Most Norwegian fjord cruises look alike on paper: a week, four or five ports, a day at sea each way. They're not alike when you get there. Some ports put you on a city street, some on a tender boat in a fjord, and some are just the starting point for a glacier or a mountain road an hour away. Here's what each one is good for, so you can pick the itinerary that suits you.
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The short version in numbers
Norwegian cruise ports with a full guide on this site
ports here where you nearly always go ashore by tender, Geiranger and Ulvik. Others do on busy days
margin before all aboard, built into every plan on this site
or so, the Geirangerfjord from Hellesylt to Geiranger
The short answer
Look for one fjord village and one city.
The best itineraries mix the two. A fjord village like Geiranger, Flåm or Olden gives you the scenery the trip is sold on. A city like Bergen or Stavanger gives you a relaxed day on foot, cafés and history, with no transport to sort out.
Count the scenic cruising days too. A day sailing through the Geirangerfjord is often the highlight of the whole week, even though you never leave the ship.
What a scenic cruising day means
Itineraries often list fjords without a port, like "cruising Geirangerfjord, Sunnylvsfjorden and Storfjorden". That means the ship sails through slowly so you can look. Here's how to make the most of it.
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Check the times
Before the dayThe evening beforeThe daily programme on board usually says when the ship enters the fjord. That's the hour to be on deck, not in the spa.
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Pick your side
On deckEarlyFjords are narrow, so both sides are close, but the waterfalls tend to be on one side at a time. Get out early and move with the view. Bow and stern decks fill up first.
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Dress for wind
On deckThe whole wayEven on a warm day it's cold and windy at the front of a moving ship between two mountain walls. A hat and a windproof jacket make the difference between ten minutes outside and an hour.
The ports side by side
| Best for | Getting ashore | |
|---|---|---|
| Bergen | Bryggen, the fish market and the funicular | Walk from most quays |
| Stavanger | The old wooden town and the Lysefjord by boat | Walk from the centre quays |
| Ålesund | Art Nouveau town and 418 steps to the view | Walk |
| Flåm | The Flåm Railway and the Nærøyfjord | Walk or tender |
| Geiranger | The fjord itself and mountain viewpoints | Usually tender |
| Olden | Briksdal glacier and the Loen Skylift | Walk or tender |
| Haugesund | Viking kings and a relaxed town | Walk over the bridge |
| Eidfjord | Vøringsfossen waterfall | Walk |
| Åndalsnes | The gondola and Trollstigen | Walk |
| Kristiansand | Beach, old town and a new art museum | Walk |
| Oslo | Museums, the Opera House roof and a fjord sauna | Walk or shuttle |
| Tromsø | The Arctic, the cable car and midnight sun | Walk or shuttle |
| Trondheim | Nidaros Cathedral and old wharves | Walk |
| Honningsvåg | The North Cape | Walk, then a bus |
| Molde | The Varden viewpoint and the Atlantic Road | Walk |
| Ulvik | Cider farms and a quiet fruit village | Tender |
| Nordfjordeid | A Viking ship and an old wooden street | Walk |
| Skjolden | Urnes stave church and a mountain road | Walk, about 1 km |
Pick an itinerary with more fjords if
- It's your first time in Norway
- You want waterfalls and mountains more than museums
- You don't mind tender boats and a bit of planning
Pick one with more cities if
- Walking is hard, or you want easy days
- You like history, food and cafés
- You'd rather not book transport in every port
The trips people book most
The Flåm Railway
The most famous train ride in Norway. Book a fixed departure before you arrive. Ship days sell out.
Find Flåm Railway ticketsBoat trips in the Geirangerfjord
Closer to the waterfalls than your ship gets. Leave time for the tender queue afterwards.
Find a fjord boatFløyen funicular in Bergen
The view over Bergen everyone comes for. A ticket in your pocket saves one queue.
Get your funicular ticketBergen
The classic start or end of a fjord cruise. Bryggen, the fish market and Mount Fløyen are all a short walk from most quays. Bring a rain jacket.
Bergen port guideStavanger
Dock in the centre, walk into the old white wooden town, and take a boat into the Lysefjord below Pulpit Rock if you have the time.
Stavanger port guideÅlesund
A whole town rebuilt in Art Nouveau after the fire of 1904, and 418 steps up to the viewpoint everyone photographs.
Ålesund port guideFlåm
A tiny village at the end of the Aurlandsfjord, with the Flåm Railway starting a few minutes from the ship and boats into the Nærøyfjord.
Flåm port guideGeiranger, and Hellesylt
The fjord on all the posters. Usually a tender port, and often combined with a short stop in Hellesylt the same day, which confuses a lot of people.
How Hellesylt and Geiranger workOlden
The gateway to the Briksdal glacier, 22 km up the valley, and the Loen Skylift a few kilometres away. Pick one on a short stop.
Olden port guideHaugesund
A relaxed coastal town with Viking history. The national monument to Harald Fairhair is a walk away, and the old royal seat at Avaldsnes a short trip south.
Haugesund port guideEidfjord
The far end of the Hardangerfjord, with Vøringsfossen waterfall and its step bridge 20 km up the valley.
Eidfjord port guideÅndalsnes
A gondola a couple of minutes from the quay, and Trollstigen up the road in summer.
Åndalsnes port guideKristiansand
The sunny south coast. A city beach, white wooden houses and the Kunstsilo art museum, all a short walk from the ship.
Kristiansand port guideOslo
The capital, with museums, the Opera House roof and saunas floating in the fjord, most of it a walk from the ship.
Oslo port guideMolde
A town of jazz and roses a few steps from the quay, with 222 peaks to count from the Varden viewpoint and the Atlantic Road within reach.
Molde port guideUlvik
A fruit village on the Hardangerfjord, reached by tender. Cider farms up the hill, and Vøringsfossen over the bridge on a long stop.
Ulvik port guideNordfjordeid
One of the easiest ports in Norway. A Viking ship replica by the pier, an old wooden street, and the Loen Skylift as a day trip.
Nordfjordeid port guideSkjolden
The innermost village on the Sognefjord. Urnes stave church and the Sognefjellet road are the reasons to book a trip here.
Skjolden port guideFurther north
Longer cruises continue to Trondheim, Tromsø and Honningsvåg for the North Cape. In summer the sun barely sets up there.
All port guidesPractical tips
- Check how you get ashore in each port before you book excursions. A tender queue can eat half an hour each way.
- Ports with one quay, like Flåm and Olden, often have a second ship anchored outside on busy days.
- Look at the all aboard time, not the departure time. That's the one that counts.
Last checked November 2026. Sources: The individual port guides on this site, each with its own sources.