| | | | | Arrive | Depart |
| 5th05 | OctOct | 202121 | Hamburg, Germany, embark on the MS Otto Sverdrup | | 18:00 |
| Hamburg is Germany’s second-largest city with a history dating back to Charlemagne. A major port, this vibrant city is home to art and culture, extensive shopping facilities, Baroque buildings and waterfront vistas. With its well-known fish market, art galleries and Museums together with several beautiful parks including a botanical garden, this is a city with something for everyone. British visitors who remember the Swinging Sixties may like to visit the streets around Grosse Freiheit, where an unknown pop group called The Beatles gave their first public performances in various local clubs before achieving worldwide fame. Please note: Those on the Saga Pearl II P2216 cruise in December 2018 should be aware that the Christmas Market is likely to be extremely busy during your call. |
| 5th05 | OctOct | 202121 | Cuxhaven, Germany | 23:00 | 23:59 |
| 6th06 | OctOct | 202121 | At Sea | | |
| 7th07 | OctOct | 202121 | Stavanger, Norway | 08:00 | 14:00 |
| Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, Stavanger flourished in the 19th century as a fishing port. While other towns in Norway have suffered with the decline of this industry, Stavanger has kept its economy booming by diversifying, first into shipbuilding and now into oil. These two contrasting industries have created a city of two halves – a modern area of high-rise buildings and a historic centre with cobbled streets and old wooden houses. The city centre was the birthplace of Alexander Kielland, one of the great 19th-century Norwegian novelists. Stavanger Cathedral, dating from 1125, is an impressive building and the only medieval cathedral in Norway that has not been substantially altered since it was first built. From Stavanger you can explore the attractive blue waters of Lysefjord, surrounded by cliffs and striking rock formations, and also visit Hafrsfjord where the Viking King Harald won an important battle that started the Unification of Norway. Those preferring to explore on their own may wish to visit the interesting Petroleum Museum. |
| 8th08 | OctOct | 202121 | Ålesund, Norway | 11:00 | 17:00 |
| The coastal town of Ålesund is the commercial capital of the Møre og Romsdal district. But more important, it is noted for its characteristic Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) buildings, which some claim make Ålesund one of the most beautiful towns in Norway. This Art Nouveau style emerged when the town was completely rebuilt after a devastating fire in 1904 destroyed nearly 800 buildings and left 10,000 residents homeless. It is said that the fire started by a tipped oil lamp. Rebuilding was carried out with the help of many young, foreign architects who added their own flourishes to the architectural blend of German Jugendstil and Viking roots. Today, narrow streets are crammed with buildings topped with turrets, spires and gables that bear decorations of dragonheads and curlicues. As one of the few remaining Art Nouveau towns in the world, in 1998 Ålesund was awarded the coveted Houens National Memorial Prize for the preservation of its unique architecture. |
| 9th09 | OctOct | 202121 | Brønnøysund, Norway | 15:00 | 19:00 |
| Sitting just below the Arctic Circle, a visit to Bronnoysund guarantees a journey of culture and extraordinary scenery. Bronnoysund is quintessential Norway, and encompasses everything you'd expect from this stunning country - along with plenty of surprises along the way. Raking fjords, scattered islands, and roaring rivers provide a huge natural bounty - but it’s the Torghatten Mountain that’s Bronnoysund’s true crowning glory. Torghatten Mountain rises like a colossal castle of sheer granite, and is particularly striking because it’s punctured right through the centre by a giant hole. Line up the view just right, and you can see sunlight bursting through the hole, as if illuminated by a massive spotlight. It's hard to imagine how such a striking phenomenon would form naturally, and indeed the local folklore has a persuasive explanation – that it was created when an arrow ripped through the troll king's hat, which was thrown into the air to protect a fleeing girl. The hat turned to stone, and the arrow’s hole is preserved there to this day. If you care to climb Torghatten Mountain, you can walk through its cavernous interior, to look down over the red wooden barns and glistening lakes below. |
| 10th10 | OctOct | 202121 | Reine, Lofoten Archipelago, Norway | 08:00 | 12:00 |
| Lofoten Islands are considered to be in “another world” and for good reason. The archipelago with its jagged coastline is a majestic setting of high alpine summits, sandy beaches, green prairies and spectacular fjords. Many of the fjords are UNESCO listed, so whichever you manage to see will be a treat. Reine is a picture-perfect village surrounded by blue waters, lush greenery and speckled colour from the fishermen’s cottages. Enjoy hiking, whale-watching and birdwatching from this idyllic setting. |
| 11th11 | OctOct | 202121 | Alta, Norway | 13:30 | 01:30 |
| People have been attracted to the community of Alta for thousands of years, and prehistoric rock carvings discovered in 1973 can be seen at the Alta Museum. Situated at the head of the Altafjord, it is a lush, green and hospitable shelter in the otherwise cold and windswept Finnmark landscape. Halfway between the grim, barren mountain plateau and the wet, stormy coast, Alta offers tree-clad valleys, pleasant temperatures and no more rain than the Sahara. However at 70 degrees North it is quite a different story in winter, when heavy snowfalls and sub-zero temperatures are the order of the day, and clear dark night skies become the arena for dazzling displays of the elusive Aurora Borealis, also referred to as 'the temperamental lady' by Laplanders. The world’s first Northern Lights Observatory, which played an important role in the development of geophysical and meteorological research during the first half of the 20th century, is located just 12 miles from Alta. Perched atop Haldde Mountain, it towers almost 3,000 feet above Kafjord, where the battleship Tirpitz was based during the Second World War. |
| 12th12 | OctOct | 202121 | Honningsvåg, Norway | 10:30 | 20:00 |
| Searching in 1553 for a northeast passage to India, British navigator Richard Chancellor came upon a crag 307 yards above the Barents Sea. He named the jut of rock North Cape, or Nordkapp. Today Europe's northernmost point is a rite-of-passage journey for nearly all Scandinavians and many others. Most cruise passengers visit Nordkapp from Honningsvåg, a fishing village on Magerøya Island. The journey from Honningsvåg to Nordkapp covers about 35 km (22 miles) across a landscape characterized by rocky tundra and grazing reindeer, which are rounded up each spring by Sami herdsmen in boats. The herdsmen herd the reindeer across a mile-wide channel from their winter home on the mainland. Honningvåg's northerly location makes for long, dark winter nights and perpetually sun-filled summer days. The village serves as the gateway to Arctic exploration and the beautiful Nordkapp Plateau, a destination that calls to all visitors of this region. Most of those who journey to Nordkapp (North Cape), the northernmost tip of Europe, are in it for a taste of this unique, otherworldly, rugged yet delicate landscape. You'll see an incredible treeless tundra, with crumbling mountains and sparse dwarf plants. The subarctic environment is very vulnerable, so don't disturb the plants. Walk only on marked trails and don't remove stones, leave car marks, or make campfires. Because the roads are closed in winter, the only access is from the tiny fishing village of Skarsvåg via Sno-Cat, a thump-and-bump ride that's as unforgettable as the desolate view. |
| 13th13 | OctOct | 202121 | Tromsø, Norway | 10:00 | 23:59 |
| With its centre located on the island of Tromsø, the municipality of Tromsø is more than five times the size of Norway’s capital, Oslo, and is the world’s northernmost university city. Lying 200 miles inside the Arctic Circle, it is known as the 'Gateway to the Arctic' because it was used as a starting point for hunters looking for Arctic foxes, polar bears and seals. In the 19th century it was a base for explorers on Arctic expeditions – a history that is remembered in the city’s Polar Museum, which you can visit on an excursion. Also commemorated in the area is the history of Norway’s indigenous people, the Sami. Visitors can learn about the traditions, heritage and modern preservation of the Sami culture at the Tromsø Museum. Nowadays, Tromsø is a charming mix of old and new, with wooden buildings sitting alongside contemporary architecture such as the impressive glacier-like Arctic Cathedral, which features one of the largest stained glass windows in Europe. Looking down on the city is Mount Storsteinen, and a cable car runs to the top, giving wonderful views over the surrounding countryside of forested peaks and reindeer pastures. |
| 14th14 | OctOct | 202121 | Narvik, Norway | 11:00 | 19:00 |
| At 68 degrees North, Narvik lies 140 miles inside the Arctic Circle. Its history as a settlement began in the Stone Age, and Vikings are also known to have lived in the area. The modern town came into existence in the 1870s to serve the needs of the iron industry. Iron ore is mined in neighbouring Sweden and, as an ice-free port, Narvik was chosen as the ideal export location. The LKAB mining corporation is still a major employer and landowner in the area, shipping some 25,000,000 tons of iron ore from the port annually. This industrial heritage has shaped the town and now forms the basis of some of its most popular tourist attractions. In 1883 a co-owned British-Swedish company was given permission to build a railway connecting the Swedish iron mines in Kiruna to Narvik. It opened in 1902 and the town, then christened Victoriahavn, grew up around it. Unfortunately much of Narvik was destroyed in World War II. Invaded by the Nazis on 9 April 1940, it was later retaken by the Allies, representing the first military defeat of Hitler’s troops, but was evacuated as part of Operation Alphabet when it came under German occupation again. The local war museum documents the turbulent history of this period. |
| 15th15 | OctOct | 202121 | At Sea | | |
| 16th16 | OctOct | 202121 | Kristiansund, Norway | 08:00 | 12:00 |
| 16th16 | OctOct | 202121 | Molde, Norway | 16:00 | 17:00 |
| Molde, the 'Town of Roses', is a city and municipality in Romsdal in Møre og Romsdal County, Norway. The municipality is located on the Romsdal Peninsula, surrounding the Fannefjord and Moldefjord. The city is located on the northern shore of the Romsdalsfjord. The city of Molde is the administrative centre of Møre og Romsdal County, administrative center of the municipality of Molde, commercial hub of the Romsdal region and seat of the Diocese of Møre. Molde proper consists of a 6.2-mile (10-kilometre) long and 0.62-1.24 mile (1-2-kilometre) wide strip of urban land running east-west along the north shore of the Moldefjord, an arm of the Romsdalsfjord, on the Romsdal Peninsula. The city is sheltered by Bolsøya and the Molde Archipelago, a chain of low-lying islands and islets, to the south and the wood-clad hills of Moldemarka to the north. The city centre is located just west of the River Moldeelva, which runs into the city from the north, originating in the Lake Moldevatnet and running through the Valley Moldedalen. |
| 17th17 | OctOct | 202121 | Bergen, Norway | 09:00 | 16:00 |
| Surrounded by mountains and sparkling fjords, the waterside city of Bergen has a spectacular setting. There has been a settlement here since medieval times and the colourful waterfront buildings of the Hanseatic wharf, known as Bryggen, are testament to its fascinating history of trade. As Norway’s best known medieval settlement, the Bryggen is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Our comprehensive selection of excursions allows you to discover the many sides of Bergen, such as the fish market and narrow cobbled streets, as well as stunning views of the city from the summit of Mt Fløyen. Alternatively, those who have visited the city previously may like to experience one of the tours that travel further afield. Just 300 yards from the main piers, you will find the Fortress Museum (Fesningsmuseum), which has an interesting collection of objects related to World War II. |
| 18th18 | OctOct | 202121 | At Sea | | |
| 19th19 | OctOct | 202121 | Hamburg, Germany, disembark the MS Otto Sverdrup | 09:00 | |
| Hamburg is Germany’s second-largest city with a history dating back to Charlemagne. A major port, this vibrant city is home to art and culture, extensive shopping facilities, Baroque buildings and waterfront vistas. With its well-known fish market, art galleries and Museums together with several beautiful parks including a botanical garden, this is a city with something for everyone. British visitors who remember the Swinging Sixties may like to visit the streets around Grosse Freiheit, where an unknown pop group called The Beatles gave their first public performances in various local clubs before achieving worldwide fame. Please note: Those on the Saga Pearl II P2216 cruise in December 2018 should be aware that the Christmas Market is likely to be extremely busy during your call. |
