Ferry operator · Norway
Hurtigruten
- Routes
- 24
- Terminals
- 20
- Regions
- 1
- Avg crossing
- 3h 30m
Ship operator
Hurtigruten sells its coastal service two ways, and the difference matters. Alongside the full round voyage it offers havn til havn — port to port — where you book a single leg as transport rather than a cruise, with no meals included. A cabin is optional on short hops but compulsory on any leg longer than 23 hours.
Official site: www.hurtigruten.com/nb-no/havn-til-havn — always confirm the current timetable there before travelling.
Timetables
Routes operated by Hurtigruten
Showing the 2 most-searched of the 24 routes Hurtigruten runs.
| Route | Crossing | Sailings/day | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bodø → Stamsund | 3h 55m | 1 | — |
| Nesna → Ørnes | 3h 50m | 1 | — |
Port to port is a ticket, not a cruise
The havn til havn booking treats the coastal route as what it originally was: a scheduled service between ports along the Norwegian coast. You choose a departure port and an arrival port, and what you buy is passage. Meals are not included, and cabins are priced separately from the ticket — but a cabin is compulsory on any port-to-port journey longer than 23 hours and is added at checkout. Suites are not sold for port-to-port trips.
Typical legs run about three days and call at a large number of ports along the way — Tromsø to Kirkenes northbound touches 13 ports over three days; Trondheim to Tromsø northbound covers 15 ports; Kirkenes to Svolvær southbound reaches 17. Every one of those legs is longer than 23 hours, so each needs a cabin. Published fares in September 2026 started at about 2,400 to 3,500 kroner for those legs before the cabin (Tromsø–Kirkenes from NOK 2,441, Trondheim–Tromsø from NOK 3,081, Kirkenes–Svolvær from NOK 3,465), with discounts of up to 25 percent on some departures. Port-to-port trips open for booking six months ahead.
Children travel free to five, and at a quarter fare to seventeen
The family discount here is unusually deep. Children up to 5 travel free, and children aged 6 to 17 receive a 75 percent discount on the ticket price. The free place for under-5s assumes the child shares a berth; one who needs its own berth is booked at the 6–17 fare.
Two conditions apply and both are easy to miss. The discount covers the ticket price only — not cabins, so a family booking berths pays full rate for those. And valid documentation must be shown at boarding, meaning the age has to be provable rather than declared.
Quay changes are announced, and the walk can be a kilometre
Hurtigruten publishes sailing notices for individual ships, and they can affect where you actually board. One published example: on a single day in Ålesund, MS Polarlys was scheduled to use the usual Skansekaia for its morning call but Storneskaia in the evening — with the walking distance between the two quays given as about 1 km, roughly 10 to 15 minutes.
For a port-to-port passenger arriving with luggage on a tight connection, that is the difference between an easy boarding and a rushed one. Checking the sailing notices for your specific ship, not just the timetable, is worth the minute it takes.
The network
Where Hurtigruten sails
Explore
Regions Hurtigruten serves
Paying aboard
Fares with Hurtigruten
Driving with Hurtigruten? Its road-ferry fares use AutoPASS for Ferries — vehicles are billed automatically by length and foot passengers usually travel free. There is normally no ticket to buy in advance.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
What is a havn til havn ticket?
A port-to-port booking on the coastal route, treated as transport rather than a cruise. You book a single leg between two ports; meals are not included, cabins are priced separately, and a cabin is compulsory on any leg longer than 23 hours.
Do children pay on Hurtigruten's coastal route?
Children up to 5 travel free when sharing a berth, and those aged 6 to 17 get a 75 percent discount — but on the ticket price only, not on cabins. Valid documentation must be shown when boarding.
How long is a typical port-to-port leg?
About three days for the popular stretches — long enough that a cabin is compulsory. Tromsø to Kirkenes northbound calls at 13 ports, Trondheim to Tromsø at 15, and Kirkenes to Svolvær southbound at 17.
Are meals included?
No. Port-to-port fares cover passage only; meals are not included. A cabin is booked separately, and on legs longer than 23 hours it is compulsory.
Can the boarding quay change?
Yes, and Hurtigruten publishes sailing notices per ship. In one published case at Ålesund, MS Polarlys used Skansekaia for the morning call and Storneskaia in the evening — about a kilometre apart, or 10 to 15 minutes on foot. Check the notice for your specific vessel.