Nordic borealis adventures
TRAVEL PERIOD: DECEMBER – MARCH
Nordic borealis adventures
This tour offers the best chance of seeing the Northern Lights, while enjoying the beauty of Finnish Lapland, the Norwegian coast on board the Hurtigruten and the Norway in a Nutshell tour from Bergen to Oslo via Flåm, a village in the fjords. To complete the itinerary, you can spend a night in the capital, Oslo. This trip offers a bit of everything and is suitable for everyone. We invite you to discover the North. To gently acclimatise to the temperatures, which can be extreme, you’ll spend two days in Helsinki, the country’s capital. You’ll then head to the Arctic Circle for a real Arctic experience.
Itinerary
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Day 1: Arrival in Finland
Arrival at Helsinki airport and transfer (not included) to your hotel.
Accommodation at the Original Sokos Hotel Presidentti or similar. -
Day 2: Discovery of Helsinki
Scandinavian breakfast at your hotel. Enjoy the day to discover what the city has to offer. Art, history and design museums, there’s something for everyone. A shopping session will also be a great way to spend a day if you’d like to take home some Finnish-made items!
Departure by night train to Rovaniemi, accommodation on board the train in a private compartment with private bathroom facilities.
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Day 3: Rovaniemi in Finnish Lapland
Breakfast is available on board the train at your own expense. Welcome to Rovaniemi, Santa’s official home. You can contact us to book in advance excursions available in Rovaniemi. Reindeer, huskies, snowmobiles, ice fishing excursions and a visit to Santa’s village are just some of the possibilities for today.
Accommodation at Original Sokos Hotel Vaakuna or similar.
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Day 4: Rovaniemi
Breakfast is available on board the train at your own expense. We recommend that you book in advance one of the many excursions available in Rovaniemi.
Accommodation at Original Sokos Hotel Vaakuna or similar.
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Day 5: Rovaniemi – Saariselkå
Scandinavian breakfast at your hotel. Today you board a local bus that will take you from Rovaniemi to Muotka. Be sure to tell your bus driver that you are staying in Muotka. Muotka is a paradise nestled in the taiga forest.
Dinner and accommodation at Wilderness Hotel Muotka. -
Day 6: Muotka
Scandinavian breakfast at your hotel. We recommend that you pre-book one of the many excursions available. Possibilities include – snowmobiles, ice fishing, huskies, reindeer tours and many other exciting possibilities.
Dinner and accommodation at Wilderness Hotel Muotka. -
Day 7 to day 10: Saariselkä – Inari
Scandinavian breakfast at your hotel. Today get ready to travel even further north, boarding a local bus from Muotka to Inari. Arrive at the Wilderness Inari hotel. Inari is a very special place with a lot of Sami tradition. We recommend that you book in advance one of the many excursions available. Reindeer, sled dogs, snowmobiles, aurora excursions (not included) and/or a visit to Sami museum and nature centre.
Dinner and accommodation at Wilderness Hotel Inari.
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Day 10: Inari – Kirkenes
Scandinavian breakfast at your hotel. Another bus journey takes you from Finland to Norway, on the way to Kirkenes. Transfer from the centre of Kirkenes to the Kirkenes Snow Hotel. You will stay for two nights in the “Gamme” cabins. These cabins were inspired by the traditional hunting and fishing cabin, gamme, which you find in the wilderness of Lapland – the Sami regions of the Arctic.
Dinner and accommodation in the Gamme cabins Snowhotel Kirkenes. -
Day 11: Snowhotel Kirkenes
Scandinavian breakfast at your hotel. Today, we recommend a king crab safari (not included).
Dinner and accommodation in the Gamme cabins Snowhotel Kirkenes.
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Day 12 to 17: Aboard the Hurtigruten
Scandinavian breakfast at your hotel. It’s time to leave Kirkenes by boarding the Hurtigruten for a trip along the Norwegian coast. Hurtigruten plays an important role in providing postal and supply services to the many small villages along the Norwegian coast. You will pass through several of these small villages on the way from Kirkenes to Bergen.
Full board and accommodation on board Hurtigruten in an outside cabin. -
Day 17: Bergen
Disembark the Hurtigruten and discover Bergen, the city of the fjords, full of charm. Take the rest of the day to explore this charming city, rich in history and surrounded by 7 mountains. We recommend a visit to the Fish Market and a ride on the Fløibanen funicular, which takes you up to 320m above sea level.
Accommodation at Hotel Zander K or similar.
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Day 18: Bergen – Flåm
Scandinavian breakfast at your hotel. Today is the start of another well-known tour, the “Norway in a Nutshell”. The first step is a train journey from Bergen to Voss. From Voss, you’ll travel by bus to Gudvangen, then embark on a boat that will take you along the fjord to Flåm.
Accommodation at Fretheim Hotel or similar. -
Day 19: Flåm – Oslo
Breakfast at the hotel. You have the possibility of adding an activity such as a snowshoe hike or a zodiac ride on the fjord (not included).
Departure from Flåm towards Oslo. You will take the train from Flåm to Myrdal and you will discover magnificent landscapes. Once you arrive at Myrdal station, you will take a last train towards Oslo.
Accommodation at Clarion Hotel The Hub or similar.
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Day 20: Oslo
Scandinavian breakfast at your hotel. Departure according to your own itinerary.
Services included:
Accommodation
• 1 night in a centrally located hotel in Helsinki with breakfast
• 2 nights in a centrally located hotel in Rovaniemi with breakfast
• 2 nights in a panoramic cabin at the Wilderness Hotel Muotka with breakfast and dinner
• 1 night in a Wilderness room at the Wilderness Hotel Inari with breakfast and dinner
• 2 nights in a gamme cabin at the Snowhotel Kirkenes with breakfast and dinner
• Hurtigruten trip from Kirkenes to Bergen, outside cabin, full board included
• 1 night in a centrally located hotel in Bergen with breakfast
• 1 night in a centrally located hotel in Flåm with breakfast
• 1 night in a centrally located hotel in Oslo with breakfast
Transport & Transfers
• Night train Helsinki-Rovaniemi, private sleeper compartment
• Bus from Rovaniemi to Saariselkä
• Bus from Muotka to Inari
• Bus from Inari to Kirkenes
• Train from Bergen to Voss (standard class, with seat reservation)
• Bus from Voss to Gudvangen
• Boat from Gudvangen to Flåm
• Train from Flåm to Myrdal on the Flåm Railway
• Train from Myrdal to Bergen (standard class, with seat reservation)
Local advice
Explore the beautiful Sami culture in Inari and learn more about it in their dedicated museum. Did you know that they have their own parliament in Inari?
This program has special payment and cancellation conditions.
