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The Havila Norwegian coastal ferry route recently earned a coveted spot on TIME magazine’s 2024 “World’s Greatest Places” list, cementing its status as a must-visit trip and destination.
For over 130 years, the Norwegian coastal ferry has connected communities along Norway’s rugged coastline, making stops at 34 coastal communities. This 12 day voyage that spans 2,500 nautical miles offers travellers an extraordinary opportunity to experience the raw beauty of Norway, particularly during the winter months when the Arctic Circle is cloaked in Polar Night.
With luck, passengers may even catch the mesmerizing Northern Lights—a bucket-list moment for many.
What is this unique journey like? And what is Havila Voyages doing in its effort to lead the way in sustainable maritime travel?
The Havila Experience
In November, I embarked on this journey with Havila Voyages, a company leading the way in sustainable maritime travel.
Unlike traditional cruises that emphasize lavish buffets and elaborate shows, Havila Voyages offers an eco-friendly experience rooted in simplicity and respect for the environment.
Think locally sourced small-plate dining and streamlined itineraries featuring brief but impactful port stops. This is a voyage designed for the mindful traveller, one that blends modern sustainability with the timeless allure of Norway’s natural landscapes.
Four Havila ships ply this coastal ferry route carrying day passengers, freight and mail. However, they also accommodate overnight passengers in true cruise-ship comfort.
The cabins are of the same standard as any other cruise I have taken. In fact, they are the same size or bigger than other cruise ship cabins.
The four identical ships are also all brand new, making them kinder to the environment but also modern and sparkling clean.
You can sit on these ships, relax and enjoy the coastal scenery. You can choose not to get off the ships at all or you can get off multiple times. The choice is yours, depending on what sort of experience you want.
If you do get off, as I did, the coastal scenery and the excursions on offer are both amazing and unique.
Ready to join me on this unforgettable adventure? Let’s dive into the details of this unique coastal journey.
History of the Norwegian Coastal Express
This route started in 1893. Various operators have plowed the 2,500 nautical mile route. Currently, it is served by Havila Voyages (since 2021) and Hurtigruten. Between the two companies, a ship calls into each of the thirty-four ports every day, weather permitting.
The ships carry day passengers, passengers who book cabins (like my husband and I), mail and freight.
You can sail anything from one port to the whole voyage from Bergen to Kirkenes to Bergen. This is called the Round Voyage. We had the pleasure of sailing the Round Voyage on the Havila Pollux.
However, we didn’t sail the whole trip as the weather disrupted the start of our voyage. Instead of sailing from Bergen, Havila flew us to Trondheim and we sailed from there. Full marks to Havila for handling this logistical nightmare. It signalled the start of an adventure of a lifetime.
The Havila Pollux
The four new, identical Havila ships that service the Coastal Ferry route carry 640 passengers (468 passengers plus room for 172 day travellers) and have 179 Nordic-style cabins. The ships have a crew of 76.
On our voyage, the crew numbered 71 and the passengers averaged 270 (numbers vary as passengers alight and depart). The Southbound voyage is traditionally less popular, although Hotel Manager Gabriella told me that there are more and more people sailing the South leg.
All signage and messaging on the ship are in three languages – Norwegian, English and German.
Our Cabin
We had a Superior Seaview Double cabin. This is just over 161 square feet (15m2) and was very well-appointed with a comfortable bed, couch, desk, chair, and carpeted floor. The cabin also contained a kettle, mini-fridge, flat screen TV, shelving, wardrobe, several power points and USB outlets and great lighting.
The Havila ships are all new (the Pollux dates from 2023), so everything is clean Nordic-design.
The ensuite bathroom was compact but the shower was a good size and had great water pressure and hot water. My only small gripe was that there was nowhere to stow our toiletries in the bathroom.
Dining on Havila Voyages
We had all meals included – breakfast, lunch and dinner in the main restaurant, Havrand or in the Havly café. Food is expensive in Norway so having all meals included for twelve days is worth taking into account when considering the cruise fare.
Usually, we ate at Havrand, but if we weren’t feeling as hungry or felt like a change, the Havly café was a great option.
Best Tips & Tools to Plan Your Trip
Havrand is á la carte for breakfast, accompanied by a buffet of cold cuts, breads, fruit and cereals. This is the only buffet Havila offers. I’ll come back to that.
Havrand lunch and dinner are small plates and the menus change every three days, featuring port and seasonally-driven foods from regional suppliers. There are “Always On the Menu” items in addition to the items that change every three days.
For lunch, the suggestion is three small plates per person plus the “secret” (i.e. dessert) if you’re hungry. You can order more plates but the encouragement is not to waste.
Dinner was the same style, but the main courses (entrées in US-speak) came with shared vegetables and were a bigger size.
Extras
If you wanted more than three plates (and shared vegetables) for dinner, there was a nominal charge of NOK50 (USD$4.50) per plate. We never needed more than three plates.
The food was tasty and plated more like a fine dining experience than an “ordinary” restaurant. Highlights were the soups and the reindeer (don’t knock it until you try it).
The absence of a buffet and the choice to serve small plates is all in aid of the Havila food wastage goal of 72 grams per guest per day. This goal is not just puffery – in 2023, an average of only 58 grams of food waste was generated per guest per day.
We had a memorable dinner at the fine dining restaurant Hildring. Six delicious courses came out, plated to perfection. Unlike Havrand, where there are multiple sittings, this was one sitting only, which made for a completely unrushed experience. For a supplement of 295NOK (USD$41.00), this was great value.
Drinks on Havila Voyages
You can purchase drinks as you go or via a package (alcoholic or non-alcoholic). The packages are based on units. We purchased the smallest package onboard at 30 units (3,995NOK or USD$359.32).
There are lots of drinks to choose from but we are not big drinkers and it probably would have been better value for us to purchase as we went.
Havila is working on new drink offerings, so I suggest checking online for details.
The Entertainment on Havila Voyages
There is no entertainment in the usual cruise sense, i.e., no singers and no theatre shows. But there are daily gatherings (briefings) of about half an hour about what to expect in terms of sights, weather, and excursions, with a dose of Norwegian music and culture thrown in.
Another activity on board are the Havila Food Stories events where tastings of local delicacies such as bacalao (salted cod) and blue mussels are offered.
There is a lot of downtime on this voyage. Again, it’s not a cruise in the traditional sense.
My suggestion is to BYO entertainment – books, games, downloaded shows, and whatever floats your boat (excuse the pun). There are heaps of communal lounge areas with seating and great floor-to-ceiling windows, but if you don’t bring something to do, you will likely get bored, especially if you travel in winter and experience long hours of darkness.
There is free WiFi, which works very well, but it is not strong enough to download anything, so be prepared.
From a wellness point of view, there’s a gym onboard (a weights room and a cardio room), a sauna and two jacuzzis.
Commitment to Sustainability
When the onboard Expeditions team tells you that you’re on an eco-voyage and you’re an eco-voyager, they are not just motherhood statements.
The four new Havila ships have groundbreaking batteries. Billed as the largest on any passenger ship, the 86-ton batteries allow for both hybrid propulsion (paired with liquefied natural gas [LNG]) as well as battery-only power for up to four hours of fully emissions-free and noise-free cruising. The batteries are recharged whilst in port.
After being aboard for 12 days, I can attest to silent motoring, silent docking and departures. No earth-shatteringly noisy side thrusters as the ship departs, just silent gliding away from the dock.
In 2026, Norway will ban fossil fuel-powered vessels from its UNESCO World Heritage-protected fjords. Havila is planning for zero-emissions operations, phasing out LNG for renewable biogas (fuel made from organic waste) by 2028 and embracing fuel alternatives like hydrogen by 2030.
There are other sustainability initiatives, too, including minimizing food waste, copious signs all over the ship about conserving water and cabin lights automatically dimming and turning off after a period. Even the onboard jacuzzis are heated from surplus heat generated aboard.
Arctic Excursions
We organised all our excursions through Havila. Excursions are also clearly identified as being provided in English or German. You can pre-book excursions or book onboard.
Given how short some of the port stops are, I wouldn’t risk booking excursions independently. If you book through Havila, you know that the ship won’t leave without you. Some of the excursions even deliberately drop you off at a different port from the one where you start the excursion.
We had a couple of pre-booked excursions cancelled (and refunded) due to weather but we still had a few terrific experiences.
Number one for us – the ATV/Quad Bike Safari out of Honningsvåg was exhilarating. We felt like we were riding to the Top of the World. As a rear passenger, I can only say it was super comfortable and the views were to die for. Seeing everything under snow was a definite highlight for both of us.
Reindeer feeding and Sámi culture (Tromsø) was completely unique. Sledding is a part of this excursion when under snow. (We were about a week early for the snow).
Even without the sledding, hand-feeding reindeer and enjoying hot chocolate around a roaring fire whilst a Sámi sang songs (“joiks” in the Sámi language) and told us stories was very memorable. To cap off a magical experience, we also saw the Northern Lights whilst we were at the reindeer farm.
Another unique excursion was a Polar night walk (Svolvær) complete with headlamps. A Guide took us around a former fishing village, telling us stories of Vikings and the important Norwegian fishing tradition.
Other Port Highlights
We had bonus time (courtesy of the weather) in Trondheim and really enjoyed it. Even on a Sunday when all the shops were closed, we wandered happily all day.
Particular highlights included: The Old Town Bridge, the Bakklandet neighbourhood, the Kristiansten Fortress and the Nidaros Cathedral.
Nidaros Cathedral is the world’s northernmost Gothic medieval cathedral. This was the first time we saw the world’s northernmost title, but we were to see many over the next couple of weeks. Even the world’s northernmost McDonald’s in Tromsø.
We also really enjoyed wandering in the falling snow at Kirkenes – an absolute novelty for an Australian.
At its heart, this trip is a ferry so the stops can be in the middle of the night and can also be super short. It is not a traditional cruise with half-day or longer stops. That’s one of the reasons the excursions are really worth doing.
Northern Lights
Norway’s Arctic skies are the premier location for experiencing this magical phenomenon. At sea, there is little light pollution so we were hopeful.
You can opt into Northern Lights announcements. The first time the call came across the PA, there was a rush to the outdoor decks. Lucky us, we enjoyed these announcements over three days. We could see the shimmering, vibrant green with our naked eye, which was a thrill.
Most Northern Lights photos are edited and taken from a tripod. We were lucky enough to be able to capture our unedited memories on our iPhones, even from a moving ship. Unbelievable, and a definite reason to go on this voyage outside of summer.
What to Pack
We are from Melbourne, Australia, which has a temperate climate so freezing temperatures and clothing are foreign to us.
We took a waterproof parka each, ski pants, waterproof boots, beanies, neck gaiters, waterproof gloves, warm socks and layers.
A note about boots. Waterproofing is, of course, very important when you are walking through snow. Sturdy and as non-slip as possible are also important. We found the icy roads very, very slippery.
Packing bulky winter clothes is hard. Travelling with Havila, you can limit your choices of outfits as washing and drying is no problem on the ship. There is a free, self-service laundry (with three washers and three dryers). The hanging part of the wardrobe has a heating vent in it and the bathroom floor is heated.
Would I Sail This Voyage Again?
Yes, 100%. It was an adventure, but it was an easy one. The ship is lovely, new, and has a modern Nordic design. The food is great, and we were expertly transported from port to port, unpacking just once.
Sailing in winter can bring rough seas at times and many hours of darkness (especially in northern Norway where we sailed during the Polar Night). However, on the plus side, there was a lot of snow and the absolute bucket list of seeing the Northern Lights more than once.
It was also comforting to have a toasty-warm refuge to stay aboard or to retreat to after exploring onshore.
Having experienced this trip in winter when the daylight hours are almost at their shortest, though, I would probably not repeat that experience.
Next time (and I plan for there to be a next time), I’ll go when there is more daylight to experience the port stops and to maximise the scenic cruising from the wonderful array of huge windows there are all over the ship.
My tip is to consider what season you want to visit as the weather and the daylight hours will play a huge part in your experience on and off the ship.
I had a wonderful, magical first experience of Norway. Made easy by cruising with Havila. Norway, what a coastline, what a country. I can’t wait to see more.
Learn more about Havila Voyage’s Round Voyage Cruise
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Author Bio: Leonie Jarrett lives in Melbourne, Australia with her Husband of more than 3 decades, 2 of her 4 adult children and her 2 Golden Retrievers. Leonie is a lawyer who has owned several businesses. She loves to write! Now that she is semi-retired, avid traveller Leonie loves writing about her travels and her experiences.
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