These otherworldly ancient Viking highways are a delight

November 12, 2026 — 5:00am

More than 1000 fjords – from the gentle to the gargantuan – gouge the coast of Norway. After a day sailing on the North Sea, we have entered the busiest of these alluring inlets. The Oslofjord stretches 100 kilometres from the sea to the shores and cultural treasures of Oslo, Norway’s capital. Pleasure vessels, commuter ferries, cargo and cruise ships ply these deep blue waters. Right now, however, it seems we have the fjord to ourselves.

Granted, it is 5am. I’m rarely up this early by choice. But it’s the Norwegian summer, the sun rose an hour ago, and yesterday was hardly taxing (think: a leisurely brunch, coffee and cake, book and cocktails by the pool). We decided it would be a shame to sleep through our approach to Oslo, the first port on our seven-night return cruise to Norway from the Netherlands. I’m still in a daze when I stumble onto our stateroom balcony, but it’s amazing what a big gulp of fresh Nordic air – and a reel of postcard-pretty views – does for a fuzzy head.

The scenery, in truth, is more serene than scintillating. This is not a classic fjord in the geological sense; the cliffs far lower and less sheer than the ones that will dwarf us later in the week. Our itinerary stars the Sognefjord – the “King of the Fjords”, Norway’s longest, deepest and arguably most spectacular glacier-carved inlet. Yet, the Oslofjord has a soothing beauty, laced with wooded banks and idyllic, sparsely inhabited isles (Norway has about 240,000 islands and islets; only neighbouring Sweden has more).

This morning’s tranquillity is only faintly pierced by the droning engine of MS Rotterdam, this 2668-passenger Holland America flagship, launched in 2020 and recently refreshed at a Dutch dry dock. While we’re glad that we set our alarm, it wasn’t essential, as we’ll cruise in the opposite direction this evening, when there’ll be Oslofjord commentary at the Crow’s Nest, a panoramic lounge that’s geared for the ship’s scenic sailing sessions. We’ll be alerted to spots of passing interest, such as the Oscarsborg island fortress, whose secret underwater torpedo battery sunk a German naval vessel in April 1940, delaying the Nazi invasion of Oslo by 12 hours, enabling the evacuation of the Norwegian royals, government and gold reserves.

For now, we’ll make do with our own Oslofjord observations. “Wow, look at that house! So pretty,” says my partner, Celine, clutching her binoculars as we drift by cute, colourful wooden homes, holiday cabins and boat sheds. Almost 40 per cent of Norway’s 5 million population lives within a 45-minute drive of the fjord and summer brings yachters, kayakers, stand-up paddleboarders and birders. White-tailed sea eagles, guillemots and cormorants are among the 250-plus species recorded on the fjord, which has resident porpoises and bucketloads of Norse mythology. There are tales of the kraken – an ancient ship-swallowing sea monster – and trolls lurking behind rocks. Closing my drowsy eyes, I picture Viking longships sailing on the fjord, as they did a millennium ago.

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We’re cruising just before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, when Norway will become everyone’s second favourite team. The viral clips of players and fans mimicking Viking oarsmen with mass synchronised rowing manoeuvres, drumbeats and chants of “Ro!” (row) will stoke more visitor interest in a country that welcomed a record 7.2 million international arrivals in 2025, boosted by its year-round temptations: the Northern Lights in winter, the pristine fjords and Arctic archipelagos in almost continuous daylight.

Despite its long-standing reputation as an expensive place to visit, the Norwegian krone has weakened against major currencies – including the US dollar, Australian dollar and the euro – in the past decade. A cruise, in any case, allows travellers to avoid many of the costs of a land-based trip. Some joke that it’s still the most “afjord-able” way to do Norway.

You could splash out as little or as much as you like and still love Oslo, a city that’s quaint and cool, timeworn and cutting edge. We’re docked here from 7am to 5pm, affording us time to lap up its world-class art, architecture, nature and nautical heritage. From the cruise port, we stroll along the revamped waterfront, past floating wood-fired saunas, open-air bathing zones and sleek apartments, to the dazzling MUNCH, unveiled in 2021, housing the world’s largest collection of works by Edvard Munch. It has multiple versions of The Scream, a piece inspired by a profound walk Munch took up Ekeberg Hill, which rises above the harbour and has a park with quirky sculptures.

Oslo’s best public art, however, scatters Frogner Park, the city centre’s largest green space, where I peruse more than 200 naked human sculptures by another celebrated Norwegian, Gustav Vigeland. Keen to walk off my on-board indulgences – Norwegian salmon and reindeer, Indian curries, lobster pad thai, giant Dutch profiteroles – I clock up more than 20,000 steps in Oslo, exploring the leafy gardens of the neoclassical Royal Palace and Grunerlokka, a hip, mural-splashed enclave where I sip a revitalising cortado at the Tim Wendelboe espresso bar, a regular on lists of the world’s best coffee shops.

From Oslo, we skirt the south and west coasts of Norway, stopping at sleepy coastal ports – Mandal (near Kristiansand), Sandnes (near Stavanger) – where we can branch out independently or on group excursions with local guides. Our favourite outing immerses us in the forest-shrouded Vennesla region, an exhilarating pocket of Norwegian wilderness, where we tread the Tommerrenna timber slide, a four-kilometre flume that once transported pine and spruce logs for house and boat-building. Constant rainfall adds to the drama as we walk the slide by and above (via wobbly suspension bridges) the boulder-strewn rapids of the Otra River.

Even more sublime is our final Norwegian port, Skjolden. After setting off on a ramble and getting lost in an atmospheric Norwegian wood (and, yeah, to answer The Beatles, it feels good), we reach a spectacular lookout above this tiny, mountain-fringed village at the end of the Lustrafjord, the innermost arm of the 205-kilometre-long Sognefjord. Plunging to 1308 metres, the Sognefjord is, on average, 10 times deeper than the North Sea, into which we’ll re-emerge by sunset (11pm) after one of the most enthralling passages of cruising you could imagine.

We snoozed through this morning’s Sognefjord sailing, but our eyes are wide open for the return leg, feasting on a smorgasbord of hulking, waterfall-riddled cliffs, glacier-smudged peaks, emerald-hued meadows and fairytale villages with ancient Viking roots. Whether we’re chilling on our balcony, being blown around the ship’s breezy top deck or sipping mojitos in the cosy Crow’s Nest, it’s all so astonishingly, life-affirmingly beautiful. I used to spend European summers hopping around the Mediterranean islands. Now, in these heatwave-prone times, I’d rather frolic in the fjords of Norway.

DETAILS Holland America has seven-day roundtrip Norway cruises from Rotterdam and Amsterdam from $2564 a person including a Have It All Package bundling together a Wi-FI and drinks package, plus speciality dining and shore excursion credits. There’s a departure from Rotterdam on April 11, 2027, visiting Oslo, Mandal, Stavanger and Skjolden. See hollandamerica.com

FIVE MORE THINGS TO SEE AND DO

Smart packing
Norway markets itself as a “coolcation” destination, dodging the extreme temperatures that bake Southern Europe. The weather is mixed on our June cruise – glorious sunshine, leaden skies, torrential downpours – but it’s rarely above 20 degrees. Bring layers and waterproofs. Norwegians we meet tell us: “There’s no such thing as bad weather. Just bad clothing.” If you’re cold, buy a traditional patterned Norwegian wool jumper.

Hikes
Walking boots are handy as Norway has more than 20,000 kilometres of accessible marked trails in summer. They range from daring vertiginous ridges to family-friendly routes, such as Dalsnuten, a 324-metre peak above Sandnes, or the path to Ludwig Wittgenstein’s old lakeside cabin in Skjolden, where the Austro-British philosopher sought peace and isolation.

Oslo alternative
Take the inner-fjord ferry to Oslo’s Bygdoy peninsula, dubbed “Museum Island”. The national maritime museum has centuries-old vessels and discoveries from Norwegian shipwrecks. The Kon-Tiki Museum boasts the raft that Thor Heyerdahl crossed the Pacific Ocean on in 1947. The Museum of the Viking Age opens in 2027 with the world’s best-preserved Viking ships.

Shore things
Shore excursions, priced from $84, promise deeper dives into Norway’s landscapes, history and culture. Enjoy guided port walks, e-bike tours, RIB (rigid inflatable boats) trips, river rafting, heritage railways or scenic coach drives along mountain passes. Other tours visit medieval stave churches, folklore museums, lighthouses and Viking burial sites.

Ship draws
Norwegian language classes, craft workshops and shows about Scandinavian pioneers are among Holland America’s free on-board activities. Don’t miss Origin Story, which reveals the absorbing history of a company founded in Rotterdam in 1873, originally operating trans-Atlantic cargo and passenger ships and carrying more than a million emigrants to North America.

The writer travelled as a guest of Holland America

Steve McKenna is based in the UK, but is usually drawn to sunnier climes. He has a special affection for Mediterranean Europe, south-east Asia and Latin America.

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