Cruising beneath the northern lights
One of the Kirkenes Snowhotel’s sculpted bedrooms;
The northern lights seen from the deck of a Hurtigruten ship
If ice music doesn’t appeal, Norway offers plenty more adventures this winter. The Hurtigruten ferry service has linked remote communities since 1893, threading through fjords and past skerries. During the months of darkness in the far north, the most anticipated sight from the deck is also an elusive one: the aurora borealis. With that in mind, the Hurtigruten makes a promise – if the northern lights don’t put on a display during the classic round-trip route, then passengers can try again for free the following winter. Heavenly lights aside, there is plenty to do along the coast. As the sun hides just under the horizon, a few hours of clear but pale light are enough to take an excursion on a smaller boat to see humpback whales sending up puffs of spray in the fjords. Other activities include husky sledding, snowmobile rides and the chance to stand at Nordkapp, Europe’s northern limit. If you can forego your cosy cabin for a night, bed down in a snow hotel, freshly carved into shape each winter.
A snowmobile trip in Lapland