NORWAY’S ARCTIC & FJORDS DISCOVERY

Welcome to Hamburg. You have 2 nights to explore the city.

Located between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, Hamburg will fascinate you from the moment you first set eyes on its elegant and austere buildings looking onto the port, one of the largest in Europe.

When you reach this destination on an MSC Cruise of Northern Europe, you can get a taste of its glorious history. Hamburg is a cosmopolitan, wealthy and fashionable city, with an aggressive economy, that still prides itself of the title “free Hanseatic city”.
It has, in fact, never cut its umbilical cord with maritime trade that has its heart in the port where your cruise liner will be waiting for you. Many tourist come here to visit the Reeperbahn, the red light district, but if you want to take in the atmosphere of the city, you shouldn’t miss an excursion to Speicherstadt (Warehouse Town), where the cobbled streets, gables and turrets combine to make the area on the other side of Zollkanal (Tax Canal) a world apart from the city opposite.
Another city icon, St Michaelis, at the western edge of the city centre by Ludwig-Erhard-Strasse, is Hamburg’s iconic church and no wonder. More than any other building, the “Michael” mirrors the city’s irrepressible spirit. Burned down after a lightning strike in1750, it was rebuilt in Baroque style under Ernst Georg Sonnin but it again accidently caught fire in1906.
In 1945, the Allies obliterated the roof and decor of church number three. Reconstructed again to Sonnin’s plans, it is now the finest Baroque church in North Germany. Probably the most gratifying attraction during an excursion on an MSC Cruise is the scenery you can admire from one of the best views over Hamburg: the 360-degree panorama takes in Speicherstadt, the container port and shipping on the Elbe, the Alster lakes, and the five spires of the churches and Rathaus.

Bergen’s maritime tradition is age old and your MSC Cruise of Northern Europe will lay anchor in a setting which exudes history.
An excursion on land will give you the opportunity to visit the Hanseatic quarter, where you find the oldest buildings in Bergen, built along the Bryggen docks, one of the most active and lively parts of town. Included by UNESCO amongst the world heritage sites, this quarter has preserved the old buildings of the port, and is, with its narrow alleys and dark, open galleries, one of the best preserved Medieval boroughs of the country.

A vacation in Norway with an MSC cruise will give you the opportunity to explore this fascinating land. A visit to the Hanseatic Museum and the Schøtstuene, the merchant navy league assembly will help you get to better know this intriguing town.
Håkon Hall in the royal palace built by King Håkon Håkonsson in the mid-14th century and the adjacent Rosenkrantz tower (1270) reflect to this day the power of the Hanseatic League in the Middle Ages. All this can be admired also from above with a ride on the Fløibanen funicular, that takes you up to the peaks of Mount Fløyen, from which it is worth walking down on foot: after crossing landscapes of rare beauty you will find yourself in the lively bustle of the fish market. You can take a walk amidst the wooden homes built on the side of the hill and along the long smau, the narrow passages typical of Bergen.
Take time to visit the original wooden church of Fantoft, built in 1150 but transferred here only in 1882. Along the shores of Lake Lille Lungegårdsvann you find many art galleries and a museum with a collection of paintings by Edward Munch. In Troldhaugen instead, there is the museum-home of the most famous Norwegian composer, Edvard Grieg, who worked and lived here in a small cottage on Lake Nordås.

Molde is the most highly populated city in Norway which you can visit during your MSC cruise of Northern Europe.
When you get to the city centre, you could visit the Romsdal museum where there is a model of a part of town as it was before the second world war and in which there were 35 buildings built between the 16th and 19th centuries.
You can see for yourself on this vacation whether Norway has changed much or little! From Molde, a footpath takes you through the natural landscape to the panoramic viewpoint of Varden (407 metres a.s.l.) from where you can see the whole town and the splendid Romsdalsfjord. From Varden you have a full view of all 222 peaks, covered in snow all year round, that crown this area protected by UNESCO as a world heritage site.
If you want to reach one of the most beautiful and wild settings found in these latitudes, during your MSC cruise, you can climb up Mount Romsdalseggen. The view is breath taking: mountains, waterfalls and rivers will appear in front of your eyes at every turn of direction; in order to allow everyone to take this excursion, different routes have been organized for both experts and families. And don’t miss the troll references: like the Trollstigen mountain road, one of the most popular routes amongst visitors or the majestic peaks and the Stigfossen Falls that seem to irrigate the Isterdalen valley.
Half way between Trollstigen and the centre of Valldal, stop in Gudbrandsjuvet, a spectacular group of maelstroms about 5 metres wide and 20 metres deep that takes its name from the legendary outlaw who dived into it with the woman he had just kidnapped. Finally you reach the Face of the Troll, the largest vertical escarpment in Europe: 1,800 metres high to admire from the best viewpoint and picnic area not far from Åndalsnes.

The Svalbard islands form the most remote province of northern Europe. Arriving in Longyearbyen on an MSC cruise therefore means reaching the northernmost municipality in the world.

Small but vital, the town offers interesting collections of old maps and books on the Svalbard in the town gallery, as well as slides by photographer – composer Thomas Widerberg and a display of paintings by Kåre Tveter. Longyearbyen was founded for extraction purposes due to the abundance of coal, so one often comes across abandonedcoal mines.
The pylons that support the funicular are also vestiges and part of the local culture that still highlight the local coal extraction methods. The Svalbard museum offers insight into this activity, as well as hosting examples of local flora and fauna and illustrating the hunting methods used in the islands, where man had to compete with polar bears, the king of these lands and still present in the wild (all excursions in the wild are tackled following the local safety indications).
A curious feature of this remote locality is the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, an underground, anti-nuclear vault where all known and classified seeds are preserved. In Longyearbyen there are plenty of places where you can enjoy a relaxing beverage, but if you’re looking for something unique we advise you eat in one of the hunting lodges. You will only have the embarrassment of the choice of possible excursions.
You can go looking for marine birds, wander about the fjords on a kayak looking for seals, or even take a ride on a dog sleigh, either on the snow or on wheels. Some routes instead lead you to the peak of Mount Sarkofagen, from where you can enjoy a staggering view of Longyearbyen and its fjord.

The thrill of reaching Cape North, Nordkapp in Norwegian, the northernmost stretch of land in the European continent, on an MSC cruise, will impress even the most distracted traveller.

When the ship anchors in Honningsvåg, the sky decorated with permanently iridescent clouds and illuminated by the sunlight that shines 24 hours a day from mid-May to July, offers the most incredible spectacle. We cannot fail to realize we’re in a special place, on the last stretch of continental land before the end of the world.
To understand the spirit and lifestyle of the fishermen living in these extreme lands, you should visit the Honningsvåg museum: as well as offering a display of everyday objects, you will find a section that illustrates the consequences of the Second World War on these lands.
During your MSC cruise of Northern Europe you should not miss an excursion to Cape North, where you will find a cliff that is 500 million years old and rises 307 metres above sea level, dominating the Barents Sea and the Arctic Ocean from where you can admire the spectacle of the midnight sun.
A short distance from the monument that celebrates this remote location is the Nordkapphallen, the visitors’ centre which hosts exhibitions and screenings of documentaries on the beauty of the area. Here you can find everything you need: a café and a restaurant, as well as a post office and even a chapel in the northernmost part of the world: the St Johannes Kapell.
In spite of the extreme latitude, the average temperature in the summer never drops under seven degrees. Here in the western Finnmark, nature is still the queen and one can admire it by taking part in photographic safaris to explore the local flora and fauna. You can go to Gjesvær, a short distance from Cape North, where you can come across sea puffins, gannets, cormorants and other marine birds.

When vacationing in Norway on an MSC Cruise, you can visit the largest complex of wooden buildings north of Trondheim, just four kilometres from the port, in the centre of Tromsø.
One of the first attractions to visit during your MSC cruise of Northern Europe is Polaria. In this Arctic aquarium, you can watch the feeding, twice a day, of the sociable, peaceful bearded seals, and also admire the great variety of fish species that live in the Barents Sea and on the Svalbard.
The most handsome building in Tromsø is undoubtedly the Arctic Cathedral, built in 1965. Its triangular prism shape, with its glass mosaics, mirrors the landscape of this remote region of Norway. Another excursion during your MSC cruise of Northern Europe will take you to the top of the mountain above Storsteinen with the Fjellheisen funicular to enjoy the view, 420 metres above, of the city and the lovely surrounding landscape.
Here one also finds the northernmost botanical gardens in the world, where there are species of plants that, due to their climatic fragility, cannot grow at any other latitude, such as, for example, the Hymalayan blue poppy. Tromsø also hosts the northernmost university in the world, where you find a museum to give you an insight into northern Norway’s culture and environment, with particular attention to the Sami, to archeology, sacred art, geology and the phenomenon of the northern lights.
The polar museum instead shows visitors the harsh life of Arctic explorers. It is fitted in the dock of an old construction built in 1830. For those who like a good beer, there’s a pub like the Ølhallen, which has remained unchanged since 1928. A site not to miss is the Lyngen, an incredible wooden church in the village of Lyngseidet.

Leknes sits on Vestvågøy in the heart of the Lofoten Islands, surrounded by peaks that rise straight out of the sea. The town became an official municipality centre in 2002, but the real drawcard is what’s beyond it. Red fishing cabins line the harbour at Nusfjord, and the beaches at Uttakleiv and Haukland rank among the most photographed in Norway. For better views, the hike up Reinebringen looks out over the whole archipelago. Fishing has shaped this coastline for centuries, and many villages nearby still centre on cod drying racks and working harbours.

Attractive and friendly, Stavanger offers visitors arriving on an MSC cruise a variety of activities. Starting from a visit to the town itself, that has a centre full of shops, narrow streets climbing up the hill and an attractive cathedral.

You should walk around the old part of town facing the sea where your cruise ship will be anchored. In Stavanger you can enjoy visiting museums. Amongst the most interesting area the oil museum, the canning museum, the Rogaland art museum or the children’s museum.
Take a stroll in the environs of Stavanger instead to explore the 23 iron figures that form the “Broken Column” a sculpture by Antony Gormley. In Hafrsfjord look for the three swords in the rock, a monument celebrating the Vikings’ battle of 872 A.D. led by King Harald I. Nearby is the Jærmuseet science centre, elected the “best museum in Norway” in 2009. But the region of Stavanger is known especially for its fjords and in particular the Lysefjord.
The mountain walls drop almost a thousand metres vertically along the 42 kilometres of coast, for that is the depth of the sea in this narrow passage. An excursion on the waters is an experience you won’t forget. Also because from here one can admire one of the most famous attractions in Norway, the Preikestolen (the Pulpit), a rocky outcrop soaring 600 metres above the fjord. With an hour and half’s walk from the driveway you can reach this exceptional work of nature .
Another tourist attraction is Kjerag, a peak rising 1100 metres above sea level that dominates the Lysefjord, with its northern face plummeting into the sea. But it’s a little lower down, at about 980 metres that you find a natural masterpiece generated by the elements: the Kjeragbolten, a massive rock jammed between two rock faces.
The excursion takes up most of the day, but the awesome spectacle is worth the effort.

Located between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, Hamburg will fascinate you from the moment you first set eyes on its elegant and austere buildings looking onto the port, one of the largest in Europe.

When you reach this destination on an MSC Cruise of Northern Europe, you can get a taste of its glorious history. Hamburg is a cosmopolitan, wealthy and fashionable city, with an aggressive economy, that still prides itself of the title “free Hanseatic city”.
It has, in fact, never cut its umbilical cord with maritime trade that has its heart in the port where your cruise liner will be waiting for you. Many tourist come here to visit the Reeperbahn, the red light district, but if you want to take in the atmosphere of the city, you shouldn’t miss an excursion to Speicherstadt (Warehouse Town), where the cobbled streets, gables and turrets combine to make the area on the other side of Zollkanal (Tax Canal) a world apart from the city opposite.
Another city icon, St Michaelis, at the western edge of the city centre by Ludwig-Erhard-Strasse, is Hamburg’s iconic church and no wonder. More than any other building, the “Michael” mirrors the city’s irrepressible spirit. Burned down after a lightning strike in1750, it was rebuilt in Baroque style under Ernst Georg Sonnin but it again accidently caught fire in1906.
In 1945, the Allies obliterated the roof and decor of church number three. Reconstructed again to Sonnin’s plans, it is now the finest Baroque church in North Germany. Probably the most gratifying attraction during an excursion on an MSC Cruise is the scenery you can admire from one of the best views over Hamburg: the 360-degree panorama takes in Speicherstadt, the container port and shipping on the Elbe, the Alster lakes, and the five spires of the churches and Rathaus.