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Norwegian Coastal Towns and Places
Our presentation can hardly give justice in the description of the many amazing towns and places along the Norwegian coast, but we hope you will take it as an invitation to come and see for yourself. The Norwegian coastline is 2532 kilometers long, without counting in the fjords and bays along. Our journey will take you from
Bergen
in the south to Kirkenes in the North, in the wash from the Hurtigruten ships. The
Hurtigruten
depart from Bergen in the evening, and during the night the ship calls Florø and Måløy.In the morning it arrives the small harbour of Torvik, and just north of here you get a glance of the bird-island
Runde
, far out in the ocean.Runde is quite spectaculare, and is absolutely worth a visit. This is the place where divers in 1972 found the sunken wreck of the Dutch ship Akerendam from 1725 with 60.000 gold and silver coins.Then prepare yourself for beautiful
Ålesund
,the Jugend Town in Norway, situated by the water like a Norwegian Venice.In the summertime the Hurtigruten also visit Geiranger before it returns to Ålesund again. In Geiranger many passengers choose to leave the ship for some hours, and get onboard buses that takes them to Valldal and the impressing
Trollstigen
. After passing Åndalsnes the bus is taking you along the North side of the Romsdalsfjord to Molde where you again enter the Hurtigruten.
For those who stay on the ship, the next port is
Molde
in the Romsdalsfjord, also called "the Town of Roses", and with the amazing mountains of the Romsdal Alps in the background. In the early night you arrive
Kristiansund
. Just south of Kristiansund is the amazing
Atlantic Road
, and on your southbound Hurtigruten Cruise you normally have the possibility to go on a sightseeing tour by bus from Kristiansund to Molde on this road. Early next morning the ship calls the port of
Trondheim
where you can get a city sightseeing before leaving. The next stop is Rørvik, a small community of 2700 inhabitants in Nord-Trøndelag county, where north-bound and south-bound Hurtigruten ship meets every evening. Rørvik even has its own airport. On the 4th day you will experience more highlights. Prepare yourself for something spectacular when the Hurtigruten calls
Brønnøysund
, Sandnessjøen, Nesna, Ørnes,
Bodø
, Stamsund and Svolvær. And in between you will cross the Arctic Circle just north of the beautiful island of
Indre Kvarøy
. You are now in the Land of the Midnight Sun, and the scenery is quite overwhelming.The 5th day the hurtigruten takes you to the famous regions of Lofoten and Vesterålen, to Stokmarknes, Sortland, Risøyhamn, Harstad, Finnsnes, Tromsø and Skjervøy. Next day is time for Øksfjord, Hammerfest, Havøysund, Honningsvåg, Kjøllefjord, Mehamn and Berlevåg. On our cruise agains Berlevåg we are passing by Slettnes Fyr, the most northern lighthouse in European mainland. Late in the evening, about 23'o'clock we arrive Berlevåg. During the night Hurtigruten is calling Båtsfjord and Vardø, and by breakfast time on the 7th day we call the port of Vadsø, before we arrive the turning point of Hurtigruten in Kirkenes, close to the Russian border.
The changing nature along the western coast of Norway has formed the small towns and places in different ways,from the calm landscape in the south, to the wild mountain surroundings along the mid-norwegian coast, and then the thousands of beautful, tiny islands in the north. The coastal environment is fresh and wild, and can give you experiences of sunny, warm summerdays, where the sea or the fjord lays calm and quiet. It can also give you rainy days, where the fog is laying all the way down to the sea, and where you see little or nothing around you.Be prepared for both, and both will give you its own impression for your summer memory.
Normally it is not often rough sea or strong winds in the summertime. During the wintertime though, you must be prepared for real, stormy weather, where you can barely stand on your feet, and every loose item onboard is secured.The impression is, for many people, just as great over the storm as for the sunny day. You should try both, and the coast is in many ways the right place for the great events when it comes to the weather.
A typical Norwegian city or town is different from what you expect when you come here as a tourist. Actually a Norwegian town can have as few as 1000 people, and even the biggest city in Norway, Oslo, has only around 500 000 inhabitants.
Almost midnight in Tomrefjord, Møre and Romsdal County
The coastal communities are small, often originally established on fishing. Many small places has been abandoned during the years, some just as a result of one family after the other leaving the place, and some places as a result of the governments policy of paying them to leave to establish in bigger communities.
Go from Towns and Places to People and Living to see more


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