAL Rotterdam next year and have an excursion included in our fare.  Which one of these would be the best for an excursion?  

 

• Haugesund
• Eidfjord
• Bergen
• Kirkwall, Scotland (I figured I'd throw that in there if this could possibly be the winner)

 

Thank you!

 

[hallasm]

Bergen has a lot to offer and lends itself to DIY.
Haugesund and Eidfjord are relatively small towns with very few activities and attractions nearby. For both cities, excursions will be needed to get the most out of the a Norwegian Cruise. 
I have no knowledge of Kirkwall.

[Planning to cruise]

As you probably know, Kirkwall is the capital of the Orkney Islands.  An excursion will take you out of town.  The town itself is pleasant with a cathedral but is unlikely to keep you for a full day.  In my opinion it would be good to see more of the island, historic sites, scenery.    

 

I agree, see Bergen on your own.  Haugesund and Eidfjord are small. 

 

Why not look at the excursions typically provided in each port by HAL?  You might fancy a particular one depending on your interests.  

[CruiseMelissa]

10 minutes ago, Planning to cruise said:

As you probably know, Kirkwall is the capital of the Orkney Islands.  An excursion will take you out of town.  The town itself is pleasant with a cathedral but is unlikely to keep you for a full day.  In my opinion it would be good to see more of the island, historic sites, scenery.    

 

I agree, see Bergen on your own.  Haugesund and Eidfjord are small. 

 

Why not look at the excursions typically provided in each port by HAL?  You might fancy a particular one depending on your interests.  

I didn't know, that is extremely helpful.  We were desperate to get a Fjords cruise in before the new rules were passed and went into this blindly.  Your advice is really great, thanks.

[hallasm]

1 hour ago, CruiseMelissa said:

We were desperate to get a Fjords cruise in before the new rules were passed and went into this blindly.  Your advice is really great, thanks.

No need to be desperate - Then you should have chosen a cruise to Flåm and Geiranger. It is a misunderstanding that all cruises to the Norwegian fjords are affected From 2926 
The itinerary fir your cruise will not be affected by the restrictions from 2026 - in fact it is only cruises to Flåm and Geiranger.
There will also be cruises to Haugesund, Eidfjord and Bergen after 2026. 

[ontheweb]

Bergen has a hop on hop off bus. You could check if the places you want to see are on its route. It worked for us.

[gnome12]

4 hours ago, CruiseMelissa said:

Sailing on HAL Rotterdam next year and have an excursion included in our fare.  Which one of these would be the best for an excursion?  

 

• Haugesund
• Eidfjord
• Bergen
• Kirkwall, Scotland (I figured I'd throw that in there if this could possibly be the winner)

 

Thank you!

 

For me, the highlights to see in Kirkwall (or rather outside of it) are Skara Brae and Maeshowe. You would need either a ship sponsored or locally provided excursion to get to them. 

Edited August 27 by gnome12

[CruiseMelissa]

3 hours ago, gnome12 said:

For me, the highlights to see in Kirkwall (or rather outside of it) are Skara Brae and Maeshowe. You would need either a ship sponsored or locally provided excursion to get to them. 

Wonderful, thank you!

[smhagen]

We rented a car in Orkney (Kirkwall). We drove all the sights, did some cliff hikes where we were the only people.  It was our favorite day of our British Isles cruise last month!  Yesnaby Cliffs are AMAZING.  Also the Brough of Deerness cliffs at Mull head.  Life time memories!

[Thejuggler]

Local bus service on Orkney will get you to many areas from the bus station in Kirkwall.

 

A single fare is just £2 and the bus will stop and pick up/drop off anywhere along the route.

Edited Thursday at 07:36 AM by Thejuggler

[Planning to cruise]

I have a friend who now lives on Orkney.  We visited her when on a cruise call.  She says whenever a cruise ship is in port the locals know to keep out of town and avoid the buses.