Norwegian Fjords and Cities

Day 1 Southampton Titan’s VIP door-to-door travel service collects you from home, for your journey to Southampton, where our staff will greet you and assist with embarking Braemar (3T+) in preparation for a late evening sailing. Day 2 At sea A day at sea, giving you time to relax and familiarise yourself with the extensive facilities on board. Day 3 Kristiansand, Norway Our first taste of Norway is Kristiansand, an island city connected to the mainland by a chain of bridges. Rebuilt since the devastation of World War II, it is home to some of Norway’s most iconic modern architecture. Reminders of pre-war Kristiansand still remain though, notably the city’s opera house - the oldest in Norway - which offers around 100 opera performances and an opera festival every year. You may like to visit the old colourful villages of nearby Grip Island, a prominent fishing settlement in the 15th and 16th centuries that now has no permanent residents, however some return to these weathered shores for the summer. Day 4 Oslo Oslo, the capital and largest city of Norway, is one of Scandinavia’s most historic, interesting and welcoming destinations. Surrounded by mountains and its own fjord, this compact and cultured city is easy to explore on foot. Of the many museums, you may like to visit the National Gallery, home to Edvard Munch’s iconic ‘The Scream’; and the Vigelandsparken Sculpture Park is a Norwegian institution, home to more than 200 bronze, granite and wrought iron sculptures by Gustav Vigeland. Alternatively, the fantastic Viking Ship Museum has three ships recovered from royal burial mounds in Oslofjord, or the medieval Akershus Castle that dominates the harbour is worth visiting. Outside the city, photogenic Oslofjord and the stunning natural landscapes of Oslomarka, home to lynx, beaver, Eurasian elk and deer, await discovery. Day 5 Arendal This quaint, sleepy town is quickly becoming one of Norway’s most sought-after visitor spots. Once an important shipbuilding and shipping town, Arendal’s pretty harbour is where the town’s busy fish market, finest restaurants and welcoming pubs are found, as well as the striking Town Hall - the tallest wooden building in Norway. In Tyholmen, the historic town centre, discover protected narrow alleyways and fine examples of 17th century architecture, including brightly-painted wooden houses and towering Trefoldighetskirken Church. Day 6 Cruise Karmsund - Furebergfoss Waterfall - Hardangerfjord - Eidfjord Cruise along Karmsund, a narrow channel between Karmoey Island and Haugesund only passable by smaller ships; and along Maurangerfjord, gliding past the pretty 150m-high Furebergfossen Waterfall. We continue on the queen of the fjords - Hardangerfjord - where orchards and towering mountains engraved with waterfalls stretch along its 179km length. An afternoon moored in the picturesque village of Eidfjord allows you to take a short tour encompassing Hæreid, the largest Viking burial site from the Iron Age. Alternatively, take advantage of its scenic location with an excursion to Hardangervidda Nature Centre or the Voringfossen Waterfall, a tumbling natural beauty set deep in the mountains of Måbødalen Valley. Day 7 Cruise Lysefjord Lysefjord is a stunning example of Norway’s spectacular natural beauty, lined by magnificent mountains and dramatic cliff faces soaring over 1,000 metres high. Look out for waterfalls, wildlife and pretty settlements dotted along the shores. On a clear day it is possible to see the famous Preikestolen, a huge 604m-high, flat mountain plateau, and Kjeragbolten, a large rock wedged within one of Mount Kjerag’s crevices. Day 8 At sea Day 9 Southampton We disembark after breakfast and you will be met and guided to your Titan vehicle, for the journey home.