Cruise and Maritime Voyages

With more bicycles than permanent residents, the Dutch capital is both charming and quirky. Aesthetically little has changed in the centre since its 17th century Golden Age. Beautiful gabled houses and merchants’ mansions line serene, tree-lined canals, which are laid out in five concentric circles and crossed by numerous bridges. The Royal Palace, originally built as a Town Hall in the 17th century, stands on a large square in the centre of the city. Considered one of Europe’s major art capitals, Amsterdam is home to a number of superb galleries and museums including the famous Rijksmuseum, the Anne Frank House and the Van Gogh Museum.

In 1904 a catastrophic fire swept through Ålesund leaving the town in ashes. It was rebuilt in the then fashionable art nouveau style. Buildings with turrets and towers and facades with medieval romantic ornamentation add a quirky charm to the town that is considered the most beautiful in Norway. From the park 418 steps lead to the summit of Mount Aksla, which affords wonderful views of Ålesund, built on islands stretching into the sea. In an elaborate building that was the former Swan Pharmacy, the Jugendstilsenteret celebrates the town’s unique architectural history.

Modern Narvik was the first industrial town in Northern Norway. It was given town status in 1902 when the Ofoten Railway was completed to haul iron ore from Kiruna in Sweden to the ice-free port of Narvik. Narvik became the focus of the world’s attention in 1940 and five years of German occupation are documented in the Nordland Red Cross War Memorial Museum. The cable car on Narvikfjellet Mountain opens up an incredible bird’s eye view of the town and dramatic landscape around Ofotfjorden. Outside the town in the Salagsdalen Valley is one of the world’s northernmost zoos.

The largest town in Finnmark, Alta stretches along the inner part of the Altafjord and on the banks of one of Norway’s best rivers for salmon fishing, the Alta River. Today’s town has three centres. Bossekop with its old trading and market traditions, Elvebakken to the east with the town’s airport and harbour, and the new town with its shops. Large areas of woodlands and parts of the high plateau of Finnmarksvidda surround Alta, which in summer enjoys the white nights of the midnight sun and of a winter night often has the northern lights dancing across its skies.

Åndalsnes lies at the end of the 88-kilometre long Romsdalfjord at the mouth of the River Rauma. The river, which flows through the Romsdal Valley, was one of the first rivers in Norway to attract British aristocrats and other fly fishing foreigners at the end of the 19th century. The small town is today the administrative centre of Rauma in Norway’s Møre and Romsdal district. Optional excursions feature the beautiful Romsdal Alps with the famous Troll Wall and spectacular winding Troll Path Road. Åndalsnes is also the start of the incredible Rauma Line, a vintage steam train journey through enthralling mountain scenery.