P&O Iona - Norwegian Fjords

Day 1: Southampton, UK Depart 18:00

Embark P&O Iona for the start of this amazing cruise.

Meals Included: Dinner

Day 2: At Sea

At Sea.  Relax and enjoy everything that this beautiful ship has to offer.

Meals Included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 3: Stavanger, Norway Arrive: 09:00 Depart 17:00

The gateway to Norway's spectacularly scenic fjordland, Stavanger is also a town with its own rich heritage as it is regarded as the 'Cradle of the Vikings'. Your ship will dock right next to Gamle Stavanger, the old quarter, with its collection of 200-year-old white-painted wooden cottages (considered national heritage monuments in their own right), 12th century cathedral modelled on Winchester Cathedral, markets, craft stores and art galleries.

Breathtaking natural beauty, crashing waterfalls and head-spinning vertical drops (600m from the flat-topped Pulpit Rock or Preikestolen) can also be found about Stavanger. For an equally dramatic but less perilous photo op, head for the Swords in Rock or Sverd i Fjell monument at the edge of town, commemorating the 872 battle of Hafrsfjord, which led the victor, King Harald Fairhair, to create Norway as one kingdom. Three vast bronze swords stand firm in the rock at the water’s edge. Then head to find out about more Viking antics in Stavanger’s Museum of Archaeology.

 

Meals Included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 4: Olden, Norway Arrive 09:00 Depart 18:00

The peaceful village of Olden has the perfect Fjordland cruise setting - nestling at the southern end of one branch of the beautiful Nordfjord and at the entrance to the gorgeous Oldedalen Valley.

A lake in the valley has been turned a rich, deep green by the river pouring down the mountains from the vast, million-years-old Briksdal Glacier. Giant waterfalls also cascade down making the views even more spectacular as you travel through the valley to the foot of the glacier - one of the offshoots of the vast Jostedal Glacier now designated as a national park. Other tours head overland to the inner Nordfjord area with its wind-blown rocks, towering mountains and verdant valleys. Also in the area are folk and glacier museums, a skiing centre on the glacier plateau and northern Europe's deepest lake - Hornindalsvatnet.

Meals Included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 4: Innvikfjorden (cruise-by), Norway Arrives 18:30 Depart 20:00 PM

Sailing through the Norwegian fjords is one of the great maritime experiences. Formed during the Ice Age when the glaciers retreated, the deep valleys and narrow inlets were flooded with seawater creating these natural wonders. Thanks to the warmth of the Gulf Stream these natural wonders are virtually ice free and easily explored. Nordfjord, located in western Norway, is astonishingly beautiful and diverse. You'll find peaceful valleys and well-kept farms, as well as gleaming glaciers, foaming waterfalls, and towering, snow-capped mountains. The mountains plunge from altitudes of a few thousand metres, straight down into the seawater. The sixth longest in Norway, Nordfjord's deep-blue waters stretch 106 km (66 miles) from Stad on the coast, deep into the town of Stryn on the east. It also flows past a lovely collection of picture-postcard coastal towns and villages on the way.

Meals Included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 4: Nordfjord (cruise-by) 20:00 - 21:30

Day 5: Geiranger, Norway Arrive: 08:00 Depart: 17:00

It is just nine miles long but the snaking Geirangerfjord is the most photographed of all Norways fjords because of the sheer beauty of its setting. As you cruise along to the ships anchorage off Geiranger cruise port, just marvel at the views as spectacular waterfalls with evocative names like Bridal Veil and The Seven Sisters cascade down from the steep rocky peaks that overlook the fjord from both sides. Geiranger welcomed its first cruise ship (carrying a group of Quakers from Scotland) in 1869 and its appeal for visitors has hardly changed since then. It is still just a small village resort which simply makes the ideal base for walking, boating, or motoring tours into a surrounding area full of natural beauty and magnificent scenery with snow-capped mountains, verdant valleys, plunging waterfalls and age-old glaciers. There are superb views from the Dalsnibban mountain plateau overlooking the fjord.

Meals Included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 5: Geirangerfjord, Norway Arrive 17:30 Depart 18:30

Famed for its deep blue waters, towering mountains and cascading waterfalls, Geirangerfjord is considered one of the most beautiful fjords in the world. As you sail through this UNESCO World Heritage Site, it's easy to imagine you're in a Norse fairytale. The mountains soar above you, up to 1,700 metres. The water drops to depth of 260 metres beneath your feet. Even the waterfalls have intriguing names, such as the Suitor, the Bridal Veil and the best-known, the Seven Sisters. You sail past all three waterfalls, so have your camera at the ready. And if you have a sense that there's something familiar about Geirangerfjord's scenery, it was the inspiration for Disney's movie, Frozen.

Meals Included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 5: Sunnylvsfjorden (cruise-by), Norway Arrive: 18:30 Depart: 19:30

Stunning Sunnylvsfjorden will wow you as you wind your way along its 16 miles of craggy cliffs, tall waterfalls and glassy waters, headed for the town of Hellesylt. On the way, you pass the historically important Me-kernes - a deserted Fjord farm, dating back to the 1600s and possibly as far as medieval times. Preserved for its unique siting, it's perched 100 metres above the water, tucked under over-hanging rock to protect it from avalanches. Me-kernes inspired Ibsen, who visited in 1862 and used its inhospitable setting in his play Brand. At its widest, Sunnylvsfjorden stretches to over a mile, narrowing to 600 metres in places. And at its deepest, it reaches a startling 452 metres below sea level.

Meals Included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 5: Storfjorden (cruise-by), Norway Arrive 19:30 Depart: 20:30

As you sail in from the North Sea, through the outlying islands of Norway's west coast, you reach the beguiling, wide waterway of Storfjorden. Translating as 'Great Fjord',Storfjorden more than lives up to its name, with sweeping waterscapes, soaring, snow-dusted peaks and forested slopes that plunge down to the water's edge. On a still day, the reflections of the mountains in the water are a sight to behold. This remote wilderness is a haven for wildlife. Keep a look out for dolphins and whales swimming alongside the ship and sea eagles passing overhead. As your ship winds its way along the peaceful waters, the views are ever changing, with occasional small settlements lying along the water and abandoned farms high up the rock faces. Norway's fifth longest fjord, Storfjorden is 68 miles long, cutting Norway's Sunnmre region into two, and taking you though magnificent scenery towards Sunnylvsfjord and Geirangerfjord.

Meals Included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 6: Haugesund, Norway Arrive: 09:00 Depart: 17:00

Haugesund, homeland of the Viking kings and birthplace of Norway, is a place where you can inhale the Viking spirit. Surrounded by beautiful coastline, spectacular waterfalls and majestic fjords it's no wonder the kings called this extraordinary setting home. Populated for thousands of years, you can walk in the footsteps of the great kings at the Nordvegen History Centre and travel back over 3,500 years. St Olav's Church, dating from 1250 AD, is a monument to the former days of glory, and next to the church stands one of Norway's tallest pillars, Virgin Mary's Sewing Needle. In nearby Rehaugene you can explore the 'Pyramids of the North' - six intriguing Bronze Age, earthen burial mounds. And if you are feeling like a spot of retail therapy, you're in luck - not only is Haugesund filled with charming markets it's also home to Norway's longest pedestrian street.

Meals Included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 7: At Sea

At Sea

Meals Included: Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Day 8: Southampton, UK Arrive: 07:00

Early morning arrival back into Southampton.  After breakfast, disembark Iona.

Meals Included: Breakfast