Voted as the “happiest place on earth” in 2017, Norway is a bucket list destination for so many reasons. It is the country that keeps on giving: the very cool capital (which you can enjoy during an overnight), the gorgeous island beaches, punctuated by rust red fishermen’s cottages, the jaw dropping beauty of its fjordland … the list is long. Fall in love with the great outdoors on this 11-day cruise aboard the Silver Whisper.
Highlights
Visit the Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen along with other landmarks
Discover vibrant Oslo, rich with history and modern energy
Take a one-hour train journey on the Flåm Railway
Sail up to Lysefjord, one of Norway’s most striking and picturesque fjords
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
Effortlessly cool and down to earth, Copenhagen is a contemporary, clean and classy highlight of Scandinavia. A city built to be liveable, Copenhagen has refused to compromise, resulting in a forward-thinking metropolis that’s green and clean. Swim in the waters of Havnebadet Islands during summer, or shelter from winter’s bite by snuggling in beside a roaring open fire during winter. You can even hop on a train to Sweden, traversing the famous span of a Nordic Noir star - the Öresund Bridge. It takes just a touch over half an hour to step off the train in Malmö. There’s only one way to truly explore Copenhagen and that’s on two wheels. Easy bike hire schemes will get you moving across this flat city, designed with bikes at the forefront of the mind.
Norway's capital is a beautiful, stirring city - where old and new blends with thoughtful harmony. You'll find maritime history mixing with trendy art galleries and cafes, while modernist architecture meets traditional palaces and historic sites. Unafraid to reinvent and evolve, visit a former prison that's now a stylish gathering of galleries, or the grubby docklands that is now an urban-cool hangout spot. Ever-expanding, but with a green and progressive outlook, Oslo is urban planning done right. An outdoor city, where the sun shines until late in the summer, locals swarm to its green spaces - or the surrounding countryside to embark on natural adventures amid the sprawling mountains and lakes. Oslo City Hall pays tribute to the pioneers of peace and humanity, with the Nobel Peace Prize awarded here each year, and the winners honoured within. The beautiful Royal Palace caps the central Slottsplassen square and sparkles amid splashing fountains and peaceful gardens.
The summer getaway of choice for Norwegians, Kristiansand basks in summer’s glow and lays down a charming welcome mat for visitors from Scandinavia and beyond. While it radiates a summery, old-time holiday charm Kristiansand is certainly no sleepy fishing village, and Norway’s fifth-largest city is a modern, green and culturally-rich city to explore. Posebyen Old Town is a delightful clutch of floral-shaded timber houses, glowing with splashes of pink blossom and carefully cultivated floral displays. Take a gentle stroll, smelling the hints of creamy white paints on the breeze, as fresh layers are ladled on by the locals, keeping the area spick and span. Kristiansand is a city fuelled by culture, and a packed schedule of open-air festivals means there’s always something to celebrate or a show to see. The spectacular waterfront Kilden Performing Arts Centre is the city’s new crown jewel – settle into your seat in this beautifully designed, golden wedge of a structure, and feel the swell of the resident orchestra reaching a stirring climax.
The crooked, pastel-coloured warehouses of Bergen’s World Heritage waterfront lean together charmingly, welcoming visitors to this city at the heart of Norway’s most extraordinary cinematic landscapes. It may be the country’s second largest city, but the villagey feel here always provides a warm welcome - even when the weather is living up to its famously damp reputation. Bergen’s colourful waterfront, Bryggen, is a ramshackle line-up of incredible Hanseatic warehouses, built following the devastating fire of 1702, which ransacked the city. These iconic warehouses have stood proudly ever since, with Bergen growing and expanding around the colourful facades. Behind them, a labyrinth of narrow alleyways and wooden decking waits, alive with artisan craft shops and bustling galleries. Fløyen mountain watches over the city, and you can take a short but steep hike up to the panoramic viewpoints, or jump on the funicular, which trundles visitors up and down the incline. At the top, spectacular views of Bergen jutting out into the dark seas below unfold before your eyes.
Norway’s luxury is its sheer natural beauty. And at the very top of the pile is the all-inclusive Flam, a destination that is home to Glacial waterways lined by evergreen forests amidst jagged mountains and sheer cliff walls. Situated inland, on the arm of the 204-kilometre Sognefjord, the village has just 400 inhabitants. Its little size does not belie its gigantic heart, and Flam’s expansive loveliness knows no bounds. In fact, UNESCO has dedicated the Sognefjord as a World Heritage Site for its exquisite natural beauty. There are many ways to imbibe in the beauty of this destination. Some of the more peaceful among you will enjoy just drinking it all in from the veranda or deck of your ship, while adrenaline bunnies will most probably want to jump in a Zodiac and gain first-hand experience that way. But beware! Travelling the shores of one of the deepest fjords may be exciting but it is also fast, wet and bumpy! Most visitors will not want to miss out on a one-hour train journey that has been describes by more than one source as being “the world’s most beautiful”.
Decorative turrets, pastel-coloured paint and elegant buildings reflect in the glass-smooth harbour waters of Ålesund, welcoming you to one of the world’s finest havens of Art Nouveau architecture. A perfect complement of natural and man-made beauty, the city’s distinctive jugendstil style is enhanced by a thrilling location amid colossal fjord scenery. Geirangerfjord World Heritage Site of is one of Norway’s most spectacular fjords, and it comes alive in summer with gushing meltwater falls plummeting from steep banks to pristine water below. Undoubtedly one of the most beautiful towns in Norway, practically every building in Ålesund boasts fantastical flourishes and eccentric quirks. Rebuilt from the ashes of the devastating fire that swept through in 1904, the town is now a unique historic treasure trove. Wander fairy-tale cobbled streets, and admire endless dainty turrets and decorative swirls, before reaching the Aksla Viewpoint and letting the true majesty of the town’s dreamlike setting wash over you, while gazing over its archipelago.
Enriched with chalky blue waters, plummeting green slopes and gushing waterfalls – Eidfjord is a place to soak it all in, and let Norway's natural majesty wash over you. Gulp in the crispest air while exploring plunging fjord lands, soaring mountains, and more than 4,000 years' worth of human history. Photography enthusiasts be warned - you'll need your widest-angle lenses to capture the staggering crumpled mountain panoramas and curving fjords here. A small cluster of compelling galleries and Nordic churches dot the quiet town of Eidfjord, but nature is unquestionably the star here. Explore it your way - whether you want to dip your hands into the cold fjord water on a zodiac, feel the wind in your hair while cycling, or walk through hazes of colourful wildflowers while crunching hiking trails. Sometimes it's good to feel small - and this part of Norway enjoys the kind of sweeping grandeur and scale to leave you feeling utterly humbled.
With a pristine historic core, and epic scenery all around, Norway’s energy capital is a dynamic powerhouse of the south. The city's growth was fuelled by North Sea oil exploits and industry – but this being Norway, you can prepare to visit a perhaps surprisingly charming place, surrounded by spectacular landscapes of cutting fjords, soaring mountains and sandy beaches. With a high international population and regular youthful influxes to its university - Norway’s third-biggest city is a diverse and energetic highlight of this dramatic country. Any preconceptions of a lifeless, industrial city are instantly allayed by the colourful Øvre Holmegate street. A gorgeous palette of candy-coloured wooden shops and cafes shine brightly along this picturesque row - and you can soak in the colours and the quaint charm of a stroll along the waterfront too. Museums explore Stavanger’s industries - from oil to sardine canning - and the Viking past of one of Norway's oldest cities. The flower-tangled, 173 white wooden houses of Gamle Stavanger are a delightful slice of preserved old Norway, and gas lamps hang over uneven cobbled streets here. Norway’s oldest church, Domkirken Cathedral, looms up impressively, having stood since the 12th century. Stretching from the city itself, Lysefjord is one of Norway’s most striking and picturesque fjords - drenched in Viking history and mythology.
Days at sea are the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and catch up with what you’ve been meaning to do. So whether that is going to the gym, visiting the spa, whale watching, catching up on your reading or simply topping up your tan, these blue sea days are the perfect balance to busy days spent exploring shore side.
Day 11: Hamburg, Germany | Disembark
1 Breakfast
A true city of water, effortlessly cool Hamburg is an outward-looking city, with a unique flow of its own. Nestled snugly between the Baltic and North seas, Germany's second-biggest city is intersected by a frayed network of rivers and canals, spanned by hundreds of pretty bridges. The comparisons are obvious - but Hamburg's reputation as the 'Venice of the North' is a little wide of the mark. This quirky, heritage-filled city has a distinct character and open outlook all of its own, and continues to relish its role as Germany's gateway to the world. The water brought Hamburg its wealth, and vast redbrick warehouses stack up against the waterfront in the Speicherstadt district - now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They linger from the era when the city was a Hanseatic League trading capital and the warehouses essentially formed a city unto themselves, with goods brought and exchanged from distant shores. Elsewhere, the Reeperbahn is a notorious and unabashed street of nocturnal mischief, with shifty neon-lit nightclubs, in amongst the city's famous red-light district.
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The trip might have been the absolute best of our lifetime (thus far). We particularly want to commend our guide Peter in the Guilin area-he was so incredibly attentive, energetic, enthusiastic-and absolutely dedicated to ensuring that our meals were 100% vegetarian.
Jack Charney
TrustScore 4.8 | 174 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 174 reviews on
1 day ago
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.
