Hurtigruten

Hurtigruten – the fast route – has been a Norwegian institution since 1893: a combined mail, freight, and passenger service along the Norwegian coast between Bergen and Kirkenes. Today the company is divided into two segments: the classic coastal routes under Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Express and the internationally operating expedition ships under HX Hurtigruten Expeditions. The company is headquartered in Tromsø.

The expedition segment operates the MS Roald Amundsen (2019) and MS Fridtjof Nansen (2020) – the world's first hybrid battery-powered expedition ships, with over 20,000 GRT and capacity for 530 guests. Both ships are named after Norwegian polar explorers and feature a science center, an outdoor observation deck platform, and Zodiac boats for landings in Antarctica, the Arctic, Galapagos, and Patagonia. The coastal segment operates older multi-purpose vessels (Trollfjord, Polarlys, Otto Sverdrup, Richard With, and others).

On-board language: German and English (expedition), Norwegian and English (coastal). On-board currency is the Norwegian Krone or Euro on international routes. On the coastal ships, locals traveling between ports sail alongside tourists – an authentic experience far removed from the typical cruise.