Breaking Travel News investigates: Norwegian Coastal Route with Havila Voyages | Focus

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Breaking Travel News explores: Norwegian coastal route with Havila Voyages

When I was a teenager backpacking in the 1980s, I remember hearing Scandinavian travelers talking about the Northern Lights and the legendary Kystruten, the daily coastal mail ship that sailed throughout Norway. For years it was firmly on my travel wish list. So forty years later, I was genuinely excited to finally experience this iconic journey for myself.

The coastal route has been active for more than 130 years and connects 34 ports between Mons and Kirkenes. Not only is it a cruise route, the ships also carry freight, mail and local passengers, acting as a maritime lifeline for small communities hidden between fjords and mountains.

I dragged my suitcase across the dock in Bergen and boarded Havila’s ship Capella for the seven-day journey north. The final destination was Kirkenes, about 400 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle and only 15 kilometers from the Russian border.

I had a clear mission: to see the Northern Lights.

Passengers who book the full round trip during the Aurora season are covered by Havila’s ‘Northern Lights Promise’. If the lights do not appear between October and March, guests are offered a free cruise. It’s both a confident promise and a smart one, though I hoped I wouldn’t have to take them up on that.

Quiet ships, lighter footprint

From the start, Havila has positioned itself at the forefront of sustainable coastal cruising. The four nearly identical ships are plug-in hybrids, powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) and massive battery packs, among the largest ever installed on passenger ships.

My ship could sail for four hours on battery power alone. Sometimes we floated silently through fragile fjords without any emissions, the only sound being the faint ripple of water along the hull. The technology also allows the ship to enter UNESCO World Heritage fjords, such as the Geirangerfjord in summer, completely emission-free.

Scandinavian tranquility at sea

The ship’s public areas embrace a calm, elegant Scandinavian style. Soft white tones, light wood finishes and chairs in navy blue and gray tones create an understated, soothing atmosphere. Nothing feels flashy or overly designed; instead, soft indirect lighting follows curved lines along the walls and ceilings, enhancing the relaxed, contemporary aesthetic.

At the center of the ship is an atrium rising from deck 4, where passengers board via the gangway. Unlike the dramatic, energetic atriums found on many large cruise ships, this one feels intimate and relaxed. On decks 5, 6 and 7, seating areas wrap around it, with armchairs and sofas in clusters that naturally encourage conversation.

Many of these spaces are located next to the ship’s enormous panoramic windows, one of the striking features on board. The floor-to-ceiling windows, each about the width of three sliding doors, frame the passing landscape like moving works of art. Because the outside landscape is constantly changing, those views become part of the ship’s design.

My favorite place quickly became the lounge on the upper deck. With its large windows and a light, airy atmosphere, passengers settle in here to read, knit, view photos on their phones or simply watch the fjords float by. The space also serves as Havblikk Bar. In Norwegian, havblikk refers to the moment when the sea becomes completely calm, its surface smooth as a mirror. It’s the perfect place to enjoy one of Havila’s signature cocktails or a local beer on tap as you watch the scenery pass by.

My Seaview Superior cabin was more spacious than I expected. It had a king-size bed, a Nespresso machine, an electric kettle, plenty of charging points and a surprisingly large, functional bathroom stocked with local products. Bathrobe and slippers were a thoughtful addition, especially if you are brave enough to try the outdoor jacuzzi on deck 8.

The in-room TV also proved useful, allowing me to monitor the ship’s route and, more importantly, the weather conditions. A forward-facing camera shows the view from the bow, which can be useful when spotting the Aurora Borealis. I soon learned that it was also wise to set up a phone alert, just in case the lights showed up in the middle of the night.

A different approach to dining

Havila’s culinary program represents another quiet shift away from traditional cruise norms. Instead of large buffets, meals are served à la carte with small plates of local ingredients. The aim is to keep food waste below 75 grams per passenger per day, a remarkably low figure for a cruise ship.

The main restaurant, Havrand – which means ‘the point where the sky meets the sea’ – offers a core selection of signature dishes every day, in addition to a rotating menu inspired by the four coastal areas the ship sails through: fjords, polar regions, Arctic and archipelago. As the landscape outside changes, the menu also subtly evolves. It means guests can try something new at every meal, while still having a few reliable favorites to fall back on.

Breakfast included a generous selection of hot dishes. My favorites were the creamy scrambled eggs and smoked salmon. Smaller cold plates were available to take away from the counter, including healthy energy shots and slices of sweet brown Norwegian cheese, a flavor that quickly became a favorite.

What is special is that passengers sit at the same table for every meal, so you quickly get to know your table companions. This can be a pleasure or a gamble. After a brief clash of personalities with our Australian neighbors, the attentive restaurant manager kindly moved us to another table where we ended up sitting with a wonderful couple whose warmth and life stories were deeply moving.

Lunch became my favorite meal of the day. Served tapas style, you simply order two or three small dishes – and a dessert if you like. Portions are deliberately modest to prevent waste, but you can order as many plates as you want. The Norwegian fish soup was rich and creamy, and I especially enjoyed the cured hams sourced from local farms.

For something a little more special, the Hildring gourmet restaurant offers a six-course tasting menu that alternates between fish and meat every day. The name refers to a Norwegian mirage where the light bends so that ships appear to float above the horizon, an illusion that feels strangely appropriate when dining here. A standout dish was the scallops, served in the shell with horseradish vinaigrette, as elegant as anything I’ve tasted ashore.

Weather and wonder

The scenery along the coastal journey is simply breathtaking. Leaving Bergen, the route winds through sheltered fjords and island chains, with small fishing villages and snow-capped mountains dotting the coastline. The ship sails almost all the time along the coast, slipping through narrow canals and quiet coves.

Around Ålesund and Trondheim the landscape opens up into a dramatic mix of steep mountain peaks, frozen waterfalls and snow-covered farmland. When we stopped in Trondheim for three hours, I took the opportunity to visit Nidaros Cathedral, a beautiful Gothic structure that has been a place of pilgrimage for almost a thousand years.

Ålesund, with its Art Nouveau architecture, initially felt a little disappointing. But as dusk fell, the city lights reflected on the water and the buildings began to glow softly – and suddenly the charm revealed itself.

In February the days are still short and sunrise and sunset stretch out in long pastel colors. Apricot, rose and lavender colors fill the air for hours. Further north the landscape becomes more rugged and remote. In Bodø we decided to try a floating sauna overlooking the harbor, followed by a cold dip in the Arctic Ocean. It’s the kind of experience that shocks your senses – and makes you feel wonderfully alive.

Arctic adventures

I tried cross-country skiing for the first time in Tromsø. After a quick lesson from our guide, we floated through freshly beaten paths. It was exciting without being too intimidating, although we had to dodge many energetic locals enjoying their Sunday afternoon workouts – often accompanied by dogs, children and ski buggies.

Next came the nighttime snowmobiling. We disembarked an hour after sunset and were quickly ushered into a cabin where we were fitted with heavy snow gear, gloves and motorcycle helmets. As we boarded the bus that would take us to the snowmobiles, it was somewhat disconcerting to see our ship sailing away – especially as we would be driving through the Arctic landscape to the next port.
After a detailed briefing, we headed out into the starry night and followed our guide through the pristine snow of Finnmark, Norway’s northernmost region. Keeping track of the red taillights of the leading skidoo required concentration, but the experience was action-packed. At times it felt like I was in the middle of a James Bond chase scene.

Halfway through the journey we stopped and turned off the engines. In the silence, we all tilted our heads back and pointed our phones toward the sky. At first it seemed like nothing more than a gray mist floating above us. But slowly, faint green streaks began to appear through the lenses of our cameras. The Northern Lights were there, after all: subtle and ghostly, not always clearly visible to the naked eye, but unmistakable on our screens.

As we approached Kirkenes, the last stop of our journey, the atmosphere on board became noticeably more excited and curious. Outside, the mercury had dropped below minus ten degrees Celsius and the sea itself had begun to freeze, with small sheets of ice floating alongside the ship. The conversations turned to what we should do once we arrived.

Some passengers were discussing a trip to the Russian border, while others were planning a visit to the Snow Hotel, including a ride with a husky dog. The bravest could even spend the night in the ice hotel itself. Guests sleep in specialized insulated sleeping bags on thick mattresses and reindeer skins, laid on beds cut from ice blocks. In the end we opted for the husky dog tour. The Alaskan huskies were bursting with energy, clearly excited for the chance to run, and soon they were pulling us through the frozen Arctic landscape for a 20-minute ride over snow-covered trails and silent, icy fjords.

By the end of the trip I realized that the journey had been much more than a simple search for the Northern Lights. The journey along Norway’s historic coastal route provided a rare insight into life along this rugged coastline, from quiet fjord villages and dramatic Arctic landscapes to the warmth of shared meals and unexpected encounters along the way. Traveling aboard a modern ship while following a 130-year-old maritime lifeline felt like experiencing Norway’s past and future at the same time. And somewhere between the silent fjords, snowy adventures and that faint green glimmer in the Arctic sky, the legendary coastal journey more than lived up to the stories I had heard all those years ago.

More information

Havila trips operates a fleet of four modern, environmentally friendly ships on the historic Norwegian coastal route, also known as the Coastal Express (Kystruten).

The company offers twelve-day return flights between Bergen and Kirkenes, with the option to book shorter segments, aimed at both tourists and locals traveling between the 34 ports.