Top Tips for a Norwegian Fjords Cruise

If you’re considering a cruise holiday to Norway and the Fjords, take this as your sign to go ahead and book that trip! Our 7 night Norwegian Fjords cruise aboard the Celebrity Silhouette was one of our most memorable holidays ever and our favourite cruise so far. I’d recommend this cruise for first time cruisers as well as the more experienced, if stunning scenery appeals to you even more than sunny weather and beach days. We loved both the cruising experience as well as our first time at this destination, and off the back of this amazing holiday I wanted to share some of our top tips.

Tip 1: What to Pack for a Norwegian Cruise

One of our biggest questions before setting sail was what to pack for our trip. After experiencing very mixed weather during our trip, everything from heatwave highs to torrential rain, I would advise packing a wide range of clothing. For days in port and on board too, you’ll need casual daywear with lots of layers for varying temperatures, plus a coat for rainy days and maybe an umbrella too. We were happy we’d packed more than one pair of trainers and one pair of jeans each for when one set got wet through!

You’ll also need some evening outfits for onboard your ship. This will totally depend on your cruise line, but we found there was a real mix of outfit styles on board. Most evenings we were happy in jeans and a nicer top or jumper. On formal nights, or “smart casual” nights I wore a dress and craig a suit. But not everyone was even that smart, and it seems like people dress according to their personal style more than traditional cruise attire these days.

Something we did not need was local currency, as we found out in advance that Norway is largely cashless now. We didn’t even need cash to use the bus, which was very convenient.

There was also no need for us to pack towels, as towels are provided in the room and towels for the pool provided by the pool.

Tip 2: Sail From Southampton with a Stopover

We were so happy to sail on a cruise from Southampton, meaning that we did not need to book any flights! As we are based up north in Manchester we also chose to attach a 2 night stay in Dorset to the start of our trip, and this made the whole thing very relaxed. We were able to enjoy 2 gorgeous days in the June heatwave by the seaside in Lulworth Cove, and then drive just 1 hour to board our ship in Southampton. If you have the luxury of a local stay before embarking, we’d recommend doing this. We also paid to park at the port in Southampton, which was worth the price for the convenience of walking right onto the ship.

Tip 3: Plan in Advance for Ports

I recommend doing your research in order to make the most of your days in port. We only had 4 ports to stop in, and we didn’t want to waste them!

Start off by finding out everything there is to do in or near your port and pick out which things appeal the most. Find out how to get about, especially if you need to travel to see something. We wanted to visit 2 places by bus, so I researched bus routes and how to pay for the bus (which was different for each place!). And finally, you may need to make some advanced bookings for some activities to make sure you’re not disappointed. This was especially true for Olden – I’d recommend having a plan for there in advance, even if you don’t for any other ports.

We discovered that all our ports on this cruise had a unique charm, and I’ll share my tips for each port below.

Tip 4: Take Lots of Photos and Soak Up the Views

This was one of the most scenic holidays we have ever been on and taking in the views was one of the main highlights. Of course we also made sure to get plenty of stunning photos too.

Tip 5: Don’t Miss Sail In and Sail Out

Sailing in and out of the ports is another major highlight of a Norway cruise, with absolutely breathtaking fjords scenery to enjoy. Don’t miss out on these moments! Our sail in to Olden was very early in the morning and we were all invited to get up before 5am to take it all in from an exclusive position on the helipad, not normally accessible to guests. If you are invited to do something like this I’d definitely recommend doing it! It’s all part of the unique appeal of a Norwegian Fjords cruise.

Tip 6: Find Out About Tax Refunds

Some Norwegian ports are a great place to enjoy a spot of shopping. If you do spend quite a bit of money purchasing items that are not food or drink, make sure you find out about the tax reclaim service on your ship. You’ll need to get the correct forms from the shops at the time of purchase, keep your receipts and make time to reclaim the tax before you arrive back in the UK.

Tip 7: Find Your Favourite Spots On-Board

Even on a smaller cruise ship you’ll find a nice range of bars, restaurants and places to sit and enjoy. Different bars have different appeal, and we were surprised to find that we hardly visited our favourite spots from our Mediterranean cruise (the upper deck outdoor Sunset Bar and Mast Grill). Instead, as it was a breezier location with chillier evenings, we preferred indoor spots such as the Sky Lounge with panoramic views of the fjords from the top front of the ship.

Tips for a Day in Bergen

• The sail into and out of Bergen is stunning, so make sure you go on deck to enjoy that.
• We had decided that everything we wanted to see in Bergen was in the town itself and was going to be walkable. So we dressed for a rainy afternoon and set off exploring on foot.
• We made sure we visited the famous fish market on our way to Bryggen Wharf.
• Bryggen Hanseatic Wharf is a UNESCO heritage site, and a very unique place to explore. This historical fishing/trade site is made up of the red, yellow and green painted wooden buildings you’ll see on many images of Bergen. These days they house an interesting range of gift shops, indie shops and art galleries and it was a lovely place to wander around and enjoy some shopping.
• Not far from Bryggen was the funicular which took us up Mount Floyen. This was worth the trip for the stunning (even though rainy) views across the town and port, and to meet the friendly cashmere goats who live there. We booked online in advance here.
• We spotted a number of QR codes on plaques on historical landmarks, and we discovered that using them linked us to more detailed information about those sites. Look out for those if you are interested in learning about the history of a place.

Tips for a Day in Alesund

• Our day in Alesund was a much longer one so we’d planned to do a couple of major things. It also turned out to be very sunny!
• Alesund is a beautiful city to explore on foot, with Art Nouveau architecture and a lovely harbour, as well as plenty of shops.
• We have an interest in Viking history and as we’d heard there was a boat hall at Sunnmøre Museum which had some ships from this era, we took a bus over there for the morning. This is primarily an outdoor museum with a collection of preserved old houses to explore. But we also enjoyed the Boat Museum and Mediaeval Museum at the same site.
• The bus to Sunnmøre was right next to the cruise port, and we paid for a return ticket with contactless card on boarding. We didn’t book the museum in advance, and just turned up and explored until we’d seen everything we wanted to.
• For the afternoon we had prebooked a RIB tour with 62Nord down the Hjorundfjord. This exhilarating fast boat ride was one of the highlights of our whole holiday for both excitement and scenery and I would absolutely recommend it!
• We were too exhausted to attempt the Aksla steps and viewpoint, but we did hear that this was worth doing too.

Tips for a Day in Olden

• Olden and Nordfjord was without a doubt the most beautiful place I have ever been and I will never forget it.
• I recommend getting up at the crack of dawn to experience the stunning sunrise sail up from a higher deck.
• I also recommend having something pre-booked for your day in Olden. Olden itself is very tiny, and the coaches to see the two main tourist attractions in this area get booked up early.
• We chose to visit Briksdal Glacier, which was one of the highlights of our whole trip. This was booked in advance through Olden Adventure, and was an extremely scenic 45 minute coach ride (each way) to the national park of Briksdal. Once there we had an unforgettable hour-long walk/hike though woodland and waterfalls, past mountains and lakes, to see the tip of Briksdal glacier. I 100% recommend walking this trail if you are able, because the scenery it is what made it so special. However, a short cut via troll car is also available if you are not able. This trail was breathtaking and a must do for a day in Olden in my opinion!
• However, there is also another option – the Loen Skylift. We heard that this was also an incredible experience, so you have your pick of two great sites on a visit to Olden!

Tips for a Day in Stavanger

• We found that Stavanger was a great port for anyone with an interest in history (although this is by no means its only appeal).
• Straight off the ship we explored Gamle Stavanger, the pretty old town full of white wooden buildings, colourful flowers and cobbled streets. You’ll want to take a few photos here as it’s one of the most famous and scenic parts of the town.
• We then took a bus to see a Viking monument slightly out of the centre, Sverd i Fjell. This is a huge waterside sculpture depicting 3 swords, commemorating the gathering of Norway into a single kingdom by Harald Fairhair. The bus took 10 minutes from near the cathedral in the centre, and we paid for our tickets via the Entur app.
• We also took the return journey by bus, but this time we alighted at the Museum of Archaeology (Arkeologisk Museum). We were primarily interested in their Viking exhibit, as there is little remaining from this time. However, we really enjoyed all of their exhibits, dating back through the Stone Age, Bronze Age and even seeing the skeleton of a polar bear from the Ice Age!
• We also happened to be in port on the day of a huge waterside food festival, so we explored that for the rest of the day rather than more of the town itself.

And finally…

My Top 5 Must Dos on a Norway Cruise

So if I had to pick my top 5 must dos for a Norwegian Fjords cruise, they would be:

1. Experience every port. Don’t miss out by staying on board during port days, because we enjoyed the uniqueness of very place we visited!
2. Watch the sail in and out of ports, because you’ll experience views and scenery unlike any you’ve seen before.
3. While on board make the most of the food, the entertainment and in particular the shows in the theatre.
4. When in Olden prebook a coach shuttle to Briksdal and walk the scenic trail to see the glacier.
5. Experience one of the fjords from the water with an exciting RIB ride!